Hate Your Monitor? Here's Help

Steve Bass

Look straight ahead. If you're staring at an old monitor (and God forbid it's an ancient 15-incher), keep reading. For one thing, I think I can show you how to squeeze a little more performance from whatever monitor you're using. If nothing else, I might be able to persuade you to replace your old clunker. (But you'll have to decide between responsibly recycling it or tossing it into the Atlantic Ocean.)

Start by reading " The Monitor That Ate My Desk," a Home Office column I wrote a few years ago. It's packed with time-tested advice about monitor resolutions, refresh rates, and screen flicker.

Didn't bother checking the column? Then you missed the details about DisplayMate. Listen, you must grab a copy of this very cool utility that only sounds like an old word processor--what it really does is show you how to adjust your display to perfection. DisplayMate includes six full-screen test patterns with plenty of help to fine-tune your monitor.

If you do lots of shopping on the Internet, you might run into the dreaded, "hey, I didn't order that color!" situation. There's an intriguing way to make sure your monitor's color and what you see on the screen match. Read " Show the Web's True Colors" to find out how it's done.

Monitor Envy

Once you toss your tiny monitor and start using one that's 17 inches, you'll experience sheer ecstasy. (Hey, all things are relative, especially if you're a geek.) With more screen real estate, you can bump up the resolution to 800 by 600, or even 1024 by 768. All of a sudden you see more of everything--spreadsheets and word processing docs fill the screen. I don't know about you, but with a big monitor, I write better, act smarter, and find my two pooches treat me with more respect. Really. Check out our 17-inch monitor comparisons and Best Buys.

By the way, one thing that drives me crazy is the special tape measure that monitor manufacturers use. I've heard of 14-inch monitors that have larger screens than 15-inch monitors and cheapo 17-inch monitors with less viewable area than 15-inch screens. Just so you know: All of our charts factor in those types of vendor shenanigans.

Dig this: Have you ever used your notebook to teleconference from your home office? This commercial from Sony will help you understand the dangers.

17 Reasons to Upgrade

Just recently, we picked the ViewSonic's 17-inch G75f as a Best Buy because of the way it displays sharp, crisp text and lifelike graphics.

Still, I can't imagine anyone not wanting a really big monitor. So clear your desk of coffee cups and old 5 1/4-inch floppies and make room for some 21-inch pleasure. We report on ten of these sweeties (and you might even be able to convince your sweetie you need one).

If you're happy with your monitor but bored by what you're seeing on it, try some TV. For about $100, ATI has a cool Universal Serial Bus gizmo that lets you watch your favorite soaps and record them for posterity. Tune in on the story.

Dig this: Someone planted this about me, and it's not true! Stunned? No, I'm shocked!

Did you hear about the faulty Hewlett-Packard CRT monitors? Some are defective and will shock you if you touch their tops. Then again, it may help zap you back to attention during those late night projects.

Finally, years ago I discovered I felt eyestrain after a couple of hours staring at my monitor. I tried typical techno-dweeb solutions--drinking more diet Coke, buying a bigger monitor, and even making deadlines on time. Nothing helped. Since I got my new glasses, I can now look any monitor in the eye.

The glasses are from PRIO, and they're prescription specs. See, a computer screen is just a bunch of fuzzy dots of light--bright at the center and dim at the edges. Your eyes can't get a handle on them, so they're constantly refocusing and readjusting. PRIO Computer Eyewear helps you focus on the monitor.

To prescribe PRIO glasses, an optometrist tests your eyes on an FDA-approved instrument that simulates a small computer screen. The PRIOs work even if you wear contact lenses or no glasses at all. They're not cheap--mine cost $140--but they're worth it. With my PRIOs, images are distinctly sharper, my eyes don't get tired, and I think I write better. Seriously, I won't use the computer without them. Period.

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