Lenovo ThinkVision LT2323z Marries Your Monitor and Your Phone

Well, maybe not your phone, exactly, but it comes close enough. The new LT2323z was designed by Lenovo to serve as both display and VoIP phone, and in fact is the very first monitor to be certified for use with Microsoft Lync, which is Redmond's business-focused VoIP technology.

Perhaps more importantly for many customers, however, is the screen itself. The ThinkVision LT2323z marks a return for Lenovo to the realm of high-fidelity IPS panels. While not a color critical area, IPS displays can be a boon for VoIP users, too - with its wide, 178 degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles, you can sit and use the display from any angle and still see your companion on screen.

In a busy press room, it was impossible for the company to really show off the LT2323z's VoIP cred, so they showed the next best thing - HD movies! The screen was sharp, with no visible tearing, and viewing angles were superb. As part of the VoIP package, you'll be able to screen calls - or movies - with no extra hardware. There are a set of stereo speakers as well as a FullHD 1080p webcam and dual digital microphones. Built-in noise cancellation means you'll hopefully be heard regardless of surrounding office din.

As with most Lenovo products, this VoIP display has a little quirk of its own. Strapped for space? Hook up two computers and activate dual-display mode. By attaching two devices to each of two different inputs on the LT2323z, users can split the resolution and use one computer on one half, and a second machine on the second half.

Interested? Us too. You'll be able to pick the ThinkVision LT2323z up in June - though Lenovo has yet to nail down a price. It likely won't be cheap, however, as we expect it to hit somewhere around $399.