LG E2290V thin flat-screen HD monitor

It's expensive by today's standards, but LG's new E2290V is one of the most stylish computer monitors we have ever seen.

The slimline screen immediately catches the eye, measuring just 7.2mm thick and mounted on a shiny, silvery stand.

It looked terrific, although we do have to take LG to task a little here, as it describes the E2290V on its website as a 22in monitor with a ‘titanium silver stand'. In fact, it's actually 21.5in across the diagonal and the stand and casing are mostly made out of plastic – albeit well-built and with an attractive metallic finish.

Like a modern television, the E2290V has a high-definition (HD) resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels, which provides a sharp, detailed image. It also has the same LED backlight technology as the latest TVs, which helps to boost the brightness and colours in the image when watching photos or videos. It worked a treat when watching some HD videos from the BBC iPlayer.

The design is also quite practical, as all the cables can be plugged into the base of the stand and tucked out of sight so that they don't spoil the elegant, minimalist design. The monitor has video sockets for all three common connection types: VGA, DVI and HDMI. This means that you can hook it up to both your computer and another device, such as a Freeview set-top box or games console, and use the monitor as a screen for that device too.

Our only real complaint is that the slim design doesn't leave any room for a set of internal speakers.

It does have an audio-out socket, though, so if you are going to watch a lot of video you will need to attach your own set of speakers or headphones.

The E2290V is also quite expensive – LG doesn't like to quote prices, but the typical price for it online is around £230.

That's quite high for a relatively modest 21.5in screen, but the E2290V will still appeal to people who want a stylish and versatile monitor that they can use both for computer work and entertainment at home.