Related
Can someone please explain the easiest way to get VGA resolution on my XDA Exec? Am I right in assuming that although the screen has a 640x480 resolution, they use pixel doubling to negate it and it actually runs at the same resolution as my Dell Axim X5 (320x240)?
Is there a simple registry hack that disables this, or do I have to botch around installing a hack and then trying to botch all my apps to run in the new resoluition? Does anyone know if TomTom5 works in VGA mode?
I'm sure this has been covered already, but some of the topics are 13+ pages and date back quite a bit, and the site is a tad slow to trawl through lots of postings and searching for VGA brings up hundreds of topics.
Thanks in advance for your helps folks.
This is the best thread - there is a ZIP file on page one that I dobwloaded and it contains all the instructions to get things working
http://forum.xda-developers.com/viewtopic.php?t=32217
this is the post I didn't particularly want to have to trawl through, as it's 13 pages long and really slow to switch pages.
TheFair - as noted above, there is a zip containing instructions. You don't have to read all 13 pages, although it's useful background reading - we didn't write all 13 pages just for fun .
I had to do VGA again yesterday, for the first time in a long time, and it's very simple. Basically:
Unzip, copy files to windows, click ozvga, reset.
V
OK, thanks Vijay. Will I need to install your Bigphone application and replace other system apps once done? Also, any idea if TTN5 works in VGA mode? As my XDA is used primarily as a SatNav, I'll stick with QXGA if it's not going to work properly.
Thanks
thefair1973: VJBigPhone can be used to make the phone app usable again, (I don't use my Uni as a phone, so I don't use it ) Replacing system apps etc is optional, but obviously helpful if you use the apps effected.
No idea about TTN5, but it's basically one click to revert to QVGA, so I'd do a backup and just give it a go if I were you!
V
great, thanks very much for your help Vijay.
I use TTN5 and VGA. TTN appears to drive the screen directly, so you don't get any extra resolution, but it works fine
I use TTN5 and VGA. TTN appears to drive the screen directly, so you don't get any extra resolution, but it works fine
Is VGA in Universal already perfected? Which applications are still not showing right upon application of this hack?
Just finished reading the VGA thread. I have a headache now. One important question though, I am using the latest JASJAR ROM, would OZVGA work on this new ROM?
Yes, I did it yesterday with no probs.
V
vijay555 said:
Yes, I did it yesterday with no probs.
V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Vijay! I just performed a hard reset, so I am ready to try something new. I downloaded the file compliled by Khashim I believe, I'll check if I got his name right. Which one did you use? Is it the file from Carnivor or Khashim? (Yes it is Khashim.)
I think originally I used Carnivor's, but frankly, I had an old set of files that had been sitting on my SD card for some time (I've posted the zip in that thread as well, towards the end).
However, I don't think there's a big difference. Use the one that sounds positive. It's easy to copy over new files if required. But you should only need to fiddle with it if you see problems in some of your apps. I don't use many apps, but I don't see any problems.
V
I tried. It does look wonderful for browsing using PIE. But I do agree that the font are too small. I also tried VJBigPhone and it did made the buttons larger, but the bottom part has a different color. Did I miss something about the skin?
Comm Manager has the same problem about the skin on the bottom part.
I love how ozVGA changes PIE, but weighing the benefits on other applications I use, I decided it is not for me at the moment. I hope someday someone can implement an application to run a specific application on VGA mode selectively and not implement it on the whole device. Thanks for the responses.
cktlcmd said:
I love how ozVGA changes PIE, but weighing the benefits on other applications I use, I decided it is not for me at the moment. I hope someday someone can implement an application to run a specific application on VGA mode selectively and not implement it on the whole device. Thanks for the responses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
try tweaks 2k2 vga brute force
cktlcmd: there is a background fix for the phone on my webpage and in the VJBigPhone thread. I haven't looked at the comm manager fix yet.
Waiting for a more selective pixel doubling patch may take a while or be futile. I think it's possible but I've not had time to implement my own hack yet.
V
I've done the VGA hack & overall its a major improvement.
The size of toolbars & the fact that some fonts are too small is a nause, same as the programs that don't display properly. But its SOOO good to see so much text on the screen.
To be honest, if it doesn't really run at 640x480, is it not a case of false advertisment? Just a thought.
xyon: it is running at VGA (640x480), but just making everything sharper and emulating 320x240. I asked an Orange spokesman once and he said they were going for "quality over quantity". I suspect they just didn't know how bloody persistent haxxors could be
I prefer 640x480, but it does make day to day usage inconvenient. Perhaps all apps will eventually have native 640x480 support. But given how many years it took to go back to square screen support, I'm not very hopeful!
V
I have installed a few freeware programs which I think have not got as much attention and praise as they deserve at this website.
Instead of File explorer, I am using Total commander, which still will be my main file tool. But I have missed the opportunity to find files and to search for files by writing a word in the file. GSFinder+ offers these opportunities. Go to http://page.freett.com/todamitsu/GSFinderE.htm
The built-in graphics software is very limited. If we want to make major revision of graphics, we will of course do it on the PC. But it is still nice to have a few more possibilities on the Universal. This is offered by XnView Pocket. The program loads the graphics faster and lets you resize the pictures, adjust brightness, contrast and gamma, convert it to other file formats, crop, sharpen, smooth and reduce noise. It is also reads 13 different graphic formats. Go to http://www.pocketpcfreewares.com/en/index.php?soft=877
I have also installed Pocket Notepad. Strictly speaking, a notepad is not important on the Universal which loads Word Mobile so quickly. But I somehow feel that the suite of programs is more complete with the notepad. Go to http://tillanosoft.com/ce/pnotepad.html
Thank you....
Thank you very much hansof! I have been looking for a light and freeware tif image viewer and I finally found one with your help! Great softs! Keep those recomendations coming!!!
N
I'm frustrated by the way pdf's are forced to completely redraw (or maybe reload) themselves when you scroll around within a page. It makes them a time consuming hassle. Is there any way to make it scroll smoothly? I'm using the clearvue pdf viewer that was loaded with the Cingular 812555.
u have mobipocket and others, but most of them arnt free...
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eNews/default.asp
and im not sure if it solves ur problem, i just suggest alternatives to try...
Thanks trashman for the suggestion. I'm not worried about paying for the program if it does the trick (though of course I would rather find it for free). Does anybody out there know if mobipocket will help smooth out scrolling when viewing PDF's?
mgspeed said:
Thanks trashman for the suggestion. I'm not worried about paying for the program if it does the trick (though of course I would rather find it for free). Does anybody out there know if mobipocket will help smooth out scrolling when viewing PDF's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't display PDF's, you'll need to convert them, which may result in problems unless your PDF source is fully text-based.
That is, don't even try to convert a, say, graphics-heavy tech book to the Mobi format.
dunno with heavy graphics but with normal graphics, pictures and so on i have no problem with it...and it scroll fast on text and relatively smooth on graphics...
but mene is correct, u cant read a pdf right away, it need to be "converted"...
Trashman said:
dunno with heavy graphics but with normal graphics, pictures and so on i have no problem with it...and it scroll fast on text and relatively smooth on graphics...
but mene is correct, u cant read a pdf right away, it need to be "converted"...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup, with a normal, say, literature book the Mobi format is much better than PDF.
I for one am a fairly heavy PDF user and have always gone back to the bloated Adobe Reader 2.0. Just found this Foxit Reader for Windows Mobile which is still beta but was quite impressive. No installation, just a small executable that I copied to my Program Files directory and changed the PDF default viewer in the registry. It has a stupid nag screen and an Evaluation banner at the top of the that I'm sure will disappear when it's actually released. Looks like it has promise.....
I tried 'em all on my 8125, and settled on Foxit Reader. It only cost me $9.99 for a licensed version, and it works as well as any. It is very fast, takes up very little room and redraws seamlessly. The only drawback to it is that it has no find function. But tables of contents and links within documents are both fully functional. It's the best pdf viewer I've used in all my years of using PDAs and Handhelds.
This is the URL to the beta download, but if you contact the company they are very good about communicating with you.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/foxitreader/rd_ppc.php
You can contact Sales here: [email protected]
I did have some trouble in getting the licensed version to keep my registration key from one session to the next, and had to get about 4 different "new" versions from them before they finally got me the fully licensed executable, but they didn't give up and their replies were timely.
Overall I'm very happy with it. I even open 6+Mb manuals with it and it is very fast in doing so, and just as fast in navigating within those large documents.
G'luck
Okay. The I downloaded the Fox Reader evaluation. Is there anyway to make it the default reader once you get the licensed version?
By the way - it's much quicker to use than the clearvue reader.
RepliGo PDF Mobilizer looks quite nice as well. The viewer for pocketpc is free, but you'll need to convert your PDFs to a custom format with their software, which is shareware (but nothing a quick search with Google can't fix).
The converted files are about half the size of the original PDF without losing layout/features etc.
addicus said:
Okay. The I downloaded the Fox Reader evaluation. Is there anyway to make it the default reader once you get the licensed version?
By the way - it's much quicker to use than the clearvue reader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use a registry editor, navigatate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Look for pdffile. The Shell\Open\Command. Open the key and copy the text to the clipboard. (Mine says "\\Program Files\FoxitReader for WiM5.0.exe" %1" Close that and go down to Opendoc\Command and replace the text in the entry there.
Dr Puttingham said:
Use a registry editor, navigatate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. Look for pdffile. The Shell\Open\Command. Open the key and copy the text to the clipboard. (Mine says "\\Program Files\FoxitReader for WiM5.0.exe" %1" Close that and go down to Opendoc\Command and replace the text in the entry there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just found this thread again. I dl'd total commander and this worked perfectly. Thanks Dr.!!!!!
This is what I got from the iGuidance support team. I was excited to hear the solution was so simple.
Hi,
What you are asking is the capability to keep both QVGA & VGA.exe's on your PPC and be able to switch back and forth depending on your applications.
iGuidance will initially install both VGA and QVGA.exe's, but after first launch on your PPC, the program will automatically detect and keep the file according to which mode your PDA has and delete the other one.
For example, immediately after you've installed iGuidance on your PPC and BEFORE you try launching the program, under your program files\iNav\iGuidance directory, initially you will have:
iguidanceVGA.exe
iguidanceQVGA.exe
iguidance.exe
iGuidance.exe isn't QVGA nor VGA. It launches when you launch iGuidance, checks resolution of your PPC, deletes the wrong one, and relaunches the right one.
Thus, the only way to keep both VGA and QVGA exe's are to delete iguidance.exe immediately after installation, then launch iguidanceVGA.exe or iguidanceQVGA.exe manually from the program files\iNav\iGuidance directory based on your need.
Hope this information helps.
Thank you.
Support Team
www.inavcorp.com
In the next few days I hope to whip up a mortscript to see what the current res is and launch the right version for it and also test the VGA version on 128dpi (the default for 128 is QVGA, which is why I asked in the first place - it works, but the icons overlap & some other funky-but-useable stuff.)
Awhile back I posted an even easier solution. Set both of the resolution bound exe´s as “read only”. By doing this you can use the standard launcher in the usual manner.
One caveat, in 128dpi, using this method, the vga app will launch. The menus in the qvga app are better for 128dpi.
Why wouldn't you just create a .lnk to whatever executable
you wish to initiate Iguidance in qvga or vga?
That's what I actually use now. Just wanted to point out that writing a script was not necessary.
The blessing of the developer
RO is, quite frankly, much more ingenious than this solution! Sorry I didn't find it before I spouted off.
I do like the idea of doing things that are supported, and the QVGA does look better, if not perfect, in 128dpi, so I just made shortcuts to each. Also, this way if I have to flash, I can restore my start menu/programs and not worry about blowing one away if I forget to change the properties. It's more clutter, but worth the safety.
Ninja1, the world needs more brains like yours. please keep posting your thoughts!
Just had a look at Marketplace and can't see an ebook reader client.
Anyone know of one please? I would have thought that the HD2 big screen was perfect for reading.
The HD2 is excellent for reading ebooks, but you need to specify which format your ebooks are in.
My preference is for Mobipocket but this can't handle protected eReader files. For that you would need to download eReader . However I couldn't get this to install from the PC installer, though it's OK from This topic using the CAB file.
Thanks Neil, I'll give them both a try.
I like both but prefer Mobipocket!
Just a hint though- with both you need to go into the options to select screen tapping to tunr pages as the HD2 doesn't have a D-Pad
Oh- & both are free programs!
What is an ebook? I mean what is the file extension? Is there only one format for all the ebooks out there? Is it a LIT like the Microsoft Reader, or a different format?
alex fung said:
What is an ebook? I mean what is the file extension? Is there only one format for all the ebooks out there? Is it a LIT like the Microsoft Reader, or a different format?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The file extensions are dependent on the format the ebook is encoded with, which determines which ebook reader needs to be used.
Ebooks are either encrypted or open format. To comply with the publishers requirements, all mainstream ebooks are encrypted, and different formats use different modes of protection. There is an increasing problem with being able to buy ebooks in different countries- for example many ebooks available from FictionWise can't be downloaded in UK due to licensing restrictions, but another company, BooksOnBoard have a bigger selection of globally available titles.
As you mention, Microsoft Reader used the .lit extension, but as this program doesn't work with WM6 it's a bit of a problem. There are other programs than can read .lit files, such as uBook (microbook) but they can't read any with DRM. There are ways however to strip the DRM on the PC version of MS Reader which still works.
The earliest mobile ebook reader was on the Palm Pocket, and the program I mentioned above, eReader works with these files which are still being used for mainstream books. They have the .pdb file extension
Mobipocket books have the .prc file extension but Mobipocket can also read html, text files and unencrypted eReader files.
There is unfortunately a move towards more proprietary formats with the release of devices like the Amazon and Sony ebook hardware. Also, many new ebooks are being released using the ePub format which is an Adobe protocol and is not available for any mobile devices.
Sorry for the long post! Its abit of a soapbox for me as I've been usign ebooks for a long time and relish the idea of having a large number of books always available on my devcie, especially on holiday. I don't like the way my choice has been limited more and more over the past year!
If you have your books in simple text formats (ie txt, rtf, doc, html), alreader should be perfect for you.
the format which is winning the ebook format wars is .epub and there is areader out there for that particular format...Freda
blackheart2925 said:
the format which is winning the ebook format wars is .epub and there is areader out there for that particular format...Freda
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that- it's a very good start. It is only for non-encrypted ePub files though, and unfortunatley the vast majority of commercial titles are encrypted
NeilM said:
Thanks for that- it's a very good start. It is only for non-encrypted ePub files though, and unfortunatley the vast majority of commercial titles are encrypted
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are tools on the internet that can be used for decrypting DRM-protected EPUBS (a Google search on INEPT will lead you in the right direction). Depending where you live, it may or may not be legal for you to download and use them though
Jim
I use Micrsoft Reader and Mobipocket. First because I have a big archive with books in .lit format, and the second one because I can convert lots of formats in books who works for it and I like this program allot. one problem if I can call it a problem is lack of updates for it. For example to make progress bar from bottom of page bigger or to make some animation with page flip (now I see iPad have implemented that). It may seem like some graphics nonsense but I think this are very important because of psychological effect (feeling good reading a book but filing good about it from start of the program) at the end of day you read a book to relax and feel good (technical or any educational books come usual in .pdf format so are not included in discussion). and I think because of power and size of screen HD2 deserve better graphics. Don't forget that iPhone had big success because of better graphics with a OS witch odder ways it was waaaaay inferior to WM, just because of that psychological effect created by very well designed graphics.
Grab a copy of freda (search here on xda). It's the best free epub reader out there. There'll be a new version released soon by Jim.
I do like Freda, but it's not finger friendly. Particularly the Library View. You need fingers like a small bushbaby to select a particular book.
Best I've tried up to now though.
I used Palm to read ebooks since lots of years ago, when I moved to WM I still using the same aplication: iSilo
iSilo consist in two aplications... one in WM wich you use to read and another on the pc wich you use to encode the files to iSilo format (pdb). You can encode lots of file formats including plain txt and html (with images) or grab complete websites.
I love iSilo cause a 5 megabytes pdf can be just a 200k pdb file and got autoscroll with is a feature I love to read books (ipad don't have that)
Alpha4 said:
I do like Freda, but it's not finger friendly. Particularly the Library View. You need fingers like a small bushbaby to select a particular book.
Best I've tried up to now though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you've popped some feedback on the freda thread. Jim is always looking for improvements so comments from the user base will drive this!
Yep I will fix that display to make the lines a bit bigger. Actually, I've been thinking about implementing a setting to let the user control the font-size and line spacing used for controls (because some people don't mind poking the screen with a fingernail, whereas others really want to use finger-tips - but there is a trade-off in that the larger the controls, the fewer lines will fit the screen).
Anyhow, I had been thinking the setting should have values called 'small/medium/large', but it's clear that what I need is 'bushbaby/human/gorilla'
Thanks for using Freda.
Jim
what about flip page animation like in SPB Shell v.2 or iPad? Is that posible to implement?
Jim Chapman said:
Yep I will fix that display to make the lines a bit bigger. Actually, I've been thinking about implementing a setting to let the user control the font-size and line spacing used for controls (because some people don't mind poking the screen with a fingernail, whereas others really want to use finger-tips - but there is a trade-off in that the larger the controls, the fewer lines will fit the screen).
Anyhow, I had been thinking the setting should have values called 'small/medium/large', but it's clear that what I need is 'bushbaby/human/gorilla'
Thanks for using Freda.
Jim
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Jim, sounds good. One point I will make is that the HD2 has a capacitive touch screen and, as you no doubt know, a fingernail won't register a touch at all. Almost any other body part is fine though .
I look forward to the next version of Freda.
carbunaru said:
what about flip page animation like in SPB Shell v.2 or iPad? Is that posible to implement?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Freda has a rather simplistic animation which appears when you scroll up/down, or slide pages left/right. It would be nice to more sophisticated animation approach (like Stanza for instance), which shows the page contents distorted and shaded as they turn. I may implement that at some stage, but it would be complicated because I'd have to use the DirectDraw Sprite APIs, rather than the regular .NetCF GDI APIs - and that (a) would involve a fair amount of re-writing (b) might create portability problems.
Thanks for your interest in Freda,
Jim
Thanks for answer. I think a program with this kind of features will became no one on market because the trent (made by Apple) is for people to looking to "looks" of progams and not their utility.
Just my opinion.