Image Courtesy LG Electronics
IPS based LCD monitors are generally considered to be the best on the market right now. They offer extremely wide viewing angles and some superb color reproduction. Until recently, monitors based on this type of LCD technology have been extremely expensive but a few low cost options are now becoming available. One such monitor is the LG IPS226V-PN that can be found at Amazon.com for just $180. This is what most standard TN panels sold in this size range just six months ago. The 21.5" LCD panel offers a very high 1920x1080 resolution and uses LED backlighting to have a very low energy profile. Inputs included HDMI, DVD and VGA and one headphone jack audio output for dealing with HDMI audio. The panel is very thin but that is primarily because the power supply is external to the panel. At this price though, it can even be a great option for those looking at multiple monitor gaming.
Disclaimer: All deals are those advertised by the retailer in question and may have rebates or other conditions of purchase for the products. Please be sure to read all disclaimers from the seller before purchasing.
Image Courtesy Western Digital
For those looking at the purchase of a desktop computer, one of the key features that you will be presented with is the hard drive size. This is the primary method of data storage for the system and it has exploded in capacity over the past couple of years. How much space does one need? Does the type of interface really matter? Why does the system have two hard drives but only have the storage space of a single drive? Find out more about these types of questions you will be confronted with in my guide to desktop hard drives.
At the recent Google I/O conference, the big announcement was the introduction of the Chromebook. They were very keen to state that this is a different kind of computer and in one sense it is. The device uses the Chrome OS which is the first major cloud computing operating system. Essentially, all of the applications on the device run through the Chrome browser for things like Google Mail, Docs, etc. Now, there are offline features to this OS so you don't have to be always connected.
While the experience is different, the hardware really isn't all that different. In fact, Chromebooks are essentially the same hardware that run on your typical netbook. There are two essential netbooks being released in the near future. One from Acer will be priced around $330 which is in line with a typical 10-inch netbook that it is based upon. The Samsung model will be a bit more expensive at $429 but it does feature a small SSD drive instead of a hard drive and a larger 12-inch screen. They should be available in mid-June
The big news of course out of the conference was the business and education lease program. For $28 or $20 per month depending on if you are a business or school, you can rent Chromebooks with full support from Google. This may appeal to large organizations but consumers on their own will not get to take advantage of this. In addition, it is a three year agreement that can't be backed out of. So, once you sign up, you are stuck with it whether you want it or not. Now, it does supposedly include hardware updates in addition to software support. Even if it were available for consumers, the overall cost over the term of the lease would be $720, more than twice the cost of the Acer unit. So, in reality, consumers should view the Chromebook as an alternative to the traditional Windows based netbook.
Image Courtesy Sony
3D displays have two major markets currently, 3D video from TV and movies and 3D gaming. Sony is a major player in both of these markets thanks to their broad consumer electronics that includes TVs, Blu-ray players and their Playstation consoles. Now their computer division has decided to make a leap to 3D displays with their latest version of their VAIO F series laptop. Is this Sony laptop something that will work well for those wanting to watch some 3D movies or playing PC games? Find out in Christine McKee's review of the Sony VAIO VPC-F21AFXBI laptop.
