Two Technologies to Consider During Your Next Hardware Purchase

Technology moves along at a blinding pace: from year to year, many new gadgets come and go and it becomes harder to determine what will be a classic and what will be a passing fad: a few years ago it was the war between HD DVD and Blu-ray, but a few decades prior to this it was Betamax and VHS; predicting who the winners will be is a skill that even a mystic would have trouble with.

There are two new technologies on the market which any wise techie should look out for before considering a new bit of kit to spend their hard-earned cash on – let’s take a look…

Apple Thunderbolt Connection

Apple Inc. constantly revitalise the world of technology with their innovative products: from the MacBook to the iPhone, their products are known for their sleek and sexy aesthetic and solid construction from quality materials: when it comes to connections, they have also broken new ground over the years;

Macs have always been favored by those seeking to work on graphic design or video editing projects thanks to their stability and speed: back in the 90s, Apple introduced a new super-speedy interface standard, known as FireWire, which could be described as ‘USB on steroids’; this would improve transfer rates between digital video devices, external hard drives and other bits of kit that could do with a speedy but stable connection.

With the introduction of faster standards such as USB 3.0, Apple, not content to rest on their laurels, have recently launched the new Thunderbolt connection which trumps the 5Gbit/s speed of the new USB format with a mighty 10Gbit/s rate which allows this rapid connection to live up to its name;
If you are into your video editing or do any kind of work which depends upon rapid connections between devices, have a look for Thunderbolt and weigh it up against USB 3.0 to see if it is the right technology for you.

IPS Monitor Technology

If you are reading this article on an LCD monitor, pause for a second to change your viewing angle: if you look at your screen from any other position aside from head on, does the image fade? If so, there is a good chance that you possess a Twisted Nematic (TN) monitor, but the manufacturers are unlikely to have promoted that fact, instead preferring to boast about the size of the screen or type of backlight used.

Recently, a technology which had previously been reserved for all but the top-of-the-line monitors used by graphic designers or video editors is starting to find its way into cheaper displays: In-Plane Switching (IPS);

IPS has the advantage over TN when it comes to viewing angles and colour reproduction: indeed, any comparison between the two monitor technologies side by side would reveal that the only real advantages that TN has over IPS is that the technology is cheaper to produce and typically features faster response times:

• IPS displays feature a wider viewing angle than TN panels: ideal for those times when you want to lie back in bed or set up a screen as part of a multiple-monitor setup which won’t be viewed head-on.
• Colour reproduction is also typically much more accurate in IPS screens, so great news if you are looking for picture-perfect results.

Manufacturers will often boast about the contrast ratio, response rate, energy consumption, brightness and other stats of their monitors (LED backlighting is a recent popular feature that companies boast about), but the panel technology is rarely mentioned in product specifications, even on websites which sell electronic goods.

The next time you are in the market for a new monitor; make sure to check to see which panel technology is used within your display before taking the plunge. If possible, go to a store where you can compare different screen technologies and get a look at IPS for yourself to see if it is suitable for your needs, taking into consideration viewing angle, quality of color reproduction and other factors.

    Roland Tang

About the Guest Author:

Roland Tang is a technology blogger who specialises in business VOIP.