01-20-2006, 06:30 PM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Enabling ClearType in Landscape Mode on the Pocket PC
Windows Mobile has supported ClearType for quite some time now. However, you might have noticed that it refuses to work in landscape mode, even when enabled (this rule has existed for many years). Thankfully, there's a fix, but it involves a little adventure through the registry. If you're well aware of the risks, proceed. If not, you can always use Tweaks2K2 .NET or Spb Pocket PC Tips & Tricks and have it do the dirty work for you.
You'll need a registry editor, of course. In this guide, I use Resco Explorer 2005 - just one of the many registry editors available for the Pocket PC.
To start off, ensure ClearType is enabled. To do this, tap Start > Settings > System > Screen > ClearType, and check to see the Enable ClearType box is ticked. Now, fire up the registry editor and navigate your way to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\GDI\ClearTypeSettings. You'll notice a DWORD entry titled, "OffOnRotation". Its default value should be 1. Tap on it and edit the value to 0. Accept the changes, soft-reset your Pocket PC, then write home to your folks and tell them how easy that was. 8)
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01-20-2006, 07:08 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,043
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I'm not following... this is a hack to better enable global viewing of BlurType�? What a strange thing to consider. If one wants blurred fonts, a bit of fine sandpaper carefully applied to the screen in a circular motion will do the trick, and there is no need to make a backup first when using that method, nor even to install a registry editor.
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01-20-2006, 07:21 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
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All good, but cleartype only really works on one orientation of the LCD screen, hence why it's disabled on rotation by default.
Dave
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01-20-2006, 08:41 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 68
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by orangewinger
All good, but cleartype only really works on one orientation of the LCD screen, hence why it's disabled on rotation by default.
Dave
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I did the hack on my hp4700 and it looks beautiful!
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01-20-2006, 08:49 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Gerard
I'm not following... this is a hack to better enable global viewing of BlurType�?
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Ah, Gerard, always the joykill. You must be great fun at parties. :lol:
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01-20-2006, 08:58 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 319
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Works great on my X50v. May not be quite as pretty as portrait, but much nicer than without it in landscape. To my eyes anyway.
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01-20-2006, 09:05 PM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 147
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I have an x50v and have had this hack (via Tweaks2K2) for sometime now. I agree: It looks fantastic.
I'm not sure about the hack, but I know with Tweaks2K2 it puts a small applet in the startup directory and eats up abt 11K of memory....
__________________
Clinton Fitch ~ MVP-Mobile DevicesPrincipalClinton Fitch (Dot) Com!
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01-20-2006, 09:07 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by orangewinger
All good, but cleartype only really works on one orientation of the LCD screen, hence why it's disabled on rotation by default.
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Exactly. In fact, my JasJar has this set by default (e.g., ClearType always on). I'd like to reverse it so that it's off in portrait -- but on in landscape, where it looks very good.
--janak
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01-20-2006, 09:13 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,043
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Sorry Jason, if my jibe offended you. It was meant as a joke. It's true that I have never comprehended why one might want to look at blurry-edged, rainbow-hued characters, rather than crisp black fonts. But you are welcome to do so. No one else could conceivably stop you, nor should they wish to, unless it's a shared device.
I wonder, do notebooks use BlurType� these days? Or is it strictly a WindowsMobile thing, up there with automated task management in terms of utility? (The other day I opened about 15 PIE windows from one page, thinking to read them all while on a bus ride. No such luck. Though my e800 had over 100MB of free RAM and over 70MB of that Program Memory, the bloody OS started shutting down the 'extra' windows. This was especially annoying because without a Wi-Fi connection PIE's 'History' menu was unable to find the pages. Idiotic 'features' like this from the geniuses at Redmond kinda piss me off... hence the mini-rant. BlurType� strikes me as being similarly counter-intuitive. I want to keep 15 windows open, but Microsoft knows I don't need that many. I want crisp fonts, just like I do in printed paper books, but Microsoft knows I'd probably like things fuzzy. The only real puzzle is why they let us shut off BlurType� at all.
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01-20-2006, 09:21 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,616
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Gerard
I wonder, do notebooks use BlurType� these days? Or is it strictly a WindowsMobile thing
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Windows XP (at least) with an LCD display can do it, desktops as well as notebooks. I've never used Windows 2000 on a machine with an LCD so I can't comment on that.
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Linear Mode
