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.
Related Information:
- PIC: Palm Confirms m130 Does Not Have 16-Bit Screen (August 19, 2002)
- PIC Forum: M130 is not 16-bit, it's actually 12-bit
- PIC: Palm m130 Review (April 1, 2002)
Permalink
PrintArticle Comments
(126 comments)
The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.
Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.
RE: Seems Only Fair
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
Later,
Andrew
Iamchocolatemilk
Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
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
Thanks Palm, now I won't pass any other night without rest... ;]P
RE: Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
RE: Palm Photoshop Users Disappointed
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
adequate compensation
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
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
RE: adequate compensation
RE: adequate compensation
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!
"Would it be safe to say you suffered mental anguish?"
"Yeah! Mental anguish!"
"I think we're talking big bucks here!"
RE: adequate compensation
RE: adequate compensation
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
> 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
RE: adequate compensation
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
RE: adequate compensation
----------------------------------------
Senioritis: The chronic inflammation of the Senior.
Dithering doesn't count
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
>> 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
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
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
Palm DESERVES to get sued for deceptive advertising practices. It's a wonder how anyone could defend this pathetic behaviour.
Big Deal
RE: Big Deal
Thomas Wilburn
RE: Big Deal
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
RE: Big Deal
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.
Only the first 50 comments are displayed within the article.Click here for the full story discussion page...
Latest Comments
- I got one -Tuckermaclain
- RE: Don't we have this already? -Tuckermaclain
- RE: Palm brand will return in 2018, with devices built by TCL -richf
- RE: Palm brand will return in 2018, with devices built by TCL -dmitrygr
- Palm phone on HDblog -palmato
- Palm PVG100 -hgoldner
- RE: Like Deja Vu -PacManFoo
- Like Deja Vu -T_W
Seems Only Fair
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.