Actually, i completely forgot, my laptop's only a 13"
And it's fine for sitting so close.....
For a desktop setting, tho, a monitor that small really constricts your resolution for multi-tasking.
I'd go 1680x1050 or bigger for a stationary workstation. Smaller's ok for laptops, tho, since you typically don't do 30 things at once while you're on the move.