Nanovision Mimo 7" USB Powered LCD Monitors
Summary & Conclusions
Both the UM-710 and UM-740 monitors did a great job of giving us a little bit of extra screen real estate without using too much of our precious physical desktop space. We found the displays especially beneficial when housing palette windows during photo editing with Photoshop, keeping track of who was available for IMs, and for following our friends' Tweets. We found the image quality of both displays to be more than acceptable for these tasks, with the UM-710 edging out the UM-740 with a slightly brighter and crisper-looking image. And while both monitor suffered from a slight blue color shift, this never significantly impacted how we were actually utilizing the displays.
Ultimately, we found little practical use for the UM-740's touch-screen feature. We found it easier to continue using our mouse or tablet to access the screen's contents, as we were already actively using these other input devices as we went about our typical computing tasks. Other users, with different needs, however, might find more practical use for the UM-740's touch-screen capabilities. The problem, however, is that with the touch-screen feature, webcam, and microphone, the UM-740's price is just shy of $200; you can easily get a 19-inch LCD monitor for that price or less--and as LCD prices continue to drop, you can even find some budget 20-inch and larger LCD monitors in that price range. Unless you truly need these extra features, the $129.99 UM-710 is a much better value.
Currently the UM-710 and UM-740 monitors are available in the U.S. from only two sources: Mimo Monitors and The Gadgeteers. If you are interested in the UM-740, unfortunately, you're currently out of luck as it is out of stock from both sources. Nanovision was unable to supply us with a definitive time frame as to when the UM-740 will once again be available in the U.S.--a Nanovision spokesperson could only offer that it is presently available "overseas." The UM-710, however, is presently available from both U.S. sources.
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