Hyderabad: US-based PortalPlayer Inc has developed a technology that lets laptops feature secondary displays or dual screens that allow users to enjoy a host of entertainment-cum-personal scheduling features, without having to switch it on. The product was developed in association with Microsoft Corporation.

However, the system can only work on the yet-to-be-launched Vista, the new Windows version and a computer with a chip built on Preface technology.

Gary Johnson, president and chief executive officer, PortalPlayer, said this personal media display system could handle actions like tracking stock market quotations, to playing the latest song on its MP3 player, and serving as personal scheduler through Outlook.

According to Johnson, "The gadget has the capacity to switch on the computer, if there is a requirement to extract latest information. We are also exploring ways to see if this can come in as a plug-in along with other operating systems such as Media Centre and Windows," he said.

Johnson said the technology allows the laptop save on battery power, making it convenient for users and seeks to address this major pain point for laptop users. He said that with the launch of the Microsoft Vista, laptops would be available with this new feature. The notebook market is projected to be about 60 million in 2006.

PortalPlayer has set up a dedicated facility in Hyderabad that will house up to 300 employees said JA Chowdhury president and managing director of the company's subsidiary in India.

The company has organised its subsidiary in Hyderabad into three separate divisions each focusing on a different market opportunity - personal media players, personal media displays and personal wireless entertainment.