pace is at a premium on most desks, and computers take more than their share of the desktop. B
ut several recently released monitors help free up desktop real estate by delivering more display space with less of a footprint.
The Sceptre FT15 and the ViewSonic VP140 are liquid crystal display (LCD) desktop monitors that provide as much viewing area as most 17-inch monitors, but use far less space than conventional tube-based screens. The Cornerstone 45/101sf, on the other hand, is
a conventional, tube-based monitor that may at first not seem to be much of a space-saver. But it provides as much viewable area as
a 20-inch monitor in a package about the same size as many 17-inch units.
The FT15 and VP140 are very similar. They provide 14.5-inch and 14-inch diagonal viewing areas, respectively-about the same viewable area as a 17-inch monitor. But both use only about six inches of depth on your desk and weigh about 12 pounds.
Both LCD monitors support display resolutions of 640 by 480, 800 by 600, or 1,024 b
y 768 pixels without the large borders formerly necessary on LCD monitors at the higher resolutions, and they can be used with standard SVGA video adapters. Both have sharp, crisp displays and are viewable from wide angles-not just from directly in front of the monitor. These units are both good examples of how far LCD display technology has come in the last few years.
At $2,995 and $2,895 respectively, the FT15 and VP140 are much more expensive than 17-inch cathode ray tube-based monitors, but use far less space and consume about half the power. And their prices will continue to fall-the FT15 is scheduled to drop to $2,499 in August.
The Cornerstone 45/101sf is an extraordinary monitor in many ways. It has a viewable area of 18.75 inches, about the same as most 20-inch monitors. Yet, when it's compared side-by-side with a one-year-old 17-inch monitor, its image area is quite a bit larger, even though the monitor does not protrude further out onto the desktop, and is an inch wider and no taller.
In addition, its display is spectacular. Contrast, sharpness, color rendering, uniform brightness, and focus from edge to edge are all superb. This is because of high-contrast glass and an electron-beam focusing technology Cornerstone calls SuperFocus. SuperFocus maintains the focus of the electron beam in the corners of the monitor. This results in an image that's clear and sharp, even in the corners. Most monitors produce dots that are more elliptical toward the edges of the display.
At $1,295, the 45/101sf is not quite the cheapest 20-inch monitor available-but it may be the best, and certainly is for the price. It produces a very stable, sharp, and flicker-free image, even at 1,280 by 1,024 pixels and 81 Hz.
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pace is at a premium on most desks, and computers take more than their share of the desktop. B
ut several recently released monitors help free up desktop real estate by delivering more display space with less of a footprint.
