QVGA vs. VGA

[footdoc]

Considering different PDA's- how much should I let QVGA vs. VGA enter into my decision (won't play many if any games on my PDA)

[shawnc]

At the risk of stating the obvious, my advice would be to go and look at/play with a VGA device. Those that have them swear by them. I saw one and was unimpressed. It looked better than QVGA, but it wasn't worth the added heft. Again, IMO.

[PDANEWBIE]

Also take into account most VGA units have lower battery life too so take the power drain into account too. Personally I went QVGA and extended battery and I can use it for hours without worry.

[ADBrown]

I'm one of those people with a VGA PocketPC that swears by it. As shawnc said, go to a store or a kiosk and play with one. If you don't love the clarity, then by all means go QVGA. VGA is a bit of a compromise on battery life, but it offers compensations.

[Ripper014]

Going to the store does not give you a true appreciaton for VGA. If you plan to use the device basically in QVGA... then... yes everything is sharper... but in my opinion not worth the upgrade. As mentioned.. you need to process 4x the data to refresh the screen a non-productive use of cpu cycles in my eyes... And there are a lot better devices available for QVGA...

However... if you use it in TRUE VGA... then that is another story... when I first got my Toshiba e830... I was not impressed... after loading oz_vga in my device I knew I would not be going back to QVGA... EVER...!!!

If you are going to see one in a brick and mortar... bring oz_vga on a storage card... know how to install it... and try and sneak it on the device you want to look at.

Otherwise... it just looks like a sharper QVGA unit... that is on the sluggish side...

[JohnJohn]

Get both. :twisted:

I own both. If you can get all the features you want, in a VGA model get that. I of course, have no idea what you want or need when it comes to features.

If the Siemens SX66 was VGA I would sell my hx4700. I use the SX66 while out of the home or office, and the hx4700 while at home surfing or emailing. I will also take the hx4700 with me on business trips to watch movies on etc.

Bottom line is that VGA is cool, it's so cool that its worth it to me to own two PPCs.

[surur]

However... if you use it in TRUE VGA... then that is another story... when I first got my Toshiba e830... I was not impressed... after loading oz_vga in my device I knew I would not be going back to QVGA... EVER...!!!

I agree with this completely. If your eyes are good, you can surf the internet in VGA, similar to a full-sized computer. This itself is very valuable. No more Navidot or Thunderhawk.

Surur

[Menneisyys]

Also take into account most VGA units have lower battery life too so take the power drain into account too.

Yeah, that, sunfortunately, true, specially with the Asus A730(w) and the Dell Axim x50v. The PL720 and the hx4700, however, have tolerable battery life - not as quite stellar as say, the iPAQ 2210 or the rx3715, though.

Still, the display clarity and the ability to use the PDA as a REAL computer for example, reading technical docs is a big plus. And, almost all QVGA screens (unlike decent palmOne devices) are suffering from having a certainly visible and annoying "web" on their screen - that is, a considerable dark area between their pixels.

[Kowalski]

befoure seeing a vga device, i always thought that vga is only a fashion, adds nothing to usability. but after seeing one, i have changed my mind.

i have very good eye sight, so i can decrease the fonts sizes, and a vga display is much more clear than a qvga display, so you can fit more characters in the same screen with vga display

but on the on the other hand, increased power drain is annoying too. i love my 2215, and one of the reasons is its superb battery life. i cant use a device which lasts only 2-3 hours even it has the best display on the market

[Menneisyys]

i cant use a device which lasts only 2-3 hours even it has the best display on the market

Well, the Pocket Loox 720 and the iPAQ hx4700 definitely last longer. The Pocket Loox 720, for example, with active Wi-Fi connection + using the TO SA BT keyboard all the time in active Web browing mode, W-Fi power save disabled, only consumes 25% battery power an hour. The hx4700 is even, albeit only slightly, better. So, there ARE VGA machines that don't consume that much power.

[surur]

i cant use a device which lasts only 2-3 hours even it has the best display on the market

Well, the Pocket Loox 720 and the iPAQ hx4700 definitely last longer. The Pocket Loox 720, for example, with active Wi-Fi connection + using the TO SA BT keyboard all the time in active Web browing mode, W-Fi power save disabled, only consumes 25% battery power an hour. The hx4700 is even, albeit only slightly, better. So, there ARE VGA machines that don't consume that much power.

Screen backlight seems to use much more power than even wifi. When I increase brightness to maximum it really shortens battery life, on minimum the battery meter hardly moves, even with wifi on.

Surur

[Menneisyys]

Screen backlight seems to use much more power than even wifi. When I increase brightness to maximum it really shortens battery life, on minimum the battery meter hardly moves, even with wifi on.

Surur

The A730w/x50v people/reviewers said even at minimal brightness their devices consume about 50% battery charge in an hour with Wi-Fi. (While the PL720 consumes only 25% and the hx4700 even less.)

[Ripper014]

Unfortunately there is a price to pay for everything in life. The things causing the lower battery life is the cpu cycles required to maintain the vga screen... as noted... 4x the data... screen brightness is in effect no matter which device you use... and the newer units all have faster cpu's that draw more power. Wifi... BT... all add to the mix if you are using them...

I don't find that my toshiba e830's battery life is that much different than my Hp2210... but then my Hp2210 is overclocked to 531mhz... which is basically what my Toshiba is running at. My Hp does have a smaller battery... but then I notice that I am more prone to play with my Toshiba more over a day than my idle Hp...

The more we get out of our devices... the higher the price we pay... ALL THE WAY AROUND... Though... my Toshiba e830 cost me a lot less than my Hp2210... and technologically I got a lot more... maybe things are getting better... or... maybe Hp took advantage of me... hmm...

Toshiba e830... $573... Hx4700... $739... Dellx50V... $649...

Current pricing... got mine for $499... woohoo...

[ADBrown]

The A730w/x50v people/reviewers said even at minimal brightness their devices consume about 50% battery charge in an hour with Wi-Fi.

That's incorrect for the Axim. Even on 50% brightness, the X50v went for 3 hours and 44 minutes in my wireless testing. In reality, this isn't that far from the iPaq 4700's score.