Last week's column tackled the question of whether bright, high-gloss notebook screens put more strain on your eyes than do traditional laptop displays. The answer? Not likely.
This week presents a buyers guide to notebooks with bright, glossy screens, plus tips on how to tone down glare and boost privacy on any notebook display.
Most notebook manufacturers offer models with bright, high-gloss screens standard or as an option. These notebooks tend to be geared toward consumers interested in multimedia as opposed to strictly business uses. Often, upgrading to a bright screen adds little to your cost. For instance, adding bright, high-gloss LCD to HP's Pavilion dv6000t is an additional $20.
The current crop of notebooks with bright, glossy screens favorably reviewed by
Dell's Inspiron E1505 was recently number 1 on our Top 5 All-Purpose Laptops chart, earning a PCW Score of 83 (Very Good) and our Best Buy designation. The notebook features a 15.4-inch wide-screen display with Dell's TrueLife screen technology. Our generously equipped test unit was priced at $1139 when we reviewed it in February 2007.
Fujitsu's LifeBook P7120, recently number 3 on our Top 5 Ultraportable Laptops chart, earned a PCW score of 78 (Good). This 3-pound lightweight features a 10.6-inch Crystal View screen. Our test unit was $2099 back in February 2007; lower prices are available online.
HP's Pavilion dv2000t was recently number 4 on our Top 5 All-Purpose Laptops chart, having earned a PCW Score of 79 (Good). The dv2000t features one of the first high-definition wide-screen notebook displays. The model we tested cost $1570 when we reviewed it in February 2007.
Toshiba's Qosmio G35-AV660 was recently number 2 on our Top 5 Power Laptops chart, earning a PCW score of 82 (Very Good). The hefty portable weighs 10.3 pounds, features a gorgeous 17-inch screen, and includes an HD DVD drive and other high-end multimedia features. Our review unit cost $3000 when we tested it in February 2007.
Once you've bought a notebook with a bright, glossy screen, what can you do if you want to tone it down?
One easy option is to decrease the brightness level. Often, you can use a key combination to adjust screen brightness. For example, on my Sony Vaio notebook, I hold down the Function and F6 keys to turn up the brightness or Function and F5 to decrease it.
If decreasing the brightness doesn't do the trick, you might want to buy a filter for your display. 3M makes a variety of notebook LCD filters. Recently, I tested 3M's Privacy Filter for Notebook and LCD Monitor. The filter worked well to reduce glare and made it impossible to view the contents of my screen from a side angle, which is important to those who value privacy.
Filters are available from various vendors for screens sized 12.1 to 20.1 inches, at prices of $40 and up. Visit PC World Shopping for prices.
Regardless of which type of computer screen you use, there are plenty of things you can do to make long-term viewing more comfortable. Here are some resources online:
The BlackBerry 8800 adds consumer-oriented features to a device that's similar to the business-oriented BlackBerry 8700. Its features include integrated GPS navigation, a 2.4-inch color screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, a high-capacity battery, and trackball navigation instead of the thumbwheel found in so many business-oriented BlackBerry models. AT&T will be the only U.S. provider.
A blaze that destroyed a single-family home in Maine has been blamed on a Dell Inspiron 1200. The notebook had been placed on a living-room couch and was plugged in and recharging, according to local fire officials. Oddly enough, this was the second house fire reportedly caused by a laptop in that area since last summer.
At 6 pounds, the Fujitsu LifeBook A6010 is the lightest notebook with a 15.4-inch screen in our All-Purpose test group. You can configure it as a light entertainment laptop or a budget-business portable. One drawback: Our $1419 test machine came with a four-cell battery that lasted only 1 hour, 32 minutes, which is less than half as long as most other notebook batteries. Go to PC World Shopping for the latest prices.
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it. However, I regret that I'm unable to respond to tech-support questions, due to the volume of e-mail I receive.
James A. Martin
