MatteScreen
Latest
Mitsubishi's latest 23-inch Diamondcrysta fulfills your matte, IPS desktop display dreams
It seems like, if a company isn't hopping on board the OLED train, it's the IPS express that's catching their flat-panel fancy. Mitsubishi is banking the wider viewing angles provided by the in-plane switching tech can carry its 23-inch Diamondcrysta Wide RDT233WX-Z to desktop display success. The 120Hz monitor features the Giga Clear Engine II LSI for smoothing out high-speed video and a special movie mode for better performance when showing 24p films. Around back are the usual assortment of connections, including a pair of HDMI ports, DVI-D, mini D-Sub, and the Japanese D5 jack. Perhaps best of all, unlike most recent 1080p monitors we've seen, the latest Diamondcrysta skips the glossy sheen for a matte coating. The RDT233WX-Z goes on sale in Japan on June 29th for around 54,800 yen (about $683) and you'll find the PR, in all its machine translated glory, after the break.
TechRestore takes some of the gloss off of new MacBook Air with matte screen option
While there is generally no arguing with the aesthetic qualities of products that come from Apple, that beauty does sometimes come at the expense of functionality. A case in point is the unfortunate trend to glossy screens on Apple's portable computing devices. If all you do is gaze at your MacBook in a darkened space to watch movies, the shiny black screens look great. If on the other hand, like us, you need to actually get work done in a diverse range of environments, a matte screen that doesn't constantly display your own mug is preferred. While Apple offers optional matte screen on the larger 15 and 17-inch MacBook Pro, no such option is available on the new 11 and 13-inch Air models. Thankfully, the talented folks at TechRestore have come to the rescue with a retrofit. For US$249, TechRestore will replace the mirror on your slim new MacBook Air with a matte display that otherwise matches the specifications of the original. The display replacement service will be available soon, and TechRestore promises a 24-hour turnaround once they receive your machine.
TechRestore offers MacBook Air matte screen replacements for $249
The new MacBook Airs may have a lot of things going for them, but a matte screen unfortunately isn't among them. The folks at TechRestore now say they have a solution to that shortcoming, however, and will gladly rip apart your shiny new Air and install a matte screen for $249. That screen will supposedly give you the same resolution, color depth and LED-backlighting as the factory installed one, and TechRestore promises to install a custom black bezel that "matches the look of the unibody MacBook Pro systems and looks, well, pretty awesome." Of course, they don't provide an actual image of the finished result, but they do promise a 24-hour turnaround time if you want to try it out yourself -- the service will apparently be available "soon." Head on past the break for the full press release.
Samsung P580 business laptop hands-on
Boy, Samsung's been keeping us busy today -- in addition to the Q330 and Q530, the company was also showing the P580 business laptop at the British Museum today. The particular unit we played with had a vibrant 15.6-inch 1,366 x 768 matte screen, although a higher resolution and greater viewing angle would've made it a prettier package. To our further disappointment, the keyboard was nowhere as good as the Q-series' chiclet offering -- we kept pressing neighboring keys by accident, and the spacebar's right-hand side often failed to pick up our input. An isolated issue? Only time will tell -- you guys might have better luck when this bad boy eventually arrives in the stores.%Gallery-92795%
Samsung announces P580 business notebook with Core i3 / i5 and matte screen
Laptops with anti-glare screens are hard to come by these days, so it's nice to see Samsung adding a new option for us all. What you're looking at here is the P580 notebook, sporting a 15.6-inch 1,366 x 768 LED-lit screen and keyboard with numeric keypad. Underneath the hood you'll find a Core i3 or i5 CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M (1GB GDDR3) graphics, Trusted Platform Module security, Bluetooth 2.1, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, and 2GB to 4GB of RAM. If you feel that the four chargeable USB 2.0 jacks (one of which is also eSATA) aren't adequate, then there's always the docking port that offers plenty more for your socket fetish. Not bad for a 2.5kg (5.51 pounds) package, and let's hope this workhorse trots in before long with appropriately alluring pricing. Full PR after the break.%Gallery-92739%
Swap a Macbook's glossy display for matte
Users have a love/hate relationship with Apple's glossy displays. Namely, they either love them or they hate them. I haven't used one myself, as I'll be hanging on to my original MacBook Pro until it ceases to work.Until now, shoppers could get either a glossy or matte display with the 15" MacBook Pro, but not the 13" model. TechRestore has stepped in to do the "repair." For $200, they'll remove your 13" MacBook or MacBook Pro's glossy display and slap a matte screen in its place. The work comes with a 1-year warranty and TechRestore says they'll have your precious back to you within 24 hours of receipt. Note that this requires a trade-in of your existing screen; you won't get it back.If you have this service done, please let us know how it goes. Enjoy your glare-free computing!For comparison, RadTech sells an anti-glare film that can be applied over a glossy display. They're available for the 13in MacBook/Pro (unibody), the 15in MacBook Pro (unibody), the 17in MacBook Pro (unibody) and various iMacs. You can get the full list here. The films start at $19.95US each.[Via Cult Of Mac]
