Neha Tiwari Pvt. Ltd.

Usually when one thinks of the word “shiny”, positive thoughts come to mind. A shiny car, a shiny new penny, and the rad indie-punk band, Shiny Toy Guns. The word and aforementioned things are nice, but there are a few situations where we shouldn’t all shine on; noses, bald heads, and finally, laptop/desktop LCD screens.

The good news is that shiny noses and heads can be dabbed down with powder foundation. The bad news: the treatment for an LCD screen is not as simple. While visiting my Uncle up north, I was wowed by his new HP widescreen laptop for its multimedia displays [via Windows Vista], along with sleek design. I was not, however, impressed by the uber shiny screen.

Sadly, I’ve discovered that most new computers have some form of the glossy screen. From iMac to your run of the mill PC, these glass facades are popping up everywhere. Seriously, where is the ergonomic police when you need them? After working on my Uncle’s laptop for a couple of hours and adjusting the angle of the screen a number of times, I was truly fed up. I found that you have to have the right light settings in order to even function while using one of these lustrous monsters. Being a bit of clean freak, I also noticed how these are disgusting fingerprint traps. The additional eye strain is crazy as well–I felt half blind when I stepped away from the computer.

I then looked online for a shine reduction apparatus and was pretty disappointed with what I found. Some were expensive and didn’t seem to do more than provide privacy, which was great, but not what I needed. Many of the items were for use with shiny desktop monitors, most likely aimed at the work crowd. All in all, the pickings were slim and I unfortunately had no real suggestion for my 70-year-old Uncle looking to save his eyes.

My laptop may be a piece of crap, but I really enjoy it’s matte finished screen. I would appreciate if the manufacturers would get a little less designer and a lot more practical. It’s the best rule of fashion people: Form should always meet function. These spickity-span sheeny LCD screens fail on both accounts. I’m sure many of you own a contemporary rig equipped with a reflective screen, and are happy. Conversely, I vote to bring back the matte–preferably soon as it’s time for me to upgrade!