Database Users

Color depth? 16bit or more?

I am trying to decide which phone to buy: Touch Pro , Touch HD, or others. I like the bigger screen on this one but I read somewhere that it is only 16bit color (65k colors). Is that true or was the review mistaken? It seems strange sicne that wouldn't be enough for good quality pictures and video.

rogerbacon50 said:
I am trying to decide which phone to buy: Touch Pro , Touch HD, or others. I like the bigger screen on this one but I read somewhere that it is only 16bit color (65k colors). Is that true or was the review mistaken? It seems strange sicne that wouldn't be enough for good quality pictures and video.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More than enough for any human, 65k like any other good ppc.

I think I saw in the specs that it's an 18-bit screen.
I also read that WM only supports up to 16-bit colour.
16-bit isn't enough for all purposes, especially photos with smooth gradients such as blue skies. Of course 18-bit would still give some banding.

OK, I did some mroe reading and the screens are 18 bit (both Touch pro and Touch hd) but the software is set for 16 bit because its easier on the processor. The 65k colors will be enough. I had thought my iPAQ was more but its the same. I jsut wanted to make sure I could run my AnywhereMap software on the Touch HD.
I heard that the Touch HD can't do 3G on US networks. Is that true and, if so, is there a hack to get around it?

"I heard that the Touch HD can't do 3G on US networks. Is that true and, if so, is there a hack to get around it?"
no htc device ever supported a hack to change the hardware supported frequencies so
doubt blackstone will be different
about the colour nr
then i'd say on such a small screen
16bit should be enough very large screens
one can see the diff with large colour changes on surfaces
but small pda screens one would have to be close
to touching ones eye with the screen to see and then
be being blinded by the backlight would make it impossible anyway

Looks like it CAN do US 3G afterall.
http://www.intomobile.com/2008/12/19/htc-touch-hd-is-compatible-with-us-3g-frequencies-surprise.html

rogerbacon50 said:
Looks like it CAN do US 3G afterall.
http://www.intomobile.com/2008/12/19/htc-touch-hd-is-compatible-with-us-3g-frequencies-surprise.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope. It can't.
It's also pointed out in the fourth reader comment at that same URL. The author just missed a very crucial "or" in the specs. I would assume the service manual states what the hardware could be configured to do. It seems that the current hardware is set up for only the first half of that "or".
I'm using the Touch HD on AT&T in the US. No 3G.

Why is the resolution less than the previous Diamond?

I have the Diamond, I am probably getting the Hero.
Diamond 2.8" . 480x640
Hero 3.2" 320x480
I think I'm missing something

Wond3r said:
I have the Diamond, I am probably getting the Hero.
Diamond 2.8" . 480x640
Hero 3.2" 320x480
I think I'm missing something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hero's screen looks m uch better though and has Teflon coating for scratch proof. Colors dont look washed out on the hero either.

What is the previous Diamond?

Wond3r said:
I have the Diamond, I am probably getting the Hero.
Diamond 2.8" . 480x640
Hero 3.2" 320x480
I think I'm missing something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are mistaken, the hero has a VGA screen, 480x640, 320x480 is QVGA and android 1.5 does not even support this resolution

xxThugxx @ TPB said:
you are mistaken, the hero has a VGA screen, 480x640, 320x480 is QVGA and android 1.5 does not even support this resolution
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are wrong, the resolution is 320x480 as the original poster already mentioned. It is far from the high resolution experienced on the VGA Diamond. BTW, QVGA 240x320, as on the HTC Touch.

The Diamond is an older HTC touchscreen phone. HTC Touch Diamond.
So the hero's screen is not as high resolution as my Diamond? Really? I would expect it to be better ... hmm... I think I'll still make the leap though because this Diamond isnt that great.

Guys, this has been known since the release of Android 1.1 back on the G1.
The only resolution supported on any device prior to Android 1.6 was the HVGA resoultion that the Hero uses. As this was the only resolution the OS supported, the hardware is a HVGA screen.
Now, when Android 1.6 was released, it added support for many more resolutions, including the lower QVGA (which the tattoo uses), WVGA (800*480, which i believe the Nexus uses) and many more.
The Hero has a 320*480 HVGA screen because when it was released, that was the ONLY resolution that Android could render.
And no, the screen is hardware limited, so the resolution will not increase when the 2.1 update is released.

rhedgehog, you learn sumat new every day init :lol i knew post android 1.5 only supported a single res, but i was under the impression that was vga not hvga, thats why i assumed the hero had a vga res thanx for putting me straight

No probs.
I've lost count of the amount of stuff i have learned from this place. gotta admit i wouldn;t know probably even a tenth of the stuff i know if it wasn't for years of fiddling in the winmo forums and learning what you could actually do with these things.

Wond3r said:
The Diamond is an older HTC touchscreen phone. HTC Touch Diamond.
So the hero's screen is not as high resolution as my Diamond? Really? I would expect it to be better ... hmm... I think I'll still make the leap though because this Diamond isnt that great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had the Diamond before Hero...
Hero is so much better... after ROM upgrade!!
you will not be sorry!

Dan330 said:
i had the Diamond before Hero...
Hero is so much better... after ROM upgrade!!
you will not be sorry!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
upgrade to which ROM though

Wond3r said:
upgrade to which ROM though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am on Modaco 1.3; it is stable and no issues for me...
I am considering going to Modaco 2.1, but might just wait for Android 2.1... Maybe in 2-3 months!!!!!
Some have used other ROMs, I have not tried....
You have to read up on them.. and see what you like the best for your needs.

MCR 3.1 seems plenty fast enough and stable enough for me....not had any issues since i went to that.

IMHO the difference in resolution from the Diamond is not a big deal. Plus the screen is taller on the Hero.
The Modaco ROM makes a huge difference, go for the 3.2 version when it comes out; currently the 3.2 beta is for paid members only.. but it is worth it... speed optimizations are amazing and you can cook your own components with the Modaco online kitchen.

I changed from TD to Hero, and much prefer the screen on the Hero. Yes the TD has a better definition in theory, but IMHO the screen was too small to take real advanatge of it.
the only way i could do anything accurately with the TD screen was by using the stylus. The larger capacitive screen on the Hero is designed for being used with a finger - in fact a stylus won't work on it.
I think the Hero is so much easier to use and that is due to a combination of the capacitive screen, the Android software and the sense ui that HTC installs onto the software. The only thing going for the iphone was its ease of use but I think my Hero beats it.

An Urgent Question About the Awesome HD MINI's Screen

Hi everybody..
I have been considering buying this wonderful device but during my looking into the specifications I noticed this new strange resolution 320x480 HVGA which is the first time for me to come across this type of screen!
My question is, after your experience with this device, have you encountered any problems which are due to this specific type of screen? either on the level of program compatibility, which is most important, or any other problems?
The device is just the hit for me but this screen thing is holding my hand
Thank you in advance..

Yes, of course, some applications do not run, especially alternative keyboards such SlideIT.
Nevertheless most of them work just fine.
If you use specific legacy application, post a question on this forum to know if it works or if there are some alternative ones.
For example, I used in the past TomTom Collins French english dictionnary. This worked well on Diamond, but no way on HD mini. I had to change to slovoed that work fine, even if I like less the UI.

Thank you for your reply..
It's good news that MOST of the applications have no problem running on this device
Ok - of course there are many applications I want to make sure of before buying but some are essential and some are not so I'll ask about some programs that are of importance to me:
1) iGo for navigation
2) Navigon
3) Mobipocket Reader << this is the most important program in my Diamond right now so it has to work properly

No answer!

Have some patience!
iGO8- there are 2 threads on this, and there are ways to get it to work
Navigon: No idea
Mobipocket: No problem at all here- one of my most used programs!

Thank you NeilM
Well, so far so good, but need to make sure of other programs which I might mention here to make sure they work..
I just don't get it, why would HTC use such a screen? Is there any specialty that I should know about? Why not just use a WVGA or at least a normal VGA if that'll cost them much
Pardon me for my ignorance I have my history with PPCs but lately I wasn't up-to-date with the new ones

I think it is market economics. A number of Android devices also use HVGA so the same basic screen can be used across a range of phones.
Also WVGA and HVGA are both widescreen format which suits current usage patterns of video etc.
A less power hungry screen is a definite advantage in a smaller device. I don' t find the display any less usable than my HD2 in normal use, though I did need to use a registry editor to enable Cleartype, without which text is very poor; for some reason O2 have disabled the control panel for this.

NeilM said:
I think it is market economics
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rule says: NEVER produce a perfect device << well, maybe it's not a disadvantage to have this screen but temporarily with the compatibility issues, it's really annoying!
Ok, I want to ask you as a user of HD MINI, how do you find the screen in terms of clarity, brightness, accuracy? How do you compare it with the Diamond's << I love that screen - I mean I understand the MINI is 3.2 inch whereas the Diamond is 2.8 inch so does this H in HVGA has a noticeable effect on the screen compared to its size?
Thank you for the information

As a previous Diamond user I have to say for me the HD Mini is much better. Obviously it is capacitive/multi touch which makes it very different in use, but the extra size makes a big difference.
OK, maybe icons and graphics are a little less definitive at the edges but it doesn't affect everyday use.
Personally I think VGA on a very small screen is pointless as text can be too small to read and web pages are very small, so HVGA is an improvement.

It seems that will be the new trend on Windows phone 7 and ohter phones (android, Iphone).
HVGA for small and WVGA for big screens. It is effectively strange, because it is even not the same aspect ratio.

NeilM,
Of course it's better if you look at it this way; capactive/multi-touch screen, but if you look at the other side which is the definition, you'll find that:
HD MINI: 480x320 + bigger screen = less picture quality
Diamond: 480x640 + smaller screen = more picture quality
Theoretically, I prefer having smaller screen with better definition rather than bigger one with worse definition, but I wouldn't base my decision now without testing it in reality - maybe I'll like it!
And as you said before that you use mobipocket, you need bigger screen and you'll sacrifice the quality for that, but, me, the cleartype matters alot to me
Honestly, I see a screen with the size 3.2 inch as the best typical size for me, but, more importantly, it should have a suitable definition too
Again, H in HVGA stands for what?! I don't think it's for "high"

moscard
I don't think so - unless they want to go back!
I mean why not use a normal VGA, for example, for a device they think it should be a revolution in phone market?!
I might be missing something here, but is there a problem in using VGA with capactive/multi-touch screens?
Why use less resolution while you should use more!
I hate these companies!
Thank you both

- H : I suppose is for Half 320 instead on 640
- I used Diamond for two years, and I prefer HD mini screen, the smaller resolution is not really an issue, but the bigger screen is really more confortable. In addition it runs a lot faster and all the things are more reactive, especitially for phone functions. The sound is better as well.
- Just a remark vs Diamond, HD mini do not have front camera anymore. For me is not an issue but it could be.

Bright Neon said:
moscard
I don't think so - unless they want to go back!
I mean why not use a normal VGA, for example, for a device they think it should be a revolution in phone market?!
I might be missing something here, but is there a problem in using VGA with capactive/multi-touch screens?
Why use less resolution while you should use more!
I hate these companies!
Thank you both
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope you're right, but most of companies are trying to standardise anything... screen resolution as well. What I do not understand, is why they choose two resolution with diferent aspect ratio. With same aspect ratio it would be simpler to disign software apps.

Yes- HVGA is Half VGA, ie 480*320
The aspect ratio of VGA and QVGA is 4:3, which is the standard 'square screen' ratio
WVGA and HVGA are 15:9 and 15:10 respectively which are near enough both the standard widescreen resolution.
There is no doubt that both increasing the screen size and decreasing the resolution should have an adverse effect on overall resolution, but my experience of the HD Mini is thta this is mitigated by the better overall quality of the screen, regardless of resolution.
Maybe if I were 20 years younger with perfect eyesight, I might have a different view!
The effect on device responsiveness using a lower resolution is marked though: 600MHz running HVGA is much faster than 524MHz running VGA ! Going back to the Diamond makes it feel so sluggish and unresponsive compared to the HD Mini and HD2.

Not happy with the HTC HD Mini
Just a quick feedback since I am playing around with a HTC HD Mini for a while now. Its my Girlfriends and has a broken screen so I get the chance play around until I replaced the screen. My personal experience is that this device is "horrible". Bad quality screen (I used it also before it had a broken screen ), compatibility is very limited (Custom stuff like XDA Mods not as much bought Apps) further more the Touch sensitve buttons are horrible to accidentaly hit them. Maybe I am just spoiled with the HD2 but I feel there are allot of trade-off's for the smaller form factor. But the worst thing all the nice XDA stuff will probaly never support this resolution since its preaty much the only device with it. (Windows Mobile atleast) Tried Cookie and MaxSense Mod on the HTC Mini without luck. Resolution problems.
PS: Anyone ever found disassembly instructions for the HTC HD Mini? I can find it for any other phone but not the HD Mini. There were just not enough sold to pros. I guess a good phone for Woman and iPhone users.

Encountered very few problems with this resolution. Especially for the newer free apps. Problems arises only in some old apps which either support only QVGA or VGA. But most certainly, you won't want to install such old apps in this shiny new colorful gadget.
For me, the Sense improvements to the UI, and WinMo 6.5.3's own improvements have eliminated my dependent on many of the old apps. I ended up installing less apps. Mostly new one i found reading thru the forums here.
Most of the only old apps i had to carry over from my old WinMo 6.1 are the dictionaries and translators. One of my favorite translators, HNHSoft Eng-Chn Dict, works poorly with HVGA resolution. Nevertheless, still usable. Fortunately, another from my old collection, WM-DICT 2.0, which worked poorly in 6.1 QVGA, turns out to be a great performer in 6.5.3 HVGA. So in reality, i lose one and win one, makes like i didn't lose anything at all.

I'd agree on the compatibility- almost all programs I've tried work fine. The only exceptions are TouchPal keyboard and 1-2 Remote.
1-2 Remote was poor on the HD2 as well as it's designed for QVGA and the skins are not optimised for other resolutions.
WM6.5.3 in its native form here, plus the current version of HTC Sense is a lot more stable than the native WM6.5 on the HD2 and any of the custom ROMs.
If you correctly tweak the screen (enabling Cleartype) it is very good indeed- can't understand the comment about it being poor- maybe it was faulty from the start if it failed later?
Having come from both a Diamond and HD2 I'm very satisfied with the HD Mini though I do find the screen 'touch' accuracy including the 'touch' buttons to need some getting used to. Switching the 'Touch Input' to 'Compact QUERTY' makes typing very much easier with XT9 turned on

HVGA and WVGA apps...

Ok, this is a huge issue with me...
it seems like at least 30% of apps on the market are only HVGA. What the hell?
Do these developers even care? Some of these apps are some of the most popular on the market. Like Handcent SMS, that is probably the biggest example. Someone popular like the Handcent developer MUST have a phone with WVGA. Yet, he STILL doesn't care to update it with WVGA graphics. This is not acceptable.
As much as I love how open the Market is, I think it should be required that apps be at least WVGA, and that Google should drop HVGA all together. If someone buys an Android phone with HVGA, too bad, they shouldn't have picked a POS phone. And with phones like the Motorola Bionic, which will have a resolution of 960 x 540, most apps will look like **** on it. The worst part is that developers - they just don't seem to care. They shouldn't get away with this. My phone is WVGA, and I want all apps to support it! I'm pretty sure most Android phones are WVGA anyway.
Google, drop HVGA already, make WVGA a minimum requirement for RUNNING Android!

My phone is HVGA and I want all apps to support it and does not support WVGA to be smaller! Google, make HVGA-only a requirement for Market!

And did you heard about QVGA? It's even smaller than HVGA, but HTC Wildfire was released just 7 months ago and it's quite popular phone.
Also I didn't count Android devices, but if you search http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices site for WVGA, HVGA and QVGA phrases, then you'll find there are much more QVGA + HVGA devices than WVGA. You're totally wrong, sorry.

Brut.all said:
And did you heard about QVGA? It's even smaller than HVGA, but HTC Wildfire was released just 7 months ago and it's quite popular phone.
Also I didn't count Android devices, but if you search http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Android_devices site for WVGA, HVGA and QVGA phrases, then you'll find there are much more QVGA + HVGA devices than WVGA. You're totally wrong, sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it shouldn't be allowed. QVGA and HVGA is WAY too low-resolution to get anything done. The Wildfire... Design cues from the amazing Desire... Even crappier hardware than the Hero. Who benefits from this? No one. The higher the pixel density, the better. I cannot stand to look at ultra low res HVGA, let alone QVGA.
If any Android phones are released with HVGA&QVGA, they should be considered feature phones. Those resolutions are unacceptable. Pixel densities of 240+ are very important for smartphones. These HVGA and QVGA "smartphones" give Android a horrible name. I've seen a low-end Android phone (LG Ally) and everything BUT the screen is nice. It has a 3.2-inch WVGA screen, its screen looks amazing. (Though, I need the power, and hate LG, so I have an HTC Incredible.)
My friend has an LG Optimus. It has HVGA. She's thinking about returning it, and getting an iPhone 4 on Verizon.
I love Android, but I don't want the Android ecosystem to be polluted with POS phones.

So basically you're saying that what google should do is force developers to write apps to suit your personal preferences and break compatibility with phones that you don't like because if you don't like it then it must be a POS phone.
....your arrogance is astounding and only surpassed by the ridiculousness of your argument.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

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I have a QVGA resolution Android Phone (Vodafone 845 (or Huawei U8120)) which is perfectly adequate for every day use...
I just wish more developers would develop apps which work on ALL resolutions....

feels good to have a hvga phone that beats most wvga ones in linpack benchmarks

lagaba said:
So basically you're saying that what google should do is force developers to write apps to suit your personal preferences and break compatibility with phones that you don't like because if you don't like it then it must be a POS phone.
....your arrogance is astounding and only surpassed by the ridiculousness of your argument.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not a personal preference. Its a fact. More pixel looks better. Its a fact. Until you have a developer who doesn't wanna develop for high res screens.

Dr. Hax said:
Its not a personal preference. Its a fact. More pixel looks better. Its a fact. Until you have a developer who doesn't wanna develop for high res screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And less pixels is cheaper and takes less space in your pocket. This is also a fact.
Better screen or cheaper, smaller and lighter device - this is personal preference.

Brut.all said:
And less pixels is cheaper and takes less space in your pocket. This is also a fact.
Better screen or cheaper, smaller and lighter device - this is personal preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly right Brut....
Dr. Hax, what you are saying is analogous to the tv networks or Youtube deciding that all broadcasts and recordings will only be made in 1080p HD...no standard def anywhere...and to hell with anyone who doesn't have an HD tv or a device capable of HD playback - they shouldn't have bought a POS SD tv on the first place... everyone knows HD looks better, right?
This will not work for many reasons. Here are 2 of them
1.People want different things from their devices. Variety and freedom of choice are many people's reason for choosing an Android device.
2.You can't just cut off customers who bought their devices only 2 or 3 years ago - how would you feel if every 2 years your PC or Mac became obsolete and you couldn't get new software for it because the specs now require xyz processor and a 24" ultra hi-res monitor before it will install?
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

quality and diversity
lagaba and Brut.all are so right.
Sarcasm ... the market should eliminate all apps that are not QHD 940x560 and trailered for dual core. everybody toss your phones in the trash, tomorrow all non 4G phones will have their data plans revoked
and all north american roads should ban 4-cylinder cars because we have 6's and 8's... forget it .. only V12 or W12 engines in cars. our you get put in jail.
And anyone over the age of 42 please report to your local End of life center.
DONE.......
The community that works tirelessly on developing applications and fixes for this platform is so strong because it is functional over a broad range of devices, allowing everyone to the party, so everyone can give input based on their experience on different devices.
if you want streamlined get an iphone, or at least try changing you pixel density. or filter the market content so you don't have to see any non WVGA apps. you don't need them anyway DR.HAX
minSdkVersion="8"
and
Make sure your compatibility mode is turned off in settings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last year my already year old HTC Sapphire organised our entire business. i like the feel, I like the size, The screen looks great, Cant beat the Trackball. if i want to see higer res when on the road I use my laptop just because 21" 1920x1024 HD is better than 4.Bulky" wvga. I often have to hold my coffee and cellphone in the same hand.
Ill take a Great APP in QVGA than a sorta ok app that didn't get the time because someone was worried about a higher quality interface

screen resolution

this device has a 1024x800 screen resolution, will this cause many of apps n games cant work with this device? i love it but i scared i will lost my favorite apps

From my experience with several 1024x600 devices, most apps will look perfect, some will look weird, and almost none will not run at all.
An example of looking weird would be Google Reader, which only shows an article in a small portion of the screen, even though the feeds and labels lists are full screen.

Its poor programming. I and the company I work for make sure our software will run and look as best as possible on a variety of screen sizes larger than what is presently available. The emulator makes it simple to test and there really is no excuse for this.
Galaxy Tab::Tapatalk

BTW, it is 1280x800, not 1024

According to one site, here r the screen specs:
1920x1080 (1080p HD) (24 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) - sorry these are camera specs
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/Samsung-Galaxy-Tab-10.1_id5212
Sent from my HTC EVO using XDA App

Not to mention...developers will continue cranking out apps for Tablets. I imagine lots of current apps will be upgraded as well, there are devs already doing this as we speak.