The New and Improved $85 Monitor Worth Having on Your Desk

There's nothing worse for a photographer's productivity than a cluttered desktop. This is why adding a cheap mini monitor to your existing setup may be a good idea.

If you're anything like me, you're always juggling multiple apps and windows on your screen. Sometimes, I'll miss an important email coming in or not realize that files have finished transferring because those windows are buried behind several other applications. This is where an additional monitor can help you stay organized and be more productive.

Last year, we featured Nik Moe from Work From Hype when he showcased a handy little monitor on his channel that he thought many of us creatives would benefit from. This time, he is featuring a new and improved version of a similar kind of screen, along with some of his thoughts on how we could be using it.

For those who missed the last post, these screens are tiny. The one in the video is the Keebmonkey Display Bar which comes with an 8.8-inch display with a resolution of 1920 by 480 pixels. Its slim yet elongated design means it will sit nicely on your desk next to your keyboard or beside your existing monitor. This screen is not meant to replace your main monitor, but it will help you move some applications out of the way so your existing setup is not so cluttered.

Moe demonstrates in the video some of the ways he currently uses the mini screen, from various widgets to monitoring performance to making notes or sketches thanks to the touch screen functionality. He also demonstrates the screen in both portrait and landscape mode, which is something he didn't do in his last video but really opens up a world of possibilities. Two other improvements of this newer screen are that it is less DIY in nature, so you don't need to worry about finding a case for the screen. There are also a handful of reasonably priced stand options available, so you can mount it in a way that suits you best.

The great thing about this screen is that it has the potential to be useful for many different types of creatives. I can see photographers using the screen as a home for their action folder in Photoshop or maybe to have their inbox on it, so they can always see when important emails come in at a glance. The opportunities for such a monitor are endless, and for the cost of $85, such a purchase would pay for itself in no time at all.

What are your thoughts on this mini monitor? How would you use such a screen? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.