Windows Mobile Team Blog : Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Wednesday, June 07, 2006 11:54 PM MelSam

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.

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# 2003 iPAQ hp 2210 pocket pc

Saturday, June 10, 2006 5:16 PM by Mary A. Harrington

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?

adele

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Sunday, June 11, 2006 1:45 PM by MelSam

What??

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 4:20 PM by Shane Church

Is there any tool that you would recommend for the high DPI smartphone icons? Visual Studio 2005 doesn't seem to support these resolutions.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 4:20 PM by Shane Church

Is there a tool you would recommend to creat the high DPI smartphone icons? Visual Studio 2005 does not appear to support these sizes. Thanks.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 7:03 PM by MikeCal

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.

Mike

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 2:31 PM by MelSam

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.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Friday, June 23, 2006 5:43 PM by Shane Church

Thanks Mike. You learn something new every day. :)

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Friday, May 18, 2007 5:31 PM by jaySeattle

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.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Wednesday, August 08, 2007 4:36 PM by Ahmed

jaySeattle,

I have the same issue and I'm not sure if that correct or not

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Thursday, August 16, 2007 11:56 AM by MikeCal

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).

Mike

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 11:33 AM by ramond

Whats a high dpi smart phone? Do you mean QVGA? I'm guessing no because I tried using a 22x22 and 44x44 icon in my application and the phone didn't show it.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 12:19 PM by ramond

sorry didnt realise you need to reboot the phone for the icons to work.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Thursday, October 11, 2007 5:46 AM by BjornBj

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.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, January 22, 2008 5:23 PM by Mike

I have all 5 images, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64, 22x22, and 44x44 and still NO icon in the file menu ????

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, March 04, 2008 3:06 PM by Gooey

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.

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Tuesday, December 16, 2008 9:18 AM by brewwindow

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.

regards

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 11:42 AM by Scott Yost

No, sorry, editing the icon in a exe will always break the signature.

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# 2003 iPAQ hp 2210 pocket pc

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

# re: Icon sizes to use in your Windows Mobile applications

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