ViewSonic VX2245wm ViewDock

Pros: Crisp and clear, convenient iPod docking, USB ports and card reader

Cons: No height, angle or swivel adjustments like some others have - no big deal.

Summary: I am really impressed with this upgrade from my 19" LCD. I use it for home office, internet and video editing. The older technology offered great pictures but text resolution, etc used in business apps left much to be desired, where CRTs offered better overall clarity at the time when I went LCD. This Viewsonic installed extremely easily - truly plug & play, and I really cannot tell the difference in business apps from my 20" CRT that I use at work.

The screen dimensions are perfect for my work station; I did not want the wide screen format because I do work on this PC and watch movies on my TVs. It is perfect for overall computer use typical in a home environment: business apps, e-mail and lots of internet browsing and video playing. It is wide enough, however; to watch 16x9 movies which I use a lot for editing my HD home video.

I rarely play graphics intensive games on this computer, so I cannot comment from a gamer’s perspective. I also have not tried the speakers – I doubt if those little guys can compete with the speaker system I already have, so did not plug then in. I appreciate the built-in microphone but have yet to try it.

The iPod doc, USB ports and card reader have eliminated some cables from my work area and I really like that. My computer is under the desk like I’m sure so many are, so the desktop access to these increasingly used interfaces is a convenience to me.

Lastly, the lack of swivel, tilt and height adjustments was virtually unnoticed by me until I sat down to do this review. The built-in height and straight forward configuration work just fine for me. I think the nice large screen size eliminates the need for height adjustment and who swivels or tilts their monitors anyway, once a comfortable position is achieved? In fairness to those who are not typically sized persons like me, I suppose some may want to adjust it.