TechnoLawyer: Monitors

Coming June 2, 2006 to Fat Friday: Gerald McNally shares some tips for a semi-paperless office, Kurt Walberg discusses the technology tools he uses in his solo practice, Caldwell Hancock reviews his new 21" Gateway monitors while Thorne D. Harris III reviews the Samsung SyncMaster 244T monitor, and Brent Blanchard reviews the Time Matters AIC Listserver. Don't miss this issue.

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Coming May 26, 2006 to Fat Friday: Dean Kirby discusses monitor height and reviews his Princeton monitor, Seth Silapasvang compares AbacusLaw to Time Matters, Harold Goldner reviews the Time Matters AIC listserver, Steve Wing compares PCLaw to QuickBooks, and Samuel Matunog explains when you need a consultant and when you don't. In addition, this issue features links to 8 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming April 21, 2006 to Fat Friday: Steven McNichols recounts his experience entering the legal profession at age 49, Robert Browning shares the details of his dual-monitor setup while Bernard Mac Arthur discusses alternatives to multiple monitors, Stephen Hayes discusses WordPerfect from a security perspective and explains the safest way to transmit a document, and Bob Walsh says what few dare to say about Word. In addition, this issue features links to 7 additional Posts in the TechnoLawyer Archive. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

A few months ago, Samsung released a new line of LCD monitors, including its top-of-the-line Syncmaster 244T, a 24 inch widescreen monitor (1920x1600) with one DVI input, one VGA input, one composite input (for a DVD player or video iPod), and a USB 2.0 hub. You can toggle among the three inputs with a button on the front.

The monitor can also swivel, providing both landscape and portrait mode (which lawyers seem to like). It comes in silver or black. TigerDirect seems to have the best deal among reputable resellers — $1,399.

I'm writing this review on the Syncmaster 244T in silver. I just took it out of the box today. Unfortunately, I'm sending it back. Why? It's too high. The monitor enables you to adjust its height, but at its lowest height, the bottom of the monitor measures 6 inches from the desk and the top measures 21 inches. My sweet spot is 3"/18". Given that most monitors accommodate my sweet spot, it didn't occur to me to check. Plus, none of the existing reviews discuss the height.

If you're tall (or enjoy craning your neck), I highly recommend this monitor — it has the best picture quality I've ever seen. Having to return it breaks my heart, but I feel like I'm bird watching.

The Syncmaster 244T I received has no dead pixels. Setup is a breeze, but Samsung does not include a manual — you must download it from the Web site. I found the monitor too bright at its default setting. In a nice touch, Samsung provides a number of settings for various applications. These settings not only change the brightness, but other parameters as well. I found the "Text" setting the most suitable for my purposes, and suspect most lawyers would feel the same.

All in all, the Samsung Syncmaster 244T is an incredible LCD monitor marred by poor ergonomics for a large portion of society. A shame.

PS: Kudos to TigerDirect for its fast, friendly service, and for not charging me a restocking fee.

Read ZDNet's Review

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Coming November 4, 2005 to Fat Friday: John Hall pens a little pep rally for Amicus Attorney users, Charles Awalt vents about the three most prominent problems with technology today, Lester Proctor discusses how he used a three-monitor setup as a solo practitioner (Lester passed away shortly after contributing this Post), Rick Crowsey follows-up on a previous Post to explain the method behind his madness of freezing his laptop hard drive, and David Caracappa reviews the Time Matters AIC Listserver. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming September 9, 2005 to Fat Friday: Tim Palmer adds to our ongoing e-mail security debate, Jay Solomon pokes fun at those who use multiple monitors, Joe Sewell reviews the less popular Dvorak keyboard layout, Channing Strother shares his keyboard insights, and Susan Cox updates her previous review of Dragon NaturallySpeaking Professional. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

Coming April 22, 2005 to Fat Friday: Rory Sanchez explores whether cheap PCs make sense for law firms, explains "TOC" in plain English, and recommends the ultimate monitor setup for lawyers. Additionally, Nathaniel Barber reviews the Hummingbird DM document management system in a public law office setting, while Steven Schwaber and Gil Aguiles weigh in with their respective advice on low-end PCs and monitors. If you're in the market for a PC, monitor, or document management system, don't miss this edition. Don't miss this issue.

How to Receive this Newsletter
Published on Fridays, Fat Friday is a weekly newsletter that features a grab bag full of genuinely useful product reviews and tips on a wide variety of topics. Like all of our newsletters, it's free. Please subscribe now.

We regularly feature your monitor reviews in our Fat Friday and Topical Compilation newsletters. Thank you for sharing!  Now, it's our turn.

We just bought an NEC-Mitsubishi LCD2060NX 20.1 inch LCD monitor and hooked it up to both a Mac and PC using an ioGear KVM switch.  So far, so good — great image quality and no dead pixels — plus Amazon shipped it in two days for free.

Why this monitor?  One reason — most 19/20 inch LCD monitors have an optimal resolution of 1280x1024, but this model has an optimal resolution of 1600x1200 — that's a lot more real estate in the same footprint.  Price: $780 at Amazon.  Read the review in PC Magazine.

As always, shortly after you research and buy a monitor, you learn about another model with even better specifications.  This week's issue of PC Magazine contains a review of Samsung's SyncMaster 213T 21 inch monitor, which has a 1900x1200 resolution.  Price: $900 at Amazon.

Update: Dell periodically sells the Samsung SyncMaster 213T for as low as $827.96. Also, Samsung sometimes offers a rebate on this model. My thanks to Dennis Kennedy for this tip.

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.

Looking for a flat panel monitor? Federal Computer Week has published an excellent article containing reviews of several new models. I have my eye on the Samsung SyncMaster 243T and the Sony SDM-P234. Do any of you have one of these monitors? If so, what's your verdict?

About TechnoEditorials
A TechnoEditorial is the vehicle through which we opine and provide tips of interest to managing partners, law firm administrators, and others in the legal profession. TechnoEditorials appear first in TechnoGuide, and later here in TechnoLawyer Blog. TechnoGuide, which is free, also contains exclusive content. You can subscribe here.