Last week we got to chat with the inventor of the castAway – an innovative second display for your existing iPhone or Samsung smartphone. The concept is simple: a smartphone-sized screen casting device that attaches as a case would, allowing it to be used in vertical orientation (like a book), horizontal orientation (like a keyboard), or detached (as two independent devices). The hardware itself is essentially a very small Chrome OS tablet; powered by a 1.5 GHz ARM-based OP1 processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage.
There are three different display sizes being offered for the castAway: 5.8 inches, 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches, to work with the iPhone 6 to the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the Galaxy S7/Note 7 up to the S10/Note 10.
The connection between the castaway and your device happens through the MultiTask+ companion application over either Bluetooth or WiFi. The app allows easy creation of additional windows from either connected device; it will not, however, allow for stretching a single window across the screens. We were told that an open source project around the MultiTask+ app is planned to drive additional uses for the castAway and, perhaps, even development of new dual-screen devices.
The crowdfunding campaign for the castaway has already surpassed their goal – click here for a direct link to the Indiegogo campaign page and take your pick of many remaining perks.
