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goirish!!
01-04-2003, 04:23 PM
I posted this one one of the other boards but have not received a lot of feed back. I was hoping that someone here would be able to help out or at least comment:

I was showing off my Axim to my boss today and compaired it to his 3670(?). Much to my dismay his screen was much brighter than the Axim. I had the screen brightness turned to the highest setting but still it was darker than his. I loaded the exact same TSK. file to the today screen to make sure that it was apples and apples, but the blacks and darker colors were almost too dark to see.

The lighting conditions were office fluorescents. I was so concerned that I enabled the M$ brightness and contrast controls to try and bring out the colors more, but the Dell program appears to over ride these.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Even though the M$ programs appear to be active now they will not change the settings. Any ideas?

It should be noted that although his screen appeared brighter mine was much crisp and clear. The Dell screen is better on images just would not go as bright.

Rirath
01-04-2003, 05:51 PM
I'll take the comment part of the responce:

First off...
Please read this (http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2002-07-22)

Otherwise it's probably just to do with the difference in screentypes and such. Nothing to get worked up about. I mean, if you don't think it's as bright, what do you want us to say? Sounds to me like you just like Ipaqs, which isn't really such a bad thing. :)

GoldKey
01-04-2003, 06:12 PM
My friends Ipaq is a tad brighter than my Axim, but hey he spent a lot more on it. The difference is marginal and it is not like the Axim is dim.

goirish!!
01-04-2003, 06:51 PM
I'll take the comment part of the responce:

First off...
Please read this (http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date=2002-07-22)


I read the link you posted and although it is humorous, either I misinterperated your need to link to the cartoon, or you are an unusually antagonistic person. I'm not even about to debate M$ marketing with you. I use their products and generally like them but that does not mean I necessarily think ol'Bill is always right. :wink:

Otherwise it's probably just to do with the difference in screentypes and such. Nothing to get worked up about. I mean, if you don't think it's as bright, what do you want us to say? Sounds to me like you just like Ipaqs, which isn't really such a bad thing.

I'm not worked up, I just asked if there was a way to increase the brightness beyond the stock Dell program. And if anyone knew why the M$, that was for you :) , programs would not work once activated.

If I had wanted an Ipaq I would have bought one, that has nothing to do with the question I asked. It is a simple observation that there is a difference and whether or not this could be off set by using the OS adjustments rather than the Dell.

goirish!!
01-04-2003, 06:53 PM
My friends Ipaq is a tad brighter than my Axim, but hey he spent a lot more on it. The difference is marginal and it is not like the Axim is dim.

I agree the difference is nothing that would cause me to steer away, I guess that it is more of a tweaking than anything else.

Rirath
01-04-2003, 07:09 PM
I read the link you posted and although it is humorous, either I misinterperated your need to link to the cartoon, or you are an unusually antagonistic person. I'm not even about to debate M$ marketing with you.

A little of both actually. :) But still, that's a gem of Penny Arcade comics that seems to be enjoyed by both Microsoft haters and lovers alike. :wink: Just trying to do my part in breaking the bad habits of the net.

I'm not worked up, I just asked if there was a way to increase the brightness beyond the stock Dell program.

Not in any way I can think up. Actually, I wasn't under the impression Dell wrote their own brightness app. It seemed to be they just skinned the OS's dialog. Can't say I know enough about the OS to say, but it seems to me any brighter and you'll wash out the screen's color.

goirish!!
01-04-2003, 07:49 PM
I read the link you posted and although it is humorous, either I misinterperated your need to link to the cartoon, or you are an unusually antagonistic person. I'm not even about to debate M$ marketing with you.

A little of both actually. :) But still, that's a gem of Penny Arcade comics that seems to be enjoyed by both Microsoft haters and lovers alike. :wink: Just trying to do my part in breaking the bad habits of the net.

I'm not worked up, I just asked if there was a way to increase the brightness beyond the stock Dell program.

Not in any way I can think up. Actually, I wasn't under the impression Dell wrote their own brightness app. It seemed to be they just skinned the OS's dialog. Can't say I know enough about the OS to say, but it seems to me any brighter and you'll wash out the screen's color.

I went into the registry and enabled the "dormant"; for lack of a better term; brightness and contrast settings. I guess since they are not working I might as well trun them back off. (I could be wrong, but since the OS versions were disabled I think that is a straight Dell program not a skinned version - and I don't want to know bad enough to mess around with too much in the registry)

Again, great unit, no real complaints just imagine it like a new Corvette, even though it will go 0-60 in 4.5 sec you still want to squeeze it to 4.3 sec. :wink:

BlueRidgeBilly
01-05-2003, 05:11 AM
I went into the registry and enabled the "dormant"; for lack of a better term; brightness and contrast settings. I guess since they are not working I might as well trun them back off. (I could be wrong, but since the OS versions were disabled I think that is a straight Dell program not a skinned version - and I don't want to know bad enough to mess around with too much in the registry)

I would like to go in the opposite directioin and lower the brightness setting for reading in bed with the baby crib next to me. The "stock" lowest setting is still too bright, unlike what i've seen on the 3900 series. If it is possible to do, I sure would like to know how.

Rirath
01-05-2003, 06:14 AM
Erm... put a thin sheet over it? ^_^; Folks, this ain't the Ipaq. :wink:

spursdude
01-05-2003, 08:40 AM
I went into the registry and enabled the "dormant"; for lack of a better term; brightness and contrast settings. I guess since they are not working I might as well trun them back off. (I could be wrong, but since the OS versions were disabled I think that is a straight Dell program not a skinned version - and I don't want to know bad enough to mess around with too much in the registry)

I would like to go in the opposite directioin and lower the brightness setting for reading in bed with the baby crib next to me. The "stock" lowest setting is still too bright, unlike what i've seen on the 3900 series. If it is possible to do, I sure would like to know how.

I doubt there's any way to decrease the screen brightness any lower than the settings panel shows you, but be glad you're having that problem, and that it gets as bright as you need. :D Eventually I'll get to having a transflective screen...

tccox
01-06-2003, 01:44 PM
Surprised to see you say your bosses 3670 was brighter than your AXIMs. I bought a AXIM to compare to my IPAQ 3835 which I thought had same screen as 3670. Side by side, the AXIMs screen is MUCH MUCH brighter than the IPAQs. Corers are much much better. Open Solitare on both devices, the backgroung on the IPAQ is a dull brown, on the AXIM it's a bright as it should be.....I'm selling the IPAQ and keeping the AXIM just based on the screen

goirish!!
01-06-2003, 04:08 PM
Surprised to see you say your bosses 3670 was brighter than your AXIMs. I bought a AXIM to compare to my IPAQ 3835 which I thought had same screen as 3670. Side by side, the AXIMs screen is MUCH MUCH brighter than the IPAQs. Corers are much much better. Open Solitare on both devices, the backgroung on the IPAQ is a dull brown, on the AXIM it's a bright as it should be.....I'm selling the IPAQ and keeping the AXIM just based on the screen

I fully agree, the screen is MUCH clearer, the colors are just darker on the Dell.

Let me explain: There is a TSK file called PocketEvil, (I forget where I got it, but it's Austin Powers), the background is a black to red fade with Dr. Evil's logo tiled as a watermark. On his screen the change in colors is much easier to see. On mine it is extremely dark, almost all black. You literally have to hold the screen at an angle to see the watermarks.

Now like I said, even though colors are darker they are much clearer!! I was thinking about it being an issue with the contrast, but as I said before the Axim will not allow you to use the contrast settings even after you have enabled them in the registry.

I am considering a full backup and then hard reset just to see if it is a program that I may have loaded that has something to do with it(Pocket TV, PQV, etc.) All of these have settings for contrast and I have reset them to default but no change in the Today colors seems to be made.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm no where near disatisfied with the screen on the Axim. The reason for the initial post was to see if anyone else noticed a similar thing and if there is a way to tweak the screen setting beyond the Dell program.