What type of screen is best on HPC

[nosmohtac]

I know that a TFT screen is probably the best, but hard to find. I don't know the differences between STN, DSTN, or CSTN. Are there other types? Which ones offer the best viewing outdoors? I have been playing with a jornada 680, and the screen is useless in bright light. I believe it has a DSTN screen, but is CSTN or STN any better?

Can anyone who's owned a 680 and 720 tell me, is the screen on the 720 more viewable in bright light?
Is there a large difference between the 720 and the 728? I've read plenty of reviews, and haven't found these answers.

[Kowalski]

it seems that the new OLED technology will replace all the current LCD models in the near future, because i heard that OLED is cheeper than LCD to construct and has major advantages over existing LCDs

[Tom W.M.]

My Casio BE-300 has an STN screen, and it is absolutely invisible in direct sunlight (as well as horribly blurry when things onscreen move quickly).

My MobilePro 780 has a DSTN screen, as did my Clio 1050. They are/were more useable in direct sunlight than my BE-300, which is not saying much. If you set them on the highest brightness setting they are somewhat useable, though small text is hard to read. If you move into a shadow (I once spent a while under a bush playing Zork on my MobilePro while waiting to be let into an estate sale.) the screen becomes easily visible. Of course, this varies depending on the H/PC, and it's not a good idea to keep screen brightness at the highest setting, as it can drain the battery very quickly.

If at all possible, go for a TFT.

I've never heard of CSTN. What H/PCs have CSTN screens?

I've never owned one (all my devices are MIPS), but I have noticed that H/PCs with SH3/SH4 processors have less software available for them. I'd stay away from the older HP models anyway, because they all have 256-color screens (up to the 680). It's best to go with a CE 3 or 4 device if you can, of course. I often wish that I could upgrade my 780.

[milkman dan]

woah, OLED has made its way to PDAs already? Damn, I can't wait :D OLED should darastically change the face of PDA's when it becomes mainstream, specifically the cost. You kill the lcd on your PDA and it costs 90% what you paid for your PDA just to get it replaced >: |

[nosmohtac]

woah, OLED has made its way to PDAs already? Damn, I can't wait :D OLED should darastically change the face of PDA's when it becomes mainstream, specifically the cost. You kill the lcd on your PDA and it costs 90% what you paid for your PDA just to get it replaced >: |

I don't think that there is a PDA on the market yet with an OLED display. I know what you mean about replacing an LCD. Although the percentage of cost isn't the same, I equate it to buying parts for your vehicle. If you bought every individual part for your vehicle, it would cost quite a bit more than just buying the vehicle new.

[milkman dan]

Heh, well, not the case in PPC's. You can pick up a fresh MOBO and plastics for an average PPC for $20-$40 US, while the LCD will run you well over $100 :( Apparently, OLED is made in a roll which makes it uber uber cheap :D I watched a show on it years ago, and its apparently a synthetic version of the stuff that is in fireflys!

[Chucky]

OLED screens are theoretically cheaper, however given the amount of capital that has been invested in manurfacturing LCD screens it is going to be a long time before OLED can compete.

Further delays are likely to persist in some problems that currently exist in OLED screens. The first and most important for PDA users is the lack of Active Matrix OLED screens, there are a few floating around with a Passive Matrix however that is not really suitable for anything except phones that have an outer secondary screen.

Another problem is the spectrum of the colour that these screens produce, they do alright down the red end of the spectrum but apparently there is a significant drop off around the blue end of the spectrum.

and finally the problem which correct me if I'm wrong but I think they have a solution to it, is the way OLED screens degrade with age (ie. noticeable after less than a year).


However bleak the short term may be for OLEDs, the long term is indeed very promising. Given the low power usage, outstanding contrast and high speed nature of OLEDS they will be most likely after VGA PDA screens - the next big thing. I can't imagine what else would be, LCD screens are only getting slightly better with time and does anyone honestly want a PDA with a resolution above 640*480 - might be nice, but to the majority of people un-noticable.

Check out this for more idea:
http://www.universaldisplay.com/index.html

[milkman dan]

The problem with OLED degrading is half due to the definition of OLED itself, being Organic Light Emitting Diode. Remember the problem with fujitsu harddrives? That was due to a some organic matterial in cirrus logic's chipset that degraded over time. They will save the day somehow though

[Janak Parekh]

The problem with OLED degrading is half due to the definition of OLED itself, being Organic Light Emitting Diode. Remember the problem with fujitsu harddrives? That was due to a some organic matterial in cirrus logic's chipset that degraded over time. They will save the day somehow though
To be precise, the goal is to produce an OLED display that comes close to existing LCD's screen life. No device lasts forever, but right now OLEDs last a little too short.

--janak

[Tom W.M.]

People, I'm pretty sure that Nosmohtac is not asking about screen technologies that might, someday, be used in devices, but about the current and past display technologies in Handheld PCs. Nosmohtac appears to be looking at buying an H/PC. (As in: he is not looking for a PPC. This is an Off-Topic thread, after all.

Oh, and to answer my own question: the Journada 820 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5707364893&category=38331&sspagename=rvi:1:1) has a CSTN screen. Trouble is, it's only 256-colors.[/i]

[Janak Parekh]

People, I'm pretty sure that Nosmohtac is not asking about screen technologies that might, someday, be used in devices, but about the current and past display technologies in Handheld PCs. Nosmohtac appears to be looking at buying an H/PC. (As in: he is not looking for a PPC. This is an Off-Topic thread, after all.
You're right. :oops: Let's get back on topic.

From what I know, all HPCs today do not have a reflective or transflective screen, which is going to be making sunlight difficult on almost all of them.

--janak

[dmacburry2003]

I had the MobilePro 820 I believe...it might have been the 880...

It had 16-bit color or at least that's what it told me.

I do know, however, that whatever screen type it was, it had a lot of off-pixels, or dead ones I guess. Whenever I would look at a pure black screen on it (like the one PocketTV makes when it is opened), it would be almost colorful and grayish. My Nino does the same thing. Although, the off/dead pixels were not as bright as a dead pixel might get on a laptop screen, so it did not really make much difference to regular use.