CeBIT 2007: Samsung Introduces USB Monitor

Samsung in some ways is a rather predictable company. Every year like clockwork, Samsung will demonstrate at least one product at CeBIT that will earn them a lot of praise for its technological implementation but will be totally unusable for anyone except a wealthy person or a research lab.

This year however at CeBIT 2007, they seem to have taken a more practical step. They have announced a new 19-inch LCD monitor called, the SyncMaster 940UX, which can be connected to a PC using only the USB port and therefore eliminates the need for a second graphic card. This new monitor has been designed for high-end users such as enthusiasts and graphic designers, who need to use a multi-monitor setup but can’t be bothered to add a new graphics card to their PC.

The monitor apart from its USB support also has DVI, D-SUB input ports in case a user wants to connect the monitor using conventional methods. An innovative feature the new monitor also adds to the mix, is the fact that the 940UX has embedded driver software that automatically installs a driver into a user's PC when the monitor and PC are connected.

The introduction of this monitor is a great move as USB is truly the king of plug-n-play solutions. While connecting a monitor is not rocket science, using a multi-monitor setup is a whole different ballgame. There is no common standard in graphic cards, for a multi-monitor setup and this makes the whole process quite difficult for a novice user. By using USB, Samsung has taken out the guess-work and made it into a practical solution.