JULY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 23can connectyourlaptopdirectlytoa Thunderbolt-
compatibleexternaldisplay.Butmaybeyourdisplay
is an oldermodelwithHDMI,DVI,orevenVGA
connections.MaybeyourlaptophasjustoneUSB-C
portandnoneofthoseolderports.Foranyofthese
reasons,you’llprobablywantaUSB-Chub,whichgives
youmoreconnectivityoptions.Itaddstoyourdesk
clutter,though.
Could you use a Chromebook? I worked for over a
year on one, and I was tripped up only when it came
to certain pieces of software, such as my workplace’s
PC-only VPNsoftware,orsomeappthatrequiresa
full-fledgedWindowsPC.(OurChromebookvs.PC
explainerin theFebruary 2020 issueofTechAdvisor
will walkyouthroughsomeotherconsiderations.)The
same goes for an ARM-based PC like the Samsung
Galaxy BookS (seepage 87 ), whichhassome
compatibilityissueswith64-bitapps.Youmightwant
tocheckwithyourITdepartmentif you’reinterested
in eitherspeciesoflaptop.
Moremonitorsmeansmoreproductivity
Atyouroffice,you’veprobablyfiguredoutthatmore
screen space means greater productivity, as you
canworkamongmultipleapplicationsandkeepan
eyeon email.Here’showtoaccommodatedifferent
display scenarios:
Mobile first requires mobile displays. If you’re using a
sharedspacesuchasa kitchentable,youmightthink
you’restuckwithyourlaptop’sdisplay.You’renot.Here
arethreeeasysolutionstoexpandyourscreenspace: