ViewSonic V3D231 3D Display

ViewSonic V3D231 3D Display

The V3D231 is a 60 Hz, TN-panel 23” display with 1080p resolution that also does 3D. Most will be happy to hear that it has a matte finish on the display, but due to the passive 3D technology, it also has a patterned retarder on the screen. This is necessary to produce the polarized image to allow for 3D with the included glasses, but it also produces a texture to the display that is clearly visible from normal distances. Some people might not be bothered by this, but I know that I always have been. It’s more apparent on bright images I find, but as most monitors will be used with web pages, word processors, and spreadsheets, there are a lot of white backgrounds that will accentuate it.

Gallery: ViewSonic V3D231 Exterior Gallery

Since passive 3D only needs simple polarized glasses, ViewSonic has included both a pair of glasses and a clip-on polarizer for people that normally wear glasses. The clip-on option is very nice as many active glasses do a poor job of fitting for people that have to wear glasses in daily life, making 3D hard for them to watch at all. I wish they had included an extra pair of the regular glasses so two people could watch something at once, but given the screen size they might have thought that was an unlikely situation. ViewSonic has also included a copy of the TriDef3D software that enables most of your games to take advantage of the monitor.

 

The inputs on the ViewSonic are what you might expect, with HDMI, DVI, and DSub, along with both audio in and headphone out audio jacks. I still don’t understand why all manufacturers continue to place the headphone out on the rear of the monitor where it is hard to reach instead of on the bottom or side of the display, where you could more easily access it. The only ergonomic adjustment available on the display is tilt, but it does have VESA mounting holes if you wish to add your own stand for more adjustments.

Gallery: ViewSonic V3D231 OSD

The OSD is controlled by four buttons located in the center of the monitor. ViewSonic has had the same menu control system for as long as I can recall, and nothing here has really changed about that. The Up Arrow also functions as a shortcut to the 3D mode selection, and the Down Arrow is a shortcut to the volume control. Little labels to indicate this would have been nice to have on the front panel, so you didn’t need to look it up in the manual or discover it accidentally. I should also note here that the bezel of the monitor is a very glossy black, which does reflect back a decent amount of glare as well as attract fingerprints. All of the controls I would typically look for in an OSD are available, including being able to set a custom white balance.

The tilt mechanism of the ViewSonic is pretty stiff and takes some effort to move it to where you want it, which also makes fine adjustments hard to do. I’d also prefer that the markings for LED, HDMI, and 1080p on the front of the monitor be removable once the buyer has the monitor at home, but they seem to be silkscreened onto the bezel. It’s curious that they have those, but no label that mentions it is a 3D display.

 

 

Overall, the passive 3D feature is the main feature that sets the ViewSonic V3D231 apart from other displays on the market today. Pricing is higher than non-3D displays, but it's also quite a bit less than active-3D 120Hz displays. Of course, whether it's actually a better display or not is what we want to determine.

HP Envy 14 Review

HP Envy 14 

Introduced as a replacement for the Voodoo Envy in 2009, the Envy series originally kicked off with 13 and 15-inch models. The premium notebook line was expanded in mid-2010 with 14 and 17-inch flavors, the former of which we received for evaluation. It's been just over a year since we published that review and we've since been graced with the second-gen Envy 14. Although it looks quite similar on the outside, the 2011 iteration has revamped internals. 

Now, here's where I make a pause to explain the tricky timing we went through in testing and reviewing the Envy 14. This second-gen model was launched in August and we received our test system about a month later. That was around the same time HP suddenly halted their webOS business and hinted at a possible PC unit spin off. Weeks went by, HP received all kinds of good and bad press (mostly the latter), their relatively new CEO went out the door, and in late October we finally received a final answer: HP is keeping its PC business and we should see more products in the near future. 

Back to business as usual, HP revamped the Envy 15 and 17 models in late November, while the Envy 14 remained mostly the same, receiving a couple of speed bumps and price cuts. 

Our evaluation system used to cost $1,079.99 but now you can get it for $899. The Envy 14 comes with a 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-2430M with Turbo Boost, 6GB DDR3 SDRAM, a Western Digital 750GB hard drive, Radeon HD 6630M switchable graphics, a 14.5" HD BrightView Infinity LED display, 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer support, Intel HM65 Express Chipset, Intel 802.11a/b/g/n WLAN with Bluetooth and an 8-cell 3800mAh Lithium Ion battery. Windows 7 Home Premium is the operating system of choice. 

If you are familiar with the Envy line, there aren't any surprises from last year's models. The computer arrived in similar packaging and includes a power adapter, removable battery, power cord and a quick setup guide. The power adapter includes a USB port for charging mobile devices which is a nice touch. 

From the outside the 2010 and 2011 Envy 14 models are nearly indistinguishable. The Envy has a strong resemblance to Apple's MacBook Pro which for the most part could be considered a good thing. The latest version features the same gunmetal lid with an attractive etched pattern. A reflective HP logo is positioned on the back corner of the lid on the right side and emits a subtle white glow when the system is on. 

On the front of the notebook are two speaker grills with the Beats audio logo prominently displayed beside the left grill. A SD / MMC card slot flanks the speaker on the right. On the right side of the system is a power and hard drive activity light, USB 3.0 port, HDMI port, mini DisplayPort, Kensington lock slot, Ethernet jack and an array of exhaust vents. 

The back of the system is clean besides another series of exhaust vents. On the left side is the slot-loading optical drive, two USB 2.0 ports and headphone / microphone jacks. 

There are four anti-slip pads on the bottom of the notebook although one of the feet was broken on our sample. HP cycles review samples through multiple media outlets and we have no idea how many others have tested this Envy before we received it. Even so, a broken foot calls into question the durability of the notebook a bit and upon further inspection, the access panel that had the broken pad feels pretty flimsy. 

Feet aside, the bottom of the Envy 14 is relatively plain. There's the aforementioned access panel that hides the removable battery and hard drive.

Opening the lid, we see the beautiful infinity display with the Beats audio logo on the top left and the Envy 14 badge on the right. The display has a resolution of 1366x768 which isn't quite the 1600x900 pixels found on last year's Radiance display. Unfortunately, HP no longer offers the Radiance display option as they were unable to obtain enough from suppliers for 2011. There's a "Skype-certified" 720p webcam above the display with microphones on either side of the lens. 

Also returning is the full-size backlit chiclet keyboard that has a nice solid feel when typing. There are no dedicated media keys but the function buttons across the top row double as secondary buttons without having to first press the Fn key. For example, pressing F5 turns the backlight on rather than refreshing the page you are currently viewing. 

The touchpad and click buttons are once again integrated into a single unit. I've had mixed experiences with this in the past; some good, mostly bad. Last year's Envy 14 was one of the worst, but we were told by HP those issues have been corrected thanks to a new ImagePad that is more accurate and can handle more fingers at once. We'll check these out in better detail next.