monitor, Laptop Retrospective

EAZEYE is a small company that is looking to give the world a brand-new monitor to choose from especially if you are prone to eye strain or enjoy working with lots of natural light.

Louis Huang is the 17-year-old brain behind the EAZEYE Monitor which harkens back to the days of yore when backlit displays were a challenge and there were several ways of solving it before the technology advanced far enough for us to be where we are today with exceptionally bright screens. So when he reached out to me to let me know what he and his company were up to, I decided to take a closer look and ask a few questions.

If you aren’t familiar with how a monitor works, take a look at this diagram that compares how a conventional monitor works compared to what EAZEYE is proposing.

A diagram showing the configuration of a standard modern display versus the EAZEYE.

When I first saw the EAZEYE my mind immediately went back to 1995 when IBM with the help of Dr. Ted Selker released the ThinkPad 755CV and CDV which allowed the user to not only use natural light to power the display but to lay it over an overhead projector so the screen can be displayed to a larger audience.

A pair of IBM ThinkPad 755CDVs showing the back panel removed. Photo by Ken Varga

According to Louis, the EAZEYE will sport a suite of features. While the monitor has a traditional backlight, the rear of the monitor can be opened which turns off the backlight and allows the ambient light to illuminate the display. This reduces power consumption, reduces potential eye strain from a bright display, and makes the display easier to use outdoors.

The EAZEYE Monitor opened to allow ambient light to illuminate the display.

Another benefit of the natural illumination of the screen is the potential for it to be used in areas that have a lot of ambient light such as the outdoors. Computers, specifically laptops have struggled greatly with use outside and have had many methods over the years to combat this issue. From e-ink displays to sunshades to displays with insane brightness, many have attempted to battle the sunlight that can make our screens unreadable. EAZEYE attempts to work with the sun as opposed to against it. The one caveat is that currently there has been no testing for IP rating which means if you were literally to use it outside, it is not rated against dust or moisture.

The EAZEYE Monitor positioned outside compared against print.

The EAZEYE Monitor compared to another monitor inside.

The big question that remains is are we looking for such a monitor? We will likely soon fight out as EAZEYE plans to start crowdfunding for the monitor on IndieGoGo in one to two months’ time for approximately $439 USD. Further technical details are being finalized. For more information, you can visit their website at https://eazeye.com/

Recently I decided it was time to replace my ageing Samsung monitors. I’ve had them for nearly ten years and faint ghosting was starting to occur which was distracting working with white pages or very dark ones. So the hunt began for their successor.

Last summer I had my first experience with a ThinkVision monitor via the M14 Portable Display. That piece of kit literally saved me a week of work. For more information, see my video on it below.

When it came time to pull the trigger, I decided I’d try ThinkVision again and scored two displays for under $500 CDN. The model I settled on was the ThinkVision S27q-10 which is a 27″ display with a 2K resolution. For detailed specs, see this sheet.

Two new ThinkVision monitors on a messy desk.

I have to say my initial impressions are amazing. The 2K screens are sharp and bright without burning holes in the back of my eyes while working in lowlight. They were also absolutely effortless to assemble. I hope to find some time to do a quick little video showing their unboxing and initial impressions. If you are interested in grabbing some for yourself, they can be found here.

By making a purchase through the link above, I may earn a commission through Lenovo’s Allifate program. These monitors were personally purchased and not provided by Lenovo.