Last week we looked at some cool software - this week it's time for some hardware:

NEC 30-inch flat-panel monitor

The hands-down winner of equipment that drew "oohs" and "ahhs" from co-workers recently is the NEC-Mitsubishi LCD3000, a 30-inch widescreen flat-panel monitor. The $4,300 monitor graced the office recently, causing passers-by to stop, stare and become green with envy.

Obviously, the first thing we noticed was how big the screen is. When we connected the monitor to our computer, it stretched the screen from the normal TV size out to a widescreen format. Installation was rather simple, and we liked getting the extra space on our desktop that a flat panel provides. But using the LCD3000 as a regular computer monitor isn't a great idea because it is difficult to see things when sitting close to the screen. It is better-suited for trade-show displays or watching movies. In fact, watching DVDs created an "at the theater" experience.

There are about a dozen audio and video input and output ports available, although we didn't see a TV tuner-type input for connecting a cable TV coaxial cable to the monitor (you still can watch TV on the monitor by connecting the cable line to a VCR, then connecting the VCR via RGB cables). Using the LCD3000 as a dual computer monitor and television might appeal to high-end markets apart from the trade-show display or financial services market.

Laptop Desk Version 2.0 with Mouz Pad

We love simple things that turn out to be extremely useful. Having tried several different laptop desks that aim to increase the angle of your notebook on a desktop (for better ergonomics and heat dissipation), we found these solutions too bulky for us to carry in our travel bag.

This wasn't the case with Laptop Desk 2.0 from LapWorks. The total weight of Laptop Desk was 1.4 pounds, well under our tolerance level for adding to the travel bag.

When Laptop Desk sits on a desk, you can create an angled surface that helps dissipate heat from your laptop and slightly improve ergonomics. Or you can lay it flat, which provides some heat dissipation. LapWorks recently introduced a snap-on Mouz Pad that gives you an extra area for your mouse. The combination Laptop Desk and Mouz Pad costs $35 - it's $30 for the Laptop Desk alone.