The Second Coming Of Small Screens In The Home
Gadget makers have long tried to sell us on displays that aren’t a PC, tablet, or TV. With new products from Amazon and others, the time may finally be right.
Much as the watch was the first digital display to grace most people’s wrists, the alarm clock was the first digital display to appear in many households. But tech companies have long been eager to establish a “fourth screen” in the home, beyond the TV, PC, and phone. Starting in the late ’90s, such efforts included web surfing devices like the MSN Companion and Virgin Webplayer, the channel-centric Chumby, and products focused on streaming media such as Sony’s Dash and HP’s Dreamscreen.