Pinboard (guardiantech)

Two computer screens aren't better than one >> Sydney Morning Herald (via NYT)

guardiantech — 2014-03-24T11:40:41+00:00

Farhad Manjoo:

In a switch that amounts to heresy among some techies, I've become a two-screen sceptic. Two months ago, about five years after becoming an ardent proselytiser for the Church of the Second Display, I turned off the extra screen on my desktop computer. At first, the smaller workspace felt punishingly cramped. But after a few days of adjusting to the new set-up, an unusual serenity invaded my normally harried workday. With a single screen that couldn't accommodate too many simultaneous stimuli, a screen just large enough for a single word processor or browser window, I found something increasingly elusive in our multi-screen world: focus.
Was my experience with a single screen simply a function of personal preference, or was it a demonstration of the fundamental problem of working on two or more displays?

It seems a great mistake to have your email (or YouTube) visible on either screen. That apart, though, two screens still feels like a winner, personally.

iOS 7 is a huge step towards resolution independence >> Supraliminal

guardiantech — 2013-07-29T12:30:00+00:00

James Russell:

In Stretchy Thumbs, Casey Liss wonders if the new system wide back gesture in iOS 7 (obviating the need to constantly reach to the top left of the screen) is a step towards supporting the idea of a larger screened iPhone Plus. I would say that in most of the new patterns in iOS 7, Apple are telegraphing much more than that: clear steps towards proper resolution independence for iOS.
These changes would pave the way not for an iPhone Plus with bigger pixels, but one with a new screen resolution at current Retina iPhone DPI levels that can display more content on screen. And once resolution independence is established, who knows what other larger or smaller devices it would pave the way for?

Best Android phones for smaller hands >> TalkAndroid.com

guardiantech — 2013-04-11T10:11:43+00:00

It’s pretty obvious that handset makers think the bigger the phone, the better. We’ve seen phones slowly climb in screen size, up from 3.5in to 4in to 4.7in, and now even past 5in. These bigger screens are fantastic, but it’s easy to see how people who prefer smaller phones may feel a little left out.

(Thanks @rquick for the link.)

Apple - Think Twice >> The n Bells:

guardiantech — 2012-12-03T22:00:21+00:00

I purchased a few months ago a Retina MacBook Pro. When it arrived, I was happy and smug, as only an Apple-geek with the shiniest kit in town can be.
However, through day-to-day use I noticed strange lines appearing on the screen. First, when the unlock-screen presented itself, it seems to have a slight transparency to the desktop.
Once I noticed it, it seemed to get worse, though this might be because I knew about it & saw it more often, or because it did actually get worse. Either way I was getting less and less happy with my new shiny thing. I would work on a document, flick to working on some photos & there would be not-so-mysterious lines appear 'over' the images.
It wasn't long before I did some searches and found out that this was in fact something known as ghosting - a problem occurring with some of the retina MBPs.

Half of all the screens are made by LG; half by Samsung. The LG ones have the problems, the commenters say. (They also offer a simple Terminal script to find out which screen a "retina" laptop has.)

Flat panel display industry poised for recovery and long-term growth >> DisplaySearch

guardiantech — 2012-10-16T21:02:11+00:00

Notable changes: mobile PC screens have gotten smaller (on average), mobile phone screens have got bigger, and OLED TV screens have got much bigger.

The ‘trouble’ with Android | Stephanie Rieger

guardiantech — 2011-12-30T21:03:59+00:00

Android can produce a huge range of screen "sizes" for phones demanding a web view, according to one site's mobile results: "This client of ours isn’t unusual. They are UK based and their audience reflects a wide cross-section of consumers. If anything, the audience probably skews a bit older (and therefore if you believe the stereotypes) less likely to be experimental with new technologies. So why the incredibly wide range in Android screen sizes? "What we in fact are seeing is a classic case of unintended consequences. In this case, the consequences of a wide ecosystem coupled with some of Android’s more user-friendly design decisions."

Apple may invest $1 billion in Sharp LCD plant: MF Global >> Reuters

guardiantech — 2011-08-17T07:46:51+00:00

"Apple Inc may invest $1 billion in Sharp Corp's Kameyama factory to secure the supply of screens for iPhones and iPads, MF Global FXA Securities wrote in a sales note on Wednesday, sending shares in the Japanese consumer electronics maker up more than 2 percent."