SE_VGA: Get "Real VGA" On Your WM2003SE VGA Pocket PC

[Janak Parekh]

VGA Pocket PC owners who miss their ultra-high res First Edition setups, rejoice! You now have multiple "resolution choices" when using WM2003SE -- in fact, you're about to regain the functionality that we all had with ResFix or MyVGA. (Click on the picture for a full-resolution version.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-SmallVGA.png"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-SmallVGA.gif" /></a><br /><br />Here's the <a href="http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=14679">download link</a>. Best of all, it's free... so what are you waiting for? :D<br /><br />For the rest of you, read on for a more thorough description of how Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition handles VGA screens, what's good and bad about it, and a quick look at how SE_VGA works around it.<br /><!><br />On Friday, I excitedly flashed my Toshiba e805 with the US release of the Second Edition firmware. While it's very cool, there's one major limitation with how SE handles VGA out of the box: it's designed to essentially give you the same amount of useable screen space as First Edition running at 240x320, just with larger fonts and icons -- i.e., akin to "scaling" the resolution of picture up. Instead of something like the following (click any picture for a full version):<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-QVGA.png"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-QVGA.gif" /></a><br /><br />You get something like this:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-VGA.png"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-VGA.gif" /></a><br /><br />While I've resized both images to 300x400, the effect should be clear: while the second image is much more detailed and representative of a much larger bitmap, you effectively get <i>no more working space</i>. There's a slider in the Control Panel to decrease the font size, but it only goes so far. In particular, it doesn't change the Start/Menu bars and it doesn't get around the fact that Pocket Internet Explorer <i>doubles image sizes</i> by design! Moreover, old non-SE-aware Pocket PC programs simply get pixel-doubled -- so programs like Acrobat Reader don't benefit from the additional VGA pixels (in fact, eReader looks terrible). Fortunately, a Pocket PC developer named Angel Garcia developed a solution: SE_VGA. If you run it, you get the following screen and choices:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE_VGA.png"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE_VGA.gif" /></a><br /><br />Choosing the first option gives you "real VGA" -- that is, the 240x320 screen just increased in resolution without any font or UI size changes:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-SmallVGA.png"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/SE_VGA/SE-SmallVGA.gif" /></a><br /><br />While that looks extremely small, it's quite useable. It might not be for the average person on a 3.5" screen, perhaps, but it's perfectly readable for the power user like me on my 4" Toshiba. In fact, the effect is almost identical to First Edition users using the ResFix or MyVGA hack on their e805s. Additionally, pixel doubling is turned off for all applications in this mode, so programs like eReader run flawlessly at the higher resolution, and PIE doesn't double image sizes. The only catch? You have to soft-reset when switching modes, and a few programs get slightly confused (for example, Pocket Plus always uses the large-size icons on the Today screen in both VGA modes). Apart from that, it's free and definitely <a href="http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=14679">worth a look</a> if you have a WM2003SE VGA device. You can also run in 240x320 mode ("standard QVGA"), explicitly, if you want... although I'll probably switch between the two VGA modes. :)

[damager]

This final screen just looks unusable to me. Maybe its my 40 year old eyes, but what is the point of making things this small?

[huangzhinong]

This final screen just looks unusable to me. Maybe its my 40 year old eyes, but what is the point of making things this small?

Because they call it revolunationaly. I didn't see any point for a screen like that.

SE is the only way to go.

[Kati Compton]

I think the point is that it's true VGA. From there you can scale fonts UP to where you're comfortable. Scaling UP in VGA means that fonts stay looking nice in any program, Scaling DOWN fro QVGA means that you may still get pixel doubling when trying to use a small font (making it less readable).

At least, if I'm understanding this correctly.

Doesn't Tweaks2k2 do a similar thing now too? It's not free, but it has a lot of other...well... *tweaks*. ;)

[Janak Parekh]

This final screen just looks unusable to me. Maybe its my 40 year old eyes, but what is the point of making things this small?
Well, the screen is larger on the PDA itself, and is quite readable (I scaled it down). It's not for "casual" glances, but it's surprisingly usable. Update: I added full versions so you get a better idea of what they really look like.

Kati comes close to the point. By starting out with small font sizes, you can scale up as you want. In SE's mode, you benefit less from the high resolution except for the fact that everything is much crisper. Mind you, that's an amazing benefit, but there are those of us that want to quadruple the amount of information we have on the screen. Additionally, "old" programs don't benefit in SE mode, as they simply pixel-double. eReader is the perfect example: it's nearly useless in SE, as it's not SE-aware. In "real" VGA, you just pick a larger font in eReader, and you're set.

In any case, this remains a choice, something that a lot of First Edition e805 users have been clamoring for since the release of the SE update.

Anyway... I think it's probably worth writing up a detailed article on what exactly SE does and doesn't do, seeing as how there are now two VGA screens on the market. A few additional screenshots would be helpful. I'll see about releasing something like that towards the end of this week.

--janak

[Jonathan1]

I really hope a slew of 3rd party apps show up for the 4705 that can do the same. I'm somewhat at a loss to understand why MS didn't at least have an option like this available? :confused totally: I mean leave it under the display settings on the control panel but leave it turned off.

*shrugs* Then again this is MS after all. Everything about the Pocket PC is left up to 3rd party developers. Which obviously can be seen as both a good thing and a bad thing all at once.

[Janak Parekh]

I really hope a slew of 3rd party apps show up for the 4705 that can do the same. I'm somewhat at a loss to understand why MS didn't at least have an option like this available? :confused totally: I mean leave it under the display settings on the control panel but leave it turned off.
I think this is designed for any SE VGA devices on the market. I've only been able to test it with the e805, though, for obvious reasons. ;)

--janak

[Bruno Figueiredo]

I think that the controls (icons, menus) can be somewhat smaller than what WM2003 SE offers, but not as small as you show here. You still have to tap on those things, and our styluses aren't that pointy after all.

Also, it's a strain in the eyes.

Well, the screens grew, the resolution too, so I'm guessing that we could get by with a 33% decrease in the scale factor so we could get more real estate.

[ctitanic]

Doesn't Tweaks2k2 do a similar thing now too? It's not free, but it has a lot of other...well... *tweaks*. ;)

Nope, Tweask2K2 just disable the double pixeling feature in individual programs.

This tools change the whole system to present you a real VGA mode.

[ctitanic]

I really hope a slew of 3rd party apps show up for the 4705 that can do the same. I'm somewhat at a loss to understand why MS didn't at least have an option like this available? :confused totally: I mean leave it under the display settings on the control panel but leave it turned off.
I think this is designed for any SE VGA devices on the market. I've only been able to test it with the e805, though, for obvious reasons. ;)

--janak

You are right, this tool changes the OS files no any customized by Toshiba file so it should work in any Pocket PC with VGA and SE.

[Calculon]

This final screen just looks unusable to me. Maybe its my 40 year old eyes, but what is the point of making things this small?

Because they call it revolunationaly. I didn't see any point for a screen like that.

SE is the only way to go.

For you perhaps. My 40 year old eyes are able to read the screen quite well. Thank you very much. You stick with SE. I'll stick with true VGA.

[alizhan]

I think that the controls (icons, menus) can be somewhat smaller than what WM2003 SE offers, but not as small as you show here. You still have to tap on those things, and our styluses aren't that pointy after all.

You touch on what I discovered when using MyVGA on my e805. In practice, I found the unscaled VGA mode to be perfectly usable--so long as I was perfectly stationary. When I am just sitting in a chair and fiddling with my PDA, it works great--and the value of all that extra screen area should not be underestimated.

All that goes out the window, though, when I have to use it in less than perfect conditions (such as in a car, or while walking). Even the smoothest of cars bounce around enough that the fonts are too small to see easily, and the controls are too small to tap reliably. Using unscaled VGA in a car was an exercise in frustration.

I see it as being a "right tool for the job" issue: if I know that I can sit down and concentrate on my PDA, I'll switch to unscaled VGA; otherwise, I'll switch it to scaled VGA (pixel-doubled QVGA). Now if only it didn't take 30 seconds to switch between the two... :?

What I'd really like is to be able to scale everything (but especially the header and footer) by 75%. On a 4" screen it looks like "baby's first PDA" in scaled VGA, but everything is just a bit too small for comfort in unscaled VGA. Somewhere between the two would be ideal. Of course, that would mess with all the programs which expect a specific screen layout. :roll:

[Daviddjr]

So....

It seems like everyone is fussing about not getting the SE upgrade from HP and Dell and as usual, with Microsoft, they only do a half-a**ed job of implementing something.

If only the 3rd party companies could figure out how to work without a reset.

Speaking of reset, I've not used these programs but is it a manual reset or does the software do it for you? Also, does it actually reset or just refresh the screen? I ask cause every other HH I've ever used that had Landscape mode usually requires a Screen Refresh.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

David

[nootrak4]

Does this mean the i can change the res on my Dell Axim X30.. Is a Qvag screen or is this just for VGA screen.

[backpackerx]

Only VGA devices can use this.

[jamesbe2759]

Only VGA devices can use this.

Is the Ipaq 20xx a VGA device?

[wocket]

This final screen just looks unusable to me. Maybe its my 40 year old eyes, but what is the point of making things this small?

Because they call it revolunationaly. I didn't see any point for a screen like that.

SE is the only way to go.

Screenshots don't do an actual real E800 screen justice. The display on the E800 in VGA is beautiful and my eyesight a'int that great. It really comes into it's own using IE, Textmaker or Excel. I've converted a hell of a lot of educational docs into Repligo format and it's just so much better than on my 2210 which is QVGA 240x320 screen.

[ctitanic]

Only VGA devices can use this.

Is the Ipaq 20xx a VGA device?

Do you mean the h22xx?

its a QVGA device.

[Duncan]

ctitanic,

Just be sure to tell the man he is officially a star! I think he may single handedly have solved the one issue that flawed the new VGA Pocket PCs (for some of us anyway... ;))

[Marcel_Proust]

ctitanic,

Just be sure to tell the man he is officially a star! I think he may sinlge handedly have solved the one issue that flawed the new VGA Pocket PCs (for some of us anyway... ;))

Agreed. This now makes SE usable. I've reinstalled it.
As for the people not understanding the use of VGA, you can't tell from the screenshots. It's much better than qVGA - especially for ie, adobe, repligo, etc.

[TMann]

What happens to the text input area when using this add-on program? Is it also reduced in size, as it was with MyVGA?

For me that was the main issue when using MyVGA on an e805 in VGA mode. I was able to get used to the small fonts, but the input area was so small that I had had trouble writing effectively.

TMann

[Marcel_Proust]

What happens to the text input area when using this add-on program? Is it also reduced in size, as it was with MyVGA?

For me that was the main issue when using MyVGA on an e805 in VGA mode. I was able to get used to the small fonts, but the input area was so small that I had had trouble writing effectively.

TMann

still somewhat of a problem, but remember you can switch back easily to regular se mode if necessary.
i use Messagease, which works well when expanded, and can be used in the smaller mode too.
Resco Keyboard is another solution.

[yvilla]

What happens to the text input area when using this add-on program? Is it also reduced in size, as it was with MyVGA?

For me that was the main issue when using MyVGA on an e805 in VGA mode. I was able to get used to the small fonts, but the input area was so small that I had had trouble writing effectively.

TMann

still somewhat of a problem, but remember you can switch back easily to regular se mode if necessary.
i use Messagease, which works well when expanded, and can be used in the smaller mode too.
Resco Keyboard is another solution.

Calligrapher also works well with this hack's true VGA mode. The Calligrapher keyboard resizes to a full size keyboard, solving the problem of the teeny tiny default keyboard.

[GSibble]

Just a question:

Since it was never mentioned, I'm guessing you don't need the UNDEAD hack now for VGA mode?

-GPS

[Janak Parekh]

Since it was never mentioned, I'm guessing you don't need the UNDEAD hack now for VGA mode?
Correct.

--janak

[Bruno Figueiredo]

Well, I don't think that allways fiddling with the resolution is really the way to go. This just shows that the technology isn't yet mature.

Let's see: we now have 2.8" and 4.0" inch screens. The screen is not standard anymore and with that spec that enables square resolution screens, even worse. We are beginning to have the same resolution problems as desktops do.

Yet, PocketPC screens are TFT's and look best at native resolution. So, the deal here is to give the users the ability to control the OS appearance as you can on a desktop. Give users a predefined set of settings and give them the ability to tweak them. Also, make the apps scalable.

So, you on the 40s can make things like fonts, scrollbars, menus a little bigger and you youngsters can make all the screen widgets real tiny.

And so, forget all those resolution-switch-resets. A sensor for switching landscape/portrait would be great too.

This or set standards for screen size and study a resolution compromise to fit all needs.

[Janak Parekh]

Well, I don't think that allways fiddling with the resolution is really the way to go. This just shows that the technology isn't yet mature.
Oh, absolutely. But it's still useful that we have workarounds until the technology does mature. :)

--janak

[ctitanic]

Well, I don't think that allways fiddling with the resolution is really the way to go. This just shows that the technology isn't yet mature.
Oh, absolutely. But it's still useful that we have workarounds until the technology does mature. :)

--janak

That's the part that I hate about Toshiba... it's the first always releasing untested properly technology. :evil:

[rob_ocelot]

Well, I don't think that allways fiddling with the resolution is really the way to go. This just shows that the technology isn't yet mature.
Oh, absolutely. But it's still useful that we have workarounds until the technology does mature. :)

--janak

That's the part that I hate about Toshiba... it's the first always releasing untested properly technology. :evil:

That's actually what I *like* about Toshiba.

Invariably the solutions that come from the OEM are either too kludgy or just half-assed -- Toshiba's VGA solution for WM2003 involved making part of the screen dead so you couldnt access the start menu! Toshiba's solution was so crap (and the native QVGA mode on the 4" e800 screen looked like over contrasted pixely garbage with scan lines) that it inspired people to do better than Toshiba. Such an amazing device and such poor understanding of the machine's real strengths (from a user and marketing perspective) on Toshiba's part.

And so we get solutions like the Deadzone hack, Padrot, and MyVGA. I'd rather have a choice of doing it differently than no choice at all.


BTW this new solutoin for WM2003 works great, espeically in 640 x 480 right handed landscape which always seemed to be a problem for MyVGA (variable results on different E800's and very flickery). I assume the retail version will allow you to really play with the fonts and probably enlarge the onscreen keyboard.

My only complaints: (mostly about SE)

What the hell is up with the start up time for WM2003 SE after a warm reset?! It's gotta be topping 2 minutes of blank screen with not even a swirling icon or something. I thought I had bricked the PDA. It's going to make changing resolutions a real pain.

For some reason the hack to use cleartype in landscape mode disappears sometimes after a soft reset (and it seems to happen more often if you reset from landcape mode). This may be a problem more with the hack itself rather than a VGA issue.

I'm kinda hesitant to realign the screen digitizer real VGA mode lest the alignment be messed up if I droped to SE VGA

I'm thinking that the QVGA mode will disappear in a future revision. All it does it remind E800 owners or demonstrate to new SE-equipped VGA PDA ownsers just how god-awful the E800's native QVGA mode was.

[ctitanic]

For some reason the hack to use cleartype in landscape mode disappears sometimes after a soft reset (and it seems to happen more often if you reset from landcape mode). This may be a problem more with the hack itself rather than a VGA issue.


Everytime you soft reset the OS (Microsoft) changes the registry key for this trick back to disable the cleartype. Basically what I did in a freeware that is available at my site www.pc-counselor.com/downloads.htm is to create a little exe to be copied in the Startup folder to reverse this process after every soft reset.

[ctitanic]

That's actually what I *like* about Toshiba.

From where I'm coming people say that "The World to be World has to be in the way it's now" or "That's why colors are different so people can chose the one they like."

In my case I hate to be Guinea Pig and Toshiba is a company that likes to use users like Guinea Pig, they did it with e740 and they did it again with the e800.

But ... we are off topico already ;)

[Janak Parekh]

What the hell is up with the start up time for WM2003 SE after a warm reset?! It's gotta be topping 2 minutes of blank screen with not even a swirling icon or something. I thought I had bricked the PDA. It's going to make changing resolutions a real pain.
Ah - it's not just me! Thank goodness. In my case, it wasn't quite 2 minutes, but a solid minute or so... :|

I'm thinking that the QVGA mode will disappear in a future revision. All it does it remind E800 owners or demonstrate to new SE-equipped VGA PDA ownsers just how god-awful the E800's native QVGA mode was.
Agreed, mostly, although for some games it might be faster to run it in QVGA than to do pixel-doubling as part of SE's VGA mode.

--janak

[rob_ocelot]

What the hell is up with the start up time for WM2003 SE after a warm reset?! It's gotta be topping 2 minutes of blank screen with not even a swirling icon or something. I thought I had bricked the PDA. It's going to make changing resolutions a real pain.
Ah - it's not just me! Thank goodness. In my case, it wasn't quite 2 minutes, but a solid minute or so... :|

I'm thinking that the QVGA mode will disappear in a future revision. All it does it remind E800 owners or demonstrate to new SE-equipped VGA PDA ownsers just how god-awful the E800's native QVGA mode was.
Agreed, mostly, although for some games it might be faster to run it in QVGA than to do pixel-doubling as part of SE's VGA mode.

--janak

The wait is closer to a minute (yet it seems longer) -- I suspect the 'watched pot' explanation works here :)

I wonder though if the allegations that SE on the e800 was running slower than WM2003 stem from this wait. Everything else in SE seems to run just as fast, if not a tad speedier compared to running in VGA with MyVGA. That delay at the startup though sure smacks of something just not optimised on either M$'s or Toshiba's part. Are X30 users experiencing the same delay?

I'm using the Canadian version of the ROM but I take it that the Eueo and the US version are exactly the same. Anyone do a checksum on them yet?

Good point about SE pixel doubling slowing down some games. Almost any game that forces it's own landscape orientation by default will have some SE problems I suspect.

[Janak Parekh]

I wonder though if the allegations that SE on the e800 was running slower than WM2003 stem from this wait. Everything else in SE seems to run just as fast, if not a tad speedier compared to running in VGA with MyVGA.
I'm not sure -- menu animations sometimes feel slower, although it's (admittedly) moving more pixels.

I'm using the Canadian version of the ROM but I take it that the Eueo and the US version are exactly the same. Anyone do a checksum on them yet?
I think someone did check the version numbers and they were identical. I haven't seen any other reports at the moment.

--janak

[thooryman]

Does anyone know if the QVGA scaling used for the VGA display on the e800 is pixel doubling (nearest neighbor?) for sure? Just curious if anyone knows if they use bilinear, bicubic, or some other form of scaling.

[gmontielh]

I tried and find it exceptional! 8O Just love it! However, I wish that you could scale the screen for more readable menus and I do not mean just scaling the fonts. While it's great for spreadsheets, is really bad for PI 5.61 (which I use a lot) and no real improvement on PIE screens. And the keyboard input is way too small for comfortable use. Developers following different standards??? I look until every application is compatible with such resolution. True VGA will be really useful once this happens. I agree with members that MS shuld have gone full VGA in the SE release :evil: . Will they improve in their next version, if any? :?: :?: :?: Meanwhile I switched to the standard VGA display until further notice.