Comments on: HandEra Calls 240 by 320 Resolution an 'Emerging Standard'

Works for what, providing a small color box with double the resolution? HandEra has shown that the current Palm OS can support portrait and landscape screens. Currently 240x320 screens are readily available in color and greyscale from many vendors instead of Sony's custom 320x320 stuff. HandEra's design also scales up more nicely to other resolutions (could probably do Sony's 320x320 with minor additions) and provides APIs for that including screen rotation. As far as I know their soft graffiti area API is somewhat separate from the QVGA support, so it should be possible to support HandEra's API for soft graffiti on things like the new Samsung phone/PDA. Sony's screen may be higher resolution, but HandEra's technology is more practical and interesting.

To achieve the 320x320 resolution on the Clie, Sony had to add a dedicated graphics accelerator. The accelerator takes care of the line doubling for backwards compatibility as well as giving a much needed speed boost to compensate for the hi-res overhead.

Handera took a cheaper, easier and more universal (in my opinion) approach. Applications must be written to use the hi-res features. Old apps will continue to run, but only part of the screen is used.

I'm a Clie owner, and I especially love the hi-res screen. Personally, I really don't like Handera's "awkward" resolution and virtual graffiti is really something that doesn't appeal to me. However I do see this technology winning out in the long run, since it's the easiest and more universal method to implement. Unless Sony bullies their tech into the market, of course.

i must be one of the few people who doesn't like the idea of virtual graffiti. something tells me it will be slower, more cumbersome, and not as responsive. increased resolution, however, is a must...i don't care what the standard is, as long as it will support older apps.

I just bought a Handera and I'm loving it. the VG is really nice. It's not slow at all. And the grafitti accuracy is tops. It didn't take long to get used to at all, and now I feel kinda cramped when I'm using my old IIIC. Just MHO.

Oh boy, the one desperate CLIE owner who can't accept why anyone might like some other handheld. Get over it, and get a life. The world has it figured out who you are. You bash HandEra exactly the same way every chance you get.

I didn't like the idea of virtual graffiti either, until I used it. HandEra did a very good job of making the graffiti area collapsable yet more accessible than the "pop up over" method in WinCE.

As for hacks, most hacks that use the screen and were written for the old resolution won't work, not as much because of the virtual graffiti but because of the different resolution. But they CAN be updated, like any other program. McPhling has already been updated, and was one of the developer contest winners. I've been using it on my 330 for a while now, and it works great!

Talk about Handera bias!

WinCE or Pocket PC already have 240x320 resolution. Why would Palm go with the same resolution when 320x320 would offer Palm the advantage of having the best resolution in the PDA business. I know people who were set to buy PocketPC until they saw 320x320 vs. 320x240.

Sony may have shown how their 320x320 works, but are notoriously bad at sharing their proprietary technology with others.

So 240x320 may well become the standard for everyone else, since Handera's willing to share, while Sony sits on its 320x320 screens and proclaims superiority.

"Standard," after all, refers to the minimums adhered to by the industry as a whole, not the top-of-the-line that may be available.

--rueyeet the semantic nitpicker

I drooled over the Clie 320x320 color when it came out. I really wanted one. Then I saw the QVGA of the Handera. It is very clear and sharp and provides a larger actual viewing area not just a higher resolution.

Viewable area has been the one area that the WinCE/PocketPC has always had an advantage in. This is the first step in erasing that difference.

Handera has to front of the line for innovation with the 330. The screen is superior to any Palm OS PDA out there. I think color is currently more gimick than necessity.

As more color apps and QVGA apps come out and the 66Mhz DragonBall is implemented I can easliy see a Handera with a QVGA Color screen that makes the PocketPC crowd say "WOW!"

> WinCE or Pocket PC already have 240x320 resolution.
> Why would Palm go with the same resolution when
> 320x320 would offer Palm the advantage of having the
> best resolution in the PDA business.

Because 240x320 is a standard size of screens like these. They are used in a lot of PDA's, and they're much cheaper than making your own custom screens.

All I can say is, please notice these rules on posting:

• Inflammatory, Inappropriate, Illegal, or Offensive comments may be moderated/deleted.
• Want to talk about something other than this story? Try the Forums.

In general, all that gets removed is personal attacks on other users, totally off topic comments, and flamebait, which I define as comments posted for no reason other than to start an arguement that has been rehashed a million times before. We had an unofficial poll a while back on flamebait posts and I don't think anyone came out in support of them.

"I posted first" is always off topic.

For every complaint I get from someone that I deleted their flame, I get a compliment that these forums actually contain useful information. If all you want to do is carry out flame wars, there are plenty of other sites available.

---
News Editor

I'm not trying to start an argument, but isn't this discussion itself totally off topic?

I think the main title of this thread isn't very accurate. It isn't 240x320 that they're calling an emerging standard, it's their APIs. To support HandEra 330's screen completely, you need to support various resolutions. It's 240x320 with the virtual graffiti area closed, but 240x240 with it open. In landscape mode there's something like 320x160 with the virtual graffiti area open and 320x240 with it closed. Their APIs support all of that, and handling other resolutions seems possible if they wanted to do it that way.

When I saw this article earlier today I was skeptical. But the more I think about it, 240 x 320 may not be so crazy after all.

Look at these issues.

1) Most would agree a "soft" graffiti area is a desirable and likely future of Palm OS.

2) Pocket PC screens are 240 x 320

3) 320x320 is cool. But 320 x 320 with soft graffiti would be 320 x 480. That's probably too expensive.

The convergance of #1 and #2 make 240 x 320 actually something plausable. There would be economies of scale by matching the screen resolution of the Pocket PC screens.

It would, also, match the one thing that Pocket PC types point to as an advantage over Palm -- bigger screens.

So, as much as I think the current HandEra implementation is "cludgey" (Sony pixel doubling obviously is more elegant) - I do think that this might happen.

It all depends on what Palm thinks...

>> It all depends on what Palm thinks... <<

Actually, since Sony's agreement with Palm allows Palm to get all the OS extensions, etc. that Sony makes, while HandEra's agreement would require Palm to negotiate a license agreement from HandEra, it really depends on what Sony thinks. Why would Palm license something from HandEra they could get for free from Sony?

Palm may get get Sony's software OS extensions, but my understanding is that Sony's hi-res API is just all of Palm's calls with an "HR" stuck on the beginning of the functions and the old Palm API calls draw 2x2 pixels instead of a single pixel. Palm would still have to write new code to interface with whatever hardware they decide to use, since Sony's likely under no obligation to give them a good price on that. That's why I would expect 240x320 screens might be more appealing to some manufacturers, since they're more commonly available.

HandEra's API seems more flexible in that it mainly uses the existing Palm drawing/windowing APIs, but expects programmers to check and use what size the window/screen actually is. So it's not really fixed to 240x320 either, except that they provide functions to scale up legacy screens up to the new resolution. Probably more of a pain for some developers porting old apps, but more flexable in the long run.

A standard can still be optional. There's nothing preventing a color 240x320 screen from appearing. HandEra has shown a very high level of backward compatability. The only way to avoid any distortion is to just keep doubling the screen resolution, which is a horrible route to take. The Palm OS needs to move more in the direction of supporting varying resolutions, not just two square ones.

I agree completely. Are Palm, Handspring, Sony, & Handera listening?

320x480? Now tell me,how does one extend that to the next level? Pixel double that to 640x960? Um, yuck.

The advantage of QVGA is that it is one "Quarter" of VGA resolution. Yes, it's slightly smaller now, but not by a heck of a lot. And it can then pixel-double straight to true 640x480. Have you seen a PDA-sized true VGA screen? I have, and it was drool-worthy. And it makes development a whole lot easier, because it's a standard 4:3 aspect ratio used by the rest of the universe. What do you think your desktop is running?

Of course, we all know that it's not technical superiority that wins the day, it's marketing superiority. See also: Betamax, Macintosh.

After using the IPAQ (320x240), Handera330 (320x240), several 160x160 palms, and the Clie (320x320), my favorite screen is the Clie's. So, I definitely don't want to take a step backwards to 320x240, but I'd like a virtual grafitti area too (assuming someone creates a DA launcher that works with it... or maybe this has happened already?)

A few points on the discussion... not all desktop resolutions are 4:3 and even if they were, that doesn't mean it's appropriate for a handheld. 480x320 is 3:2, which is not that much different. Also, it's twice the resolution of QVGA... the smaller pixels come in handy for displaying maps and photos on a palm device.

I see no reason to stick with 240x320 as opposed to 320x480 (which I'll call HVGA). (1) It doesn't matter if CE uses QVGA. (2) HVGQ screens are not necessarily going to be significantly more expensive. (3) Using a better video controller is not a bad thing. (4) The Clie is not slow and the upcoming 66 MHz dragonball with an upgraded video controller should be fine for 480x320.

Note that the video controller used in the Clie maxes out at 320x320 so another controller would be needed.

No, it's an announcement of a licensing program, which is by definition an attempt to get others to adopt your scheme. If the company had announced a licensing program along with a major licensee, I would have been less skeptical, but right now, it doesn't hold water. It's just marketing bluster.

Other PDA's (mostly PPC's) have had 320x240 resolution for some time now. So yes, that resolution is a standard, and is "emerging" in Palm based units. So no, Handera technically *isn't* the only one making/marketing this unless you severely limit your inclusion solely to Palm OS devices. It used to be they were the only player in this market, but PPC has given the market advances that have allowed it to viably compete. Additionally, Linux based PDA's are starting to arrive. They aren't much to look at yet, but neither was PPC when it was WinCE.

The attitude of "we're the only ones and so we don't need to innovate" is what has cost Palm so dearly to date. WinCE/PPC should never have become the player it is. If Palm had innovated like this in the first place, they would still hold the market share they already had, or at least a significant portion of what they no longer hold.

That's exactly my point in "I love it," above.

It would be nice to see a biz/game merger to make developers' lives easier. Yes, apps can break when "hires" is checked on a CLIE, but they still fill the screen when "hires" is left unchecked.

I'm not sure that even Palm would end this by choosing a "standard." I think they'd rather have multiple "standards," which only makes life worse for end-users, I think.

I'm glad you chimed in to this discussion. Is the H330 your primary device? It is a hell of a piece of work.

Why are people so enamored with virtual Graffiti? WinCE devices had them for a long time, and I hated it when I was using it. It's a nuissance. Jeff H did it right by not offering it with Palm.

If you want to see a slick virtual graffiti area, look at these shots of QNX running on an iPAQ.

http://staff.qnx.com/~cdm/shots/ipaq/

Virtual graffiti is nice because it gets out of the way, giving you more screen space during non-character input tasks (which ideally most PDA use is non-character input) as well as a portrait/landscape display for image display and web browsing. You can replace it with a virtual keyboard, or even in the HandEra's case, a keyboard that you can also graffiti on top of. As someone else posted, I also like it because it's backlit and provides input echo in the dark or low light.