Monitors

The release of Jelly Bean has improved the functionality of Android tablets toward a more user-friendly, productive, and fast-performing experience. The OS includes a new interface for smoother navigating, a better camera app, and Google Now, which rivals Apple's Siri.

The new features in Android 4.2 range from interesting to useful, but all are meant to enhance the functionality of your Android tablet. The Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 tablets were the first to ship with Android 4.2. It's yet to reach other tablets, but at least now we know what to expect when the updates start rolling out.

Some of the new new features include faster access to notifications and settings, and Gesture Type, which interprets the swipes of your finger on the touch screen into text.

The following list comprises the very best of the Jelly Bean lot and will be frequently updated as more tablets are released or updated.… Read more

With an In-Plane Switching (IPS) screen, a useful assortment of connections and ergo options, and a price at around $300, the VG23AH might sound like a monitor worthy of praise.

However, once you experience the monitor's sorry excuse for 3D, you may find yourself singing a different tune.

Check out the full review to see why you wouldn't want this as your first 3D monitor.

More reviews can be easily accessed from the monitor hub.

Most 23-inch, LED-based monitors are very basic, general-purpose devices that likely won't impress you with their viewing angles. That's because most monitors feature Twisted Nematic (TN) panels, which are cheap (hence their ubiquity), but usually suffer in terms of viewing angle.

Simply put, when viewed from any angle other than directly in front, images on TN panels become more difficult to see.

The HP 2311xi, however, houses an in-plane switching (IPS) panel. IPS panels enjoy much wider viewing angles than TN panels, but are usually more expensive.

The catch here is that the 2311xi isn't expensive. In … Read more

I prefer to not play games in 3D. Aside from the stress it puts on my eyes, there's something about the stereo effect where it never becomes completely seamless. It never melts into the background and, for me at least, is constantly drawing my attention away from the actual game.

However, I understand that there are those who appreciate 3D much more than I do, and if I were going to invest in a 3D monitor, the following five are the ones I'd choose from. Just to be clear, these are the best monitors for 3D gaming, not the best overall monitors that happen to have a 3D component.… Read more

When it debuted a few years ago, the Nvidia 3D Vision Kit required four components to work properly: 3D glasses, an Nvidia graphics card, a compatible display, and a separate, USB-connected 3D emitter.

In the time since that debut, not much has changed. But, while all four of those things are still required, some manufacturers have figured out how to make the process a bit more streamlined and instead of a separate USB-connected device, Asus builds the emitter into the monitor.

The VG278H also includes Nvidia's 3D Vision Kit 2 glasses; a much better-designed pair of 3D glasses compared … Read more

Not going to beat around the bush here: the HP 2311gt offers passive 3D for only $260 (at the time of this review). From my experience, that's a pretty good price for a 3D monitor.

Sure, the 3D effect requires that you sit at least 2.5 feet away from the screen, but when it works, it's actually surprisingly convincing.

The question is: is it worth it?… Read more

Thanks to the fine folks over at Samsung, this week I got the chance to check out the Samsung SyncMaster S27B970 in pre-production form.

As you can see from the picture above, the monitor is quite striking in looks and while this is a preproduction model, performance (aside from a few bugs) is also really impressive. … Read more

I don't get nearly enough press releases detailing the announcement of a new In-Plane Switching (IPS) monitor. All else being the same, IPS monitors are so much more satisfying and exciting to write about than their Twisted Nematic (TN) counterparts.

Much to my relative pleasure (IPS monitors are more exciting, but come on, they're still monitors), today Acer announced the release of its new IPS monitor, the Acer B243PWL.

The monitor is available now, starting at $329 and comes with Acer's standard three-year warranty.

The 24-inch monitor has a native screen resolution of 1,920x1,200 pixels, … Read more

Cheap monitors are easy to find. Go to most computer hardware outlets and you'll see plenty of off-brand, "get the job done" monitors (and by "job" I mean delivering images to your optics) awaiting your dollar.

However, just because you're paying $150 or less for a monitor doesn't mean you're necessarily getting a great deal. Paying $150 for a monitor with a paltry feature set, thoughtless design, or lackluster performance could induce an annoying and probably unexpected sense of buyer's remorse. Despite how little you paid.

Luckily, there are plenty of monitors that pay off with excellent performance, practical design, and plentiful features. You'll have to pay more for them, but in the long term you're getting more for your money.

Now, if you simply want a device that translates ones and zeros into images your eyes can decipher, then stick with the cheap monitors; however, if you're looking for an actual monitor deal, keep reading.

Monitors in the list below top out at $500 in price. The reason being that most consumers have a difficult time paying more than $500 for a monitor while still considering it a "value." … Read more