The lines between digital photo frames and computer monitors have become somewhat blurred over the past couple of years, for two important reasons: first of all, some digital photo frames have become so large that they're actually the same size as a full-fledged monitor; then, a whole new brand of LCD PC monitors have appeared, these devices connecting to a host computer via USB and acting like some sort of extensions for one's desktops.

And that's exactly the case with the SyncMaster U70 LCD monitor presented by Samsung which, apparently, went pretty much under the radar, despite being launched in Europe (Germany, to be exact) at some point in January 2009 (exactly during CES, and that's probably the reason why it has not received, up until now, the deserved level of attention).

To tell you the truth, the U70 is worth looking at, since we're talking about a device that could really come in handy as a secondary monitor. As mentioned above, it connects to a host computer via a USB interface, which is also used for powering it, so there's no need for extra wires. Plus, its design is very, very similar to that of a digital frame, including here the flexible support leg on the back, plus a pivot function (by rotating the screen at 90 degrees, the displayed image is also rotated).

Now, for some tech specs. So, the Samsung SyncMaster U70 has a diagonal size of 7 inches, provides a maximum resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and a brightness level of 200 cd/m2. It also sports pretty OK viewing angles (140 degrees on both horizontal and vertical directions), and incorporates the UbiSync technology, which allows the communication between the two monitors to run smoothly. Hence, all the users have to do is simply drag and drop application windows from the main display to the U70, where it will stay until you decide to move it away.

As mentioned above, the Samsung U70 is currently available solely in Europe and sells for around 99 Euros (127 US dollars), which is indeed a pretty interesting price point, given this thing's features.


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