Going Vertical

[Chris Gohlke]

<p>So, I've been experimenting both at home and at work with switching my monitors to portrait orientation.&nbsp; I've found that even on a widescreen monitor, putting two windows side by side does not always quite cut it, but it is pretty easy to work in portrait orientation with one window above the other.&nbsp; On a standard monitor, like I use at work, the portrait mode is much better for working with typical office applications.</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1224632406.usr10.jpg" border="1" /></p><p>Overall, I really like the setup, but have a few issues that may make me revert, at least on my home machine.&nbsp; First off, Windows Media center will not even open when you are in portrait mode.&nbsp; Granted the experience is optimized in landscape, but it seems shortsighted that the software should not even open.&nbsp; Second, is there any way to move the Vista Windows Sidebar to the bottom of the screen?&nbsp; I know it is called the sidebar, but it would be nice if there were options other than left and right.&nbsp; Any suggestions?</p>

[Jason Dunn]

Cool post! I've never really tried that other than as a curiosity with my monitors. My physical office set up prevents me from going vertical with my 24" monitors unless I got rid of my monitor stands - but I don't want to lose the desk space. So basically I'll leave this to you. :D

[Felix Torres]

Any suggestions?


I've been working portrait for years now; its one of the reasons I strongly favor tablet PCs for portable computing. Unless you're a spreadsheet jockey (or jockette) or a powerpoint ranger, portrait monitors give you the equivalent of a two sizes larger display for free.

Nowadays all video drivers offer rotation features and you can turn most any monitor into a portrait display for as little as US$40 with aftermarket VESA stands or (for free) if you commit to portrair format completely, you can unscrew many panels from their supplied VESA stands and rotate them before reattaching them to the base.

As for the Sidebar; well, you can always drag the gadgets out of the bar, spread them at the bottom (I favor an auto-hiding taskbar at the top) and dismiss the bar itself; you should then be in business. :D

[Kacey Green]

I've been portrait for almost 11 months at work now, at home the tablet is in whatever orientation I need at each moment, except when I need to type on the built in keyboard.