Crossing the Resolution Divide: spanning an application across multiple devices

Devices which MeeGo supports vary both in physical size and in pixel resolution. Those two factors combine to create the pixel density of the display, frequently expressed in pixels or dots per inch (PPI, DPI). For applications designed for human fingers, touchable elements displayed on the screen must maintain a physical size on the device regardless of a device's pixel resolution. To achieve this, applications must be written independently of the pixel density.

In the desktop world, applications have typically been written for a single density of 96 pixels-per-inch. This allowed application writers to specify dimensions and locations in pixel coordinates. This would cause the touchable object to vary in physical size depending on the actual DPI of the monitor on which the application was run. The result was often an application that was confined to a single device. Forcing said application onto a differently sized device and resolution would result in smashed or stretched graphics (sometimes grossly), breakage of the layout, or loss of visual strength in the design.

Through density independence, MeeGo provides the tools and APIs to allow designers and application developers to create a single code base which can run on many device resolutions.

Presented from the perspective of both a developer and an interaction designer, this talk will describe the importance and value of supporting density independence in your applications. An introduction to concepts and related details will be presented in addition to an overview of best practices in designing for a touch UI, how to generate suitable layouts and graphics, and design issues to consider for the future. The capabilities of MeeGo will also be outlined to show developers how to take advantage of what MeeGo has to offer. Discover ways in which your applications can expand in terms of functional capacity with increased screen real-estate as well as physical dimensions.

A brief working example will be developed live during the presentation to show just how easy it is to create your application once and have it span many different devices.