LCD resolution question

I just got a 14.1" Lenovo N100 and before purchasing I talked to the rep over the phone about the differences between the 15" and 14" lenovo. Both on the website are listed as WXGA 1280x800.

Wouldn't this mean no extra real estate on a 15" model, just larger text/images?

Wouldn't this also mean no real benefit to it other than that? The downsides are more weight and higher cost..

 

That's precisely what it means. The only other concievable advantage would be better heat dissapation due to the larger size for the same hardware, and one more disadvantage is the decreased battery life from powering a larger screen. And since I personally find WXGA on a 14" to be just fine (and actually to be a bit low for a 15.4"), I see no reason to go with the 15.4" screen unless you have bad eyesight or just like big text.

 

Good times. just what i thought.

 

Quick question on your new Lenovo N 100 as I've considered it for someone given its impressive price:feature ratio:

Are the speakers as bad as reported in reviews? You think you could use it for GPS directions? Music/DVDs sound unacceptable & low without headphones?

-Now for an answer to your Q:

I'm going to post a separate thread on this soon as it comes up a lot but a more accurate measure of real-life screen real estate is Pixels Per Inch (PPI often also called DPI) which accounts for both the screen resolution (e.g. WXGA=1280 x 800) & the size of the display as follows:

PPI = diagonal pixel resolution / diagonal inches (Calculate diagonal pixel resolution and divide by the physical diagonal viewing area) or just go to a DPI-PPI calculator:

http://www.raydreams.com/prog/dpi.aspx (.NET form DPI-PPI calculator)

So:

14.1 @ 1280 x 800 would be 107 PPI with screen dimensions ~ 12" x 7.5"

15.4 @ 1280 x 800 would be 98 PPI with screen dimensions ~ 13.1" x 8.2 "

So 14.1" widescreen would be as wide as a standard 4:3 15" LCD (12"x9") but 1.5" shorter.

I actually think 12" wide is a sweet spot for notebook visual field fill & decent portability so I think I prefer either 14.1" widescreen (16:10) or standard 15" over 15.4" widescreen which appears too wide IMO for a (non-desktop replacement) portable notebook- for DTR I'd probably go for specced out feature filled 17".

Apple has stated "Optimized for Graphics and Text: A Balanced Design - Apple has determined that the ideal balance between monitor size and number of pixels is approximately 100 pixels per inch (ppi). At 100 ppi, the display is optimized for images, yet it allows you to work easily with applications that require manipulation of text, such as sophisticated type treatments in layouts."

Many people feel if the PPI is too high (e.g. over 120 DPI for notebook) e.g. 1920 x 1200 on a 15.4" = 147 PPI, this may cause an imbalance in being optimized for graphics & text. You can increase the DPI setting in Windows XP but it doesn't always work & can cause problems in some application with cut-offs but Microsoft's next OS Vista is supposed to better support high resolution displays. I've even heard of people returning 1920 x 1200 on a 17" = 133.2 PPI screen because they thought the PPI was too high for their many text based apps in Win XP causing too much accommodative stress on their eyes. External 20"-30" displays typically have ~ 100 PPI.

Screen resolution still has to work along with the physical dimensions of a display, the applications, the OS hence why PPI (pixel density) is a better measure than resolution alone.

lowlymarine also makes a good point about pc cooling as far as notebook sizes hence why it's not as common to see dedicated GPUs as notebooks get smaller.

 

Unless of course you get the WSXGA+ screen. Then you will see more of the screen.

 

There is a sale/rebates going on thru May 15th (Core Duo prices should also fall at the end of this month):

http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/

Here's the specific link to the different Lenovo N 100 models:

http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/s...-840&langId=-1&categoryId=4611686018425057758

Here are the ThinkPad models for reference:

http://www-131.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/s...1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2035724