Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications
Confused about what size icons to use in your application? As you might have heard, high DPI Pocket PC and Smartphone devices use non-standard icon sizes such as 44x44 and 22x22. Below is a handy table for your reference.
| Device | DPI | Small Icons | Large Icons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket PC (normal DPI) | 96 | 16x16 | 32x32 |
| Pocket PC (high DPI) | 192 | 32x32 | 64x64 |
| Smartphone (normal DPI) | 96 | 16x16 | 32x32 |
| Smartphone (high DPI) | 131 | 22x22 | 44x44 |
This is part of the explanation for the latest "Spot the Bug" contest on MelSam's new App Compat blog. Visit my blog for a weekly contest that encourages you to think about maximizing application compatibility and usability.
Comments
Anonymous
June 10, 2006
Hello:
I down loaded a site for SDIO scanner to
work. my hp ipaq 2210 pocket pc went blank,
i need to RE: program it can you help me do
this?
adeleAnonymous
June 11, 2006
What??Anonymous
June 13, 2006
The comment has been removedAnonymous
June 13, 2006
The comment has been removedAnonymous
June 13, 2006
Shane, they actually can be made from Visual Studio. If you've got an icon file open, you can right click on any of the white space around it and select "New Image Type." That will bring up a dialog with a "Custom..." button. Click the Custom button and you can enter 22x22 or 44x44 there. To switch back and forth between the different icon sizes in the file, right click on the whitespace again and select "Current Icon Image Types."
If you're doing a .net app and you have all five icon sizes in the same .ico file, then the system will automatically use the right one when the app runs.
MikeAnonymous
June 14, 2006
Shane: I've used a tool called Microangelo (www.microangelo.us). It seemed to work very well and was easier to use than VS 2005.Anonymous
June 23, 2006
Thanks Mike. You learn something new every day. :)Anonymous
May 18, 2007
Is there a way to express the (unusual) dpi of 131 to a more standard 96 dpi? Meaning would a 60x60 size icon at 96dpi be equivalent to 44x44 size icon at 131? I don't have the ability to specify dpi in Axialis Icon workshop, a pretty decent application for icons.Anonymous
August 08, 2007
jaySeattle, I have the same issue and I'm not sure if that correct or notAnonymous
August 16, 2007
jaySeattle and Ahmed, here's the math you want to do. dpi1/dpi2 = size1/size2. Here's a test to make sure we've got that right. We know from the above table that a 32x32 icon at 96 dpi is the same as a 44x44 icon at 131 dpi. Let's check that in my formula. 96/131 = 32/x solve for x x = 32 * (131 / 96) x = 43.667 With that equation, you can convert any icon at any dpi to any other. To answer your specific question though, to convert 96 dpi icons to 131 multiply the size by 131/96. So if you have a 60x60 icon at 96 dpi, you want to make an 82x82 dpi icon for 131 (60 * 131 / 96 = 81.875). MikeAnonymous
August 21, 2007
The comment has been removedAnonymous
August 21, 2007
sorry didnt realise you need to reboot the phone for the icons to work.Anonymous
October 10, 2007
Could you please tell me how to add an icon to a WM6 app? I have looked all over the net, and not been able to find out how.Anonymous
January 22, 2008
I have all 5 images, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64, 22x22, and 44x44 and still NO icon in the file menu ????Anonymous
March 04, 2008
You can use a program called ResHack to replace exe's icons, google it. Doesn't Windows Mobile 6 suppert aplha icons e.g. XP what's it's limits True Color or 256. Is there any software that will allow support for XP icons on WM6 Cheers, Gooey.Anonymous
December 16, 2008
Hi, Is there any way tht once my .exe has been created and signed i will be able to change icon of it ...say when i created cab ...... I know there r tools by which i can edit exe and change icon for it but then my exe will not remain signed... Its really important for my project ..... so any help will be appreciated. regardsAnonymous
December 17, 2008
No, sorry, editing the icon in a exe will always break the signature.