I was looking to spend some money around Thanksgiving, specifically the day after, when I decided that I needed a flat panel monitor. After all, what’s a computer geek doing without a nice monitor? So I looked online for the best deals, and found the Asus VW193T on sale as part of the Black Friday promotions. So I bought, used it, and now I’m ready to review it.

It is, as expected, 19” from one corner of the viewable area to the other. It has a ½ to ¾ inch boundary around the edges, which is not too big, but not exceptionally small either. The buttons are small and out of the way, which I like, but not when I have to turn the monitor off. It is a little bit hard to do that.

I do like the base, a round, flat thing that supports the VW193T well and holds the monitor about 2 ½ inches off of my desk. The combination of low stand and 2 ½ inches of clearance is perfect to slide my keyboard (http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Microsoft-Digital-Media-Pro-Keyboard-Usability-in-a-Quality-Package)into while I’m not using it.

Overall, for looks the Asus VW193T meets and exceeds my specs, and I am very happy with it in that regard. As far as size goes, it’s obviously “the bigger the better” when it comes to the screen, but the thickness is good too, at 3” it is thin enough for me, especially since it houses some speakers to boot.

Speaking of the speakers (no pun intended…. Well just maybe!), I actually do use them. Most people will tell you that they are junk, and so will I, but I hasten to add that they are just as good as any speakers that you get with a desktop computer package, and take up much less room. Since I use them for my laptop ( http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Lenovo-X61-Tablet-So-portable--its-almost-a-Netbook ), when it is in its dock, I like the way they are good enough, but not huge or space wasters.

That’s another point in the favor of the Asus VW193T: I use it for two computers, and it is easy to switch between my laptop and my desktop whenever I want, thanks to the VGA and DVI inputs. It was actually easier than I expected, and I really like the way it works. It also works well in tandem with my secondary 15” flat panel, so I enjoy lots of screen real estate!

I received the monitor in perfect condition, with no dead or stuck pixels, and nothing else damaged. It displays images at 1440 x 900, and the picture quality is great, especially compared to my other (older) monitor.

Just for those of you who want to know, it is compatible with Windows 7 (http://hubpages.com/hub/Windows-7-First-Impressions-Review), Windows XP, Linux (http://hubpages.com/hub/Windows-XP-vs-Ubuntu-904), and every program I throw at, although that should really be taken for granted. After Windows Vista, though, you can never count on compatibility from Microsoft!

If you are looking at buying the Asus VW193T, I would be glad to recommend it. I have had absolutely no trouble with it, and it is continually a positive experience, even as I use it right now! I hope you find what you are looking for, and I would be happy if you bought this monitor. So will you!