Palm Deciding How to Compensate m130 Owners (Updated)

Several days ago, it was acknowledged by Palm Inc. that the m130's screen could not display the number of colors the company had previously advertised. The m130 starts with a 12-bit screen and uses dithering to increase the number of apparent colors displayed. Palm originally believed that this allowed the m130 to display the same number of colors as a 16-bit screen, which is 65,536. Instead, Palm's system can display what it describes as 58,621 color combinations.

Spokesperson Marlene Somsak has said this was an honest mistake on Palm's part and apologized on behalf of her company for this error and an apology appears on Palm's website, though not in a prominent place.

Several news sources, including Wired and Cnet have incorrectly said that Palm isn't going to reimburse m130 customers for its error. In fact, Palm is currently trying to decide on the best way to compensate these people.

Somsak said several plans are being debated, though she declined to give details on any of them. She said more information should be available in the near future

Palm will be getting in touch with all registered owners of the m130 by email to tell them whatever compensation plan is worked out.

Update: The law firm of Sheller, Ludwig & Badey has filed a class-action lawsuit against Palm for false advertising. It was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Santa Clara on behalf of m130 owners. The law firm requests a jury trial.

However, simply filing for such a suit does not mean that there will be one. It requires a court order certifying this as a class action and appointing Sheller, Ludwig & Badey to be counsel for the class.

How the m130 Displays Colors
Shawn Gettemy, Display Technology Engineer at Palm, was kind enough to give a detailed explanation of the workings of the m130's screen, and something of an explanation of what went wrong.

The m130 uses a passive matrix, super twist nematic (STN) screen. This is inherently capable of displaying 12-bit color, or 4,096 shades, through frame-rate control and 58,621 color combinations through dithering.

In frame-rate control, each pixel's color changes rapidly and the eye "averages" these into a new one. As a rough example, a pixel could rapidly switch between white and red and the user would see a shade of red or pink.

Gettemy said, "Frame-rate control is used by almost every color STN display on the market today."

While most handheld companies stop there, Palm used dithering to increase the number of apparent colors. "Dithering is where we take advantage of the eye's ability to perceive a shade of color by mixing colors with adjacent pixels," explained Gettemy. Unavailable shades can be created by mixing pixels of available colors in certain patterns and ratios.

What Went Wrong
It was the use of these techniques that led to the m130 being able to display fewer color combinations than Palm thought. Gettemy said, "The combination of the technologies limits the color combinations you can use without creating visual artifacts. This was something that was not initially apparent in the specification."

A 16-bit screen can display 65,536 colors, or 32 shades of red, 64 shades of green, and 32 shades of blue. Palm incorrectly believed it had matched this number of shades on the m130. After carefully looking over its algorithms again, it realized that the screen can actually display 58,521, or 31 shades of red, 61 shades of green, and 31 shades of blue.

The Debate Goes On
Palm's use of dithering has led to a debate on what constitutes a "true" 16-bit screen. There are some, including an0nym0vs, who was at the forefront of bringing this issue to light, who maintain that the m130's screen remains 12-bit and that dithering is irrelevant. There are others who agree with Palm and say that if the eye perceives a shade to be on the display, it is there, no matter how it was created.

The fact that the m130's screen isn't 16-bit doesn't affect what applications the m130 can run because the screen isn't the only part of the handheld involved, explains Scott Corley from Red Mercury.

According to him, the two parts of the video hardware involved are the frame buffer and the screen. The frame buffer is a chunk of memory that stores a value for each pixel. The screen is the physical LCD device that displays the image. The video chip controlling the screen reads a value for each pixel from the frame buffer and displays the corresponding color on the screen.

The m130 supports a 16-bit frame buffer. The m130 can switch to "16-bit mode", and in memory, each pixel is represented as 16-bits (two bytes), for a total of 65,536 possible values for each pixel. When an application says "I want 16-bit color mode" the m130 provides a 16-bit frame buffer.

"AcidImage runs just fine on an m130 when displaying JPEGs in 16-bit color, because the m130 provides AcidImage with a 16-bit frame buffer, and AcidImage thinks everything is fine, and in general, everything is fine," said Corley.

Even without dithering much less the additional colors Palm mistakenly believed the m130 had, the device is capable of displaying more colors than most applications make use of, according to Howard Tomlinson, CEO of Astraware.

"The standard Palm palette of about 230 colors is what the vast majority of color-enabled Palm applications use," said Tomlinson. Before dithering, the m130's screen can display 4,096 colors.

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Seems Only Fair

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 9:06:32 AM #
With all the bad publicity the Pocket PC platform has gotten lately, it seems only fair that Palm get some, too.

HP has had to put up with customers finding out that their 400 MHz iPaqs are no faster than 200 MHz ones. If that weren't enough, there's the petition trying to get them to fix all the problems with the old iPaqs.

http://www.ipaqpetition.com/

HP issued an official statement that told the thousands of people who signed this petition to be quiet and go away, there is nothing wrong with their handhelds. Stay tuned for news of the class action lawsuit.

RE: Seems Only Fair
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 4:18:35 PM #
Sorry, but you are wrong on the 400MHz issue. If you read the topic "XScale Performance" in the following
review

www.pocketpcpassion.com/iPAQ/3900/3900-1.htm

You will found out that the 400MHZ X-Scale gives you a lower fps when seeing mpeg video. So, actualy the 400MHz processor gives lower performance than the 200MHZ one. Weird, isn't it?

RE: Seems Only Fair
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/27/2002 10:57:59 PM #
Your right that it does get lower performance...But, It does use less Energy, resulting in some better battery life. Us Pocket PC users will do anything for better battery life.

Later,
Andrew


Iamchocolatemilk

Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 9:19:48 AM #
Now I get it...
When I was using Photoshop on my m130 last week (attached to the optional Wacom 9" x 12" graphics tablet) I couldn't get my match print to look like the screen display.
I thought it was because my plotter was having problems with the overall media size (I was printing a billboard at 1440dpi) but now I know it was the screen.
I guess I'll just need to continue to rely on my external 22" cinema display monitor.
RE: Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
Lock @ 8/23/2002 9:34:05 AM #
Ohhhhh.... I even changed the video board!
Thanks Palm, now I won't pass any other night without rest... ;]P

RE: Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:36:03 AM #
Palm photoshop, where can I get that.
RE: Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:47:35 AM #
You might try www.adobe.com

Since you are on Adobe's site, try to download After Efects for Palm, Ilustrator for Palm.

Be trying those, please make sure that your Palm is able to reach a refresh frequency of 85 Hz at 1024x768 pixels screen resolution.

Enjoy,
Dan

RE: Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
popko @ 8/23/2002 12:44:18 PM #
Damn! I want Flash MX and 3D Studio Max R5 for Palm!

RE: Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/24/2002 1:08:52 PM #
Very funny, and good point. People should have realistic expectations about the display on a Palm, and it does seem a little silly to be complaining about display quality on such a small device. But even so, when Palm advertises something as 16 bit, and people rely upon that statement when purchasing the Palm, then I think that Palm has a problem when that relied-upon statement turns out to be false. I'm not a fan of class action lawsuits, but hopefully Palm will do the right thing and provide some kind of compensation for these users.

adequate compensation

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 9:22:56 AM #
The only adequate compensation is an upgrade to a true 16 bit display as advertised or a refund for those who wish it.

Walter Mossberg of the WSJ agrees.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q10C25791

Anything less is going to result in a call to Attorney General's office for consumer fraud. For those wishing to pursue this route, be sure to print out a copy of Palm's own web pages as cached by google.com.

In this time of Enron's, Aurthor Anderson's, and Worldcom's, I sincerely hope Palm can show some integrity to do the right thing and not just be creative with their math.

RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 9:35:46 AM #
I agree Palm should offer a full refund, mostly because it will quiet Palm's critics, the vast majority of which aren't M130 owners. I've read all 253 comments under the previous article on this and I think there were less than 5 from people saying "I have an M130 and I'm angry". All I remember is 2 and both of those are from the same person.

When Compaq offered a refund for the three iPaq models it screwed up, few people took them up on it. Probably even fewer would if Palm did the same because people who buy the cheapest color handheld available don't demand the very best.

RE: Oh so it's our fault
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 9:54:11 AM #
it's our fault to say that Palm INC. is wrong .... Palm INC. can't do no wrong ...
RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 10:49:28 AM #
I bet a full refund for m130 owners (those who decide to go for it) will cost Palm less than it costs Sony to repair all the NR70 with broken MS ports.
RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:09:50 AM #
reparing the MS port is pretty cheap actually it just a component went lose, even a person that could hold a screw driver can fix that.

Giving full refund means Palm made 0 money (lose money) out of those M130 they sold/made.

If palm offer to upgrade the 12 bit screen might cost them even more than offering a full refund.

Yeah! Mental anguish!
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:20:30 AM #
Reminds me of the Serta commercial with F Lee Bailey and the sheep:

"Would it be safe to say you suffered mental anguish?"

"Yeah! Mental anguish!"

"I think we're talking big bucks here!"

RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:20:49 AM #
Well, cost of repairing MS port on NR70 may be less than $250-$279, but in overall it will cost Sony more because I don't see that many people returning their m130 for a refund. It's a relatively low cost model, bought by folks who don't care much for number of bits on the display. They are happy their palm is working, unlike pi**ed off NR70 owners.
RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 12:49:18 PM #
the cost of repairing the lose connection in NR Series is actually $0.00 excluding labor cost, most people could do it themselves if they are not afraid to void the warranty.

And ppl who bought the M130 are not people (remember they paid money it's not like they are begging palm for a PDA or palm donated them a PDA) who are happy that their device is working, people who buy M130 are expecting a color device not some halfass color screen with a overpriced price tag.

RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 12:54:56 PM #
> people who buy M130 are expecting a color device not some halfass color screen
> with a overpriced price tag.

Yeah, your right. The M130 is overpriced. The Treo 90 also has a 12-bit screen. Palm should charge the same amount Handspring does. Wait, that means, Palm will have to RAISE the price of the M130 by $50!!

Get real, the M130 (12-bit or whatever) is a VERY good deal for a color PDA.

RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 1:31:59 PM #
doesn't the Treo 90 has 16M memory and a builtin keyboard?
RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 1:35:18 PM #
But to hear some of these comments, the screen is the only thing that matters on the entire handheld. RAM, processor, buttons, none of those things have the slightest importance compared to whther a screen has 12 or 16 bit color.

Maybe Palm should put out a handheld that has a 16-bit screen and nothing else. I'll bet the people who are freaking out about the m130's screen will snap it up. It has everything they want.

RE: adequate compensation
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 8:09:46 PM #
We DO know it has 8mb of RAM, a 33 mhz processor, and 4 buttons...what's your point?
RE: adequate compensation
useybird @ 8/23/2002 9:20:45 PM #
But if you buy a 32 MB card for the Palm you still would not even get up to $300. BTW, I've used the keyboard on a Treo 90 and , IMO, It is barely usable. Grafitti is so much better than a small POS keyboard that's hard to get to the main menu on. I prefer a mid- or full-size keyboard to a built in thumbpad.

----------------------------------------
Senioritis: The chronic inflammation of the Senior.

Dithering doesn't count

Moosecat @ 8/23/2002 9:27:06 AM #
Wow. Palm's explanation is pretty lame as far as I am concerned. Are they saying that if they COULD dither their way to 65,000 colors it would have been okay to call it a 16-bit screen?

Why not introduce similar algorithms into a 16-bit screen and call it 32-bit (or whatever can be achieved)?

And on a 160x160 screen, dithering can be noticeable -- Palm acts like it is a totally transparent thing that no user would notice.

I'm in the crowd that says the difference between 12-bit and 16-bit is not very important. But that's no excuse for getting the facts wrong and then inventing an excuse for it.

RE: Dithering doesn't count
Scott R @ 8/23/2002 10:58:41 AM #
I agree. This is exactly what I've been saying on this and other sites. If dithering is a legitimate way to deliver a color (which it isn't), then why do they limit themselves by stating that the m515 can display 65,000 colors when, through the magic of dithering, it can actually display so much more (forgive me for not doing the math)?

Fess up and call it what it is, a 12-bit screen that can display 4096 colors but which is compatible with 16-bit color applications. Anything less is, at best, an insult to their customers and, at worse, continued false advertising and a lawsuit waiting to happen.

Scott

RE: Dithering doesn't count
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:13:49 AM #
>>If dithering is a legitimate way to deliver a color (which it isn't), then why do they limit themselves by stating that the m515 can display 65,000 colors when, through the magic of dithering, it can actually display so much more (forgive me for not doing the math)?

I don't disagree that they dropped the ball here, but the reason they would limit the use of dithering to creating just 65,000 colors is because that is what the OS and API support - there would be no way for application to take advantage of more then 65,000 colors. I am curious to know more about how dithering works in the m130 - and at what level. The main question is, is the use of this technique noticeable to the user? If it is being employed already, why haven't reviews mentioned problems with the quality of the display (assuming that dithering is 'always on' with the m130)?

RE: Dithering doesn't count
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:30:33 AM #
in comparing to treo90,

one has to conclude that it is at hardware level, or a special OS written for m130 with this algorithm.

But how come the result of this great effort is so dysmal? in color gradient test, the display shows up just like treo90, instead of somewhat closer to m515. (4096, 58,621, 65,536)

The first error could be an "honest mistake", but this explanation if turns out to be bogus, will not be an "honest mistake" anymore. It's an attempt to obfuscate.

RE: Dithering doesn't count
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:43:20 AM #
"But how come the result of this great effort is so dysmal? in color gradient test, the display shows up just like treo90, instead of somewhat closer to m515. (4096, 58,621, 65,536)"

Because a camera isn't going to be fooled *at*all* by visual tricks which might fool the human eye to a degree. Also, the degree to which a human's eyes will be fooled will vary with each human.

RE: Dithering doesn't count
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:48:49 AM #
if this technique relies on individual diference. How do we suppose to check 58,621?

it could be 68,991 for some person, and 21,456 to average person. Does palm has a research data that average population visual capability will see 58,621? We are entering the gray area of phenomenology here.

in the end, wouldn't this be exactly like Palm is saying "it's 58,621 if you can't see it, it's your eye's problem"

what's next? arguing that m130 really come with angel's wing and holy aura, but you really can't see it.

RE: Dithering doesn't count
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 12:55:27 PM #
"if this technique relies on individual diference. How do we suppose to check 58,621?"

That's the maximum number of combinations that can be created with their algorithm. You can verify it by multiplying 31*61*31.

"it could be 68,991 for some person, and 21,456 to average person."

Sorry, but the maximum color combinations is going to be the same. Whether or not someone can discern a difference is the only individually dependent question.

Worse Than I Thought
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 1:57:57 PM #
This explanation makes things worse for Palm's case, not better. I thought they somehow made an honest mistake and ended up with a 12 bit screen instead of a 16 bit one. Now they are saying that they knew all along it was 12 bit, but they called it 16 bit because of dithering. Dithering does not increase the bit depth of the screen, its a normal technique used to enhance the quality of any display. The bit depth should refer to actual hardware capability. Even if their dithering algorithm had achieved 65,536 colors it would still be a 12 bit screen.

Besides, they also claim to have a 160 X 160 resolution. When you dither you use more than one pixel to achieve the new color which reduces resolution. They can't have it both ways! To me this was outright lying, not an "honest mistake".


RE: Dithering doesn't count
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/24/2002 4:31:41 AM #
Where's the FTC? This is the most blatant false advertising I've seen yet.

This class action lawsuit has merit, for once. If Palm offered full refunds immediately like HP, I'd say lawsuit is out of the question. I think Palm decided that the class action suit would cost less than doing the right thing and offer compensation for their misdeeds.

I'll never trust any claims Palm makes regarding anything they produce since they tend to get creative with their product specifications.

RE: Dithering doesn't count
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/25/2002 3:20:45 AM #
>> I'll never trust any claims Palm makes regarding anything they produce since they tend to
>> get creative with their product specifications.

while i completely agree that they have/seem to misled people with the m130 - what other instances are there of palm inc getting "creative with their product specifications"?

A little perspective please
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/25/2002 3:28:00 AM #
There has been much outrage expressed on this subject. I agree that Palm should have the book thrown at them for wilfulling misleading their consumers. However, the screen, even though only 12-bit, is still better than most of the other colour screens on the market, regardless of the specifications.

Frankly it could have been much worse - don't forget the "paperwhite" screen on the t415 which was misleading and a terrible screen to boot.

Palm Posturing

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 9:23:55 AM #
I don't know whether to cheer this on as a victory for consumers or to feel sorry for the state that Palm, Inc has gotten themselves into.

It is good to know that Palm has decided to "compensate" buyers of the m130 for their "genuine" mistake - a mistake that shouldn't happen in the first place and if it did - Palm should have immediately taken positive remedies to appease their customers and protect their brand - instead of flip-flopping like a fish out of water.

Yes, we should not be too harsh - people do make genuine mistakes but having just messed up the whole m505 cradle affair not too long ago and still etched fresh in the minds of many Palm supporters, I am amazed it took them nearly a week to come to this conclusion.

Not that they can afford it both financially nor with their reputation but why oh why? It begs us loyal Palm users to ask this question:

Who is running Palm, Inc and why isn't this person asked to leave? How long more can Palm survive mistakes that are made again and again, even if it was genuine.

RE: Palm Posturing
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/24/2002 4:18:38 AM #
It does look like Palm was desperate to sell their P.O.S. m125 by using deceiving infomation and outright falsehoods. I HATE dealing with companies that use deceptive phrasing to falsify product claims through consumer IGNORANCE and CONFUSION. Just because you can rip off people without them knowing it doesn not make it right. 65,000 colors through dithering is an attemt at making the consumer THINK they are getting the same thing as the Clie, Prism, or m515 when in fact they are getting 12-bit passive screen crap. if you dither a 16 bit screen how many color 'combinations' could you get? Why doesn't Palm use the same method to advertise their m505 and m515? Because they don't have to LIE about those products to make the screen sound better than they are. 12 bit is 12 bit period -- none of the Palminista propaganda "looks like 16 bit...". I gues it all depends on what the word 'is' is....

Palm DESERVES to get sued for deceptive advertising practices. It's a wonder how anyone could defend this pathetic behaviour.

Big Deal

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 9:34:44 AM #
Big deal. So users got short 3K colors. I don't see how it would have kept one user from purchasing the m130 because it only has 58K colors.
RE: Big Deal
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 10:11:50 AM #
They don't get shorted 3k colors. They get shorted around 61k. That is a big deal, because dithering sucks.

Thomas Wilburn

RE: Big Deal
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:21:01 AM #
>>They don't get shorted 3k colors. They get shorted around 61k. That is a big deal, because dithering sucks.

So dithering 'sucks'? No reviewers or users had complained that the technique caused the display to look bad. My only question is - does dithering actually make it appear as though there are extra colors? If so - why should i care?

RE: Big Deal
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 11:45:24 AM #
A picture of sexy naked skin would looks like a blotchy zebra instead. all clear now? :-)
RE: Big Deal
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/23/2002 12:03:36 PM #
>> Big deal. So users got short 3K colors. I don't see how it would have kept one user from purchasing the m130 because it only has 58K colors.


Its dishonest, and consumers were duped. Consider dithering a very poor color "emmulation." If this is the case, consumers should be TOLD the color is emmulated, as opposed to advertising the product as something with a much higher-quality screen, such as the 515. Its nearly bait-and-switch.

A similar situation would be what AMD has done with their chip-speed specification. Their chips run at a lower clock-cycle than the Intel chips, so they came out with their own rating system that puts it more on par with the Intel chips. The good thing is that they advertise the "simulated" clock-speed, while still telling the consumer the ACTUAL clock-rate. To have done otherwise would have been dishonest, and would open the doors for companies to slap whatever speed sticker they want on their products. As a whole, this could have been very BAD for consumers, because we wouldn't know what we were buying. Fortunately, AMD took the high-road (mostly).

If you're willing to let companies get away with misrepresentations such as with the m130, then perhaps you should request some vaseline the next time you buy your PDA, because several "specifications" will be inaccurate, for sure.

Be a responsible consumer and hold companies accountable for misrepresentations such as these.

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