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Widescreen laptops
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 12.17
by Pete
WHY?
I mean what are the two activities you do most on computers? Internet and word processing. Both of which need a portrait screen.
I've been using the funny "tall" screens in the basement today which appear to be deigned for 1280x1024 and they're so much better for the net than my laptop which is on 1280x800.
TV's are different than computers. Computers shouldn't be widescreen.
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 13.49
by Pete
16:10 according to powerpoint.
but that's stupid. how often are DVDs watched on laptops compared to other activities? Unless you put all the controls down the side of programs it doesn't work very well with this shape of viewport.
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 13.51
by cdd
Nodnirg is quite right, you'll find most Media Center laptops are widescreen.
What irritates me is bad web sites that are designed to a fixed resolution (usually 800 x 600), when they quite easily could be "stretchable" to fill the screen of bigger resolutions. The BBC site is a notorious example of this, and it means you have to scroll down just as much when on a higher resolution. The reason sites do it is just laziness, it's marginally harder to design dynamically resizing templates (using %ages rather than fixed values).
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 13.52
by Gluben
Well quite often here, seeing as I don't have a TV and I do have plenty of DVDs. There's not really much point in getting one right now. I'm waiting until next year.
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 14.06
by Pete
bee bee see wrote:Well quite often here, seeing as I don't have a TV and I do have plenty of DVDs. There's not really much point in getting one right now. I'm waiting until next year.
yes but you're rubbish. nobody would design a laptop for you.
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 17.32
by Gluben
Well, the one I'm using right now is perfect for me. I just don't need a TV, because I can get news online now (I've given up The Daily Mail) and clips on YouTube, plus DVDs of course.
Sorry if I've missed the point, I've had some pretty bad news today and it's on my mind.
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 18.02
by Sput
I'm just surprised that you ever used the Mail for news!
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 18.04
by Gluben
Just out of habit. My Dad always bought that and The Evening Standard, but dropped the latter when his branch got moved and he just got the Mail and brought it home. Something to read at least...
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 18.07
by Pete
bee bee see wrote:Sorry if I've missed the point, I've had some pretty bad news today and it's on my mind.
interesting. blatant insults going right over your head.
is james martin outsourcing?
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 18.36
by Gluben
No it's just that a family member had some bad results from a scan, and it's weighing on my mind, so I wasn't paying much attention. Nothing to do with James Martin, whoever and whatever he is, seeing as I've never really experienced him.
Posted: Wed 01 Nov, 2006 20.35
by cwathen
mean what are the two activities you do most on computers? Internet and word processing. Both of which need a portrait screen.
Indeed, one of the most useful features of some 4:3 LCD screens is the facility to rotate them through 90 degrees to provide a 'tallscreen' display which allows you to view a whole A4 page in real size. Early dedicated computer displays were usually portrait-oriented. It was only the home computers using domestic TVs for display that cemented the landscape style screen; it might be what we're used to but for most everyday applications (unless you're into graphic design anyway) a portrait screen actually makes more sense.
The idea, as I understand it, is for them to be good for widescreen DVD and TV viewing on the move. In which event it would make sense for them to be 16:9 rather than 15:9/16:10 or whatever the exact ratio is that all widescreen laptops seem to be!
Interesting isn't it? Early plugs for widescreen TVs stated that you could watch movies 'the way they were meant to be seen' - so we then standardised on a widescreen format which no maintstream films are produced in. Then we move to widescreen computer displays so that you can 'enjoy' the benefits of widescreen TV on a computer - yet we produce them in a different aspect ratio to TVs.
TV's are different than computers. Computers shouldn't be widescreen.
There will always be someone who does genuinely benefit from a wider display, but in general, I'd agree with you. But then I'd argue that TVs shouldn't be widescreen either, although that's a whole other rant.