Adjusting the DPI of the screen in Android (more screen space)

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When we read the specifications of the devices with Android, the resolution of the screens always draws attention, after all, most of the 800x480 devices are the same screen resolution used in the first netbooks, enough to accommodate a lot.

The big problem is that Android low levels by using icons and large fonts and showing only a few options menu without offering configuration options. In some situations, the system takes advantage of the space so badly that there's no place to display more than two or three options from a menu.Compared with this, even the old 160x160 screens Palms seem spacious.

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Buttons and icons are a necessary concession, as though sensitive, capacitive screens do not offer good precision of touch, not to mention that many users find interfaces very crowded uncomfortable.However, the factor of "one size fits all" annoys many of the more technical users who would like to get more screen space.

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Fortunately, there is a simple configuration for adjusting the DPI of the screen, which can be adjusted through a simple configuration file, displaying the roots of the Linux system.

The first step is to gain root access, which nowadays can be done very easily using theUniversal Androot.He is able to activate and deactivate automatically root access on various devices, including Motorola Milestone (2.1), Google Nexus (2.2), Google G1 (1.6), HTC Hero (2.1), HTC Magic (1.5), HTC Tattoo (1.6), Motorola XT701, XT800 Motorola (2.1), Motorola ME511, Charm Motorola, Sony Ericsson X10 (1.6), Sony Ericsson Mini X10 (1.6), Sony Ericsson X10 Pro Mini (1.6), Samsung galaxy 5 (gt -i5500) and others.It is not available on Android Market for obvious reasons, but can be downloaded athttp://blog.23corner.com/tag/universalandroot/.

To install it, you must check the "unknown sources" in "Settings> Applications", which enables the installation of applications available outside of the Market.

After obtaining root access, you'll also need theRoot Explorer.It costs $ 6 at the Android Market, but the good features outweigh the investment.

Inside, go to the folder

/system

and click on "

Mount R/W

"in the corner of the screen to recreate the folder writable:

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Next, take a long click on the file

build.prop

and choose the option to open using a text editor, at the end of the menu.Within the text editor, look for the option "

ro.sf.lcd_density

"which can be adjusted to the desired value:

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As you can see, the Milestone this option comes with a default value 240, which can be freely edited.By reducing the value, the system will consider that the screen is bigger than it really is, recalculating the display of fonts and other interface elements accordingly.

By reducing the value by 20% or 25 you get an interface a little more spacious but still comfortable to use.Of course, you can use a lower number, reducing from 240 to 120 for example, but in this case, the options start to become very small, and even to see them, you start to have difficulty in selecting them using the capacitive screen.

We have here a comparison between the default 240 DPI and 180 DPI: