There is no denying that some of the most important things about being in the technology era is not just getting things done, having fun, or whatever else you do on your computer (wink), but being careful in the privacy department. Let’s face it, some care more than others, but there are plenty of lengths you can go to protect your device. However, when sitting in a public place, it can be pretty frustrating to worry about the person next to you, whether or not they are actually looking. Merely the energy expended by worrying is a waste. Sure, there are plenty of ways you can help control your privacy, but most involve something like spyware, or password and identity protection. Luckily, it appears that HP has come up with a sort of shield protector for your laptop screen, so that all those peepers here and there at Starbucks can mind their own business- something spyware definitely does not do.

When thinking about the possibilities, it’s sure difficult to consider how you could block your screen other than turning it away, and that would just be awkward. Yet, HP’s design involves a new screen that cuts off viewing angles with the press of a button. Anyone near you making you uncomfortable? Obviously, besides politely asking “may I help you?”, you can now prevent light from shooting off to the side where they may be lurking, or what the company calls “visual hacking”.

This type of situation has probably happened to everyone. Luckily, with a partnership with 3M, the new screen protector from HP, which is dubbed Sure View, will be featured on the company’s Elitebook 840 and 1040 laptops, and the way it works is simple. Hit F2 to make the transition into privacy mode, where a special backlight (using a filter inside the laptop), places light in a specific direction so that a whopping 95 percent of it cannot be seen by anyone but you. Yup. Anyone from an angle to your left, right, up or down, cannot see your screen.

Privacy filters, the display type, actually already exist, yet, they all seem to have negative effects on the screen quality for the user, particularly in terms of light output. We can’t vote 100 percent in the favor of Sure View, which also contains a bit of a screen quality issue when being used, but it’s definitely to a much lesser degree. That, or there wouldn’t be a reason to make a whole bit about it, am I right? As far as release, the HP Elitebook laptops 840 and 1040 will be coming in September, while non-touch iterations will arrive in October. Either add-on option for your display will be under a hundred bucks, which to many, is quite worth it I bet.