3. A Very Big And High Resolution 4" VGA TFT Display

For its screen, HP chose a TFT LCD display with VGA resolution. At 4" from corner to corner, it sets a new standard in the world of Windows PDAs.

The advantages of the higher resolution and the larger screen size are as plain as day. Complex Excel worksheets and documents are easy to read even with a small font, and surfing the web or viewing videos or pictures is simply more fun. In addition, with the Second Edition of Windows Mobile 2003, you can switch the display between portrait and landscape format at the press of a button. The landscape format is great for viewing PowerPoint presentations and is ideal for videos too.

Cinderella: VGA-compatible Application Software

It should be noted, however, that there is not much application software that can handle the higher resolution at this time. For example, there is currently no navigation software that supports the higher resolution. The vast majority of standard software is not programmed for VGA resolution either, so the result is pixelly icons and images.

Images and graphics look chunky in Internet Explorer...

Freeware such as SE VGA puts things right here. This tool lets you switch over to real VGA resolution, which makes letters and graphics pin-sharp. The screen is also far better utilized this way.

...but not when a tool such as SE VGA is used.

Unfortunately, even the utilities supplied haven't got a clue how to deal with the higher resolution. The iPAQ hx4700, for example, is supplied with the Windows Media Player Version 9. It can play videos with QVGA resolution in full-screen mode, but unfortunately only with a gloomy black border.

The Windows Media Player plays QVGA videos with a somber black border...

Upgrading to Version 10, as supplied by Dell with the X50v , is not an option as far as we know. So if you want to enjoy QVGA videos in full-screen mode on your PDA you will have to get hold of a program like PocketTV .

... but PocketTV scales to full size.