x50v coming in the morning... where to begin?

[zilla31]

ok i've been reading for what feels like hours over at the axim site and finally came back to the warm comforts of ppc thoughts. the people here are seriously that much friendlier and more helpful. it's like being back in the old neighborhood!!!

so have a few questions to ask before i get my axim tomorrow:

1. supposing i want to try and gain some of this real estate everyone is clamoring about - should i use SE_VGA, ozVGA, or both? there's some people using both and i'm not sure why?

2. i already own tweaks2k and there's a brute force VGA option in there, what is this and how is it different from SE and OZ?

2a. i've also seen some mention of other sorts of VGA "hacks" like modifying resource files or this or that - what do these gain you? what are the benefits of doing one or the other (1 and 2 above)?

3. if i'm going to try one of these - do i need to do it before i install all my other apps or can i get "situated" first and then give them a try?

4. are there people out there who are happy w/ their x50v's and DON'T use SE or OZ hacks? i mean isn't just the increased clarity and resolution, as well as the faster processor etc. pretty money?

[yankeejeep]

1. It depends on how much you will be using true VGA display. I use SE_VGA because I use true VGA less than 20% of the time and I find SE_VGA easy to switch into and out of. I don't think you would want to use both because you could run into conflicting display driver issues since both function as the display driver in order to deliver true VGA display. I think if I used true VGA more constantly I would seriously look at OzVGA as my preferred solution.

2. The brute force hack in Tweaks2k2 actually does the resource file hacking you ask about in 2a. It allows non-VGA-aware apps to function happily in the WM2003SE VGA environment. You will see the expression pixel-doubling to refer to the way QVGA apps display in VGA (actually, it's pixel-quadrupling since each pixel on a QVGA screen is displayed using 4 pixels on a VGA screen). The VGA hack will solve in apps issues of choppy display, screen-tap misalignment, lost menu and task bars, etc, that can occur when a non-VGA app runs in the VGA environment. So, the VGA hack makes peace between conflicting display modes rather than quadruple the display area (which you get with SE_VGA and OzVGA).

3. I would recommend Tweaks2k2 as the first step and, since you already own it, make sure you are running version 2.9 or above to get the VGA-aware display that makes it an even greater pleasure to use. You might want to try SE_VGA and OzVGA before you have too much loaded to see how stable either one is on your device and which you prefer. Since a hard reset is always a possibility with software conflicts, make sure you have a good backup before trying these out.

4. I use a Toshiba e805, but the two biggest benefits I have found with SE are the ability to rotate the display on the fly (previous software options required a soft reset for orientation rotation) and the incredible increase in display crispness (available to most non-VGA apps using the brute force VGA hack in Tweaks2k2). Even without a display app to increase the displayed area on VGA screens, these made me not even consider going back to FE after I updated my ROM to SE.

With both SE_VGA and OzVGA, you will have some performance hit when displaying in true VGA. But. like most things, it is a trade-off based on which factors are most important to you (and therefore worth some processor cycles) and which aren't.

[Sven Johannsen]

4. are there people out there who are happy w/ their x50v's and DON'T use SE or OZ hacks? i mean isn't just the increased clarity and resolution, as well as the faster processor etc. pretty money?

Yes. I have OZVGA loaded just to see what all the hype was about and to me the result is just too small to be useful. I'm 50+ and wear reading glasses for some small work. My wife is similar and she made me get her an X50v to replace her 4155 after she looked at the screen on mine. The clarity was what sold her on the standard screen. So yea, the increase in clarity for a VGA pixel density over a QVGA pixel density displaying the same info is significant and worthwhile IMHO and that of my significant other.

[zilla31]

sven - i'd love to hear your wife's opinion on moving to an x50v from a 4155, that's exactly what i'm doing. i've been worried about the form factor - how comparable are they in real life (size wise) - i've seen the pictures but nothing tells the story like experience!

yankeejeep - thanks something huge - you cleared up a lot for me that i didn't get in 20+ pages of 20+ threads i've read on these subjects :mrgreen:

[Menneisyys]

1. supposing i want to try and gain some of this real estate everyone is clamoring about - should i use SE_VGA, ozVGA, or both? there's some people using both and i'm not sure why?

I'd go straight for ozVGA because it offers a lot of (automatic) customization features, unlike the free version of SE_VGA. You'll definitely need them if you want to use your handheld in native VGA because, without customization, the characters (especially on a 3.7" screen like that of the x50v) are too small. You can see some working examples at http://www.geocities.com/[email protected]/VGA/index.html


2. i already own tweaks2k and there's a brute force VGA option in there, what is this and how is it different from SE and OZ?

I'd add to the stuff already mentioned by others that brute force VGA, in general, are much more incompatible with non-VGA-aware "legacy" apps than 'real' VGA. I've tested a handful of 'legacy' image viewers/editors and most of them showed some kind of problems in forced VGA mode. One of them, PQV 3.0, was messed up so much that it was impossible to use it in forced VGA. So, there may be cases when you'll need to use native VGA - but, if you use ozVGA and its excellent registry backup/restore and customization features, you'll definitely like it.

[zilla31]

ok - i'm going to have to play around with it all when i get it... speaking of - can i install programs etc. when i first get it as long as it's plugged into the cradle/wall charging or do you have to wait those 8 hours or whatever before even touching it?

[zilla31]

one other question too - this is the first device i've had w/ CF instead of SD - is there one i should use over the other for one thing or another? e.g. is one better for data and one for accessories (speed/prices/stability/reliability)?

thanks again for keeping me company while i wait for this thing :)

[GSmith]

Depends on if you want a large amount of memory. 2GB is just coming out in SD format, while 4GB is available in CF. At 1GB, price difference is about 30% (but prices and performance vary widely). For many things (particularly WiFi--which doesn't matter for you--and GPS) the CF versions are reported to be better performing.

There are other things available for CF slots--like PCMCIA adapters, TV Tuners, SPDIF input cards, Video capture cards--that are not available for SDIO slots. But if you have no need for these more exotic functions, then this may not be a factor for you either.

Two other factors to weigh are portability and compatibility. If you are going to purchase and carry around multiple cards, SD may be better simply because they are much smaller than CF. And if you have any other devices that use one or the other, it might make sense to purchase a card compatible with your other device(s).

I used to buy exclusively CF memory and devices because of the (then) big price difference. Today, the price difference is shrinking and the availability of SD devices (cameras, video cameras, MP3 players) is now much greater than CF.

Is that enough opinion for you?

Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - The Pocket PC RSS, podcatcher, videocatcher
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[Menneisyys]

one other question too - this is the first device i've had w/ CF instead of SD - is there one i should use over the other for one thing or another? e.g. is one better for data and one for accessories (speed/prices/stability/reliability)?


In current PDA's, SD cards are a BIT faster than CF cards reading/writing-wise (it has nothing to do with file creation speed, which is very important in cases like relocating the PIE cache to a storage card). Nothing can be said for sure, though. You may want to benchmark your own cards in your own PDA to be absolutely sure which one is faster. I recommend using 'real-life' tools for this, NOT specialized benchmarking tools because they sometimes deliver completely useless results. You may want to consult http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36376 on this subject, mainly on the effects of low/fast file creation speeds.

As for separating (e.g., multimedia) data and programs, it's certainly better to separate them so that you still be able your programs on your PDA while you take out your 'multimedia' card to update in a card reader.

[Menneisyys]

You may also want to check out http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36674 on what can/should be installed on a memory card.

[zilla31]

huge help thanks... ok next question - will i need to upgrade my ROM first thing (i see dell has at least one upgrade for the x50v) how will i be able to tell?

[Menneisyys]

huge help thanks... ok next question - will i need to upgrade my ROM first thing (i see dell has at least one upgrade for the x50v) how will i be able to tell?

The upgrader app itself will tell you if you need the upgrade at all - it checks the current version. So, no unnecessary re-upgrade will be done.

[zilla31]

sweet thanks. does the new ROM have anything worthwhile in it?