Philips ousts eye strain with LightFrame monitor

The Gadget Show  Monday 06 July 2009

Eye strain can be a problem when users are stuck in front of a monitor for long periods - LightFrame aims to reduce its effects.

Philips is one of the world’s biggest producers of light bulbs, which perhaps goes a long way towards explaining why it’s always keen to add lighting features to the sort of gear that, well, wouldn’t usually have lighting features. The latest example is the 220XW9 widescreen LCD monitor, which comes with lamps built into the frame.

The technology is called LightFrame, and it exudes a cool blue glow at all times. Why? Well, apparently the idea is to reduce eye strain, in much the same way as the Ambilight technology used on Philips’ range of HD televisions (including the kaleidoscopic light fantastic that is the Aurea), although with LightFrame the colour doesn’t shift and change to match on-screen colours.

The 220XW9 comes in white and boasts a contrast ratio of 12,000:1.