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."

Comments

11b or not 11b

[grunt107]

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.

Will it work with the Treo too?

[Darth_Vito]

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.

Enabling Network Software

[william_lorenz]

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?

Re:still using palms

[realdpk]

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.

12in Apple small?

[asv108]

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.

Interesting description...

[sczimme]

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'd try Enfora's product first

[b-lou]

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.

Re:I'd try Enfora's product first

[Enry]

I have it.

It's nice, but bulky. Certainly not something you can put in your shirt or pants pocket and carry around with you. While you can charge the palm from the Enfora if the Enfora is plugged in, you can't use the Enfora battery to charge the Palm (one of my fears from the days when Palms didn't have rechargeable batteries and used AAAs).

Too little, too late

[moontumbohotmail.com]

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.

The one thing the Clie Misses

[digitalgimpus]

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.

I emailed SanDisk, and here's what they said:
http://robert.accettura.com/archives/000266 .shtml

Sucks don't it?

Re:still using palms

[timeOday]

I guess I'll chime in, since I have a WiFi-enabled palm device (Sony TH55) and a 12" laptop and I don't think you do.

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.

Re:still using palms

[jcostantino]

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.