NEC has extended its range of LCD panels that can be read even in bright sunlight even closer to standard notebook screen sizes, bringing closer, we hope, the day when we can use laptops outdoors without having to squint like crazy.

The Japanese company claims its "super-transmissive natural light TFT" technology can still show vivid colours even in "environments with high ambient light". Ideal for working in the garden during summer - well, maybe not a British summer - we reckon.

Alas not just yet. NEC launched its first STNL panel in April 2005, and the four models its bringing to market this month and next range in size from 10.4in to 15in, so they're not quite ready for widescreen notebooks just yet. The panels' resolutions are 640 x 480 and 1024 x 768, both rather less than laptop users have grown accustomed to.

To be fair, NEC is aiming the panels more at kiosks and the like rather than computers, but it's a step in the right direction.