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Palm Finally Announces SD WiFi Card
Estranged42 writes "After years of waiting, Palm announced today that it will release an SD 802.11b card for its Tungsten T3 and Zire 72 handhelds. This comes after years of anticipation and speculation about this card ever happening. It should be arriving sometime in September for $129. I think I'm still looking forward to getting one. The Register and others are carrying the story."
Or, put another way: Why not the faster 11g?
Using the faster protocol would appeal the power users, and the early adopters that go for the hi-speed buzzwords.
I can't wait to find out if this will work with my Treo 600 mobile phone. It runs Palm OS 5.2.1 and it has an SD Card slot so I am optimistic. Although the Treo 600 already gets Internet access using the cellular phone system 802.11b would allow MUCH faster connection speed when a wireless network is available.
I wonder if this new SD card will work in the Treo 600. It runs Palm 5 and has an SDIO slot; sure would be sweet to have a Palm/WiFi/Bluetooth/CDMA phone.
"You can't dissect him, predict him, which of course means he's not a lunatic at all."
Now I can use PalmVNC for cross-platform VNC sessions to my UNIX and Win32 boxen and PSSH to enable SSH2 connections! I wonder if this will work easily in public Wi-Fi hotspots, thinking with regards to quick 802.11b configuration and real-world interoperability?
SDIO doesn't provide a lot of power. That's been the biggest stumbling block to date for getting WiFi cards on Palms.
I'm disappointed that, apparently, it won't work on other models such as the Treo 600.
While a 12 ibook was considered small 3 years ago, there are a lot better options when considering a portable laptop. The IBM x40, Fujitsu P series, or the Sony Picturebook are just a few examples.
Or, put another way: Why not the faster 11g?
Using the faster protocol would appeal the power users, and the early adopters that go for the hi-speed buzzwords.
I'm glad you didn't say anything about the real-world benefits of 11g (vice 11b) for a PDA; as far as I can tell there wouldn't be any. (Not flaming - just an observation.) PDAs typically aren't used to download large files, and may not be able to keep up with a saturated higher-speed connection. (Think (firehose + teacup).)
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
Although I've not used it yet, I'm more inclined to try Enfora's product first. It's a nice case + a battery of its own so you won't kill the Palm's battery by running WiFi. Also, it works with any of the recent palms that have the universal connector, it's not limited to the T3 and the Zire seventy-whatever. Home page: http://www.enfora.com.
I stand corrected. Thanks for the info. :-)
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
From SanDisk http://www.sandisk.com/retail/256mb-wifi-sd.asp:
From Brighthand (older link):
I still miss my Palm.
Palm had a good thing going, but they have fallen behind in the past few years. I love my Palm, but I think it's too little, too late. My next PDA won't be a Palm. They're losing their competitive pricing. Other companies have had wireless for a long time that is much less expensive.
For ages it was rumored that there would be a MS WiFi adapter. Then one was done, but only for certain OS 5 PDA's.
6 .shtml
I emailed SanDisk, and here's what they said:
http://robert.accettura.com/archives/00026
Sucks don't it?
A Dell X30 with WiFi and Bluetooth can be purchased for $170 on sale, or about $250, full list.
So if this thing costs $130, and the T3 costs $300, that leave us with a price tag of $430.
Ahem.
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
A laptop is not a PDA. I take my PDA everywhere and reference it many times per day. In fact I rarely leave home without it, since I always end up regretting it when I do. I'm not taking a laptop to the hardware store just in case I have to jot something down.
As to your second point, I have to agree that the WiFi, camera, sound recorder, and mp3 playback are only of secondary interest compared to the to-do list, calendaring, and memo apps.
That said, half-VGA (320x480) is somewhat usable for web browsing. In fact when I browse slashdot on it, I don't use the special palm-formatted version because it's too sparse. This may be the ultimate toilet-entertainment device, not that I would ever do such a thing.
But besides that, WiFi is good for quickly, wirelessly transferring documents and software to the Palm, and the battery-life hit is surprisingly not that bad. I can open palmgear download a zip file, and install apps without using a PC at all. Bluetooth is comparable, except it doesn't work from anywhere in my home.
I'm torn on having WiFi in the SD slot rather than built-in, as it is on the Sony. On the one hand, I only use the WiFi now and then, so why carry it all the time? On the other hand, it doesn't seem to add much bulk, and I'm already using the SD slot for memory expansion, so having to take that out would render the Palm only partually functional.
The biggest draw to handheld PDAs over laptops is that they weigh next to nothing and you can use them one-handed. I can use my Inspiron laptop on my hand but it weighs a ton compared to a PDA. I love the 1024x768 screen but the trade-off is portability for size. For example, you can buy a portable barcode reader and use a handheld as a data collection device without lugging around a ton of stuff and input directly into a local database or wirelessly to a remote one via Coldfusion over the web. The total weight of the equipment would be under a couple pounds and in some cases, you can get a barcode reader for a CF or SD card slot and not even have a tethered reader.
Reviews with a twist! http://www.sardonicbastard.com
Um...I last rebooted my powerbook for the 10.3.5 system update. Prior to that, I had a 38 day uptime. Furthermore- I've rarely actually run out of battery time. I laugh when people talk about boot up times- they've clearly never used a powerbook if they make such an inane comment. You open the lid. 2 seconds later you've got your network connections and you can start work, unless you turned on password locking. Hell, half the time my SSH tunnels are still useable- even after the PB has been asleep for hours! Not like reboots take any more than a minute on a 1Ghz G4 anyway.
Comparing a laptop to a PDA is absurd. You can't watch video/DVDs, surf webpages with any decent speed or clarity, or write with anything approaching speed or easy of use(I guarantee I can type at least ten times faster than you can "grafiti"). I'd also like to see you fit 60GB of data onto your palm pilot. Even if it was possible- its OS couldn't efficiently handle that much storage.
A lot of people can use their palms as easily as a computer. For some folks, it's even easier.
Um, are you seriously suggesting people can just "pick up" grafiti? It took me weeks before I could stop looking at the cheat sheet.
With my iPod and phone (Siemens S56) both supporting full contact info and calendaring as well as text notes for things like directions, I sync them both to iCal and Address Book with two clicks. My Visor has been sitting in the closet gathering dust for 3 years.
Please help metamoderate.