If you think only the E Ink display provides you with the best possible eye protection against digital burnout, you are in for a surprise. This new type of LCD display, named the TLCD, offers most of the benefits of a traditional LCD panel sans the glare, which claims to be equally beneficial for your eye health. Right now you can purchase it from the company’s Indiegogo page
What we have here is the Eazeye Radiant, which its makers said is the world’s first monitor to feature TLCD panels. If you are eager to find out if the said displays are truly as eye-friendly as its makers claim, read on.
Style and build
The Eazeye Radiant is one exquisitely crafted piece that exudes its radiance. Crafted out of aluminum, it has a brushed finish and sports a shade of rose gold or maybe even a tinge of copper. It also sports an asymmetrical build where the bottom portion is thicker than the rest of the body. This makes it bottom-heavy and provides a more planted feel, something that’s nice given its intended use as a monitor and is meant to be placed on a surface in landscape mode.
The bottom thicker portion is also where the ports are located. On the left lies a pair of USB-C ports and a mini-HDMI port, while on the right lies the Settings button, the Setting navigation push slider, and the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Fit and finish are notch and feel nice to hold and operate even though, as already stated, it is a monitor, not a tablet, and is hence not meant for personal use. You don’t hold and operate a monitor like a tablet.
At the rear lies a pair of speakers, while there also are a pair of screw ports that serves as the contact point for attaching the monitor to the hosting hardware. Overall, it’s a nice and clean design that is simple yet elegant. Worth mentioning, included in the package is the mounting base, which is extremely sturdy and well built, one that is confidence inspiring.
The display
As stated before, it’s a TLCD display at work here, which is comprised of a LCD and a semi-reflective mirror. With TLCD, the transflective layer and a two-way mirror behind the display allow the backlight to pass through when needed. That is not all; the display is also designed to offer a fuller spectrum of light than traditional computer monitors. This, the makers claim, should allow for a more comprehensive viewing experience than Regular monitor screens.
It otherwise is a 15.6-inch display that you have, one with the standard 60 Hz refresh rate and 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. Also, it has a touchscreen display that further adds to the user’s convenience. You can control the display via touch inputs, something that extends to the smartphone, tablet, or PC that the monitor might be connected to. So, any change made to the monitor gets reflected on the connected device, and vice versa.
Daytime visibility is excellent, even in direct sunlight. You can turn the backlight off completely during the daytime, saving 75 percent on electricity compared to traditional LCD. At night, turn the backlight on, and you can work on the Radiant monitor without depending on an external light source. That is where the transflective nature of the display comes into force and is akin to the front-light e-paper display we have in e-readers or e-note devices.
Other controls you have include contrast and the ability to change the colour balance. You can also change the degrees of Kelvin, with the ability to select 6300 or 9300, depending on the warmth you need. There is also the option to select between DCR and HDR, while other settings available include Free Sync and Reset.
Performance
Nothing will let you want more on the performance front. The monitor efficiently depicts everything on the connected device with no lag whatsoever. It must be kept in mind that the monitor does not come with any OS of its own. It does not even have a power slot. Instead, it derives its juice via the USB-C port connected to the mains via an adapter similar to what it is with smartphones or a tablet. Or, it can just use the battery power of the connected device for its operation.
Also, given that it is an LCD at the core and not an e-paper, you have none of the disadvantages of an e-paper display. With a 60 Hz page refresh rate, there is no lag whatsoever. Pinch and zoom or turn a new page, watch videos or even play games; it happens instantly. Colour is also markedly better on the TLCD than the best colour e-paper displays currently available.
Conclusion
The new Eazeye Radiant is the portable version of their previous unit and looks the world better. The fit and finish is gorgeous. It features a rose gold aluminum body, cut-out stereo speakers, monitor screws, and a 3.5 headphone jack. It also features two USB C’s and a mini HDMI.
There are two huge things about this unit
- It requires 70% less power. You can plug in a USB C to USB C cable from your laptop to the monitor, and you get high-speed video feed, audio, and power from the laptop itself.
- It has a touch screen, which means you can command your phone, tablet, or PC directly using the monitor instead of interacting with the device.
This is TLCD (transflective), not RLCD (reflective).
This has to be the best e-paper alternative device I have ever seen.
Better than DES
Better than Garmin MIP (memory in pixels)
Better than pebble (monochrome IPS)
It is not an e-paper, but it falls under the e-paper alternative category.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.