Will I Ever Be Able To Read A Laptop In Sunlight?

[Snowy]

Hi,

We bought a house in "El mejor clima del mundo" (the best climate in the
world), Atenas, Costa Rica, so says National Geographic. We would love to
work outside during the day but even in the shade LCDs are difficult to
read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
sunlight? And affordable for laptops?

Thanks,
Gary

[dagmarg...@yahoo.com]

Monochrome LCDs without backlights are excellent in sunlight. Some
older HP notebooks had these.
Kindle-type monochrome displays also, but they're very slow.

James Arthur

[P E Schoen]

"Snowy" wrote in message
news:laWdnYyPfJRT76nS...@supernews.com...

From:
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl.t2.7/search/web?fcoid=114&fcop=topnav&fpid=2&q=sunlight+readable+lcd&ql=&qlnk=True

http://www.sunlightlcd.com/sunlight-readable-highbrightness-lcd-technology.html
http://www.lcdsunlight.com/

http://www.sunbook.us/?gclid=COzivdGkkq4CFUETNAodRRwMLw
http://www.argonautcomputer.com/ranger-laptop.php
http://www.panjittouchscreens.com/Default.aspx?tabid=177

If monochrome is acceptable, some of the old reflective and transflective
LCD displays (without backlight) are inexpensive and generally best in
bright light conditions. Most of the displays listed above are quite
expensive. You may just need to get a hood like the NFL officials use, or
like the old-time photographers used.

Paul

[miso]

Dell sells notebooks with daylight readable displays. I got one of these
notebooks off their refurb list. I don't think you would like the new
price. They are used by police and in some military applications. [The
Toughbook is what the military really uses.]

The Dell refurb website is the kind of thing you need to stake out.
Eventually what you want will show up. It doesn't make sense to do this
for a run of the mill notebook, but for their military grade stuff, you
really don't want to buy it new.
> http://www.dell.com/outlet

Mine was primo. I'm told this is typical of mil/governent grade
purchases. Some police department orders the gear then finds out they
have to lay off cops instead, so they return it whatever credit they can
get. In the case of the one I bought, it was configured kind of
stupidly. They paid for win 7 64 bit, but only got 3G of RAM. I ran it
for a while, made sure it was good, then upgraded it to the full 8G for
$100 at the time. Next up is SSD to make it more rugged.

[JeffM]

Snowy wrote:
>We would love to work outside during the day
>but even in the shade LCDs are difficult to read.
>Are there any technologies on the near horizon
>that are readable in sunlight?
>

Been out there for years.
http://google.com/search?q=%22.Pixel.Qi%22+%22.One.Laptop.Per.Child%22+sunlight

>And affordable for laptops?
>
Low cost was one of OLPC's primary goals.

[Jan Panteltje]

On a sunny day (Thu, 9 Feb 2012 19:28:41 -0600) it happened "Snowy"
<snowy...@charter.net> wrote in
<laWdnYyPfJRT76nS...@supernews.com>:

How about video goggles?
and a black sack over your head.
;-)
LOL'

[Dennis]

"Jan Panteltje" <pNaonSt...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:jh2mvn$8pm$2...@news.datemas.de...

That'd look like a "jihad'up display"

[Phil Hobbs]

;)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

[notbob]

On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:

> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?

LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.

nb

--
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[Jim Thompson]

On 10 Feb 2012 16:16:34 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:

>On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:
>
>> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
>> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?
>
>LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
>near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
>technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
>light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
>viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
>reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.
>
>nb

Have you not seen the latest in electronic billboard technology?
"Motion pictures" in Arizona-level sunlight... using LED's... I just
finished an LED driver chip design... 48 LED's, with 2ns TR/TF ;-)

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

[Phil Hobbs]

Jim Thompson wrote:
>
> On 10 Feb 2012 16:16:34 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
>
> >On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:
> >
> >> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
> >> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?
> >
> >LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
> >near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
> >technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
> >light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
> >viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
> >reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.
> >
> >nb
>
> Have you not seen the latest in electronic billboard technology?
> "Motion pictures" in Arizona-level sunlight... using LED's... I just
> finished an LED driver chip design... 48 LED's, with 2ns TR/TF ;-)

Which is probably 50 times faster than the LEDs.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal Consultant
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058

hobbs at electrooptical dot net
http://electrooptical.net

[Jim Thompson]

On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:27:51 -0500, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamM...@electrooptical.net> wrote:

>Jim Thompson wrote:
>>
>> On 10 Feb 2012 16:16:34 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
>> >> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?
>> >
>> >LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
>> >near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
>> >technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
>> >light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
>> >viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
>> >reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.
>> >
>> >nb
>>
>> Have you not seen the latest in electronic billboard technology?
>> "Motion pictures" in Arizona-level sunlight... using LED's... I just
>> finished an LED driver chip design... 48 LED's, with 2ns TR/TF ;-)
>
>Which is probably 50 times faster than the LEDs.
>
>Cheers
>
>Phil Hobbs

I have no idea about light output. The client is happy, he does some
spreadsheet manipulation to produce light output curves, and fretted
over TR/TF and settling time. This is 0-25mA LED current.

[Mikko OH2HVJ]

Check out the transflective LCDs. We've got a DRS Hammerhead tablet with one
for field measurements. It's usable in bright light, but not as good as
a good LCD indoors.

--
Mikko

[mpm]

On Feb 9, 8:28 pm, "Snowy" <snowybr...@charter.net> wrote:

I literally just got back from Costa Rica.
And while I can't tell you much about sunlight-readable LCD's, I can
state with some authority that San Jose, Costa Rica is a shithole.
What happened to the place?!! The tourist literature says the city
is "undergoing modernization". Truly, some of the best spin I've ever
heard!
The streets and sidewalks are SO BAD, this place has got to qualify as
the sprained ankle / broken leg capital of the world (however you say
that in Spanish).

The city was without water for 2 days, yet the restaurants were all
open and serving customers. WTF?
When the water returned, there was no boil water notice, etc...
According to the locals, the city loses about 1/3rd of its water to
leaks, and the water is out regularly in some parts of downtown. I
think they've underestimated it.

Oh, and did I mention San Jose is a pretty city - if you like razor
wire and security bars on every building.

And don't even get me started about the electric grid. It sure
looked to me like all the electric meters were installed with black
electrical tape.
Many, many instances of exposed wiring all over the city - and I'm not
talking about branch circuits - I'm talking about service entrances!
(I have photos)
One travel companion reported live electrical wires in the hotel
shower. Yikes!

Now that said, I must agree the eco-tourism is pretty damn good.
As a photographer, the places outside San Jose are great! I
particularly enjoyed La Paz Waterfall Gardens, about an hour north of
San Jose.
And of course, those toucans are cool, but not enough to make me want
to set foot in the country again anytime soon.

[Phil Hobbs]

We went to the Occidental Grand Papagayo a couple of years back, and it
was pretty nice. (#1 daughter is a flight attendant, so we get to go on
the interline price, which at the time was _dirt_ cheap.)

[Snowy]

"mpm" wrote in message
news:9376894f-9471-4196...@b18g2000vbz.googlegroups.com...

On Feb 9, 8:28 pm, "Snowy" <snowybr...@charter.net> wrote:
>> We bought a house in "El mejor clima del mundo" (the best climate in the

>>...

>> Thanks,
>> Gary

> I literally just got back from Costa Rica.
> And while I can't tell you much about sunlight-readable LCD's, I can
> state with some authority that San Jose, Costa Rica is a shithole.

I agree. Although Escazu and some parts of the city are nice San Jose has
all the charm of a mud puddle. We almost passed over CR because of it.
Still, CR is a beautiful country with many small communities such as Atenas
that are very livable. We drove up to La Paz gardens last week. The drive
alone was wonderful.

Gary

[Jim Thompson]

On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:27:51 -0500, Phil Hobbs
<pcdhSpamM...@electrooptical.net> wrote:

>Jim Thompson wrote:
>>
>> On 10 Feb 2012 16:16:34 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
>>
>> >On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
>> >> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?
>> >
>> >LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
>> >near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
>> >technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
>> >light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
>> >viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
>> >reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.
>> >
>> >nb
>>
>> Have you not seen the latest in electronic billboard technology?
>> "Motion pictures" in Arizona-level sunlight... using LED's... I just
>> finished an LED driver chip design... 48 LED's, with 2ns TR/TF ;-)
>
>Which is probably 50 times faster than the LEDs.
>
>Cheers
>
>Phil Hobbs

That's the _current_ rise and fall times.

[Phil Hobbs]

Jim Thompson wrote:
>
> On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:27:51 -0500, Phil Hobbs
> <pcdhSpamM...@electrooptical.net> wrote:
>
> >Jim Thompson wrote:
> >>
> >> On 10 Feb 2012 16:16:34 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:
> >>
> >> >On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
> >> >> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?
> >> >
> >> >LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
> >> >near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
> >> >technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
> >> >light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
> >> >viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
> >> >reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.
> >> >
> >> >nb
> >>
> >> Have you not seen the latest in electronic billboard technology?
> >> "Motion pictures" in Arizona-level sunlight... using LED's... I just
> >> finished an LED driver chip design... 48 LED's, with 2ns TR/TF ;-)
> >
> >Which is probably 50 times faster than the LEDs.
> >
> >Cheers
> >
> >Phil Hobbs
>
> That's the _current_ rise and fall times.

Sure, no worries. I figured even you hadn't figured out how to build
LEDs on a CMOS process. ;)

[Jim Thompson]

On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:37:32 -0500, Phil Hobbs

This is only a driver chip... external LED's. And that's the real
current TR/TF, whether it meets your approval or not ;-)

[k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz]

On 10 Feb 2012 16:16:34 GMT, notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote:

>On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:
>
>> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
>> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?
>
>LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
>near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
>technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
>light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
>viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
>reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.

Pure nonsense. Have you ever been to a race track? Saratoga, at least, has
tens of outdoor displays showing the race (no need to even go into the
grandstands). Ever seen DiamondVision in a ballpark? Outside advertising
signs? LED billboards? Outdoor video displays are all around.

[Robert Baer]

How about a crazy idea of a planer LED based on a thin oxide, thin
enough to have tunneling for electron injection into a junction that
would be used like an accelerator.

[Phil Hobbs]

Tunnelling transistors have been around for awhile now, e.g.
http://www.aip.org/png/html/tunnel.htm .

What would the light emission mechanism be?

[brent]

And this is where some Americans who don't like high taxes and razor
wire on every building in LA want to go for their escape?

[JW]

On 10 Feb 2012 16:16:34 GMT notbob <not...@nothome.com> wrote in Message
id: <slrnjjago4...@nbleet.hcc.net>:

>On 2012-02-10, Snowy <snowy...@charter.net> wrote:
>
>> read. Are there any technologies on the near horizon that are readable in
>> sunlight? And affordable for laptops?
>
>LCDs, CRTs, b/w TVs, Hell! even motion picture cinemas are viewed in
>near darkness or at least dim light. Has there ever been any
>technology for viewing video or simulated graphic screens in bright
>light? No. In effect, you are asking if anything can provide a
>viewable moving graphic brighter than sunlight. DUH! Short of
>reflected sunlight, i.e. photo print, not likely.

Is this another AlwaysWrong nym?

http://www.i-techcompany.com/highbrightlcd.html
http://www.comarkcorp.com/products/high_bright_displays.shtml
http://www.landmarktek.com/