Why should I go VGA???

[bnycastro]

@all: Hi ok we are starting to hear anouncements or rumors from manufacturers and elsewhere that they would be coming out with new ppcs, aside from faster (supposedly) processors some are following tosh's lead and goin the VGA road. Which brings me to my question... why should I go VGA? What are the pros and cons of a VGA screen? Would a device with a VGA screen and faster CPU, and most probably some form of wireless (or 2 or 3 or 4?:)) have enough uptime (asuming they put in the same batteries 900 to 1300 mAh). How would VGA enhance my mobile experience? would this mean that videos encoded for PPCs (320x240) should be changed to VGA and would this really be practical (this would bloat the file, right?). Basically I use my ppc for PIM (contacts, appointments, tasks, some notes), playing MP3s and videos, and games... so taking into account that apps should be re-made to support VGA and landscape mode; would it be practical to go VGA now and just wait for the apps to catch up? Or should I go the other way around and wait for the apps to be VGA/WinMobile2003 SE compliant before taking a plunge on the VGA side? I am actually very torn... should I get a VGA device or get the upcoming PPCPE devices (MPx/hp h6xxxx) which are converged devices but lack the VGA. I mean is the current OS (WinMobile2003 and SE) and the current hardware reliable enough to replace my hp ipaq 2210 and nokia mobile? Man I thought more choices would make me happier but now I'm really confused. Your thoughts opinions and comments are all welcome... :)

[Palmguy]

As a former Toshiba e800 user, I'll say that I think I was too much on the bleeding edge. The VGA screen was beautiful, but I would have liked true OS support for it. That said, with new VGA devices coming out that are supported by the OS, I think they are going to be truly amazing, and I for one will be using one, likely the iPAQ.

Most apps will work fine in VGA, I would venture to say games will be the least compatible however. QVGA videos will still play.

As for pros/cons, on the con side it was common for e800s to have dead pixel(s). With four times as many pixels that's unfortunate but true. It remains to be seen if the other manufacturers will suffer from this, but don't be surprised. One of my e800s had a dead pixel, the other did not. On the pro side however, you can fit a heck of a lot of stuff on the VGA screen, web surfing is much more enjoyable, and everything will be much sharper and defined.

[dignow96]

I'm with Palmguy on this one. As soon as the new iPaqs are available I'm grabbin one up. I'm still using a 2215 but have been envious of the e800 ever since I saw one. At that time I was really in your boat and not wanting to take the plunge too early. Personally, I think I'm ready to give it a go and see what happens. With the OS support issue taken care of most of my problems are resolved. Take that for what it is - my opinion...

[Brad Adrian]

Clearly, the new VGA screens look pretty nice. I'm curious, though, about why we want them. Is it pretty much for the "wow" factor, or do we truly feel that there are things we currently cannot do that can be enabled with VGA?

[bnycastro]

do we truly feel that there are things we currently cannot do that can be enabled with VGA?
this is a good point aside from a richer browser experience and more stuff on your screen what else would be the benefit of VGA? MS claims their OS is ready for VGA (however I think this still remains to be seen; are the bugs from WindowsMobile 2003 fixed). This brings me back to the 3rd party apps... are the apps (especially games :)) ready for VGA?

[Lucan]

Clearly, the new VGA screens look pretty nice. I'm curious, though, about why we want them. Is it pretty much for the "wow" factor, or do we truly feel that there are things we currently cannot do that can be enabled with VGA?


This reminds me of the debate that insued when color screens first came out on a pda. I believe VGA will be just like color screens, once you see one, you will not go back. Just look at the pictures of the A730 next to the 4155 (http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=61&t=28218). You have to be blind not to see the clear advantage. :)

Lucan

[Fishie]

What lucan said.

That and most apps are VGA aware even if they are QVGA in second edition.

Games like Warfare are incredible in full VGA.

The machines become more useable becouse everything is clearer, cleaner and better defined.

I DONT want to ever go back to QVGA altough I might get a QVGA spare machine.

[Pony99CA]

For more discussion on the pros and cons of VGA, you might want to check out the "What Are Your Purchasing Intentions Regarding VGA?" thread (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28418). (Ignore all of the garbage about iPAQ sleeves, though. :-D)

Steve

[hamishmacdonald]

I don't get the VGA thing, really. Tiny, tiny type -- I see no advantage. It's obviously The Next Thing in most people's opinions, but not for me.

I look forward to playing with landscape mode when WM2003SE comes out, but I'd rather have a decent on-board word processor.

HP made a mistake with the 2215: Using it is such a satisfying experience for me that I feel no urge to upgrade.

[Lucan]

I don't get the VGA thing, really. Tiny, tiny type -- I see no advantage. It's obviously The Next Thing in most people's opinions, but not for me.

I look forward to playing with landscape mode when WM2003SE comes out, but I'd rather have a decent on-board word processor.

HP made a mistake with the 2215: Using it is such a satisfying experience for me that I feel no urge to upgrade.

I believe that 90% of the people who "don't get VGA" have never seen it in action. Go take a look at the pictures on this site http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=61&t=28218 and you will see VGA is not just about tiny fonts.

Lucan

[hamishmacdonald]

I played with one in a department store, actually, which is where my "don't get it" decision came from. The picture looked a bit better, but it didn't seem to add any significant functionality I could see.

To each his or her own. I'm doing my best to step off the constant upgrade wagon. My wish is that, rather than all of us buying new devices every year, the sales were about more and more people having them -- which in turn would make our devices more useful.

[Chucky]

I am not on the constant upgrade wagon, the main reason because I can't afford it, but also because there aren't too many useful features that have come out since I got my iPaq 3870, the most useful would be integrated Wifi and longer battery life.

However for me VGA is something good, something worth upgrading to. Lets face it, the majority of websites are never going to look good on QVGA, no matter how advanced the reflow algorithm is - the fact is, its going to be ugly.

However at VGA browsing the vast majority of sites (with a decent browser) is going to be a much much better.

But I think beyond that, it well just looks good, sharper and I would guess that it would be easier on the eyes for extended use. Videos will still be encoded at 320*240, but just to do a comparison, get a 320*240 photo, resize it to 640*480 in Photoshop twice, once with no blending options enabled the other with blending enabled, no doubt you will see the difference.

and yeah, I can't wait, I am going to get a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. I can then forget the idea of getting an Ultra Light notebook any time soon and save about $2500AU in the process!

[Janak Parekh]

I played with one in a department store, actually, which is where my "don't get it" decision came from. The picture looked a bit better, but it didn't seem to add any significant functionality I could see.
Try reading a PDF/DOC, or surfing a website, and you'll see what we mean. ;)

To each his or her own. I'm doing my best to step off the constant upgrade wagon. My wish is that, rather than all of us buying new devices every year, the sales were about more and more people having them -- which in turn would make our devices more useful.
I'm not quite sure what you mean -- there's plenty of sales around accessories and expansion items. You're not obligated to upgrade. ;)

--janak

[Pony99CA]

To each his or her own. I'm doing my best to step off the constant upgrade wagon. My wish is that, rather than all of us buying new devices every year, the sales were about more and more people having them -- which in turn would make our devices more useful.
I'm not quite sure what you mean -- there's plenty of sales around accessories and expansion items. You're not obligated to upgrade. ;)
I think he just meant that he'd rather see sales going more to new users, expanding the Pocket PC user base, than seeing people upgrade so much.

To some degree, I have to agree with that. I'd rather see more OS upgrades with features we've already requested than constant new models. At least I managed to avoid upgrading my iPAQ 3870 to a 3970 or a 5450, but I coudn't resist when I saw a refurbished 5550 for $472. :-D

Steve

[bnycastro]

Ok here's another question... let's say that I get a new device which is not VGA but has WinMobile2003 SE (the MOTO MPx comes to mind)... would I still be able to use landscape mode and the font size functions, and I heard something about zooming also? Now in a QVGA machine would this still be readable?

In other words between VGA and QVGA which would benefit more from WinMobile2003SE?

[Chucky]

As far as font scaling and zooming VGA is going to benefit the most. The devices with VGA without Windows Mobile SE have very small text, readable for those with good eyes - but still small. However not all people want text so small - and some do, so font scaling allows the user to choose which they would prefer, however on a QVGA device to scale the font down to the size that many people keen for as much screen space as possible the text would simply be unreadable, it would be like going into Word or something on a desktop PC and setting the fontsize to 4pt, its still large enough to read, but without a high DPI the pixels are just too big and thus you get a very hard to read sentence.

[Pony99CA]

Ok here's another question... let's say that I get a new device which is not VGA but has WinMobile2003 SE (the MOTO MPx comes to mind)... would I still be able to use landscape mode and the font size functions, and I heard something about zooming also? Now in a QVGA machine would this still be readable?

In other words between VGA and QVGA which would benefit more from WinMobile2003SE?
The answer seems obvious -- VGA devices benefit more. Landscape works in QVGA devices (as the Dell Axim X30 proves) as well as VGA devices. VGA support in WM 2K3 SE obviously only works in VGA devices.

Steve