We’ve seen dual-screen systems before, but a notebook with four displays is something new. David “Dadi” Perlmutter surprised visitors to IDF today by revealing a concept notebook, the oddly-named “Tangent Bay”, that had three miniature touchscreens set horizontally into the case below the main, full-sized panel. It was the quirkiest demonstration of IDF so far, and Perlmutter didn’t suggest that quad-screen notebooks were ever likely to become commonplace. The device was intended merely as an example of the experiments Intel carries out in researching interfaces and features. It was, however, a fully functional prototype: delegates were able to scroll photos around the touchscreens by swiping with a finger. It was suggested that Tangent Bay could lead to a new way to interact with OS widgets and simple applications such as calendars. For some of us, though, the idea smacked a little too much of the ill-fated Vista SideShow...
