Dual monitors – are they the latest trend? Dual monitors are being seen in areas that you may have never thought of. More offices are using them and many home offices are beginning to as well. Internet gamers love them, accountants love them, and graphic designers love them. Why would anyone want two monitors on one computer? They want the extra real estate of course. Just hook two monitors to one computer and you can split the information between them.

Internet gamers like to have their game running on one monitor while their stats and voice communication software runs on the other. All MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role playing games) involve a lot of information that has to be monitored at all times. Often there is separate voice communication software running such as Ventrillo.

Accountants love dual monitors because they can have a spreadsheet running on one monitor and a second spreadsheet running on the other. It is not necessary to have the same software program open on both monitors. You could have a spreadsheet on one and your email on the other. You could have a videoconference on one monitor and QuickBooks on the other.

Graphic Designers or those of us that like to edit our own digital photos and videos also love the ability to use two monitors at once. For example, I always make multiple folders for my vacation photos – you know – I am always afraid that something will go wrong with the first one. I try to decide how to file them – by date – by person - by event? After a while duplicate photos seem to creep into some of my folders. I like to display the same folder on both monitors and purge the duplicates. Software editing tools can be displayed on one monitor while the photo is displayed on the other. No more clicking back and forth – yea!

But, there is a downside to this dual monitor love fest. Space and video card comes to mind.

Space is always an issue. Flat panel monitors have improved the desktop situation (although many of them are over 19” widescreen) but when you add the second one space once again becomes an issue. Then there is the video card. Only the higher priced video cards have that second port. My husband has an Nvidia 9800 video card with the second port. Only problem is that if he hooks up a second monitor he has to reduce his resolution on the first one. Internet gaming is best with higher resolution so he decided against adding a second monitor.

The MIMO USB powered mini LCD displays may solve this problem. You heard me right – USB powered monitor. Sure it is only 7” but it is a widescreen and it can swivel between portrait and landscape mode. There is an integrated Webcam, microphone and speaker output. The MIMO UM730 runs about $170. The MIMO UM740 runs about $200 – but it is a Touchscreen.

The MIMO USB (2.0) mini LCD displays are powered by DisplayLink technology and can be used on both desktop computers and on laptops. Two USB ports will be necessary for use with a laptop. The resolution on the MIMO USB LCD monitor is a respectable 800x400.

This monitor had me at USB powered. There are so many ways to use it and so many places that it will fit.