In addition to 3 monitors, and an iPad as a 4th monitor, here's what I use on my desk

Posted by Paul Braren on Jul 28 2012 in
  • Productivity
  • Reviews
    • Triple-Headed-Monitor-Configuration-Office-Desk

    Did a little cleaning, wall-painting, cable-management, and desk-lowering (with a circular saw) while off from work this past week, with the "before" picture seen here. Seems to be a great time to share the list of what I use on my newly-organized, more-ergonomic desk, now 27" in height, no keyboard-tray required. I've linked to the Amazon listings where available, although I often purchased used or refurbished. This comprehensive list with mini reviews will give you a sense of what I find works well for my needs, with my crazy-busy day job, and my evening hobbies.

    From left-to-right:

    JabraBusylight

    And finally, near my office's doorway, so my family clearly knows when I'm on the phone or "On the Air" (Google Hangouts), a nice bright red light, pictured here:

    Comments?

    Jul 31 2012 Update:
    I have a borrowed iPad (2nd Generation) to borrow, with it's 1024x768 display. The Lenovo DisplayLink utility allows you to easily connect to an iPad as if it's simply another extended monitor, with minimal lag (about .2 seconds as I typed away, quickly). This new extended display doesn't have touch capabilities. The DisplayLink App from the Apple App Store simply acts as 1024x768 monitor. But it does seem to work quite nicely, and allows a read-only (no keyboard, no touch) view of my screen, even when carried throughout my home. I did have to set a password on the iPad to get around this minor known issue, then I turned off the password again as a test, and it still works fine.

    This could be very useful as a very easy way to keep tabs on a Google Hangout or similar event (particularly meeting types that have no iPad version). So if I head to another room, I just grab and go, nice. Anything more complex, and I wouldn't bother using it. When closing the DisplayLink App, Windows automatically/quickly drops that display, no mouse clicking required.

    iPad-1024x768-resolution
    Quad-Monitor-Configuration-Office-Desk

    Feb 27 2013 Update:
    Note that iPad display support has been pulled by DisplayPort, explained at:
    displaylink.com/support/downloads_ipad.php

    Jun 13 2013 Update:
    I only use 2 identical 22" 1920x1080 monitors flanking my 27" 2560x1440 central Nixeus monitor now, detailed near the end of this article:
    TinkerTry.com/enjoy-windows-8-on-lenovo-thinkpad-w520-with-3-external-monitors

    Time to get a new photo!

    TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here, not my employer's.

    Paul Braren, MCSE in 1998, VCP #2681 in 2005, vExpert 2014 to 2024, Veeam Vanguard Emeritus, 2015 to 2019.

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