HP has finally set the ball rolling at this year's CES.

Per reports, the company has unveiled a brand new USB-powered portable monitor, dubbed U160. The 15.6-inch monitor has been specifically built for portability, and the device can connect to laptops via USB, and includes a foldable carrying case that can also double up as a stand for the device.

This new 15.6-inch screen has arrived with a resolution of 1366 x 768, with the carrying case being made of leather. It weighs 3.4 pounds and is 1.2-inches thick, and is just slightly heavier than the average Ultrabook.

"Now of course, this is hardly the first USB display to hit the market, but it is the first made by HP, which seemed noteworthy enough, given how big a player HP is in the monitor space," an Engadget report states.

It is being said that the contrast ratio and brightness levels for the monitor can be comparable with the average notebook screen that users normally carry around. Although HP hasn't revealed any other specifications for the new monitor, it is set to be available towards the end of January for $179.

"I can imagine this being useful when being required to give presentations while traveling, but 15.6-inches isn't much larger than my 13.3-inch Macbook Air. I wonder if it would actually be worth the suitcase space," CNET writes.

However, the primary utility of this monitor can be seen in scenarios where the user needs to give a presentation, or even something as effortless as a group of friends wanting to watch a movie or a certain show on a bigger screen while on the move.

The monitor could also be useful for people who move around a lot. It is expected that a boatload of users will enjoy the ability to quickly jump to a second monitor from their usual notebooks while working on the go.

This is a major release by HP after the company previously revealed its new Pocket Playlist. The HP Pocket Playlist is a portable storage device that works with the wireless connections to other devices across the board, with and without internet connections.

"This machine is able to hold up to 16 full-length movies, 7,600 songs or 10,000 photos, though how much storage that actually is, HP isn't quite letting go of quite yet," Slashgear wrote.