The DPI can be set when starting X windows. Changing the DPI can give you a bit more screen real-estate.
pi@raspberrypi ~ $ sudo FRAMEBUFFER=/dev/fb1 startx -- -dpi 60
To make a permanent change;
edit /usr/bin/startx as root and enter in some default server arguments.
defaultserverargs=”-dpi 60” serverargs=”-dpi 60”