x51v's vs Tilt's display

[rodrigo_braz]

Again comparing those two PPCs...

I was disappointed to learn that the Tilt didn't have a VGA screen like the x51v does. However, when using Tilt for a bit I could find no problem with its display. The image was very crisp and the display was brighter than my x51v's. Could it be that the x51v display is not so bright anymore after two years of use? I never heard of such a thing.

Tilt also seemed to be able to show just as much info on its much smaller resolution. I guess this is a result of most software not making use of the full VGA resolution anyway?

I would like to hear any comments on how Tilt's display can seem so good even when compared to a VGA display.

Thanks,

Rodrigo

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Two possible answers here:

1. Because the Tilt has much smaller screen (2.8" IIANM), it has a higher pixel density per actual inch than a for example 3.5" QVGA device. Because the pixels are actually closer together, the display appears sharper than a larger device. I wouldn't bet that the Tilt actually has a higher ppi than the Axim, but they're probably close enough to make it hard to tell the difference.

2. With respect to the way Windows Mobile handles VGA screens, the OS uses what's called pixel-doubling (although technically it should be called pixel-quadrupling) for non-VGA programs. VGA aware programs are written and have the required resources to display a pseudo-QVGA look, but will appear sharper. You won't get true VGA without some hacking of the OS.

[rodrigo_braz]

That's what I thought... thanks.

Now something puzzles me. This review (http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/handhelds/0,39001708,40717461p,00.htm) of the iMate Ultimate shows a screenshot of it running Excel with a lot of cells on the screen. However it is a 480x640 screen, just like the Axim, and yet I don't get that many cells on my Axim. Any idea why?

It seems to be an XGA, but how does Excel take advantage of it in the Ultimate and not of the VGA of the Axim? Could it be WM 6?

Thanks,

Rodrigo

[Sven Johannsen]

Don't know when it got it but Excel on my Tilt has a view option that lets you zoom from 50% to 150%. 50% is almost unreadable on my Tilt, but in a VGA screen it would be clear.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

However it is a 480x640 screen, just like the Axim, and yet I don't get that many cells on my Axim. Any idea why?

I've just tried this on my Loox 720, which is the same vintage as the Axim and is also VGA. I actually got one column more at 50% zoom (thanks, Sven) than the pic shown in the review. So it should be possible to get that many cells with the x51v as well. Zoom control is available under the View menu.

[rodrigo_braz]

Ah, that makes sense, thanks. I was under the impression it was system-wide setting, not application-specific, but still useful.

Just for your information and for what it is worth, I got the Tilt and I think I am not keeping it due to display size. The PDA part is more important to me than the phone part, and Tilt's 2.8'' display is quite more straining to me than the x51v display when it comes to PDA applications such as reading, even though it is brighter and crisper than the x51v. It's not the resolution as much as it is the size of it. Just for those of you who may be wondering about the same thing.

Rodrigo