Originally Posted by
Tourist in MSN
Originally Posted by
IPassGas
It appears from the comments that the gps screens are easier to see, which is surprising given that the screen technology is the same. Perhaps the gps has less detail and therefore easier to see?
]I think it is just brighter backlight on GPS, they were made for outdoor use (more rugged, waterproof, no need to buy a seperate case for protection, etc.) and phones are generally designed for indoor use.
The Garmin GPS units use a different kind of screen called "transreflective".
Transreflective screens can use a backlight (illumination from behind) AND they can use sunlight (illumination from the front). Transreflective screens avoid needing to use the backlight (which reduces power consumption).
The backlights in the GPS units aren't brighter (they probably are less bright).
Transreflective screens are dimmer indoors (which is why they aren't used on smartphones).
It's a compromise.