Comparing 3.5" And 2.8" Screens

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.ppcw.net/?itemid=2070' target='_blank'>http://www.ppcw.net/?itemid=2070</a><br /><br /></div>There are at least two Pocket PC Phones hitting the market in the near future that will feature 2.8" screens: the MPx and the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=32255">HTC Magician</a>. While I personally find 2.8" screens reasonably comfortable to read, people have debated how useful they'll be. Arne, over at PPCW, gives us some insightful commentary on the subject. What do you think?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040925-PPCWScreenSize.jpg" /><br /><br /><i>"The photo above reflects a 1:1 comparison between a larger 3.5 inches screen and a 2.8 inches screen...While the MPx screen is 0.7 inches smaller than the Xda III screen it is sharper but the missing 0.7 inches makes it hard to use it without a stylus but thumbs only, I'm often use for a quick navigation through the screens. On the other hand, I don't have the feeling in my daily use that a 2.8 inches screen is too small and I never had the wish to have a larger screen."</i>

[galt]

It's nice to see a direct comparison between the two screen sizes. I have been using a device (T-mobile Sidekick) for e-mail, messaging, and web browsing which has a screen that is lower resolution and is .2" smaller than the MPx screen, so I know that a 2.8" screen is certainly large enough for those tasks, but I have been considering the advantage of a full sized PPC.

It looks pretty good to me, but I’m sure many 3.5” screen veterans will be turned off by the smaller screen.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I still miss the old 3.8" screens on my old iPaq and find myself coveting the 4.0" screens on the Toshiba e-series.

I couldn't possibly see myself settling for 2.8".

[EricMCarson]

I still miss the old 3.8" screens on my old iPaq and find myself coveting the 4.0" screens on the Toshiba e-series.

I couldn't possibly see myself settling for 2.8".

Have to agree with you here. My wife is using my old iPaq 3630 and my 4155 screen looks downright puny next to it. I am torn between thin form factor and a large screen, but I'm usually drawn to the larger screen.

[ppcsurfr]

If you are using a 3.8 inch screened iPAQ... everything is reduced by about 50% with a 2.8 inch screen.

Carlo

[jimski]

Maybe the 2.8" screen is OK for looking up contacts or reading an occasional email, but I could not use it as a full blown PPC. Checking calendar views, viewing websites, typing text through a keyboard, viewing some attachments are all things that would be challenging, if not downright impossible with this small screen. A VGA display would help, but in either case it would still be a compromise, one that I am not willing to accept.

[surur]

Maybe the 2.8" screen is OK for looking up contacts or reading an occasional email, but I could not use it as a full blown PPC. Checking calendar views, viewing websites, typing text through a keyboard, viewing some attachments are all things that would be challenging, if not downright impossible with this small screen. A VGA display would help, but in either case it would still be a compromise, one that I am not willing to accept.

Surely it will just be a question of holding it closer to your eyes? The resolution, and therefore the amount of information displayed, would be the same. I calculate (with great difficulty, I might add, as its been years since school :) ) that if you normally hold your pda at 50cm, if you hold it at 36cm it would subtend the same angle, and appear to be the same size.

Surur

[Stephen Beesley]

Having only recently moved from a 3.5 inch screen to a 3.8 inch screen (on a toshiba e755) I just cannot imagine going back to an even smaller screen. In large part this is due to my particular usage patterns - I use Transcriber/Calligrapher almost exclusively as my input method and have found that the larger screen makes this much easier. For anything but the shortest of notes I suspect that a 2.8 inch screen would be almost unusable with transcriber/Calligrapher.

Yes I know that the MPX comes with a QWERTY keyboard but I just cannot imagine that I would be able to type at any speed on it and for me it would just not be as convient as writing on the screen which I can do pretty much anywhere any time: standing, sitting, laying whatever.

As for reading documents etc, it probably also comes down to personal usage patterns - if viewing PDF documents for example is something you imagine doing a lot of your PDA then I would imagine that a smaller screen (no matter how sharp) would be limiting.

[galt]

Yes I know that the MPX comes with a QWERTY keyboard but I just cannot imagine that I would be able to type at any speed on it and for me it would just not be as convient as writing on the screen which I can do pretty much anywhere any time: standing, sitting, laying whatever.

That's kind of funny; I'm in the reverse situation. In transitioning from my Sidekick to a PPC I'm worried that it won't be as convenient to use as my Sidekick. For me, the built in keypad is just so easy to use. I can take it out of my pocket, flip it open and type (rather quickly) while walking, standing, sitting, laying down, conversing w/my gf (maintaining eye contact, important!), umm... driving...:oops: all without even looking at the screen. I feel like having to pull out a stylus and look at the screen (no matter what size) while writing would be a bit of a drag.

A smaller screen is a disadvantage from a usability standpoint, but as long as it's still functional I think it will be worth it in order to have a smaller converged device. I actually wish the MPx had a full sized screen even though it would have to be a much larger device.

[bnycastro]

from these shots i would probably get the device with a bigger screen as my eyes are not so good.

The question though is what do you do with the htc blue angel's qwerty keyboard once you have your device in landscape mode?

Pretty sure the mpx's qwerty keyboard can be used in landscape but how about in portrait mode?

so i guess no matter which device you pick there is a trade-off. As I said in the beggining of this post. I am leaning towards more to the bigger screen it is after all a matter of useage and preference.

[Janak Parekh]

The question though is what do you do with the htc blue angel's qwerty keyboard once you have your device in landscape mode?

Pretty sure the mpx's qwerty keyboard can be used in landscape but how about in portrait mode?
Simple: you can't use the MPx's in portrait, and you can't use the Blue Angel's in landscape. That's really a fundamental design decision until they figure out how to swivel keyboards around. ;) In my case, I find the landscape idea as put forth by the MPx to be a little more intuitive.

--janak

[Stephen Beesley]

The question though is what do you do with the htc blue angel's qwerty keyboard once you have your device in landscape mode?

Pretty sure the mpx's qwerty keyboard can be used in landscape but how about in portrait mode?
Simple: you can't use the MPx's in portrait, and you can't use the Blue Angel's in landscape. That's really a fundamental design decision until they figure out how to swivel keyboards around. ;) In my case, I find the landscape idea as put forth by the MPx to be a little more intuitive.

--janak

Have to agree - if I was going for one of these devices I think the MPx approach with the keyboard working in landscape mode makes more sense. Infact the approach of the Zaurus SL-760 or Clie UX-50 is a great idea if you are going to have a PDA with keyboard. Of course neither of them are "converged" devices but still interesting.