How to make a laptop screen more comfortable to look at?

Question

Are laptop's screens inherently less comfortable to look at, or am I doing something horribly wrong?

I've had laptops from HP and Dell, and I always have eyestrain after using them. It is very hard to read text on the bottom at the screen, because the contrast sucks. Those problems do not happen for me when using an external monitor.

Are there some configurations (brightness, contrast, gamma, etc) that could be changed to a better laptop screen usage pleasure? Any position changes? Anything that could be done without external things like those big and strange supports and the such?

Answer 1

You know, there are lots of tips for laptop users out there on the web. Google for some...

But, here is a link that I found that might help you. Check out once.

http://bit.ly/s3Ctn0

Here are some extracts regarding eyes from the above document:

1) Maintain a neutral neck posture by placing the top of the screen at about eye level or slightly lower if using bifocal glasses. Use a laptop stand or place your laptop on a stable support surface, such as monitor risers, reams of paper, or phone books so that the screen height can be adjusted.

2) Clean the screen frequently as dust can make it difficult to read and may increase eyestrain. Be sure to use an appropriate anti-static cleaning material that is safe for laptop computers.

3) Angle the screen to reduce bending your head forward. Use your eyes instead of your neck to adjust your line of vision.

4) Reduce glare by positioning the screen at a right angle to windows and away from overhead lighting. Laptop lights that plug into a USB port can be used to provide extra light, if needed.

Hope this helps. Also try to follow this rule. I think it helps: http://www.labnol.org/software/computer-eye-exercise/14069/

Answer 2

Some video drivers will let you change some of the settings you are asking about, but they are generally chipset dependent. You should be able to control the brightness of the display using a combination of softkeys on the keyboard. For instance, "FN-Home and FN-End" on my Lenovo x200 Tablet raise and lower the brightness levels.

General ergonomic suggestions are a good place to start. If the image appears better when its directly in front of you at eye level, you might need to raise it up a bit and adjust your seating position. If you are noticing fade at the top and/or bottom of the LCD, it might be just a less expensive screen (yes, screens are different, its not just the size that matters).

Hopefully that helps a bit...