If you’ve decided to completely ditch the desktop in favor of a notebook-only existence, you may find yourself yearning for the days of dual displays again. You can certainly attach a full-size external LCD monitor, like the Asus VH242H, but that may not be the most convenient of solutions. That’s because the Mimo UM-710 from Nanovision is just so much more convenient.
Introducing the Mimo UM-710
The UM-710 is an incredibly simple secondary monitor that you can attach to just about any computer. They say that it will also work just fine with netbooks too, provided that your netbook has the processing power to handle it. That’s convenient.
The Nanovision Mimo UM-710 was never meant to be a primary monitor. No matter how small your laptop or netbook may be, you won’t want to use the Mimo as your main screen. Instead, this is a secondary monitor that is perfectly sized for secondary functionality. For example, you can push your Twitter client, instant messenger, or music player off into the Mimo. This way, those “always on” applications can be removed from your precious main desktop while remaining very accessible.
The version of the Mimo UM-710 I have here is black, but if the box is to be believed, it should come in Mac-friendly white as well. Speaking of Mac friendly, the Mimo does work on Apple notebooks and desktops as well, however the current driver is still in Beta and may not be totally compatible with some software.
Features and Specifications
Taking a quick run down the provided product specifications sheet, we discover the following:
- Screen Size: 7-inch wide
- Resolution: WVGA (800×480 pixels)
- Brightness: 350 cd/m2
- Contrast Ratio: 400:1
- Number of Colors: 16.7 million
- Video Signal: USB 2.0 High Speed
- Connector: USB Mini 5-pin B type
- Input Power: USB Power
- Feature: Auto Pivot
- Product Dimensions: 195 x 97.5 x 180.2-219 mm
- Shipment Dimension: 301 x 212 x 110 mm
If you’re hoping for contrast ratios and brightness ratings that rival the best LCDs on the market, you’ll need to look elsewhere. Remember that this is a secondary monitor, so the specs are meant to slot into the “good enough” range. They’re not stellar, but they’re perfectly adequate.
Looking Inside the Box
While the Mimo UM-710 could certainly be packed up and used as a portable secondary screen for your laptop, its primary purpose is to stay at your home office for your longer computing sessions. In this way, it’s not at all surprising that Nanovision did not include any kind of carrying case or pouch.
Instead, what you find inside the box is the Mimo UM-710 itself, the glossy black stand, a dual USB cable, installation CD, and supporting documentation. The CD isn’t really necessary, since they recommend that you download the latest drivers directly from the website instead.
The Nanovision Mimo UM-710 is powered by DisplayLink technology and I’m already using one of their USB external graphics cards. I found that I did not need to install any additional drivers for this screen to work. The experience on the Mac isn’t as positive though as the drivers are still in Beta and tend to disable things that required Quartz Extreme. This means things like iMovie 09 just tell you it can’t open until this display is unplugged. Bummer.
Just One Cable to Consider
When you deal with most external monitors, you have at least a couple of cables to deal with. First, you have a VGA or DVI cable running from your computer to the screen. Second, you have a power cable for the LCD monitor. What this means is that you need to be close to a power outlet. The Mimo UM-710 doesn’t work that way. Instead, everything is run off a single USB connection, just like most webcams or computer mice. This is a lot more convenient, not only for the purpose of minimizing clutter, but it also means that you can use this device when you are not tethered to the wall outlet.
In general, you can provide your own USB-to-miniUSB cable to run the UM-710. If you find that it’s not working, Nanovision has also included one of those dual USB cables to provide some extra power as needed.
Screwed Through the Base
Since you can use this secondary display in either landscape or portrait orientations, you may be wondering how you would go about rotating it.
Well, installation is an absolute breeze, since the back of the screen has a single screw. Thread this through the slot in the base and screw on the back piece to keep it in place. If you want to rotate the screen, loosen the screw, rotate the screen, and tighten the screw again. Simple.
That said, the designers could have improved the cable management. It is impossible to access the mini-USB port on the monitor when it is attached to the base. You have to unscrew it first. It’s also a bit of a hassle to thread it through the provided slot in the base.
A slight adjustment in the design would have made managing this single cable a lot easier.
Simplified Controls
Remembering that this is meant to be a secondary display with secondary-level features, the Mimo UM-710 USB secondary LCD has kept the controls to an absolute minimum as well.
There are a total of three buttons and they are all located along the right side of the product. The top one is the power button, whereas the two below it are for adjusting the brightness level. Strangely, you cannot hold one of these brightness buttons to continually brighten or dim your display; you must click it continuously. I’m sure that this can’t be good for the “mean time before failure” of the buttons. That’s a little frustrating, but it’s a shortcoming that I am willing to overlook.
Any other real adjustments aren’t all that necessary, again remembering the primary functions for this secondary monitor. You don’t want to do any photo editing or video watching on here. However, it would be perfect for sliding over your Photoshop tools or running iTunes in the background. Again, completely secondary stuff goes here and it works well for that purpose.
Viewing Angles and Picture Quality
Not surprisingly, the viewing angles on the Mimo UMN-710 aren’t exactly top of the line, but given the high level of adjustability, this isn’t really an issue. Just tilt and rotate as needed. As for picture quality, again, think secondary monitor and you’ll be quite happy. That’s what your main display is for after all and the Mimo does a great job of allowing you to preserve that screen real estate for more important tasks.
A Manageable Screen Resolution
Even though the screen measures a paltry seven inches across the diagonal, I found it very usable for secondary functions. Squeezing MSN Messenger or other similar applications on the WVGA display wasn’t painful at all.
It was a little tougher when I used a larger application like TweetDeck. I was only able to see the first three or four tweets in landscape mode. This is still usable, I suppose, but not exactly ideal. As you may recall, the first generation Asus Eee PC only had a seven-inch screen and it had the same resolution as the Mimo UM-710. There are bigger Eee PCs now, but this really puts things in perspective.
Luckily, it seems that Nanovision and other manufacturers like Samsung have seen the light when it comes to these peripheral displays and already have larger versions on the market. What’s even better is that you’ll be able to hook up more than one of these monitors so you can have a couple Mimo’s on your desktop if you wish.
Final Thoughts
It’s partly in the interest of saving space, but I’m one of those people who doesn’t have a full-time desktop computer anymore. My laptop is my main machine and I do everything from there, even when I’m at my home office.
Realistically, my notebook has become just as robust as a traditional desktop. I can use the Ergotron Neo-Flex Life Stand to easily handle a traditional LCD monitor and now the Nanovision Mimo UM-710 can act as a terrific secondary monitor for IM, Twitter, email, music, and so on. Also supported is the ability to run more than one of these monitors, preserving your monitor for those tasks that require the quality of your main display.
The only downside to this device is its rather limited support of Apple computers. Although the Mimo does work as a secondary display for Mac OSX, the limitations of the still in Beta driver won’t let it be useful for anything but throwing iTunes or an IM client onto. Graphics acceleration limitations put a damper on your use of it for video editing which requires this in full. That means no iMovie for you if this is plugged in at the same time. Hopefully a new driver will rectify this in the future.
It doesn’t get much more convenient than the Mimo UM-710 when it comes to adding a second screen to your laptop, netbook, or even desktop. There’s just a single USB cable and you get a fairly workable WVGA resolution. Better still, this handy gadget is currently listed at just $130. That’s a small price to pay for this small upgrade to your daily computing.
Pros
- Very simple single USB connection
- Simplified three button control scheme
- Attractive and adjustable
- Adequate WVGA resolution for secondary apps
Cons
- Awkward placement of USB port blocked by base
- Base design almost looks like it is pointing backward
- No ability to adjust contrast, color saturation, etc.
Overall Rating: 8.5 / 10.0
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