What Is It With Widescreen Notebooks!?

[Jucius Maximus]

RANT

Lots of notebook companies now are putting out widescreen notebooks like they are the latest fad. Widescreen devices actually get less screen area versus standard notebooks with the same diagonal screen size.

What benefit do you get with widescreen that you cannot get with a standard notebook? The only thing I can think of is that widescreens might be easier to store in backpacks due to their rectangular size.

Standard ratio displays, however, are definitely better IMO for web browsing and word processing as those applications are better suited to narrower/taller screens. Why? Because our eyes and brains read and write more eaily when they are sweeping a smaller angle when processing text. That is why newspapers and magazine articles are printed in narrow columns.

This widescreen fad bothers me a lot. It's just like another check-mark that notebook manufacturers want to put on their brochure so their product looks just as special and shiny as the next one in front of the majority of customers who are clueless.

[board123]

The only thing I can think of is that widescreens might be easier to store in backpacks due to their rectangular size.

That's reason #1. They're physically smaller.

Reason #2 is that a lot of people like to do "multimedia" things like watching movies, and widescreen is better for that. This is like a fad in itself.

[LNahid2000]

I watch widescreen tv/movies so I won't buy a device without a widescreen display.

[Jucius Maximus]

OK, watching movies is another real advantage of widescreen notebooks, but I can't think of anything else.

[board123]

There is nothing else.

[Kasakato]

More columns on Excel.

[board123]

More columns on Excel.

But less rows. That kinda balances it out.

[crimsona]

It's cheaper for what people think is the same size (people equate 15 inch to equal 15 inch WS), and smaller

Demand for higher priced 4:3 laptops drop, and then you are left with WS only.

[sdot]

RANT

Lots of notebook companies now are putting out widescreen notebooks like they are the latest fad. Widescreen devices actually get less screen area for standard notebooks with the same diagonal screen size.

What benefit do you get with widescreen that you cannot get with a standard notebook? The only thing I can think of is that widescreens might be easier to store in backpacks due to their rectangular size.

Standard ratio displays, however, are definitely better IMO for web browsing and word processing as those applications are better suited to narrower/taller screens. Why? Because our eyes and brains read and write more eaily when they are sweeping a smaller angle when processing text. That is why newspapers and magazine articles are printed in narrow columns.

This widescreen fad bothers me a lot. It's just like another check-mark that notebook manufacturers want to put on their brochure so their product looks just as special and shiny as the next one in front of the majority of customers who are clueless.

+1

i've always hated the bloody widescreen in notebooks. i wouldnt mind if companies made both widescreen and standard, but it seems now most companies only bother making widescreen. for someone like me who watches movies on television and dont play video games, standard screen is much more useful. i especially hate the fact the widescreen increases the base (i.e. where the keyboard is) of the laptop. I'm all for widescreen for a pc, but leave it out of the laptops.

Nice to know i'm not alone

[Jon Lai]

Well, with laptops, the widescreen format allows a more efficient use of space because the keyboard is naturally retangular as well. That doesn't argue why all the LCD monitors nowadays are widescreen as well, however, which, personally I would rather buy a 24" 4:3 LCD than a widescreen one. Too bad they never made anything larger than 20" normal aspect.

[GYR8]

You guys are forgetting to mention that the typical 15" non-widescreen laptop lcd has 1024x768 resolution (although if anyone can link to models that have 1280x1024 resolution, then THAT would make for a reason to expand on this thread). The typical 15.4" widescreen has a resolution of 1280x800, so this would debunk the arguement of having less room to work with. So you would NOT actually have less rows in excel

Here is my arguement for going widescreen: In Vista, if you have the sidebar opened up (it takes up approx 150 pixels of width) and/or you decide to use the side help guide and/or Thumbnail view in MS word, then you would still have room to view the document with similar pixel allocation as a non-widescreen lcd In Internet Explorer, one could afford to have the favourites pane opened up without impeding the website view.

GYR8

[jb22]

A widescreen display is great when working with apps with a time line, like After Effects. I've had a 20" wide screen display on my desktop for a few years now and I can't go back to a 4:3 display but that's because i work with apps that lend themselves so much better to a wide screen display.

I also just bought an Asus laptop with a 15" widescreen display running at 1680 x 1050 and and I think it's great.

[Jucius Maximus]

You guys are forgetting to mention that the typical 15" non-widescreen laptop lcd has 1024x768 resolution (although if anyone can link to models that have 1280x1024 resolution, then THAT would make for a reason to expand on this thread).

What? Many 14" notebooks (standard ratio) are available in resolutions about 1024x768. But you have to look at business class:

Lenovo
Fujitsu

[MrDisco]

OK, watching movies is another real advantage of widescreen notebooks, but I can't think of anything else.

i have to add web browsing to this list. on a site like rfd with that horrible nav bar it eats into the useable content. on my thinkpad with its 14" (15"?) 4:3 screen i'm squished (thank goodness for rip it now). with a widescreen display this isn't much of an issue. i would rather scroll down than be squished in.

you can still get 4:3 laptops though.

[Jon Lai]

i have to add web browsing to this list. on a site like rfd with that horrible nav bar it eats into the useable content. on my thinkpad with its 14" (15"?) 4:3 screen i'm squished (thank goodness for rip it now). with a widescreen display this isn't much of an issue. i would rather scroll down than be squished in.

you can still get 4:3 laptops though.

You didn't know you can turn off the side nav bar?