My $80 portable monitor turned a bad cafe day into a good one

I was working from a cafe in Lisbon last week and the glare on my laptop screen was so bad I could not see my design files (you know how it is). I almost packed up, but then I pulled out this small portable monitor I bought for about $80. Plugged it in, moved to a darker corner, and got a full day of work done. Anyone else have a cheap piece of gear that saved you from a bad work spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

michael_bennett112mo ago

My $15 phone stand saved a video call in a park.

leerobinson2mo ago

Honestly, I just see it as a band-aid fix. If the cafe lighting is that bad, it feels like you're fighting the space instead of just finding a better spot. I've tried those monitors and the quality is usually pretty rough for real design work. Sometimes the simplest answer is to just move to a different place entirely instead of adding more gear to carry around.

jordan3302mo ago

Haha oh man, I've been that guy lugging around a portable monitor to a cafe and Seriously regretting it. I looked like I was setting up a command center just to edit a photo, and the monitor glare was so bad I ended up using my phone anyway. At that point you're basically carrying a briefcase of problems instead of just finding a table by the window. I've totally convinced myself I'm being "productive" by adding gear when really I'm just too stubborn to move my chair. It's a whole lot of extra stuff to carry for zero actual gain.