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View Full Version : VGA worth it?


wyrd
12-27-2004, 02:02 AM
I'm on a budget, and don't feel like spending $600 for a VGA PPC. However, I can get the Dell x50v for $400 after shipping and tax with one fo those 25% off coupons. That's a tad more than I'd like to spend, but it's within reason (assuming the Dell is okay, which it seems to be based off of impressions).

In short, I was wondering if the VGA screen was worth the extra cash? Or should I save a few bucks and go with a non-VGA model but with better battery life?

surur
12-27-2004, 02:31 AM
Internet Explorer in real vga (using OzVGA tweak) is like being on a desktop.

Surur

Sven Johannsen
12-27-2004, 02:50 AM
Internet Explorer in real vga (using OzVGA tweak) is like being on a desktop.
Surur
That you are viewing from across the room.

Now that's just my opinion. Certainly you can get four times as much stuff on a VGA screen as on a QVGA screen, but it doesn't make the screen any bigger, it makes all the objects, text, pictures, half as big. (or a quarter depending on how you want to count, half as high, and half as wide) Some folks can read that, I can't.

Without the VGA tweeak most every screen display has the same stuff on it as a regular QVGA PPC. It does make everything clearer in normal view because everything is rendered with 4 times as many pixels.

I chose shrug in the poll. At this point the VGA is nice, but in practise I don't find it adds all that much. If you plan to keep the PPC for several years, I would say go VGA, because support for it will only increase, to the detriment of QVGA devices. If you are an upgrade-every-6-12-mos kind of guy, it might be worth sticking with QVGA until we see what comes up next.

Dave Beauvais
12-27-2004, 04:11 AM
I own an iPAQ hx4700 with a VGA display and use a Dell X50v at work, also with VGA. I will never go back to QVGA screens. I decided this within about thirty seconds of turning on my hx4700 for the first time. Text is razor sharp with no trace of jagged edges, very small fonts sizes are actually readable instead of looking like random blocks of pixels, and photos look amazingly sharp.

Sven's comment about things being smaller is valid, but mainly when you use one of the various hacks out there which force the screen into "true" VGA mode (480x640). In the native mode used by Windows Mobile 2003 SE, text, graphics, and other interface elements are simply scaled up to fit the screen, and because of the much higher DPI, text is amazingly crisp and easy to read. It's only when the screen is forced into true VGA mode that things get to be so small they strain your eyes.

Most apps work great with Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, and scale their interface just fine to work with the higher-res screen, and more and more VGA-compatible apps are coming.

Of course this is my opinion, but if your budget can withstand the price of an X50v, I'd encourage you to get one. Having used one for work for about a month, it's a very nice device!

Ripper014
12-27-2004, 05:32 AM
I shrugged when I first started looking at a VGA screen and could not see what the big deal was. Without question the icons... images... and fonts were much sharper... but so what... not worth the upgrade in my opinion.

Now....................... in saying this... if you have good eyes... I put in oz_vga... and that completely redefines the term VGA... I can now use my PocketPC... much more effiecently... it is amazing how much information I can get on one screen. No longer do I feel handicapped working on spreadsheets... Surfing... is much better... , I am glad that I got the Toshiba... the 4 inch screen maximizes my screen realestate... I am not sure I could read the text if I was using a 3.6inch screen...

I will not be going back to QVGA...

JustinGTP
12-27-2004, 07:59 AM
I'm on a budget, and don't feel like spending $600

Then don't.

$400 after shipping and tax with one fo those 25% off coupons.

That's not too bad

That's a tad more than I'd like to spend

Probably worth it.

(assuming the Dell is okay, which it seems to be based off of impressions).

Lots of people conclude that the screen is of a subpar quality. This explains your comment in quotation number 2.

I was wondering if the VGA screen was worth the extra cash?

Depends on if it is a good VGA or not. Other than that, a VGA is newer technology on a PDA and would last you longer, technically wise, and providing you don't drop it 20 stories.

Or should I save a few bucks and go with a non-VGA model but with better battery life?

Not worth it. It's like buying ancient technology. Go into the future! It's okay! Plus, the future is friendly.

:D -Justin :D

JustinGTP
12-27-2004, 08:00 AM
I will not be going back to VGA...

After what you just wrote, I assume that you mean QVGA?

Scottwood2
12-27-2004, 03:21 PM
I have had a Ipaq 3650 for about 4 years. My eyesite is not what it used to be and I was having hard time seeing some of the text. I now have the 4700 and everything is clear. I have tried running true VGA, thinking I would not be able to read it but was I wrong. Even though the text is smaller, it is clearer. I think some of this is just the better screen over time but VGA is way cool!

Janak Parekh
12-27-2004, 04:42 PM
Lots of people conclude that the screen is of a subpar quality. This explains your comment in quotation number 2.
Of the X50v? While it doesn't have the color saturation of some other VGA screens, from what I've heard it's still quite good, and it would certainly top any QVGA display for most applications.

--janak

Kati Compton
12-27-2004, 06:50 PM
Lots of people conclude that the screen is of a subpar quality. This explains your comment in quotation number 2.
Of the X50v? While it doesn't have the color saturation of some other VGA screens, from what I've heard it's still quite good, and it would certainly top any QVGA display for most applications.
The screen on the Dell isn't as nice when it's next to the other devices. But if you're coming from a non "superstar" like the 1910, you'll still think it's wonderful. I find the Dell to be just fine, but I'm also not holding it up against 3 other devices all the time. And personally, I *really* like VGA. I only make font size for reading maybe 1 step smaller, but at that size, it's much more clear than QVGA at the size I had it before.

Dave Beauvais
12-27-2004, 07:42 PM
I wish that the people who claim the X50v's display is "subpar" would actually look at one in person before passing judgement on it. Photos on a Web site can only do so much in terms of comparison. I own an hx4700 and use an X50v at work every day. While the X50v's display pales (quite literally) in comparison to that of the hx4700, it's still superior -- again, in my opinion -- to most other displays, and far superior to any QVGA screen that came before it.

You can't fairly base an opinion about screen quality on some photos you saw on a Web site.

Ripper014
12-27-2004, 07:54 PM
I will not be going back to VGA...

After what you just wrote, I assume that you mean QVGA?

Oops thanks...

Kati Compton
12-27-2004, 08:37 PM
I wish that the people who claim the X50v's display is "subpar" would actually look at one in person before passing judgement on it. Photos on a Web site can only do so much in terms of comparison. I own an hx4700 and use an X50v at work every day. While the X50v's display pales (quite literally) in comparison to that of the hx4700, it's still superior -- again, in my opinion -- to most other displays, and far superior to any QVGA screen that came before it.
Yes - I agree - I'm quite happy with mine.

JustinGTP
12-27-2004, 08:44 PM
I wish that the people who claim the X50v's display is "subpar" would actually look at one in person before passing judgement on it.

Who, me?

You can't fairly base an opinion about screen quality on some photos you saw on a Web site.

I only saw it on a Web Site did I? Well, if you know everything! :roll:

Kati Compton
12-27-2004, 09:00 PM
I wish that the people who claim the X50v's display is "subpar" would actually look at one in person before passing judgement on it.

Who, me?

You can't fairly base an opinion about screen quality on some photos you saw on a Web site.

I only saw it on a Web Site did I? Well, if you know everything! :roll:

Well, if you saw it in PERSON, then he's obviously NOT referring to YOU.

JustinGTP
12-28-2004, 08:31 AM
I only made that assumption because he said that he wishes that people would stop saying that the screen is subpar, and as far as I am aware, I was the one to use that word exclusively in this thread :) Maybe I was wrong, sorry Dave :oops: I am in an unkindly mood lets say.

Kati Compton
12-28-2004, 06:08 PM
I only made that assumption because he said that he wishes that people would stop saying that the screen is subpar, and as far as I am aware, I was the one to use that word exclusively in this thread :) Maybe I was wrong, sorry Dave :oops: I am in an unkindly mood lets say.
OK - then let's let it go. ;)

There have been many threads with people railing on the quality of the x50v as seen from 'net pictures instead of in person. I think Dave was just expressing cumulative frustration. And "subpar" is just a handy word. ;)

Dave Beauvais
12-28-2004, 08:25 PM
It may be a bit of a stretch, but think of buying a car. Sure, you do your research by reading reviews and looking at photos, but would you actually buy one without at least test-driving it first to see if it suits your needs, and not just those of the reviewer? Most people wouldn't.

It just seems like many people are just blindly echoing the comments of others or taking what they see in photos at face value. They form an opinion, having never seen the screen with their own eyes. I understand -- with the Dells in particular -- that seeing one in person before buying isn't always an option. As far as I know, display models of Dell PDAs are hard to come by, unlike Toshiba, HP, and others. I am fortunate in that my company bought me an X50v for use at work, so I have the opportunity to compare it first-hand with some other devices that I've owned or used. As I've said before, if I didn't have an hx4700 to compare it with, I'd think the X50v's LCD was nearly perfect.

All I'm saying is that in my opinion, the display on the X50v is great when judged on its own merits. Back to the car metaphor, it's unfair to judge a Ford against a Lexus. Both are fine cars, but one offers a little more luxury than the other. I view the X50v and hx4700 in that way. Both are great devices; the hx4700 just offers that extra bit more.

Justin, I was not singling you out in this, and my use of the word "subpar" in quotes was not meant to be facetious in any way.