Hi-Res Apps for Hi-Res Screens

Posted By: Ed Monday, May 7, 2001 2:13:07 PM

Both the HandEra 330 and the new Sony Clié offer screens with higher resolutions than Palm's standard 160 x 160 pixels. The 330 has a 240 x 240 monochrome screen and a soft Grafitti area that can expand it to 320 x 240. The Sony N710C has a 320 x 320 color screen. Both of these offer ways to display legacy 160 x 160 apps but some developers are already working on applications that can natively run at the higher resolutions.

Naturally, Sony and HandEra aren't standing idly by while this is going on. HandEra is sponsoring a design contest to encourage developers to make use of it soft Graffiti area. Both companies offer extensive developer resources online.

Quickoffice
A version of Cutting Edge's Quickoffice that supports the HandEra 330's new screen comes bundled on the device. However they have no plans to create a special version for the new Clié. A spokesperson for the company said "The screen is just double-resolution, but the same square as Palm is so there is nothing to enhance to work on it (i.e. no rotate or soft input panel). Maybe we'll support new fonts if they add some. "

WordSmith
Tamara Hinds of Blue Nomad said, "We already support the HandEra Hi Res screen and will be supporting the Sony Hi Res screen as well!"

Documents to Go
"At this time we don't have a special version of Documents To Go for the side view on the HandEra or the Sony Clié," Erin O'Connor from DataViz said.

Qvadis Reader
Qvadis plans to support both new resolutions. Sam Peralta said, "We definitely are working on compatible versions for the high-res screens on the Sony Clié and HandEra 330. The emulations are great for older versions of the software, but some of our new features will be built on what the new resolutions allow us to do."

TomeRaider
PalmTec Ltd's Software Director said TomeRaider is "probably" going to support these higher resolution screens.

MGI PhotoSuite Mobile Edition
Shelly Sofer, PR Manager for MGI Software, said, "We certainly plan on supporting the higher resolutions. Unfortunately, I don't have an answer as to when. We're trying to get a hold of these devices to do testing."

SpashPhoto
"We're in the early stages of researching how to take advantage of these new devices. We don't have any product announcements to make at this time, but we do hope to support the higher res screens on these devices in the future," said John Chaffee, President of SplashData.

SilverScreen
SilverScreen will be releasing a version especially for the Clié but made no mention of the 330. Bohm Kim of PocketSensei said, "We are in partnership with Sony and are working to promote the features supported by upcoming devices. The Japanese color Clié currently sports a fantastic 320 x 320 high resolution screen. Our prototype SilverScreen looks gorgeous in this resolution! We plan to take advantage of this and other (yet to be announced) features."

JFile
Land-J Technologies will soon release a new version of JFile. John Lehett said JFile 5.x "will support the Handera 330 extended screen resolutions. It will not initially directly support Clié high res" but they will be looking at implementing it once JFile 5.x is out. All current registered JFile 4.x users will receive JFile 5.x free of charge

MobileDB
Cassidy Lackey, Handmark's VP Engineering, said "We are still evaluating the resolutions. It would be nice to know that the PalmOS will standardize on 2 or 3 resolutions that can be easily supported. If not, we will likely focus on the 2 or 3 resolutions that make most sense for our demographic and support those only then utilize the built-in emulation for the rest."

thinkDB
The next version of thinkDB will support the new HandEra's various screen resolutions and jog dial.

Red Mercury's Games
Red Mercury, LLC has announced that all their games will fully support the PEG-N710C. High-resolution AcidSolitaire 2.0 is available now from their site. AcidFreecell 2.0 and Atom Smash 2.0 will be available on May 28.

Aaron Ardiri's Games
Mr. Ardiri said, "I have had my Handera 330 since December 2000 so all my games (except Maryo Bros) work on it.. We are doing a fix for Maryo Bros.. will have it ready before device is out."

He also said, "I have considered doing some special g&w games (twin screen) on the hi-res screens but they won't work on normal Palms so I don't know if the market is going to be worth it."

Jot
CIC has not yet received a copy of the HandEra 330 so they haven't been able to test Jot with it. A spokesperson said, "I will have to assume that Jot will not be compatible with this particular model."

Related Articles:

Thanks to Josh for the Jot info. -Ed

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Jot sucks anyway

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 2:19:20 PM #
CIC sucks for customer service

RE: Jot sucks anyway
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 3:27:05 PM #
Sounds like Jot has a PR Problem.

Any PDA that doesn't sell well will not be supported
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 11:27:23 PM #
It is interesting to see how 1 or 2 obsessive individuals (can you say Joshua Morganstein?) think that they can pester software companies into supporting the HandEra 330. Believe it or not, these companies do not have the resources to support every fringe display format that gets released.

I feel sorry for poor CESD, the DateBk4 author. This guy must be sick of dealing with these idiots. And heaven forbid he annoy one of the zealots by blowing them off with a flippant answer like "e will support that display format if and when we feel like it" - then he would have to endure a barrage of derogatory posts to every Palm newsgroup and message board.

Once programmers see how few sales the HandEra generates, they will be a lot less inclined to be badgered into supporting it, despite how much screaming people like Joshy do. READ MY LIPS: IF IT DOES NOT SELL, IT WILL NOT BE SUPPORTED. Think of it as survival of the fittest (display).

RE: Jot sucks anyway
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 2:16:58 AM #
It's clear to me that you never reached a high level of education because of your extremely poor use of logic.

RE: Jot sucks anyway
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 9:08:41 AM #
Why don't we wait and see how the 330 sells before condemning it out of hand? I think that it has the potential to do very well.

RE: Jot sucks anyway
JET8810 @ 5/12/2001 8:35:10 PM #
to the guy above who mentioned that the handera will be supported depending on its sales...you mentioned something about "Unless the device sells it wont be supported no matter how much screaming people like Joshy do" Who is joshy? r u refering to the MAN who emailed jot? Why are you calling him/me a baby?

RE: Jot sucks anyway
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/17/2001 8:58:03 AM #
I agree. JOT sucks. So does their WordComplete. It always leaves screen residue. Stay away from CIC software!

RE: Jot sucks anyway
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/26/2001 5:54:41 PM #
Fortunately for Handera 330 owners (but unfortunately for the guy posting above), the Handera 330 has sold in mass quantities, and with Handera's SDK, the screen is quite easy to develop for, and mods to older programs require minimum effort.

He's right in saying that products that don't sell don't get support. That's business. However, this very same resolution has been standard for WinCE/Pocket PC devices for some time, and can hardly be called a "fringe display format". Get used to it guy, hi res is the future. In speaking of zealots, it's wise not to look like a neophobe zealot yourself.

Why doesn't..

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 2:38:44 PM #
"Jot
CIC has not yet received a copy of the HandEra 330 so they haven't been able to test Jot with it. A spokesperson said, "I will have to assume that Jot will not be compatible with this particular model." "

Well doesn't HandEra have a rom and an emulator for CIC to test Jot with? They probably don't want to invest more money into supporting hi res

RE: Why doesn't..
JET8810 @ 5/7/2001 5:00:42 PM #
I agree. I cant help but say that i am the Josh that sent ED the jot info..;)...LOL. Anyways, I loved JOT, but i guess i will have to use graffiti on my new handera...:(. If only somebody would create an app that lets your write graffiti on the screen that is compatible with the handera....(screenwrite doesnt work)

RE: Why doesn't..
GrouchoMarx @ 5/7/2001 5:49:08 PM #
Handera has had a ROM and emulator available on their site for a while now.

How to convert your apps.

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 3:36:23 PM #
1. Download the develop_kit from Handera.com
This contains all the documents (ref man and companion) for the new functions, as well as great exampleprograms with sources.

2. Download the POSE3.1Handera version.

3. Apply on handera.com as developer. In a few minutes, you recive an email with a link.
Follow the link, log in and download the ROMs.

4. Follow the guidelines in the Handera330 Programmers Companion and in a few minutes you will have your old apps working perfectly!

5. Test them in the emulator.

6. Share and enjoy!

How many shades of gray on new Clie?

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 5:43:39 PM #
I am interested in using the new Clie for radiologic applications due to it's enhanced resolution - how many shades of gray and how many colors will it support?



La Clie
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 6:10:35 PM #
The Clie has 8 bit color support. (256 colors)

I guess Sony had to give something up for the increased resolution.

Now, the dilemma: 16 bit color m505 or the high res yet 8 bit Clie...

Peace Out,
Nixter

RE: How many shades of gray on new Clie?
mikecane @ 5/7/2001 7:03:28 PM #
You must wait until you can see *both* the m505 and CLIE N710C in person side-by-side. Weight, "hand-feel" (sounds obscene!), weight, and "pocketability" will also be factors aside from judging the screens.

RE: How many shades of gray on new Clie?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 8:27:51 PM #
Why would you purchase that trash of Sony over the M505? Who cares about a higher resolution? Why do you even need a higher resolution on a PDA? Would you rather have a more rounded machine in comparison to something with 8-bit color and a high resolution? Isn't this "great" resolution going to slow that thing down? How many ozs. heavier are all of the other color PDA's? The choice is already made for all of you!!!!! M505 all the way!!!!

RE: How many shades of gray on new Clie?
Dwayne @ 5/7/2001 8:52:46 PM #
Actually the folks at Red Mercury have done quite a bit of testing with the N7x0C and due to the graphics accelerator, the N7x0C can actually run FASTER in high resolution mode as compared to legacy mode.

It seems that the Palm market has been well served these last couple of months. Everyone has specific needs/wants and there are plenty of Palms to choose from. Personally I love the high resolution of my N700C, but I understand why some others would prefer the lighter weight of the M505, soft grafitti area of the Handera, etc.

RE: How many shades of gray on new Clie?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 1:36:50 PM #
Correct me if i am wrong, but Sony Clie 710 uses an adaptive pallet, right? If this is the case, it should be capable of displaying a complete gray scale (256 shades).

BTW: An adaptive pallet means that even though the device is only capable of displaying 256 colors at a time, the palate is not fixed and the device can display *any* combination of 256 colors (including 256 shades of gray).

2c

RE: How many shades of gray on new Clie?
Satan @ 5/8/2001 9:17:06 PM #
I believe that it can run 256 colors at a time out of a total of 4096 colors. The monochrome part of the display should be 4 bit (16 shades of gray).

RE: How many shades of gray on new Clie?
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/1/2002 4:38:40 PM #
clie 770 has 16 bit color and hi-res... looks gorgeous, very clear, readable screen. Once you try it, you never want to go back to m505 again.....

that happens to me!!!

Red Mercury will support the Handera 330

GrouchoMarx @ 5/7/2001 5:51:39 PM #
Red Mercury stated recently on PalmStation that they do plan on supporting the Handera 330. They have not been able to get ROMs or the emulator until recently, as they were not part of the super-secret conspiracy surrounding Handera. :-)

http://www.palmstation.com/view_article.py?article=4117&flat_mode=1

--GrouchoMarx

RE: Red Mercury will support the Handera 330
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 6:20:11 PM #
Given that Red Mercury's trialware games are bundled with the Sony, I can only guess what promises they had to make to Sony to get this (like not adapting their games to competing resolutions, maybe?). If not that, then maybe they're just wanting the Clie to be more popular so they'll have an "in" with the leading h/w provider. It doesn't really matter -- their comments should just be taken with the fact that they are partners with Sony.

RE: Red Mercury will support the Handera 330
Red Mercury @ 5/7/2001 10:03:20 PM #
It seems that the people that get chosen for pre-release hardware are basically whoever the hardware manufacturer is familiar with. We were lucky to get early access to the Sony, others were lucky to get early access to the Handera.

All hardware manufacturers face a dilemma - they want support for their new features, but they can't let everyone in the world know about their new products. They also don't have enough hardware to give a unit to every developer in the world. Developers that do get sneak preview info or hardware usually only have to agree to keep things secret, nothing more.

We of course will support the Handera 330, in keeping with our goal of supporting all Palm OS hardware.

That said, you should take Red Mercury's comments and huge web site extravaganza with whatever size grain of salt you are comfortable with. Clearly we're happy to support new technology, and we'll promote the crap out of ourselves over it, since it's the most exciting thing that's happened to us lately. If we had an m505, and we supported 16 bit color on it, we'd probably have a big "m505 rules" section on our site too, ditto for the Handera 330.

On the other hand, what we say is true, and we don't just make stuff up. You'll notice that our site isn't full of too many fancy buzzwords, just technical facts and screen shots. Sony was frankly surprised when we put the N710C preview up on May 1st - they had nothing to do with it.

So, if you trust Red Mercury, trust what we say about the N710C. If you don't trust us, or don't know us, that's cool too.

Scott

Conspiracy theory 101
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/7/2001 10:08:01 PM #
Get help, buddy.

RE: Red Mercury will support the Handera 330
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 2:21:26 AM #
Scott's right. Keep your mind open and don't feed the trolls.

hi-res for older palms

twizza @ 5/7/2001 9:51:05 PM #
i am seeing these advances in the resolution of palms and wonder if we older palm users can benifit from these advancements. seeing that sony was able to make the res increase inside of os3.5, why doesn't someone offer a hi-res option for others. we are seeing that this isn't a hardware thing so it shouldn't be impossible to write. if i had some programming know-how then I would try it.
RE: hi-res for older palms
GregGaub @ 5/7/2001 11:18:17 PM #
What?!? No, high resolution IS a hardware thing. You won't be getting a software hack or application of any kind that will give you more 320x320 on a 160x160 screen. 160x160 screens are *physically* only those number of pixels. Same with the 320x320, and 240x320 screens. They are what they are. They can run older programs by stretching them to fit their screens. If you want a device with high-resolution screen, you'll need to buy a new unit.
-Greg

RE: hi-res for older palms
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/20/2001 10:19:46 AM #
THIS is why incest is illegal!

RE: hi-res for older palms
I.M. Anonymous @ 6/29/2001 9:52:31 AM #
bwahahaha

When is the new handspring (Prism2?) coming ??

I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 3:32:04 AM #
Are there any rumours when a new handspring (prism2) will hit the market ?? I think because palm & sony show off new models.. handspring should release a ultimate palm with 320x320 screen and 16bit color..
wouldn't that be cool :)

RE: When is the new handspring (Prism2?) coming ??
Satan @ 5/8/2001 6:12:38 AM #
A few "guesses"

Visor Snap
$499
16 bit color
Size of Visor Edge
Available first week of July

RE: When is the new handspring (Prism2?) coming ??
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 7:07:48 AM #
VisorTwist 16 bit color
from visorcentral:

"I think the Twist in VisorTwist refers to SuperTwist LCD technology So maybe we will see a color unit with the VisorEdge form factor. "

http://www.zdwebopedia.com/TERM/s/supertwist.html


RE: When is the new handspring (Prism2?) coming ??
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 10:34:37 AM #
Why not have the ...

HewlettPackard 543p
206mhz processor
16MB flash
32MB Ram
1GB microdrive
108kbs wideband wireless modem

All running PalmOS 5.43 at 640x640 in 24bit color!


RE: When is the new handspring (Prism2?) coming ??
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 11:17:11 AM #
you forgot the s-video output :)


RE: When is the new handspring (Prism2?) coming ??
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/9/2001 12:34:07 AM #
no, we use component output, svideo is too old :-)

X-rays on Sony Clie?

Palm Palm @ 5/8/2001 5:30:41 AM #
I'm also interested to know how many different shades of gray can be shown on Sony N710C. It'd be nice to have radiological teaching files with me at hand.
RE: X-rays on Sony Clie?
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 5:57:29 AM #
would be 256 the same as color I guess...


map software

David @ 5/8/2001 8:26:32 AM #
What's the ugliest palm software at 160x160? MAP SOFTWARE. While I'd like a GPS add-on for my palm, the rez and map file size make it not worth it. Would be nice to see maps in 320x320 and accesible from a memory stick.
Later,
David in Pflugerville
RE: map software
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/8/2001 10:45:51 AM #
Mapopolis now supports HandEra's 240x320 screen with full screen maps!

http://www.handera.com/accessories/mapopolis.asp

RE: map software
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/8/2001 10:18:02 AM #
They support the Handera 330, but their map list is limited to the U.S. only.

The rest of us would appreciate support as well. I've been looking for Canadian city maps (especially
for Mapopolis, since I own a Handera 330, but their response is that they have no timeframe for providing
non-U.S. city maps)


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