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

still using palms

[Sv-Manowar]

I can't see the advantage of using a palm over using a small notebook (12" ibook or powerbook for example) - espiecally for browsing using Wifi cards as shown here. A compacted and hard to read screen compared to a full internet browser. Surely the space it takes up is made up for in usability nowdays.

Re:still using palms

[Klar]

I think in most cases a 12" notebook would work better. But, palm's are useful if you need something really small that could fit in your pocket and not have to carry a 4lbs small notebook. Palm's are great for keeping track of names, apointments, general information and taking notes while on the run.

Re:still using palms

[Kenja]

"I can't see the advantage of using a palm over using a small notebook (12" ibook or powerbook for example)"

You must have REALY big pants if you can fit an iBook in your pocket.

Re:still using palms

[Planesdragon]

* cost of the model
* power consumption
* familiarity
* ease of use

For $1,000 (the cost of a 12" iBook) I can purchase new palms with Wifi cards for myself, my wife, and an extra just for the fun of it.

Even if the iBook had equal power consumption on all components (which is unilkely, given screen size alone), a single palm still uses far less kw/H than the iBook for any given task. Solid-state memory and an always-on OS eliminate both boot-up time and HD seek.

A lot of people can use their palms as easily as a computer. For some folks, it's even easier.

And, of course, if I want to have a palm in the TV room just for random web lookups, I don't need to configure an ibook or leave it out. When i want to pull up the data from a website, I can simply turn on the palm, click on the web-browser program (which can even be bound to a buttom) and go right to the site.

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.

Re:still using palms

[Rude Turnip]

Given the size of a Palm device and the situations in which you would need Wifi with such a device (ie on the go, not doing anything multimedia intensive), it makes perfect sense to go with a more affordable solution.

Re:still using palms

[CyberDave]

Bzzzzzz...wrong. Methinks you got your As and Bs confused.

The PowerBook (or, more correctly, Apple's AirPort Extreme MiniPCI card) supports 802.11b and 802.11g.

802.11g is backwards compatible with 802.11b (despite what I overheard some idiot salesman say to a customer at Best Buy once). You can use 802.11b cards with 802.11g access points and 802.11g cards with 802.11b access points. I do this al lthe time. Part of the reason this is possible is because 802.11b and 802.11g operate in the 2.4 GHz range. The backwards-compatibility is also built into the 802.11g spec (IIRC).

802.11a, on the other hand, is 54 Mbps (like 802.11g), but operates in the 5 GHz range and is not compatible with 802.11b or 802.11g.

Some manufacturers make combo cards that work with all three protocols. Apple is not one of them.

CyberDave

Re:still using palms

[IronChef]

As long as you are carrying that bag around, you may as well get a 15" or 17" laptop instead of that 12".

Meanwhile I will be carrying my PocketPC in, uh, my pocket, and Googling up product reviews while I am shopping. Sure, the browser sucks, but it gets the job done.

Did I mention it fits in my pocket?

Re:still using palms

[stratjakt]

Anyone who can't see that a PDA and a laptop computer are two different devices, suited to two different tasks, probably isnt worth arguing with.

Coming up with anecdotes to prove that PDAs can be useful is a pointless excercise. The PDA market has exploded, obviously enough people out there can see the uses.

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.

$129?

[benzapp]

I bought a Linksys one for my WinCE PDA over two years ago for half that.

What a rip off.

Re:$129?

[Roadmaster]

I guess they gave you a discount for having to put up with such a hideous operating system, huh?

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.

Re:Will it work with the Treo too?

[datastalker]

According to this story at TreoCentral, it will not work with the Treo 600. But since you (and I ;) ) get Internet anywhere there's a cell signal, it shouldn't be too much of a loss. All I can say is I'm glad I have the unlimited data plan. ;)

Cool!

[AKAImBatman]

This is really, really cool! Now I can... erm... well... Hotsync without a cradle! Yeah, that's it!

Joking aside, anyone have any practical uses for such a gadget? In my experience, networking Palm Pilots hasn't helped them do much more. Sure, you can do WAP type stuff, but so can your cell phone.

for Palm's sake

[jford235]

it'd better work well 1st time around, cause otherwise they're gonna have a mob on their hands, considering how long this has taken, espically since its only for two palms.

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:Enabling Network Software

[jayhawk88]

I hate to say it, but this statement has just taken 5 minutes off your sex life.

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).

Now they wont be lonley...

[Aceto3for5]

This is excellent. Now maybe after i lose THIS tiny expensive peice of hardware it can be friends with my 512mb thumbdrive and my USB bluetooth adapter, wherever they may be. Its nice to know they wont be lonley. Maybe they can use the 802.11 to signal thier location, like Gilligans Island.

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?

PalmInfocenter WiFi Card Review

[Anonymous Coward]

PalmInfocenter has a good Review posted

Review and More Info

[joncarwash]

Here is a nice full review from PalmInfocenter. It goes into full details and testing of the new SDIO Wireless card from PalmOne.

Some have asked how is this different than the SanDisk SDIO Wireless card for Palm that was released a short time ago. This description from SanDisk explains that its card is only for the Palm Zire 71 and products using recent versions of MS PocketPC. The new PalmOne card supports the Zire 72 and Tungsten T3, which the SanDisk card does not (apparently due to driver compatibility issues).

I own a PalmOne Tungsten E, which is the business value model, and there is not wireless support via SDIO cards, and doesn't look to be one available due to the power constraints of the Tungsten E model. Apparently, there have been some tests run with the SanDisk card on the Tungsten E, and it will work, but long-term effects on the SDIO slot have not been studied, and there could be damaging effects on the unit. Tungsten E users that want some sort of wireless connection should check out the Enfora Wireless Portfolio Case which seems to be the only wireless connection available for the Tungsten E.

Personally, I don't need wireless via my PDA since I already have a laptop and wireless card, but I know it is a nice feature, and on a future PDA I would want wireless to be available.

One down, One to go.

[955301]

Duke Nukem forever, here we come!
Won't be long now...

Security Concerns

[Phoinix]

A palm has address book, calendar and secure applications for passwords, etc...

I would think ten times before having my palm accessing or "accessible" via WiFi.

Yes, I am at the paranoid side, but in this age, you have to be so.

Wifi is not an option for me unless there is solid security such as runing two different systems on a Palm similar to a PC. Until that is an option, my Palm is offline.

Re:$129? (now a Grumpy Old Man Rant)

[angst_ridden_hipster]

Blanket statements like "Palms are inferior to PocketPCs" always amaze me, particularly in this case.

Maybe it's because I have a strong (and contrarian) opinion on what a PDA is used for. One doesn't get a PDA when what one needs is a notebook computer.

One gets a PDA to organize one's life: keep phone lists, to-dos, calendars, project management, password caches, and databases of system configurations and favorite restaurants and people's birthdays; read electronic books; and play an occasional time-wasting puzzle games. Maybe in rare cases do a Google search, or get crossword help from OneAcross.com, or download a map to your next meeting.

But if you're wanting to edit Excel spreadsheets, organize photo collections, edit your novel, create PowerPoint presentations, do nonlinear movie editing, etc, why not use something that's designed for that kind of activity? Why not use something that has a mega-pixel display? I have a reasonably portable 5 lb, 12", Unix-based notebook that I can do all that stuff on.

But for my PDA, I don't want all the complexity and extra features. I want reliability, simplicity, and long battery life. I don't want an OS that I have to update and patch and worry about. I do think it's a grand idea to have my PDA integrated into my phone, but I don't want to have to worry about all that other stuff. A PDA is about stability. It's about utility. It's not about extreme versatility.

And I don't want a camera in my PDA. If I'm going to take pictures, I want a real quality lens. I want decent dynamic range. I want 3 fps at useful resolution (e.g., 3008x2000 pixels). I have a digital camera that is designed for the single purpose of doing good digital photography. I don't want half-assed features just for the benefit of having them integrated into one box.

Feh!

Well, I guess I'm a Luddite.

for T2 owners:

[Lawmeister]

from the palminfocentre's article:

So why is the card only available for the T3 and Zire 72, and not other models with SD slots? The official answer from palmOne is: Following market and development-cost analysis, palmOne wanted to develop a Wi-Fi card that will be applicable to its Zire 72 and Tungsten T3 handhelds. These solutions require very tight integration between hardware, firmware and custom software, as well as access to propriety technologies for the level of tight integration necessary to give the customer an excellent experience. In other words it sounds like the differences between other models SD slots and other factors such as power draw and battery capacity, made is cost prohibitive to develop it for other handhelds.

hmmm, I'm thinking they are just pushing their newer products.