The Latest Toys for High-Tech Trendsetters

With an astronomical price tag to match its huge screen size and sleek design, NEC Technologies’ 21-inch, flat-screen computer monitor is unlikely to be on the gift list of even the most well-heeled executive.

Still, even the most cutting-edge products in the computer industry eventually become more affordable. In October, NEC cut the price of the LCD-2010 monitor by $1,000, bringing it down to $4,999.

That money buys what NEC claims is the world’s largest pivoting flat-screen display. It rotates up to 90 degrees to better display portrait or landscape views. And its 4-inch depth leaves lots more room on the desktop for other high-tech gadgets.

While there are more advanced computer displays on the market (Silicon Graphics recently introduced an all-digital computer monitor that boasts fast pixel response for video playback), the LCD-2010 is the one drawing crowds at computer trade shows. Its light weight and wider range of viewing angles are a world apart from conventional cathode ray tube monitors.