The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5)

Sunblock for a laptop?

Had a bit of a problem yesterday. We had great weather saturday. I had work to do, so I put it off until Sunday. Sunday weather was better. Took the laptop out back and tried to work. Laptop wouldn't turn on. hmmm. Turns out it was on, but all I could see on the screen was black. Frick.

So anyone know of a laptop umbrella, or somesuch thing that will let me enjoy the sunshine, but still actually get some work done?

And don't tell me to take some time off. This came up because I took a day off last week, and have a deadline. Besides, I get paid by the hour. That worked out well in the rain, I'd like it to work out just as well in the sun :) And I need to get my taxes done next week, the long range forcast is showing more great weather.

Snotnose
Monday, March 8, 2004

Were you facing the sun or did you have your back to it?

Aaron F Stanton
Monday, March 8, 2004

Good question.

I work a good deal of time from home, and I would love to be able to go outside and sit on the back deck. But it is impossible to see the screen.

And for anybody that hasn't this, it makes no difference what position the sun is in compared to the laptop, whether it is midday or overcast, it would seem just being outside = useless screen.

Aussie Chick
Monday, March 8, 2004

Interesting. I've honestly never tried it.

I think that a glare reducing screen cover might help. Then again, it might not.

Aaron F Stanton
Monday, March 8, 2004

turn off the backlight & try to position it right -- works for some screens.

mb
Monday, March 8, 2004

As someone else said, it made no difference which way I faced. The only thing that worked was sitting under an umbrella with my face 4 inches from the screen, hardly conducive to either getting work done or working on my future melanoma.

So much for the AT&T ad with the guy sitting on a beach in the Bahamas.....

Snotnose
Monday, March 8, 2004

http://reviews.macnn.com/reviews/hoodman/hoodman.phtml

veal
Monday, March 8, 2004

http://www.stewartproducts.com/Pages/Comp_Acc.html#Glare_Shield

Nick
Monday, March 8, 2004

MotionComputing offers tablet PC with "View Anywhere" screens that are usable in bright sunlight. The upgrade cost over a normal screen is $350. I have to imagine that as time goes on (and tablets become prevalent), screen options like this will become more and more popular.

http://www.motioncomputing.com/

Brad Wilson (dotnetguy.techieswithcats.com)
Tuesday, March 9, 2004

Sun, outside, too bright to see the screen by; warm, hot even, surf probably...

Pah!

Simon Lucy
Tuesday, March 9, 2004

I doubt that it's an issue of glare, but of relative brightness. Your eyes adjust to the ambient brightness of the outdoors, making you effectively blind for something as dim as a laptop screen. It's the same reason that I can't see the car speedometer on a sunny day unless I take off my sunglasses and adjust visors all over the place.

I read somewhere that the brightest indoor lighting is still much darker than even the most overcast day. That's a lot of competition for a lowly laptop :) Unless of course your LCD is one of those that depends on refletting ambient light instead of its own internal lighting.

Ron Porter
Tuesday, March 9, 2004

Ron - you "read"? Have you never been to the tropics then? ;)

If you've ever been inside a well-lit office then walked outside on a bright summer day and had to squint because it was so painful you'll realize that even the brightest office lighting can't hold a candle (sorry) to the sun.

Our eyes are wonderful things. :)

[cue someone with statistics about lumens...]

Philo

Philo
Tuesday, March 9, 2004

Philo:

Sorry, no tropical experience here. Saskatchewan, Canada, where we all wonder what the heck that big yellow ball in the sky is and summer is the day we play ball.

Just kidding, we actually get a *lot* of sunshine, although we might never see it if we work indoors in the winter. And even though *sunny* vs indoor is kind of obvious, it still came as a surprise to me that *heavy overcast* was brighter than even the brightest indoor lighting. It still *seems* brighter inside when I come in from outside on an overcast day.

Ron Porter
Tuesday, March 9, 2004