As CES winds down for another year, there are still a few more gadgets for us to draw your attention to from the huge tech expo – including this mammoth 49-inch ultra-wide monitor from the Philips Brilliance series. Not only does it do the job of two monitors, it'll log you into Windows as well.
That automatic logging in comes courtesy of the webcam at the top of the screen, which is Windows Hello compatible. A growing number of cameras now support the Hello standard, which Windows can use to identify your face and prove your identity without the aid of a password (it's a lot like Face ID on the newest iPhones and iPads).
The webcam actually pops up out of the screen when needed and then returns to the casing after you've logged in or finished a video call – good for privacy as well as aesthetics. Philips' brand license partner EPI, which develops the panels, says Windows Hello is three times faster than using a password (it's also available on Microsoft devices like the Surface Pro).
The other big selling point here is the 49-inch curved LCD display, offering a resolution of 5,120 x 1,440 pixels for web browsing, spreadsheet editing, game playing, or whatever else you're up to on your computer.
We're seeing more and more of these ultra-wide displays (or "SuperWide" in this case) – LG had some new models at CES too – which give the benefit of two displays without the extra footprint (and usually at a better value too).
Any kind of job where two applications need to be open side by side can benefit from a dual-monitor setup, or an ultra-wide monitor setup in this case: making notes from the web, checking emails while watching videos, monitoring two social networks at the same time, and so on. Ultimately, it can be a productivity boosting hack – at least in theory.
Windows 10 even has built-in features for multi-window management, like the way it snaps programs to one half of the screen when the title bar is dragged to the edge.
CES 2019 also saw the debut of the Philips 329P9H 32-inch 4K LCD monitor, with a 4K, 3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution and a pivot mode you can use if you need a screen that's in portrait rather than landscape mode. Windows Hello is on board here too.
Both displays come with a USB 3.1 Type-C docking station for connecting peripherals, and a KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switch that lets you hook up two computers to the same monitor and flick between them with the push of a button.
Also included in both of these new monitors is smart technology to reduce the amount of blue light emitted and to keep flickering down to a minimum. The 49-inch curved display arrives in March for US$1,299, while the 32-inch 4K panel is out in February for $799.
Source: EPI