ADI has been making monitors for some years now and its latest model, the Microscan i610, performs as well as it looks. The 15in TFT display may sound below average for a monitor of this price, and you could certainly pick up a 19in CRT monitor for a lot less, but with this model the screen is completely visible. Remember that part of a CRT's screen is hidden behind the case. With the i610, you get a viewable diagonal similar to that of a 17in CRT monitor.
Getting the i610 up and running is simple; it connects to a standard VGA port on a graphics card and a driver disk is supplied. An auto-adjustment feature sets up the display (adjusting the image size, position, and so on) with the press of a button, so the monitor is ready for use in a couple of minutes. Picture quality is good.
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As a monitor, the i610 works well, although its inability to display at resolutions higher than 1024 x 768 makes it a poor choice for games players. If you're an avid word processor user though, it may be ideal for you. The screen is mounted on a pivot which allows it to rotate 90 degrees, moving from landscape to portrait orientation. So a full A4 page can be displayed at actual size.
The monitor's design can also create problems. The video lead at the back is permanently connected to the monitor rather than just plugged in, as with the end that plugs in to the PC. Even after a few screen rotations during our tests, the part closest to the case was already showing signs of stress. Because the cable can't be replaced easily, you will have to be very careful when rotating the screen.
The i610 also has stereo speakers built in to its stand. Sound quality isn't great but it's certainly adequate for most Windows tasks.
The Microscan i610 is a nice space saving alternative which is well priced for a TFT monitor of this size. It's spoilt by poor video cable design, and won't support high resolutions, but it's good enough for general use.
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