BenQ Unveils Vista-Approved LCD Monitors

BenQ unveiled some new flat-panel monitors Thursday that have been qualified to work with Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Vista operating system.

FP93GX Monitor

Two of the monitors, due out in early December, have received Microsoft’s Works with Windows Vista logo. A third, due out by the end of this month, is expected to be awarded Windows Vista Premium Certification, BenQ said.

The Works with Windows logo indicates that a product will work smoothly with Windows Vista, although it won’t necessarily offer the full Vista experience. The premium certification indicates that a product will take advantage of all of Vista’s new capabilities, which include a new graphical interface.

The Works with Vista products, called the FP93GX and FP93GS, were designed with video in mind. BenQ said it achieved a crisp moving-image quality by reducing response time across color scales.

The FP93GX is a 19-inch monitor with a 700:1 contrast ratio and two-millisecond response time. It will be launched in the United States, Europe and China in early December at a suggested retail price of US$299. The FP93GS is also 19 inches across but slightly less expensive, at US$260. It will be launched in Europe, Japan and China in early December.

The third screen, expected to get the “premium” certification, is a 24-inch monitor called the FP241VW. It’s set to hit stores in the United States, Japan, China and Taiwan by the end of November at a suggested retail price of $1,299.