LCD (liquid crystal display) flat panel monitors don't just look cool, they have additional benefits. But because of their high price tags, they've been out of reach for most small businesses - that is until now. Prices on LCD panels are finally decreasing.

Industry experts predict that monitor prices, which started dropping a few months ago, will continue this steady downward slide until the middle of this year. LCDs, which are also used in handheld devices, were expensive in the late 1990s because they were in such high demand and short supply. Now that manufacturers have caught up with the demand, they aren't as hard to come by, causing price reductions.

The popular 15-inch display is selling for about $800 (it was more than $1,000 a year ago) and is expected to drop to $500 by midyear. Seventeen-inch displays are expected to come down from $1,300 to $1,000, and 18-inch displays will plummet to less than $2,000 from $2,500.

Besides looking cool, why would you ever want to invest in an LCD panel? They have sharper images and color, and an all-around better resolution. Don't think of this purchase as a luxury - if you spend your day staring at your monitor, an LCD panel will reduce eyestrain. LCD panels, which are a fraction of the size of traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors, also reduce the bulk on your desk. And it takes less power to run an LCD panel compared to a CRT monitor.

If you have your heart set on an LCD panel, however, don't let these falling prices be the determining factor of your purchasing decision. Even if 15-inch LCDs drop to the predicted $500, that's still double the cost of a 17-inch CRT monitor (the viewing areas are comparable between the two).

But if you do decide an LCD panel is right for you, it's best to be patient. Prices are falling, but slowly. If you want to get the real deal, you need to hold off until midyear.