Filed under: Hardware, Peripherals, Developer, Graphic Design
Become the master of many monitors with NewerTech's USB 2.0 Display Adapter
Some Mac users just don't want to be limited to one monitor, but would like two... or three... or more. Having only one display port on your Mac can put a real crimp in your plans to be the master of the monitor universe, so NewerTech has launched the USB 2.0 Display Adapter. The adapter, with a suggested retail price of US$96.00, lets users add an extra HDMI, DVI, or VGA display to their Mac. Up to four of the bus-powered adapters can be hosted on each Mac, and each adapter can support a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1152. The device also supports Windows, and can be used with Boot Camp.
Cloning and extended desktop modes are supported by the USB 2.0 Display Adapter. A secondary adapter (VGA and HDMI adapters are supplied) must be attached to connect VGA or HDMI displays. Unfortunately, the adapter doesn't allow OpenGL acceleration, so applications that use Quartz Extreme, Quartz Composer, and other related frameworks are not full supported. This means that Keynote, iPhoto, and iMovie will not see the benefit of OpenGL acceleration.
To use the adapter, your Mac must have an Intel processor and be running Mac OS X 10.4.11 or better.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jpkrautw said 6:38PM on 12-19-2009
USB Monitor adapters have existed for years, and mac-compatible ones have been out since early 2008. I'm so glad this blog has turned into an advertisement RSS feed.
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Eric said 7:03PM on 12-19-2009
Well, that is true, but these can actually drive a 24" monitor at high res. The USB display adaption I bought this last summer can't do the resolutions these do.
Howie Isaacks said 8:41PM on 12-19-2009
Not everyone who visits TUAW knows that these adapters have been out for several years. Should they clear their posts through you before reviewing products in the future?
Ned Scott said 10:24PM on 12-19-2009
I agree with jpkrautw.
Howie Isaacks: The problem here isn't that it's a new concept or not, but rather that the TUAW specifically gives the impression that it is new, and that this is the only product that can do it. That is what I take issue with.
puhsitch said 11:52PM on 12-19-2009
Yeah, it would be pretty helpful in posts like this to at least mention other similar products, and briefly point out what makes this particular one different.
balls said 4:11AM on 12-20-2009
I say cut Steve some slack. I think many mac owners (especially mb ones) would love a 2nd monitor solution and may not have known about these products.
I think a better article would ahve been to compare and contrast 2nd monitor solutions for a mb/mbp, but perhaps thats for a Dear Auntie TUAW
syxx said 9:03PM on 12-19-2009
Also, only beta drivers for snow leopard
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Andre said 8:14PM on 12-19-2009
But is it any good? Any reviews I've read for this kind of product makes them all sound rather flaky. If it's rock solid I might be interested. 2 monitors just isn't enough for me, and a Mac Pro is too much money.
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Howie Isaacks said 8:42PM on 12-19-2009
I'm wondering how good this adapter is. I have a Mac mini that I would like to be able to run a second display on.
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Eric said 11:01PM on 12-19-2009
The one I have from OWC, which isn't as good as the one described above, works well. You can't get some OpenGL things to work with it though.
kerry said 10:55PM on 12-19-2009
Skip the adapter and go for one of the new Samsung Lapfit monitors with all this built in. Works like a dream and retail for $199CAN. I'm rocking two 21.5" models of these with a regular Samsung 24" on my MacBook Pro. Loads of monitor space.
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Steven Sande said 1:16AM on 12-20-2009
Hi, everyone.
I see that there seems to be a bit of confusion about this product. This *is* a new product, and we're doing our job at bringing you news about it. Although we'd love to do a detailed comparison for each and every product that comes through our inbox, if we spent the time to do that we'd get criticized for not jumping on the news fast enough.
If you know of a similar product that has equivalent or better specs than the NewerTech model that is discussed in this post, please tell us all about it in the comments.
Steve
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mentalsticks said 1:38AM on 12-20-2009
As usual you're missing the point here. There's a a huge grey area between doing a detailed comparison between different products and just convincing yourself that (or even just questioning whether) the advertising talk of the manufacturer is more or less correct. You just copy their blurb and repeat it as fact.
"We're doing our job at bringing you news about it"? This is not news, this is free publicity.
Alfred said 8:36AM on 12-20-2009
Oh, come on.
This device is built around the same chips by DisplayLink as a few of its competitors with exactly the same specs which were launched way earlier. NewerTech don't even host the drivers themselves, but link DisplayLinks driver page...
If you had spent 10 minutes with research on USB video adapters, you could've found that out. That's not journalism, you just swallowed NewerTech's PR bait. They're probably grinning from ear to ear right now... Congratualtions.
steve said 10:20PM on 12-20-2009
I agree with the above. You blew it. I've had a DisplayLink connected to my MBP for about a year to a second VGA monitor. I do web design, video editing and graphic animation, and this little bugger has filled the bill quite nicely for things like palettes, text editors, ftp clients, etc. Maybe you could mention comparisons to the Matrox MXO products while your at it too. They've been around for years!
politicalslug said 1:29AM on 12-20-2009
2048 x 1152. Is that number correct? That's a strange limitation. That means nothing 23" or above. 1920x1200 is the resolution native to larger monitors (23"-28"). I can understand the inability to drive a 30" display (2560x1600) but this is strange indeed.
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rboyce said 4:37AM on 12-20-2009
Actually, a few monitors (including the Samsung 2343 BWX that I have) use this as their native resolution. Since most USB display adapters I've seen max out at 1920x1200, this is definitely a useful feature for some of us out there.
dpswireless said 5:24AM on 12-20-2009
I gotta say that this blog has been losing its appeal....
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ak said 7:52AM on 12-20-2009
Steve, you must be kidding.
These things have been around forever, and some can be had for around $30.
You could start your research here...
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb+to+dvi+adapter&x=0&y=0&sprefix=usb+to+dvi+ada
Most of these adapters use the free "displaylink" software
http://www.displaylink.com/support/mac_downloads.html
Just curious, did you go to a school where "A"'s were given out for just handing the work in?
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Cowicide said 8:31AM on 12-20-2009
I agree with the others. I came to these comments to specifically say that this post reeks of simply being an ad (only to see that others beat me to it). It makes me not trust TUAW as much as a resource.
From what I understand, the performance of USB displays adapters are abysmal in general. Is this one any different? Is the poster educated on this issue?
Substance. This post lacks it.
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