LED Backlit (mercury-free) Laptop Arrive
News posted June 7th, 2007 by J.D. Hodges
Steve Jobs isn't the only guy in town that realizes the benefits of LED backlights over CCFLs -- there's also Dell, HP, Asus, and Kohjinsha. The benefits include longer lifespan, no mercury, less breakable than CCFL... the list goes on and on!
Dell gets into the act with the XPS m1330, a tasty 4lb notebook with dual core and an LED backlight option. Cost is unknown but the good news is that brightness is not sacrificed with the LED baklight because it is a full 80cd/m2 brighter than the CCFL option (300cd/m2 with LED vs 220 with CCFL backlight).
If you are one of those people that feels hard drives are so last year then you are in luck, the m1330 also lists a 32GB SSD as one of the drive options. but overall Dell appears to be releasing a great new option for the road warrior.
Asus also has their U1F
2.2lb subnotebook with "better luminance, faster response time and lower power consumption than
the traditional LCD"
A company whose name may be unfamiliar to you, Kohjinsha,
has had an LED backlit based 2.12lb laptop out since before Christmas: SA1F00A.
I own one of these myself and I absolutely love the battery life and the display.
The price is right < $800 USD but the processor is slow (500MHz).
If you are more a tablet kind of guy or gal, HP isn't leaving you out of the
LED love fest. Their new 2710p
tablet and 2510p laptop are coming out in Q3. The laptop is 2.9 lbs with
a 12.1-inch screen and the 2710p
tablet is 3.6lbs also with a 12.1-inch screen.
Of course , Steve
is in on the action too. Apple upgraded their MacBook
Pro to Santa Rosa (800MHz FSB) and they also graced the 15-inch model with
LED-backlit displays coming standard. The highlights
of their LED announcement include:
- - lower display weight
- - more power efficient (than CCFLs)
- - provides full brightness immediately after the system is turned on.
- - same brightness level as the old CCFL option
The cost? Same price as the old MacBook Pro, good job Apple!
Here is a handy little chart to summarize the LED vs CCFL battle for you, all pretty like:
|
LED vs CCFL LCD Monitors |
|
LED |
CCFL |
| Lasts |
50,000 hours |
8,000-15,000 hours |
| Power usage |
Comparable to CCFL, potentially more efficient |
Comparable to current generation LED |
| Time
to reach full brightness |
0.01 seconds |
1+ seconds |
| Local
dimming |
Possible |
Not possible |
| Thickness/Bulk |
Thinner than CCFL |
Not as skinny as CCFL |
| Color accuracy |
Excellent |
Fair to Good |
| Hazardous materials |
none |
mercury |
| Current Usage |
Rare, only available in handful
of laptops and a couple desktop displays |
Widespread in laptop and desktop
LCD displays |
| Cost |
Has been high, may be coming down
|
Low |
| Future outlook |
The highest quality, highest performance, backlight for LCDs |
The low cost and adequate mainstay of LCD backlighting |
|
