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Link a second screen for a bigger view

By Craig Crossman
Knight Ridder Newspapers

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It all began with a 13-inch screen. Then I broke out into a 15-inch model and realized how cramped my virtual world had been. A few years later and I once again stretched my virtual arms out into a 17-inch screen.

It was absolutely wonderful being able to see a lot more and see it more clearly.

But after a while, I felt like the virtual walls were closing in as my more powerful multitasking computer allowed me to open more and more windows. It was then I decided I had to have 19 inches and the world was good once more. Each time I upgraded to a larger screen, I remember thinking that I could never go back to the smaller one.

Then I leaped into my current 22-inch display and discovered video nirvana. So now you know how I feel when I have to use a laptop with a 15-inch screen. But there may be some relief in sight.

A very clever little piece of software called MaxiVista lets you turn any portable PC into a second monitor for your primary computer and it does this without adding any additional hardware. The connection can be made using an ordinary local-area-network connection that supports the TCP/IP protocol such as an Ethernet, Wireless LAN, Firewire or a USB network connection. A direct connection from one laptop to another via a single direct connection using a crossover cable is also possible.

After you connect the two laptops together and install MaxiVista, you are ready to go. You tell MaxiVista which PC is the primary computer and which will use its screen as the second monitor.

Once it's set up, the results are amazing to watch. In fact, I strongly suggest you go to the MaxiVista Web site (www.maxivista.com) and see the video demonstration for yourself.

Try to envision your two laptops sitting on a desk side by side. As you grab a window and move it from let's say the right to the left side of the screen, instead of the left edge of the window disappearing off the left edge of the screen, you see the window's left edge appear smoothly onto the right side portion of the other computer's screen. It's as if your viewing area has literally doubled — and you know what? It has.

You can stretch a single window to span across the two monitors, which is ideal for those times when you want to see double the number of columns in a spreadsheet, for example.

Comparing MaxiVista to a hardware solution is a no-brainer. First of all, it costs $49.95. A hardware solution might easily cost you hundreds more. Second, your laptop might not even have an external-monitor connection to pull this off.
 
And while there are some add-on video cards available, they are just not available for all models. And even if there is one available, that usually means having to crack open the portable, which can get a bit dicey. MaxiVista offers an easy-to-install option that will work with most any network-enabled PC.

MaxiVista also plans to offer a Macintosh version in the near future.

If you're tired of having to watch a smaller screen on a laptop PC, you should definitely set your sights on this software solution.