Topic Review (Newest First)
|
| 05-07-2008 08:02 PM |
| Unregistered |
Maybe not VGA, but...
However, if you're on a Symbian 9.3 device like the N78 for example, you'll see:
176x208
208x176
240x320
320x240
320x480
352x416
416x352
480x320
480x640
640x480
800x352
Nokia seems reluctant to use the full potential of QVGA, using needlessly large text sizes for most applications. For smaller screens (less than 2.8 in) they should stick to the current S40 font sizes or lower. What's the use of having all that real estate if you're seeing the same amount of data?
Most importantly, font smoothing like Cleartype should be implemented for *all font sizes*, in all S60 devices. Small doesn't have to mean illegible, but this is the case in most of the S60 screens now. Cleartype works wonders with small font size legibility.
If Nokia does move on from QVGA, the next step should be 480x320 or 320x480. It has a wider/taller AR than QVGA, which would be better for widescreen videos, browsing etc (Less black bands). TVs and PCs are already moving to widescreen, and the mobile should follow.
|
| 24-06-2008 10:48 PM |
| Unregistered |
Yusuf
Hi. The argument should not be why VGA or QVGA, but should be why Nokia did not use 416x352 as the E70/N80. But for phones with 2.8 inch and bigger screens then maybe we could ask why not VGA.
|
| 24-06-2008 07:26 PM |
| Unregistered |
Vga+
Stated; --- The E90 struggles on many sites and some apps because "They're" not expecting the screen size.
Be Innovative
Build them (VGA+) and they will come.
|
| 24-06-2008 09:21 AM |
| Unregistered |
If Neo can do it.. why cant Nokia?
Have a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_1973
Quote:
|
Display:2.8 in. VGA (480×640) TFT, 282 pixels/in.
|
|
| 24-06-2008 08:06 AM |
| Unregistered |
Steve,
The example you are giving on a 96 dpi platform are not justifying.
Nokia really got it all wrong this time with E71
a 2.8 or 3 inch with 640x480 is really worth it.
I can say this from my experience of N82 and N6300.
Although both the screens have same 320x240 rez, there is nothing that comes close to the N6300 screen in terms of clarity and readability.
if Nokia can manage 320x240 on a 1.8 inch screen why not have a 640x480 on a 2.8 or a 3 inch screen?
|
| 24-06-2008 06:50 AM |
| puterman |
More pixels
No Unregistered, going from QVGA to VGA doesn't double the number of pixels on the screen, it quadruples it. The performance degradation is most noticable in software rendered games (as Steve pointed out in the original article), but also when scrolling in any app.
When porting a gaming engine to the first S60 3rd edition devices (going from 176x208 to 352x406, meaning four times the number of pixels on the screen), I ran some benchmarks, and the frame rate dropped from 40-50fps for eg. the N70, to around 20 for the E60, E70, N80 etc.
Sure, the E71 is a business device, so gaming shouldn't be a high priority, but the lower performance would definitely be noticable. And if Nokia changed the screen resolution to VGA, they'd have to use a much faster CPU, which might just make the device too expensive for the customer group they're targetting.
(And as always, people who discuss phones on web forums are not representative of the general customer. Not even for smartphones.)
|
| 24-06-2008 06:20 AM |
| Richard Ross |
I can see Steve's point but what he's actually complaining about appears to be failings with S60 rather than any inherent problem with VGA.
If a version of S60 were compiled that supported VGA (proper zooming, dedicated fonts etc) and it was put on a platform that could move that many pixels around smoothly, there would be no performance/experience issue.
As for cost, well that will obviously come down as VGA becomes the standard.
The issue here isn't that QVGA is in some way better - it isn't - but that it is a better fir right now for a company that has always struiggled to produce software to the same high standard as its hardware.
Furthermore, if you think asbout Nokia's increasingly desperate attempts to monetise mobile data for itself and its operators, then VGA must be the immediate future as it's in video and gaming that the company appears to have ther best shot at taking on iPhone's extraordinary boost top mobile data use.
|
| 24-06-2008 05:15 AM |
| Unregistered |
Vga
The question is "at what point do you think VGA will become practical and affordable in "Phones".
Answer: YESTERDAY
Look at Sharp, Sony Eriksson and the affordability of "Phones" today aka Nokia N series, Apple, etc.
|
| 24-06-2008 03:56 AM |
| Unregistered |
Excellent Article!
To the Editor: Steve, great article. This explains exactly what I've been saying for quite a few months on HoFo. Many ppl think that because VGA or WVGA/XVGA "CAN" be done on a touchscreen 3" screen, that every phone must have these kinds of resolutions. Many fail to realize that this mostly only increases video playback or web site display in landscape mode. But when we need to read text, or input text (duh, we all read as we type no?) its too fine. Pixels become jagged, and thus strain our eyes.
Has anyone else notice more and more ppl require reading glasses before the age of 22 in the western world??!!! Guess what, us reading the web on mobile phones, playing portable video game systems on small screens, and those of us that are at least a decade older got to enjoy the cathode beam ruin our retina's. Laugh all you want, but take a concious look around and see what I'm saying.
E71 with QVGA was perfect! Now if only USB 2.0 was left - makes absolutely NO sense to segregate this to the Nseries only.
|
| 24-06-2008 03:45 AM |
| Arthur |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
this website is written by Nokia fanboys they decide to attack something which they can't have. I find it a shame as this website has some genuinely interesting news, but the fanboy nature really puts me off.
|
+1
Right on! As I've said before this is what happens to these "reviewers" when free devices are handed to them. You think Litchfield will give an objective review afer Nokia gave him two E71s for free? Yeah right!
Oh and a... one more thing:
Even on the Nokia E90's huge 800 pixel wide screen, where you'd expect Web to be far superior, I was forever running into sites and layouts whose apparently miniscule text was very frustrating to read.
May I suggest that you get a new pair of eyeglasses? I've had the E90 for a long time and do a lot of browsing. I am yet to experience text that is frustrating to read. Old age catching up perhaps?
|
| 23-06-2008 10:16 PM |
| Unregistered |
I guess I must not have been punished severely enough during toilet training because I can't see the point in picking over all this detail. You guys are worse that digital camera buyers.
Is there any real useful stuff like, how well the damn things do when dropped on concrete from chest height ?
|
| 23-06-2008 07:49 PM |
| brendan |
cool and as soon as they do a vga phone - no doubt there will be an article saying how great it is hehe 
|
| 23-06-2008 07:43 PM |
| ez2remem |
There is some good news Nokia is likely to have VGA and WQVGA devices.
Quote:
Recently, I got my hands on a N78 for a few minutes. Within 45 seconds I had it hacked and immediately began exploring the system folders. This is where my discovery came from.
If you want to check for yourself, just follow these simple instructions on your phone:
1) Using any file browser, navigate to Z:\
2) Go to System\Data\Templates.
What do you see? A bunch of folders with numbers for names. These numbers also have something strange in common... They're all resolutions supported by the OS of the phone. If you're using a Symbian 9.1 or 9.2 device, you'll see the following folders:
176x208
208x176
240x320
320x240
352x416
416x352
800x352
However, if you're on a Symbian 9.3 device like the N78 for example, you'll see:
176x208
208x176
240x320
320x240
320x480
352x416
416x352
480x320
480x640
640x480
800x352
See that? VGA and WQVGA resolutions are supported by FP2 and if FP1 is anything to go by, ALL resolutions in the templates folder will be used on atleast 1 device.
|
|
| 23-06-2008 07:35 PM |
| MoreVGA |
I don't have the greatest of eye sights but my E90 is the best web browsing experience of any mobile phone simply because of the high 800 pixel wide resolution. If you have poor eye sight you can always set fonts to large in browser settings plus zoom as well if you have to. The less horizontal scrolling the better! No one wants to constantly scroll left/right and up/down. We are not back in the days of windows 3.1...
I'm also disgruntled with Nokia sitting on their laurels. They released the n95 about 1 1/2 year ago but simply just repackaged the same thing into other form factors + or - a feature or two. Nothing much has changed... :(
VGA/WVGA should be standard on 2.8" or larger screens.
|
| 23-06-2008 07:32 PM |
| desertrat |
Quote:
|
So you end up using the zoom function – which, in S60 Web only goes to 125%
|
Surely it's not beyond Nokia's capabilities to add a few more zoom settings? 
Quote:
|
the cost of having to rewrite large parts of the operating system to cope with all the pixel doubling/scaling and font reworking needed, and so on
|
Nokia are already using 4-5 different screen sizes (I've no idea exactly how many, it's just a guess), including weird ones like the 5500's 208x208 display. What's so hard about supporting another screen size? Especially one that is so common and has the same aspect ratio as a QVGA screen.
Steve, I've "known" you since your 3lib days and greatly appreciate your contributions to the Psion scene. However, as someone pointed out above, you're behaving more and more like a Nokia fanboy. Being a critic is far more useful than being an apologist. If Nokia has any sense they should listen to the critics rather than the fanboys.
One thing that I do agree with is that for a screen of only 2.4", it might not be that useful to have a VGA display. But they could have used the 416x352 display as per the E70 - people who are used to a QVGA display always remarks on how sharp and clear the display is when I show them my E70.
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 04:18 AM.
|
|
