Dell has introduced its first touchscreen monitor, the SX2210T. The device offers the same basic specs as the company's SX2210 product, with a 21.5-inch panel and 1920x1080 resolution, but adds support for touch control. The optical touch technology can be used with a finger or stylus, with +/- 2.5mm accuracy across most of the screen area.
DoubleSight Displays has revealed a new line of display screens, the Smart USB Monitor. Available in either 7-inch, 9-inch, or 9-inch webcam versions, each LCD monitor is designed to work with any desktop or notebook with a USB port and up to as many as six of the displays on one computer. Like most USB displays, it requires no video chipset and works both in landscape and portrait modes. Most apps will work properly, including some Internet and offline videos.
Dell has quietly introduced several new monitors, the 21.5-inch ST2210 and the 23-inch ST2310. Both displays feature 1080p resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio, along with an anti-glare coating on the panel. The company also lists a 50,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, 250cd/m² brightness and 5ms response time.
Gateway on Wednesday evening introduced smaller, more powerful back-to-school desktop PCs, including its small form factor SX Series and its compact DX Series mini-tower line as well as its FHD Series of monitors featuring a new edge-to-edge glass design. Both the SX Series and DX Series PCs include a unique “digital photo frame” button that quickly delivers a slide show of favorite photos along with a “device deck" described as a small recessed area on top of the chassis to put device -- such as a digital camera, MP3 player or camcorder -- for connecting to USB ports and downloading media. Other new features include a tilt-enabled card multi-card media reader for easy access, a rear cable management hook to organize cables.
Australia's Queensland University of Technology has released health-based recommendations for using high-gloss Apple screens, claiming that reflections can lead to users adopting awkward postures, in turn producing injuries. The report takes a fairly negative stance against the glass found in iMacs, MacBooks and MacBook Pros, and also recommends considering a number of factors that could help alleviate or minimize harm. Injury is only a concern however in cases of intense usage, the university suggests.
Apple has sought to patent an LED backlighting scheme which could make the technology more practical for monitors in general, and possibly the company's own computers. While Apple notes that LED improves the color, life, brightness and power efficiency of monitors, the most recent 24-inch Cinema Display is said to have created unique design issues, demanding a way around problems with thermal control and area-to-perimeter ratios.
Dell has quietly launched several new eco-friendly monitors, including the P2210, E190S and E170S. The P2210 22-inch display supports resolutions up to 1680 by 1050 pixels, with a variety of viewing-angle adjustments. Users can connect to a computer via VGA, DVI-D with HDCP, or DisplayPort connections. The device also provides four USB 2.0 connectors to work as a hub. The company claims to have utilized halogen-reduced materials to minimize environmental impact, while the monitor also meets EPEAT Gold and Energy Star standards.
Apple is dropping production of the 20-inch Cinema Display, an announcement reveals. The company has notified its sales and service links that the product is officially "end of life," and will no longer be shipped to customers or retail stores. The monitor has also been removed from Apple's online storefront, and given no automatic order conversions for anyone who may have ordered the product earlier.
Apple's recent Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter may be causing problems with 30-inch LCD displays, complaints on Apple's support forums suggest. The adapter is mainly intended to connect modern MacBooks, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs, which are currently the only devices that support Mini DisplayPort. Users of the adapter are reporting a variety of errors however, ranging from graphics corruption to temporary blackouts.
Korea's Samsung has introduced two new LCD monitors at CES, the P2370L and the 2233RZ. The former is a 23-inch display, whose main feature is a white LED backlight instead of the flourescent type used in most LCDs. This is claimed to produce better color results, as well as contrast, which is listed as an extremely high 2,000,000:1. The monitor additionally sports a 2ms gray-to-gray response, and resolutions up to 1080p; input comes in the form of DVI-I, which supports both DVI-A and DVI-D sources. The display should ship in the first quarter of the year for $399.
LG has announced a host of new LCD monitors at CES, concentrating on the M237WD, a new 23-inch display. The panel is unusual in that it doubles as an HDTV set, mainly through the inclusion of 1080p resolution and an ATSC tuner. It is designed in the cinema-standard 16:9 ratio instead of 16:10, and features built-in stereo speakers as well as a bundled infrared remote. Dynamic contrast is rated at 30,000:1, and response time is pegged at 5ms.
Matrox Graphics has introduced PowerDesk, an application that works with Graphics eXpansion Modules (GXMs) and allows users to manage multiple applications on a multi-display configuration. Window behaviors and arrangements can be controlled with customizable keyboard shortcuts, allowing windows to be moved between monitors or applications enlarged to fill one display. Users can also place the Dock on the bottom left, center, or right side of the main screen.
Display maker AOC has unveiled a new LCD monitor, the V22 Verfino. The screen measures 22 inches, and is a part of the company's Gamer Certified line. Accordingly the monitor is equipped with high-end features, such as HDMI input, LED backlighting, a 100,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio and a response time of only 2ms. Conventional contrast and response figures range closer to 2,000-3,000:1 and 4-6ms.
Computer builder Dell has begun selling the UltraSharp 1909W, its latest LCD monitor. Measuring 19 inches in a 16:10 ratio, the screen supports resolutions up to 1440x900, with a a 5ms response time and brightness rated at 300cd/m2. Contrast is measured at only 1,000:1, and the viewing angle is limited to 160 degrees; a number of ports are provided however, including four for USB devices, one for VGA input, and another for DVI video. The last is HDCP-enabled for protected HD content.
Dell's SP2309W LCD, first revealed quietly through a Canadian website listing, has now been formally launched in the US. The monitor is notable mainly for supporting resolutions up to 2048x1152, a figure beyond the 1080p maximum common to most modern displays. Dell also claims an unusually high 80,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio, and a built-in two-megapixel webcam with twin microphones.
Apple's new 24-inch LED Cinema Display, first announced back in October, is now available for order at the Apple Store. It is the company's first monitor with a Mini Display Port connection, and additionally hosts three USB ports plus a MagSafe power connector; both this and the Display Port link are intended to support Apple's new range of MacBooks. Thanks to LED technology, the monitor offers more light and better color accuracy than regular LCD displays.
Apple has narrowed the shipping timetable for its new 24-inch Cinema Display, which should be on its way to customers in seven to 10 days. The new LCD display, announced last month with the new MacBooks, features resolution up to 1920 by 1200 pixels with a contrast ratio of 1000:1. The use of LED backlighting is claimed to offer more accurate color, energy savings, and quick transition to full brightness. The device also features an iSight camera, microphone and 2.1-channel speaker system.
NEC has unveiled the first display in its MultiSync P Series of LCD monitors, the 22 inch P221W. The new LCD monitor offers 1680 by 1050 pixel native resolution, while presenting 96 percent of the AdobeRGB color gamut for image or video editing that requires color precision. The integrated 10-bit color look-up tables are programmable if corrections are needed. The P221W offers a slightly wider viewing angle of 178 degrees from the S-PVA LCD panel.
DisplayLink says it has released the completed Mac OS X driver for its display technology. Monitors and projectors that support DisplayLink are able to receive input from a computer's wired or wireless USB ports; up to four displays are supported simultaneously, and some manufacturers of compatible products include LG, Samsung and ASUS. The technology is also present in various docks and adapters.
Computer manufacturer Acer has announced a new LCD monitor, the P244W. The display is being aimed at high-end buyers, and as such measures 24 inches, with support for 16:9 widescreen resolutions up to 1080p (1900x1080). Appropriately the monitor is equipped with an HDMI input, which lets users connect the likes of game consoles and Blu-ray movie players. Regular computer inputs should also be included.
Hewlett Packard, with some assistance from DreamWorks, is announcing a new technology dubbed "HP DreamColor" that the company says will be a "disruptive" force in the market place. MacNN spoke with Jim Zafarana is Vice President, Worldwide Marketing for Hewlett-Packard Company's Workstation Global Business Unit and Jeff Wood, Director Product Marketing at HP about the new technology, which will purportedly pave the way for displays with accurate, predictable color reproduction at a fraction of the cost of similarly capable monitors and finally offer a transition route to flat-panel displays for graphic design firms (like DreamWorks) that have thus far been stuck with CRT displays.
Korean giant LG has developed a new LCD monitor, said to have an abnormally high contrast ratio. Many typical monitors have ratios in the hundreds, or in the thousands in the case of high-end displays like Dell's 3008WFP. LG's unnamed, forthcoming model has a ratio of 10,000:1 however, surpassing in some circumstances the performance of dedicated HDTV sets. The monitor is in fact partly intended for watching movies, though its size is unclear from provided photos.
Dell has begun selling the UltraSharp 2408WFP, its newest LCD monitor. The screen is a companion to the 3008WFP, and is only the second model from Dell to support DisplayPort technology. DisplayPort is a simpler kind of video input that should eventually replace DVI and VGA, and possibly HDMI in some cases, due to an absence of licensing fees. The 2408 in fact supports all of the above connections, as well as component, S-Video and composite inputs.
Display builder NEC has launched the 3-Series, a replacement for its 2-Series line of AccuSync LCD monitors. All of the five monitors in the series have a native resolution of 1280x1024, with a 5ms response time and 300cd/m2 brightness. Major splits begin with a division into 17- and 19-inch sizes, and in the case of the ASLCD73VXM and ASLCD93VXM, the inclusion of built-in speakers.
Samsung today unveiled its new series of 24- and 25.5-inch LCD monitors designed for entertainment and multimedia use. The pair of monitors support resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 with full 1080p HD resolution, HDMI inputs, and built-in multimedia speakers. Built-in multimedia speakers allow users to seamlessly participate in teleconferences or listen to videos and audio presentations without the need to use or purchase separate speakers. Samsung's 2493HM monitor is available for $600, while the 2693HM is priced at $700.
Display builder ViewSonic has announced eight new LCD TV sets (not pictured), all from the company's recently-created VTV division. The best-performing models are those in the 90 Series, all of which feature an ATSC/NTSC/QAM tuner, HDMI 1.3 support, and digital noise reduction. Additionally, the 26-, 32-, 42- and 47-inch versions all have a swiveling base, which is omitted for the 52-inch TV. The 26- and 32-inch screens are limited to 720p, but 1,500:1 contrast and 6.5ms response time start at the 32-inch mark, as does the inclusion of three HDMI inputs. 1080p becomes available starting at 42 inches.
Continuing a wave of announcements, Samsung has uncovered another version of its Q1 UMPC (pictured), the Q1 Ultra Premium. The machine now runs on a faster 1.33GHz Core Solo processor, and is fitted with 1GB of DDR2 RAM. The lithium-ion battery should now provide 7.5 hours of use instead of 4.5, and the computer's signature split keyboard has been given larger caps for easier typing. Specifications should otherwise remain unchanged, including the default 80GB hard drive, SD/MMC slot, and wireless in the form of 802.11b/g and Bluetooth 2.0. Samsung has not announced a price and release date for the Premium, but the price of other Q1s will drop in order to clear inventory.
ViewSonic has introduced the VP 50 Series -- 22-inch widescreen VP2250wb, 26-inch widescreen VP2650wb and traditional 4:3 19-inch VP950b -- displays, which include up to 110 percent color gamut based on the National Television System Committee (NTSC) guidelines and OptiColor technology for better accuracy and more detailed images in any viewing environment. To compliment the increased color gamut, the displays have quick response time, dynamic contrast ratio and four USB ports. Priced at $380, the VP950b combines 1280x1024 native resolution, 2ms response time, 280 nits of brightness (typ). The VP2250wb, priced at $450 ESP, sports a 1680x1050 native resolution, 2ms response time and 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The VP2650wb boosts a 1920x1200 native resolution, 3ms response time and a 3000:1 dynamic contrast ratio (typ) providing the ability to display true high definition 1080i or 1080p content. The VP2650wb will be sold for $580.
Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute has created a thin, flexible, 10.4-inch display, local news reports. Closely resembling e-paper, the ITRI's prototype is actually a new form of cholesteric LCD, with thickness reduced to half at less than 0.4 inches. The flexibility comes from dropping a glass substrate in favor of two plastic ones, which allow the display to curve in unusual directions. The LCD does have two present drawbacks: blank spaces may appear, and its 57 percent NTSC gamut is less than that of conventional desktop monitors. [via DigiTimes]
Apple may be on the verge of updating its Cinema Displays, speculation suggests. The company pulled the stand-alone LCD monitors from prominent mention on its online store Wednesday night, relegating them to the Displays section under Mac Accessories. While Apple may be putting the monitors aside simply to market bigger products during the holidays, the company has also traditionally taken such steps before the release of a product update.
