Nanovision Mimo UM-720S review

Nanovision is hoping that its Mimo UM-720S display will appeal to those people who don't think that their laptop screens are big enough and so want a secondary display.

This 7in touchscreen connects to your computer via USB and folds neatly down into a package around the size of a paperback book, so you can carry it everywhere.

As it's powered and driven by USB, you only need to carry a single cable around with you. This has two USB type A connectors on it, in case a single USB port doesn't provide enough power. The UM-720S is certainly impressive to look at. Folded shut, the screen is fully protected and the display feels as though it would easily survive life in a laptop bag. Once unfolded, you can gently swivel the screen from landscape to portrait mode.

That's the good news, but there are, unfortunately, lots of drawbacks too. For starters, the screen has a resolution of just 800x480, which is too small to be of any use for anything other than instant messaging or Skype. Admittedly, if you need a screen for this, it helps that the UM-720S is a touchscreen, as it makes calling or talking to an online friend quick and easy.

We found it responsive to use, and selecting contacts and moving windows was easy. Sadly, the screen doesn't support multi-touch, so you can't use Windows 7's new gestures.

The downside of having the touchscreen built-in is its effect on quality. We tested it side by side with the standard non-touchscreen version, the UM-710S (not currently active).

On the UM-720S, the touchscreen layer causes a mottled appearance on the screen. This makes flat colours, and whites in particular, look speckled. Fortunately, text is still sharp and easy to read.

The UM-720S has brightness controls on the side, although there's very little difference between the darkest and lightest settings. There are no contrast controls, but the default settings are fine.

Although it looks cool, the UM-720S feels like a gimmick. It's hard to justify spending this much money on such a tiny screen with a low resolution that's only good enough for IM and Skype.

Author: David Ludlow