02-16-2006, 04:00 PM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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WM Team Blog: "Where did 240 come from?"
"You may have noticed a number of Windows Mobile devices coming out with 240x240 screens. And you're probably asking yourself, 'Who came up with this 240 number, anyway? Why aren't they doing 320x320?' Now, please don't interpret this entry as my trying to convince you that 240x240 is somehow better than 320x320. In almost all cases, it's not. I'm just trying to explain how we got here."
Mike Calligaro addresses an oft-heard question since the release of the Treo 700w, especially as users compare it to the Treo 650's higher-res screen. The good news is that I've been playing with the 700w, and its screen is perfectly acceptable: as it's only 2", the lower resolution does not make for blocky type, and ClearType looks great. IE Mobile, Mobipocket (my favorite eBook reader) and basically all of my other "productivity" apps are perfectly useable. The one very serious downside, though, is the incompatibility of the screen resolution with games. I'll discuss this in much greater detail in an upcoming full review, but in my opinion, the 700w's one-handedness outweighs its disadvantages.
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02-16-2006, 04:26 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 19
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Hilarious. 240x240 sucks. Truly BACKWARD step. There is no software for it (barely) and less is rarely more when you make the screen smaller. Wherever it came from CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SEND IT BACK ... :twisted:
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02-16-2006, 04:47 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 46
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One-handedness is fine when you're talking/dialing on the phone while driving :devilboy:, but for every other use of the PDA/phone/camera I have both hands available. Basically, one-handed operability is vastly overrated, IMHO.
I'd much prefer a form factor like the HTC Universal.
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02-16-2006, 04:48 PM
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Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
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As someone that has actually used 240x240 with Windows Mobile 5 for productivity, it works well. I would like to see 480X480, but that is just higher res of the same stuff. The screen is smaller than most Pocket PCs, sort of on the order of the HTC wizard, so it is much more crisp than an Axim X30, iPAQ 3900/5400 or any of the larger 240X320 screens, so the DPI is high enough that it looks really good. And yes, I also have a 640X480 JasJar so I do know how good that high-res looks.
Remember, most of you with 240X320 are only using ~240X240 with the keyboard up. All of these devices have keyboards so the SIP stays down. Palm especially has done a great job with the keyboard. Onscreen indicators of when SHIFT, CAPS LOCK, FUNCTION and FUNCTION LOCK are on, something the K-Jam doesn't do unfortunately. :?
Ok, back to our regularly scheduled complaining. :wink:
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02-16-2006, 04:51 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 17
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Interesting article. It's something I've never really thought about but now I wonder what the maximum resolution could be on a handheld? How high could the resolution get before any extra dots are no longer perceptible to the human eye and so serve no purpose in being there? Could it be that something as low as 480x480 would be the upper limit for square screens - all the VGA devices are larger than I want to carry around on a day to day basis so have we already reached the limit there as well?
I guess the real challenge for everyone is to make the best use of what screen is there, and not just demand more screen.
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02-16-2006, 04:56 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 20
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For god sake, shelf the whole 240 x 240 idea. Dun just think about maximizing profits & cut costs. It should not be implemented in the 1st place. QVGA resolution wasn't enough for my taste even in a small <3" screen, not to mention all these 240 x 240 square screens. We need improvements on the screen, not deprovements.
The irony part is that the regular mobile phones counterpart kept improving the screen resolution & it is now up to VGA resolution for a mere 2" screen, which announced in 3GSM if I ain't wrong.
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02-16-2006, 05:07 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 AximMeister
Hilarious. 240x240 sucks. Truly BACKWARD step. There is no software for it (barely) and less is rarely more when you make the screen smaller. Wherever it came from CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SEND IT BACK ... :twisted:
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That's not true. I have not had trouble finding PIM and productivity software to work on my Treo 700w, without a hitch.
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Originally Posted by rhelwig
One-handedness is fine when you're talking/dialing on the phone while driving :devilboy:, but for every other use of the PDA/phone/camera I have both hands available. Basically, one-handed operability is vastly overrated, IMHO. I'd much prefer a form factor like the HTC Universal.
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It's a personal preference, but having pocketed a HTC Universal for about a month, I do miss the screen resolution and large thumbboard but I really do like the one-handed-ness I gained in response. The Universal is extremely clumsy: you have to use both hands to do absolutely anything. And I'm not just talking about phone usage (at which the Universal is terrible without a BT headset), I'm talking about PIM and other operations. The 700w is also a lot lighter and more comfortable in the hand.
Overall, if I'd have to choose between the two now, I'd choose the 700w hands down, excepting gaming. I couldn't have imagined it before. 8O You really have to try it to see how useable it is. As Ed points out, ditching the SIP makes the experience nearly the same as 240x320.
--janak
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02-16-2006, 05:21 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 19
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
Quote:
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Originally Posted by AximMeister
Hilarious. 240x240 sucks. Truly BACKWARD step. There is no software for it (barely) and less is rarely more when you make the screen smaller. Wherever it came from CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SEND IT BACK ... :twisted:
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That's not true. I have not had trouble finding PIM and productivity software to work on my Treo 700w, without a hitch.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by rhelwig
One-handedness is fine when you're talking/dialing on the phone while driving :devilboy:, but for every other use of the PDA/phone/camera I have both hands available. Basically, one-handed operability is vastly overrated, IMHO. I'd much prefer a form factor like the HTC Universal.
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It's a personal preference, but having pocketed a HTC Universal for about a month, I do miss the screen resolution and large thumbboard but I really do like the one-handed-ness I gained in response. The Universal is extremely clumsy: you have to use both hands to do absolutely anything. And I'm not just talking about phone usage (at which the Universal is terrible without a BT headset), I'm talking about PIM and other operations. The 700w is also a lot lighter and more comfortable in the hand.
Overall, if I'd have to choose between the two now, I'd choose the 700w hands down, excepting gaming. I couldn't have imagined it before. 8O You really have to try it to see how useable it is. As Ed points out, ditching the SIP makes the experience nearly the same as 240x320.
--janak |
Of course you can find PIM software. Afterall PIM software is nearly always top of the best seller lists. But what about obscure stuff ? Or simply less popular stuff ? Sure, a 240x240 device is no different to a 320x240 device with black tape covering up part of the screen  but give us a break with the 240x240 propaganda. Nobody likes it except for Microsoft Evangelists and the OEMs that make them ....
And yep I've got a 240x240 device in my collection.... rubbish.
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02-16-2006, 05:51 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 39
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I had a 240x240 device (hw6515) and besides the lack of compatibility of 3rd party software and blocky pixelated look, there was so much vertical scrolling involved.
Just imagine someone cutting off your pocket by 25% and you will understand how bad it is, almost every program including the core os required some form of vertical scrolling because it wouldnt fit on a square screen.
The benq p50 and now the anextek sp310 are proof that you can do a 240 x320 screen with a tumbboard and still manage to have a good size.
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02-16-2006, 06:48 PM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 56
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Wow, some strong feelings on this topic! I have to agree with Janak on this one. I've had a 700w since the day it showed up in Verizon stores and I gotta say the whole 240x240 thing is way over blown. I don't use my PPC to play games so I couldn't care less what resolution they support. All other apps I use support 240x240 just fine. Clear type looks great. I set the text size to the smallest setting and all is good. I've had plenty of handheld devices from a Palm III to the original Windows CE Cassopeia devices to an Axim X50v. I'll take my 240x240 one handed operating Treo over those devices any day of the week!
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