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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Dell U2311H: E-IPS, Full Adjustments, and DisplayPort

For years now Dell has been one of the few companies that consistently offers a range of displays using IPS panels for desktop displays instead of only the more affordable TN panels. Now with the availability of e-IPS panels, Dell has been able to offer even more models and lower the price all the way down to $319 for a 23” 1080p display.

Gallery: Dell U2311H Appearance
The U2311H uses a very similar base to what Dell has been using for years that lets the monitor simply clip in, and allows for rotation to be used as a portrait display as well. The left side of the display has a pair of USB 2.0 ports, to go with the pair located on the bottom of the display. Also on the bottom of the display are DisplayPort, DVI, and VGA inputs, as well as the power input. Located on the front of the display on the right side are the menu control buttons that are unlabeled and nicely disappear into the bezel. The U2311H can adjust in height vertically and has both tilt and swivel adjustments as well, which should make it able to fit into most spaces. It might not be flashy but it gets the job done.
With all the above features, you’ll note that a few items are missing. There’s no HDMI port, making this less desirable as an all-in-one display for use with PCs as well as game consoles. There are also no speakers, though given the quality of most LCD speakers we don’t feel like we’re really missing out. In a similar vein, there’s no audio out, so if you were to use DisplayPort for carrying audio there’s no way to get the audio from the display to an external source. There are perhaps minor omissions, but most of Dell’s higher-end LCDs include such features and they’re worth pointing out. Here’s the full rundown of the LCD specs:
Dell U2311H Features and Specifications
Video Inputs 1 x DVI-D w/HDCP
1 x DisplayPort 1.1a
1 x VGA
Panel Type e-IPS 6-bit + AFRC
Pixel Pitch 0.265 mm
Colors 16.7 Million
Brightness 300 nits (typical)
Contrast Ratio 1,000:1 (typical)
Response Time 8 ms (GTG)
Viewable Size 23" (58.4 cm)
Resolution 1920x1080 at 60Hz
Viewing Angle 178 degrees horizontal and vertical
Backlight 4-CCFL edge-light system
Power Consumption (operation) 33W (typical)
Power Consumption (standby) Less than 1W
Screen Treatment Antiglare with hard-coating 3H
Height-Adjustable 3.94" Height Adjustment
Tilt Yes, range not specified
Pivot Yes: Landscape and Portrait
Swivel Yes, range not specified
VESA Wall Mounting 100 mm x 100 mm
Dimensions w/ Base (WxHxD) 21.57” x 14.02” x 7.25”
(548 x 356 x 184 mm)
Weight 14.22 lbs with stand (6.46 kg)
Additional Features USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Hub
(1 USB upstream port and 4 USB downstream ports)
Limited Warranty 3 years
Accessories Power Cable, DVI Cable, USB Cable, VGA Cable
Price $319.00 MSRP
Online Starting at $285 (Plus S/H)

Hands-on With The Galaxy Tab 8.9

Samsung’s been moving PMP’s in one guise or another for some time. With the Galaxy Player line they claim to have the OS that can bring their media players to the next level, serving a user's media, gaming, internet and communications needs in one device. So what are these iPod Touch competitors like? Each is driven by 1GHz Hummingbird processors (single-core ARM Cortex A8, of course) and include 8 GB of on board NAND, expandable by microSD. Both models have 3.2 MP rear-facing and VGA front-facing cameras. The Galaxy Player sports Android 2.3 and the usual assortment of DLNA and Google Apps. If it sounds like these are Galaxy S phones without the phone part, it’s because they are. 
They’re distinguished by their screen size, however users accustomed to Samsung’s brilliant Super AMOLED displays might want to hold off from these particular models. The 5.0 comes with a 5” TFT-LCD at just WVGA (800x480). Contrast is less than stellar and the black notification bar was a murky grey. The 4.0 receives a 4” Super Clear LCD, analogous to S-LCD, which drastically improves viewing angles, and contrast. As a test for how the WVGA resolution works on larger screens, the 5.0 doesn’t bode well. If nothing else, when you open a website on such a larger device, you really expect to see more content than on a 4” screen.
 
Form factor is vanilla slate; more vanilla than chocolate certainly, with the only case color an attractive white. The edges are slightly rounded, but the thickness of the devices lend a very blocky character to them. These are not thin, sleek devices like the iPod Touch. Why so thick? Batteries. The 4.0 packs in a 1200 mAh battery while the 5.0 uses a rather large 2500 mAh battery. The software is only lightly infused with TouchWiz, these ROMs sporting less than the full gamut of recent TouchWiz updates. 
 
Samsung 2011 Galaxy Player Lineup
  Samsung Galaxy Player 4.0 Samsung Galaxy Player 5.0
Network 802.11 b/g/n 802.11 b/g/n
OS Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread) Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread)
Display 4-inch S-LCD WVGA (800 x 480) 5-inch LCD WVGA (800 x 480)
Connectivity Bluetooth 3.0, Mini USB Bluetooth 3.0, Mini USB
NAND 8GB, microSD slot (up to 32GB) 8GB, microSD slot (up to 32GB)
Battery 1200 mAh 2500 mAh
Dimensions 2.53 x 4.87 x 0.39" 3.07 x 5.56 x 0.46"
Weight 4.27 6.42 oz
Price $229 $269
 
 
Pricing places these in direct competition with the iPod Touch; the 4.0 matches Apple’s wares at $229, while the 5.0 merits a $40 premium for its extra inch of screen real estate. Availability starts October 16th.
 
Gallery: Galaxy Player 4.0 And 5.0 Hands On