The 16:9 aspect display has 200cd/m2 brightness and a 400:1 contrast ratio.  Unlike some of the other MIMO displays we’ve seen there are no integrated speakers or webcam, but considering most people probably wouldn’t use them anyway that doesn’t seem a great loss.  A single USB connection provides power and signal.

Mimo Monitors plan to start taking preorders for both the display-only and the touchscreen versions later this month, with deliveries expected to kick off in mid-April.  We’re still waiting to hear back from them with regards pricing. Meanwhile, you can find our review of the touchscreen MIMO 720-S here, and of the MIMO UM-710 and UM-720 here.

Update: Pricing is “tentatively” set at $219.99 for the display-only iMo Plus and $269.99 for the touchscreen version.

As with its siblings, the iMo Pivot has a 7-inch 800 x 480 LCD panel and gets both power and signal via a USB connection and the DisplayLink software.  Rather than a fixed stand there’s a ball-and-joint system, but the iMo can also be detached and used with its simple flip-out kickstand too.

Screen specs are 350cd/m2 brightness and 400:1 contrast, but at the end of the day this is a convenience monitor rather than something you’d want to do your primary computing or media consumption on.  Think separate IM, Twitter and email window rather than anything else.

Press Release:

New 7″ LCD iMo Pivot Touchscreen Monitor Now Available with Free Shipping and Free MIMO Care Package at mimomonitors.com

Latest from mimomonitors.com is the Most Inexpensive Touchscreen Mini-Monitor on the Market Today; Device Features Full 360 Degree Maneuverability for Optimum Viewing

mimomonitors.com, the leading online retailer of the MIMO family of USB-based 7″ mini-monitors, has added the revolutionary iMo Pivot Touch to its roster of cutting-edge displays. Available for an amazingly affordable price of $199.99, the iMo Pivot Touch is the first touchscreen monitor on the market to dip below $200 — allowing consumers to experience full touchscreen capability at a very low price.

Featuring a fully pivoting ball-and-joint 7″ LCD screen, the iMo Pivot Touch sets a new standard in affordability, earning the title of most inexpensive touchscreen monitor on the market today. The device — which is also fully detachable from its stand and can operate in stand-alone mode – boasts 800×480 resolution, 350 cd/m2 brightness and 400:1 contrast. Additionally, the monitor requires just a single USB 2.0 connection for both connectivity and power — the result: no extra wires. The power on/off control is also integrated directly into the USB cable. For full product specs and details, visit http://www.mimomonitors.com/products/iMo.

A truly innovative game-changing device, the iMo Pivot Touch arrives just in time for the holiday season and makes a great gift for tech enthusiasts, gamers, designers, photographers, parents, college students, and more. The device lets users de-clutter their crowded, primary desktop monitor as they are able to offload email/productivity applications such as Microsoft Outlook, social networking platforms like Tweetdeck, media players, chat windows, Adobe Creative Suite toolbars and palettes… the possibilities are endless.

In celebration of Black Friday, from November 23-30, mimomonitors.com is offering free ground shipping for all monitor orders — including the iMo Pivot Touch. To further spread the good cheer, every monitor purchased from mimomonitors.com from now until the New Year will also include a free MIMO Care Package that contains a custom MIMO Carrying Case, a set of iProtector Screen Films plus a handy Stylus for all touchscreen monitor purchases (the 720-S and the iMo Pivot Touch). Finally, Mimomonitors.com has mercilessly slashed prices across the board for tasty tech treats including the 710-S Mobile Slider, the 720-S Mobile Slider Touchscreen, the iMo Foto Frame Printer and all accessories. All special holiday offers are good until 12:00 PM EST on November 30.

The obvious difference between the first MIMO screens and these new models is in the casing. One of our criticisms of the 710 and 730 was that, while small enough to consider portable displays, their awkward stands and lack of screen protection meant transporting them was more trouble than it was worth. Nanovision have answered with a new, patented dual-hinge folding design that acts as a stand when open and as a screen-protector when closed. Now non-removable, the stand is spring loaded and basically limits the LCD to a single angle, one which we found we’d have preferred to be a little less acute.

Rotation, too, is affected, and now the MIMO only rotates clockwise 90-degrees into portrait orientation (though the DisplayLink software still offers all four orientation settings). It’s still not automatic, and you have to click into the settings menu in the system tray app to flip between orientations. There are still the same three controls, now running down the top left edge of the display, for power and brightness, plus a blue power LED which is happily dim enough not to prove unduly distracting. Around the back, the miniUSB port is hidden under a rubber flap in the center; Nanovision provide a dual-headed USB to miniUSB cable that’s roughly 140cm in length; we found one USB connection was enough for both data and power, but the second can be plugged in should your first port not offer sufficient juice.

While the 710-S will require a single DisplayLink driver for the virtual USB graphics card, the 720-S needs two; the extra being for the touch-panel control. Nanovision provide a CD with the Windows 2000/XP/Vista drivers, and sure enough we had no problems setting up the 720-S with our Vista test machine. Three new system tray icons are loaded, the first for DisplayLink (which controls screen rotation and whether the screen extends or mirrors your primary monitor) and the latter two for the touch-panel, one for calibrating and configuring it, the second to toggle a single tap between left- and right-clicks. Dig into the settings a little more and you can tweak offsets and touch resolution, choose between whether tapping automatically drags an object, even set the panel to control the cursor on your primary monitor.

Unfortunately Mac users will have a little more trouble with the 720-S, and that’s because of the drivers. Nanovision don’t supply Mac drivers on the CD; instead you must download them from www.mimo.bz. The DisplayLink driver is still a work-in-progress, at least according to the accompanying documentation, but we had no issues with it. The primary hiccup is the touchscreen driver, seemingly a piece of proprietary software for OS X that Nanovision aren’t at liberty to distribute. Instead, you must buy it separately from www.mimomonitors.com where it’s priced at $30. We used a test version – which was limited to 100 clicks before demanding recalibration – and had no real problems, but it’s galling to face a $30 “Apple” tax on top of the not inconsiderable purchase price.

Past that, though, the 720-S proves as useful as you’d expect a second, dedicated display to be. Nanovision are clear to list its limitations – there’ll be no DirectX or hardware-accelerated 3D gaming, since you’re dealing with a software graphics card emulation, PowerDVD and WinDVD are non-starters, and nor will they show your boot-up or BIOS screen – but beyond that it’s down to your imagination. As we found with the first-gen MIMOs, the 720-S works very well as a dedicated Twitter, IM or email display, only now with the bonus that you can quickly tap a link or message to view it, rather than mouse across. Since the resolution is 800 x 480 WVGA, video playback doesn’t exceed the capabilities of the DisplayLink drivers meaning you can use it to keep an eye on webcam feeds or YouTube footage; alternatively it’s a handy place to keep iTunes or another mediaplayer app, quickly jabbing at the screen to skip through tracks.

Image quality is fair, though nothing outstanding, and we noticed some clouding of the LCD from the resistive touchscreen layer on top. Still, text is crisp and readable, and three columns of popular Twitter client TweetDeck are happily accomodated. You can also plug in more than one, though you’ll need sufficient CPU and RAM to accommodate them. Nanovision recommend at least a 1.2GHz processor paired with 512MB of RAM for 1-2 MIMO screens; a 1.8GHz processor with 1GB for 3-5; and a 1.6GHz dual-core with 1GB for 6 displays. At that point, though, we’d probably argue for a single, much larger display, which you could readily find for the same (or less) than two or more MIMOs.

Indeed, where many will stumble is the price. The MIMO 720-S is currently up for preorder in the US at $229.99, as well as in the UK for £149.98, and is already on sale in Germany for €139.95. That’s $10 more than its chunkier, non-folding predecessor, the 740, though it lacks that model’s integrated webcam and microphone. The $30 Mac driver is also frustrating, though obviously not an issue if you forgo the touchscreen and head for the considerably cheaper ($149.99) MIMO 710-S. Still, a quick glance online finds plenty of bargain LCDs from 19-inches and upward, each far less than the asking price of the 720-S.

That’s missing the point a little, though, and none of those bigger screens have a touch-sensitive layer to play with. Where the Nanovision MIMO 720-S excels is as a companion screen for notebook users, something that – with the new case/stand – you can drop into your laptop bag and not worry about getting knocked about. Now, when you’re researching in the library, emailing in Starbucks or getting some work done at your kitchen table, you can get much of the benefit of a dual-screen setup without the bulk of a regular secondary display. Still a niche product, then, but one that with a clever redesign serves that niche all the better.

Nanovision MIMO 720-S video unboxing:

Both models feature the same patented dual-hinge, which allows them to not only be positioned in portrait or landscape orientation, but folded flat for transport.  The MIMO 710-S and 720-S are each slimmer than the existing MIMO displays that we reviewed previously, and are compatible with both PCs and Macs.

The Nanovision MIMO 710-S is available for preorder priced at $149.99, while the MIMO 720-S is yet to go up for pre-order.  We’re hoping to get the new display in for review soon, so keep reading for all our coverage.

That’s handy, because these mini-displays perhaps make most sense when used to add a little more screen real-estate to a laptop.  Connecting via USB and using the DisplayLink virtual monitor system rather than a computer’s own video card, the 710-S boasts 350 cd/m2 brightness and a 500:1 contrast ratio.

Power and data is courtesy of a double-headed USB cable (though we found in our review of the previous models that the two plugs were not always necessary, depending on power output from the USB port), though there’s no sign of a webcam or touchscreen version.  The Nanovision MIMO 710-S “Mobile Slider” USB display will be priced at $149.

[via Everything USB]

Both displays have a 7-inch LCD panel running at 800 x 480, with 350 cd/m2 brightness and 400:1 contrast ratio. The UM-710 is the entry level version, being just the USB-bus powered screen, onto which the UM-740 adds touchscreen functionality, a webcam, a microphone and audio pass-through to make hooking up speakers and headphones straightforward for those whose PCs or Macs live under the desk.

Each is compatible with Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X – they use the DisplayLink technology, and we had both screens happily running simultaneously from a ULV Sony VAIO TZ notebook, so they’re not exactly system-intensive – and make neat secondary-displays for toolbars, IM windows, media players and Twitter clients. The Nanovision MIMO UM-710 and UM-740 are available in the US now from MIMOmonitors.com, priced at $129.99 and $199.99 respectively.

Press Release:

USB-Powered 7-inch MIMO Monitors Now Available in the U.S. With Free Shipping at www.mimomonitors.com

MIMO UM-710 and Touchscreen MIMO UM-740 Displays Act As Great Secondary Mini-Monitors to Preserve Desktop Space for Multi-Taskers in the Office, at Home, or in College

February 4, 2009– New York, NY – MIMO Monitors are now available for U.S. shoppers at www.mimomonitors.com with free shipping. Using a single USB 2.0 connection for both power and connectivity, the 7” monitors provide instant secondary display – ideal for instant messaging and email clients, frequented applications, spreadsheets and documents, streaming media, videoconferencing, or various design tools such as Photoshop. Slick looking and ultra-portable, MIMO Monitors weigh just 1.3 lbs. while featuring a beautiful 800×480 resolution. Supporting Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X, both the MIMO UM-710 and MIMO UM-740 monitor models are available with free shipping throughout the U.S. at www.mimomonitors.com.

The MIMO UM-710 boasts a pivoting monitor for either landscape or portrait views, and features 350 cd/m2 brightness with a contrast ratio of 400:1. Priced at $129.99, the MIMO UM-710 is a smart, efficient way for users that run a number of applications simultaneously to declutter and maximize desktop space. The MIMO UM-710 utilizes just one USB 2.0 connection for both power and connectivity.

The MIMO UM-740 includes all of the MIMO UM-710 characteristics plus a range of additional features, most notably touchscreen functionality. Additionally, the MIMO UM-740 features webcam capabilities, a microphone and audio in/out pass through. The MIMO UM-740 also includes a second USB 2.0 connection for systems that do not meet power requirements. Priced at $199.99, the MIMO UM-740 is a vital solution for multitasking computer-using professionals.

Both the MIMO UM-710 and MIMO UM-740 are now available in the U.S. at www.mimomonitors.com, which offers free shipping for both devices to any destination in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Apple released firmware 2.2 for the iPhone, bringing with it Street View and over-the-air podcast downloads among other things.  Check out the full details of the upgrade here.  That release was followed in short order by QuickPwn for v2.2.  What the new firmware didn’t include was MMS messaging, but that might be arriving sooner rather than later if Mobispine have their way.

Microsoft launched the New Xbox Experience this week, but the update was mildly soured by the sudden disappearance of hundreds of Sony Pictures movies from Netflix.  Sony Pictures maintain it’s not an Xbox 360-specific problem, merely one of licencing, but if our commentors are anything to go by their protests are falling on deaf – or doubtful – ears.

ASUS’ Eee Top ET1602 had its official launch in Taiwan on Thursday, a 15.6-inch touchscreen desktop.  It’s the first of a range of similar all-in-one nettops, according to company CEO Jerry Shen, which they’ll need if they’re to compete with MSI’s just-revealed Wind Neton machines.

We’ve had a few exclusive unboxings this week, with Sleek Audio’s W-1 Wireless headphones adapter, the Nanovision MIMO UM-710 and UM-730 USB displays and Apple’s new late-2008 model MacBook Air all dropping into the SlashGear postbox.  We also took a hands-on look at HP’s Touchsmart tx2 multitouch Tablet PC.

Meanwhile in reviews the HP Mini 1000 netbook, those cute Nanovision displays and Samsung’s Behold all got put through their paces.  Finally we looked at HP’s xw6600 and xw4600 workstations and came away impressed: if you’d like to win the latter machine, make sure you check out our SlashGear HP workstation giveaway!  Good luck!

You can see the video unboxings of both displays here.  While there are cosmetic differences between the two displays, the primary changes are the inclusion of a microphone and 1.3-megapixel webcam on the UM-730.  Both come with the same well-weighted stand, which tilts back and forward; a chromed knob holds the screen itself in place at a range of heights.  Each display also rotates 90-degrees, though they have to be at their highest point not to foul the base.  Plastics seem decent quality, and there are grippy rubber feet on the base to stop it from sliding around the desk.

Connections on the UM-710 are straightforward: there’s only one.  A single mini-USB port provides both power and data; the supplied cable has two USB plugs on one end, presumably in case a single port can’t supply sufficient power, but on a range of desktops and laptops the second plug was never needed.  The UM-730 has a few more sockets; alongside the mini-USB there’s a separate DC input (though no supplied PSU), audio input and microphone output.  On the left-hand side of the display there’s an audio output, for headphones. 

Contrary to our initial belief, there are no integrated speakers in the UM-730.  We had thought the same USB connection that served the display would similarly allow the device to act as an external soundcard; however, the microphone needs to be plugged into the usual microphone port on your computer.  Audio output is merely a pass-through, useful perhaps if your PC is under the desk and you regularly want to plug in headphones.

The MIMO displays both use DisplayLink technology to create a virtual graphics card via USB.  Since our review samples were the original Korean models, Nanovision instead emailed us the driver installer.  Both Mac and PC drivers are available.  Setup was straightforward and quick, with a system tray icon appearing when the display was plugged in; we only had to restart the computer after plugging in the second screen, which suggests that the typical user may not have to at all.  On our Vista test system we had three new processes amounting to 6536K with no displays attached; that climbed to 27,308K with one screen plugged in, and 44,968K with two.

Plugged in, the monitors show up in the usual Windows properties dialog, and can be adjusted as normal.  Only one resolution is offered, 800 x 480.  Physical controls on the displays themselves are limited to power and brightness control; on the UM-710 there are hardware buttons on the right-hand side, while the UM-730 gets touch-sensitive controls along the front bezel.

Everything else is controlled from the tray app.  Here screen rotation can be set (in 90-degree increments); we were a little disappointed at the absence of auto-rotation.  Other options include 16- or 32-bit color, extending or mirroring the primary screen, or shutting the MIMO display off, as well as checking online for driver updates.  You can also choose whereabouts in relation to the primary display(s) the new ones are – left, right, above or below – or go into the standard display properties settings for more granular control.

We had no problems with performance: even on a relatively low-power ultraportable notebook with both MIMO displays connected, the only slow-down was observed when trying to play separate videos on each screen.  Nanovision certainly don’t intend these devices for gaming, nor high-definition video, but they’re eminently capable of showing RSS updates, keeping an eye on email or a media player, or dragging toolbars (such as in Photoshop) out of the way of the main workspace.

The webcam on the UM-730 installs at the same time as the DisplayLink drivers, and shows up as a separate imaging device.  Quality was as respectable as most notebook webcams, certainly good enough for video chatting.  We also tried connecting the two screens via a powered USB hub, again with no problems.

Our one significant complaint was going to be about the model line-up.  In Korea, three versions of the MIMO displays are on offer: the same UM-710 and UM-730 that you see here, along with the UM-750 which includes a touchscreen and DMB Digital TV tuner.  Since the tuner wouldn’t work with non-Korean bands, the 750 was axed from the European and US line-up.  So, our grumble was to be the absence of a touchscreen version.

However, since the MIMO displays arrived, Nanovision have apparently agreed to slot a new model, the UM-740, into the European and US line-up, which drops the DMB but keeps the touchscreen.  We can see this being the most popular model, especially given the modification potential: it would be a very easy way to add a control interface to a car PC, for instance.

Whether the Nanovision UM-710 or UM-730 are a “good buy” depends on whether you have a use in mind for them.  While there are productivity gains to be had from introducing another display to your workspace, you’ll undoubtedly get more use out of a full-size LCD.  However that’s not to say the MIMO displays have no use at all, plus their ease of setup and compact size work in their favor; they’re also portable enough to carry around with you, though we might not make too much of a habit of it.  Their combination of endearing size and surprisingly useful functionality makes them a winner in our book.

The Nanovision MIMO UM-710 and UM-730 USB LCD displays are available to preorder now, from The Gadgeteers in the US and Scan in the UK.  The UM-710 is priced at $129.99/£85.76 while the UM-730 is priced at $169.99/£105.74.  The touchscreen MIMO UM-740 is priced at $189.99.  They’re expected to begin shipping on December 12th in the UK and December 15th in the US.

The UM-710 is the entry-level model, and is basically an 800 x 480 WVGA display with adjustable stand and swivel mount.  The UM-730, meanwhile, adds a 1.3-megapixel webcam, stereo speakers and a microphone, together with a slightly different casing.  Sadly the UM-750, which has a touchscreen and DMB-T TV tuner, won’t be venturing outside of Korea as the tuner would be obsolete.

Both MIMO screens are available to preorder now.  We’ll have the full review of the two 7-inch displays soon, so until then enjoy the unboxing video and gallery.

Video Unboxing:

Other interesting looking announcements include the Samsung Eternity on AT&T, LG Prada II, and the iRiver wave which, for the moment at least, is stuck in Korea.  Still, they’re trailing in the wake of Apple’s iPhone 3G, which finally edged ahead of the Motorola RAZR to become the best selling mobile handset.  Just the right time for rumors to begin that Costco are planning to sell the Apple device for $149.  Whether or not that pans out, if you plan on using your iPhone 3G as Apple intended it then you’ll be wanting to take a look at our Mophie Juice Pack review for the power-guzzling smartphone.

Slightly larger, but using that space to its best advantage – by packing in the connectivity – comes UMID’s Mobile Internet Device.  Blessed with WiBro, WiMAX, HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth and a 4.8-inch touchscreen, it leaves us in the bizarre situation of not only hoping it will make it to our shores, but that we’ll have the wireless networks to sate it.

All too often we see slick gadgets in Korea that we’ll never get a chance to play with ourselves; it was nice, then, to be able to exclusively confirm that Nanovision’s MIMO 7-inch USB LCD monitors are coming to the US, UK, Italy and Japan.  We’ve got review samples winging their way to us right now, so expect full coverage this coming week.

For once, netbooks took a backseat over the past seven days, with the only major news being Dell’s Inspiron Mini 12 getting a confirmed price – from $549 – and release timetable.  You’ll be able to pick up the 12.1-inch budget ultraportable from the second week in December.  In gaming, meanwhile, we found out about Sports Active, EA’s upcoming challenge to the Wii Fit.

You’d think we were entirely unable to read a map here at SlashGear this week, with three separate PND devices in for review.  The Navigon 7200T, Mio’s Knight Rider GPS and Telenav’s Shotgun PND all took their turn ordering us about; thankfully we had the Flip MinoHD to document the ordeal.

Winner of the week has to be Bang & Olufsen, who have already whipped commenters into a frenzy by announcing the terribly expensive BeoSound 5 Digital Music System.  Par for the course for the Danish company, really.  Meanwhile loser of the week is Circuit City, who have voluntarily filed for bankruptcy.  The credit crunch claims another victim, but we suppose that means plenty of stock-clearance bargains this holiday season.

Spec details and preliminary pricing after the cut

The UM-710 and UM-730 are both widescreen aspect running at 800 x 480, with a 400:1 contrast ratio and 350cd/m2 brightness.  Connecting via USB 2.0, they’re a plug & play way to add extra display space to your computer; the UM-730 also includes an integrated webcam, microphone and stereo speakers.  What seemingly won’t be available outside of Korea is the UM-750, which has a touchscreen and integrated DMB TV tuner.

In the UK the two displays are already available to preorder, priced at £85.76 for the UM-710 and £105.74 for the UM-730.  Pricing and distribution partners in the US and elsewhere haven’t been confirmed; we’ll let you know as soon as we hear.  Shipping should begin in all four areas in the first week of December.