© 2000 Michael J. McCollister
E-Mail: ScreenPrefs@MikeMcCollister.comScreen Prefs sets the default screen color/gray scale depth for your Palm Connected Organizer.
Installation of Screen Prefs is just like any other Palm program. This program shows up in your Palm Preferences application (known as "Prefs") and not in the application launcher.
Requires Palm OS 3.0 or greater. 20K of free memory on the Palm is required.
| ScreenPrefs.prc | The Screen Prefs application that you install on your Palm Computing® Connected Organizer or compatible device. | |
| README.htm | This file |
Once installed, open up the Palm Preferences application and select "Screen" from the pull down menu at the upper right portion of the screen. You will be presented with the current mode. Simply select the default screen mode that your hardware and Palm OS version will support.
Your Palm Connected Organizer may operate slower and decrease battery life when using anything but the default mode.
Below is a table showing what modes are supported for given Palm OS versions and devices.
| Palm OS Version | Palm OS Device | Supported Modes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.x, 2.x | All | Not Supported |
| 3.0, 3.1, 3.2 | All | Black & White (1 -bit) 4 Grays (2-bit) |
| 3.3 | Palm III PalmPilot with III Upgrade Card |
Black & White (1 -bit) 4 Grays (2-bit) |
| Palm IIIx, Palm V, Palm Vx | Black & White (1 -bit) 4 Grays (2-bit) 16 Grays (4-bit) |
|
| 3.5 | Palm III PalmPilot with III Upgrade Card |
Black & White (1 -bit) 4 Grays (2-bit) |
| Palm IIIx, Palm IIIxe,
Palm V, Palm Vx, Palm m100, Handspring Platinum, Sony Clie, TRG Pro |
Black & White (1 -bit) 4 Grays (2-bit) 16 Grays (4-bit) |
|
| Palm IIIc | Black & White (1 -bit) 4 Grays (2-bit) 16 Grays (4-bit) 256 Colors (8-bit) |
|
| Handspring Prism | Black & White (1 -bit) 4 Grays (2-bit) 16 Grays (4-bit) 256 Colors (8-bit) 65,536 Colors (16-bit) |
As shown in the table above Screen Prefs, running on a Palm IIIx running Palm OS 3.1, will only allow a maximum of 4 grays even though the hardware supports 16 grays. To get Screen Prefs to support 16 grays, then upgrade to Palm OS 3.3 (or higher). You can find the Palm OS upgrades from palm.com. A Palm III (no "x", "xe" or any letter) will only support 4 grays regardless of Palm OS version due to hardware limitations. If your hardware does not support color, then Screen Prefs will not give your device color. I'm an engineer, not a miracle worker.
Some third party applications take advantage grayscale mode while others simply break. If your application breaks to the point that your Palm device no longer responds, then reset your device by pushing a paperclip into the reset button on the back of your device. This will put your device into its default color mode. If a third party application does not work in grayscale mode, make sure you have the latest version. Launcher III 1.52 is known not to work in grayscale or color mode.
Using Screen Prefs in 16 Grays (4-bit) mode on Palm OS 3.5 the best looking option on a non-color device. The built-in icons use grays and a few user interface components take advantage of grayscale.
On the color Palm IIIc, there seems to be no speed improvement by setting your default mode to anything but color.
Since your Palm will be displaying more shades of gray, then your battery usage will increase.
If you want an application that will set the screen depth on a per application basis, check out the shareware program called Depth, which can be found at PalmGear.com or at www.umap.net/MacPalm/.
This program is provided AS-IS; there is NO WARRANTY, express or implied. The user assumes full responsibility and liability for any use of this program. All Rights Reserved by Michael J. McCollister, except as noted below.
Permission to distribute this package complete and unmodified for personal use via the Internet for no charge (other than reasonable connection charges) is granted to the public. Distribution for commercial purposes via any other medium, including but not limited to CD-ROM, floppy, or printed material, in whole or in part, requires express permission from the author, Michael J. McCollister (ScreenPrefs@MikeMcCollister.com).
Modified versions may be distributed with this notice intact, provided that said versions are clearly marked as modified. The above provisions also apply to any such modified packages.