Comments on: New SDIO WiFi Card in Development

A new manufacturer is currently developing a Palm OS compatible SDIO WiFi Card. The low power card will add 802.11b wireless connections to supported devices.
Return to Story - Permalink

Article Comments

 (36 comments)

The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. PalmInfocenter is not responsible for them in any way.
Please Login or register here to add your comments.

Comments Closed Comments Closed
This article is no longer accepting new comments.

Down

Finally!!!

javertiz @ 3/25/2004 11:33:10 AM #
Lets hope it doesn't go the way of the SanDisk SDIO Wifi card !!

RE: Finally!!!
Fammy @ 3/25/2004 11:50:02 AM #
Remember the old Sega commercials: Sega does what Nintendon't.

C-Guys does what SanDon't. Okay. It's not as cool. =)

If this is $100 or less, sign me up! I'd love to surf from my couch while my wife watches TV.

-- Fammy

RE: Finally!!!
Alric @ 3/25/2004 12:26:53 PM #
Please excuse my skepticism...

Cheers!

RE: Finally!!!
Altema @ 3/25/2004 12:38:51 PM #
"Please excuse my skepticism..."

I'll believe it when I see it, but it does look good(I'd even volunteer as a bata tester!). However, it will need support for EAP and LEAP if it is going to be used in large corporations... possibly they may need to coordinate with a 3rd party vendor to ensure a positive launch.

RE: Finally!!!
sgingras @ 3/25/2004 1:17:47 PM #
Yes...and I am also announcing a new SD card that I have in development. The card will not extend beyond the SD slot and has the following features:

- WiFi A/B/G
- Bluetooth
- 4 GB storage
- 8 Megapixel Camera
- 1500 mA battery booster
- Slot for three other SD cards
- Available in Lime, Tangerine, Banana, Blueberry, and "Vapor White"

The card will retail for $49.95, but street prices should be lower. I am taking advance orders now. Send your cash this way.


RE: Finally!!!
cmoney @ 3/25/2004 1:18:24 PM #
Now if only Palm would get off their ass and upgrade the Tungsten T to have a proxy-less browser.

RE: Finally!!!
I.M Anonymous @ 3/25/2004 1:37:17 PM #
But why would I want 8 megapixel pictures of the inside of my SD slot?

RE: Finally!!!
sremick @ 3/25/2004 1:53:11 PM #
Although I can understand those who are pessimistic...

Every tried emailing Sandisk? Pay attention to how long it takes them to respond (if they ever do), and the substance of their response.

Now (and I mean RIGHT NOW), email C-Guys. I'm dead serious. Just say something like, "Hey I'm a Palm user and I'm really interested in this product. Please release Palm drivers ASAP and I'll buy one!". Or whatever.

I've exchanged a few emails with these guys. I have a good feeling about them already. I'll be the first to admit if I'm wrong, but C-Guys are NO Sandisk, that's for sure.

Fammy: the card is already available for $105. It's the PalmOS drivers that are missing. Not sure why Ryan says there's no info on pricing.



RE: Finally!!!
Fammy @ 3/25/2004 2:15:17 PM #
sremick: Give me Zodiac support and it's mine!

-- Fammy
RE: Finally!!!
Altema @ 3/25/2004 4:45:53 PM #
"upgrade the Tungsten T to have a proxy-less browser"

Using WebPro which comes with the TT series, go to Menu, Preferences, Advanced, then un-check the "Use proxy server" box.

RE: Finally!!!
mikecane @ 3/26/2004 2:22:34 AM #
>>>Yes...and I am also announcing a new SD card that I have in development.

Feh! What a paltry little card that is!

The one *I'm* developing allows you to:

1 - time travel
2 - "core a apple"
3 - heal all TT3 defects
4 - add a filesystem to PalmOS!

Not only that, you can't buy it in stores!

RE: Finally!!!
petew @ 3/26/2004 11:06:43 AM #
>>If this is $100 or less, sign me up! I'd love to surf from my couch while my wife watches TV.

You can do this already, buy a bluetooth access point, plug it into your router and away you go.

I use the Bluetake BT300 AP, cost ~£60 probably ~$90 or so.


RE: LEAP
talos4 @ 3/26/2004 12:39:17 PM #
Cisco LEAP has been cracked and shown to be inherently weak. The objective solution to fix 802.11(x) security is going to be based on WPA. Which the C-Guys site says they will support (since their firmware is user-upgradeable).

Sandisk/Sychip 6060 doens't support LEAP now and the '65 announcement doesn't either.

-R

RE: Finally!!!
sgingras @ 3/26/2004 3:40:32 PM #
[i]But why would I want 8 megapixel pictures of the inside of my SD slot?[/i]

Ahh...excellent question. While my new card won't extend beyond the case in the orginal version, it will in FUTURE versions. Why do you care? ...because the version that I am about to release now will ALSO include a time travel function. Thus, all pictures that you take now will automatically appear as if the card did extend beyond the case. This feature is also good for finding lost keys. Just ask our reviewers - Bill & Ted.

Of course, we suggest leaving the time travel mode inactive when it is not in use as it tends to drain the batteries somewhat faster...and also sporadically transports SanDisk drivers into the future.

RE: Finally!!!
Krhainos @ 3/26/2004 7:44:33 PM #
The Meetinghouse AEGIS client seems to be out for the Palm Tungsten|C -- I don't think it should be too hard to port it to the other platforms (Palms) should it? Large organiztions such as my school (University of Akron) tends to buy huge licenses of these progs.

Also, I do hope the people who wrote Netchaser (a Netstumbler type app) update so it works with the SDIO Wi-Fi cards :D

-k

RE: LEAP
Krhainos @ 3/26/2004 7:46:32 PM #
(after thoughts)

Weak or not, love it or hate it - a lot of companies already invested in this technology and they tend to be stubborn about moving to something else, since they also have to compensate for all of the people they distributed the software/clients to. Like even though 802.11g is out, many universities are reluctant to switch from b becuase they already spent huge $$ putting the wireless there in the first place. :(

-k

RE: Finally!!!
peter_wong @ 9/7/2004 12:21:24 AM #
Just checked with C-Guys, Palm is not even bother to offer a little help to C-Guys to develop the Wifi SDIO card. So don't bother to wait anymore.

OS4 or OS5 (Garnet) Only?

skennedy1217 @ 3/25/2004 6:41:41 PM #
That "other" site is reporting that the company told Palm Infocenter that it will have drivers for both Palm OS 4 and Palm OS Garnet (previously called Palm OS 5), but told ********* there would only be a driver for Garnet.

Does this mean, too, that I'll have to upgrade to Garnet for it to work on my T2?

________________________________
M100==>M500==>T|T==>T|T2==> palmOne T4 or ASUS 730

OS4 and OS5, or OS5 (Garnet) Only?
skennedy1217 @ 3/25/2004 6:44:42 PM #
Title corrected.

________________________________
M100==>M500==>T|T==>T|T2==> palmOne T4 or ASUS 730
You must have a strange T2...
hudsonhawk @ 3/25/2004 6:48:02 PM #
...if it isn't running OS5.

RE: OS4 or OS5 (Garnet) Only?
I.M Anonymous @ 3/25/2004 7:05:48 PM #
OS 5 is Garnet.

RE: OS4 or OS5 (Garnet) Only?
skennedy1217 @ 3/25/2004 11:11:16 PM #
"OS 5 is Garnet."

I know that. But one would expect "Garnet" to be an enhanced version of the OS5 (e.g., 5.4 or whatever is next). Since the B****D article specifies that the card will be compatible with Garnet, my question is whether it will be compatible with earlier versions of OS5 (like 5.2.1, which I think is what's on my device).

Maybe I'm reading into the news too much, but with all the problems SanDisk has had releasing drivers it makes you skeptical.

________________________________
M100==>M500==>T|T==>T|T2==> palmOne T4 or ASUS 730

May

tfftruoa @ 3/25/2004 8:55:42 PM #
If these guys can announce and deliver in 2 months, that would be amazing.

The Federation for the Responsible Use of Acronyms

It would be even better if it had at least 32MB of storage..

Louis Berk @ 3/26/2004 2:10:52 AM #
... on the card... but, hey, you can't have everything.

Let's hope this one makes it to the market

Louis

give me a T4 with wifi and bluetooth

richardweidmann @ 3/26/2004 4:27:45 AM #
if it was faster I would get the sony TH55 (I am in Europe). Anyway I really like the T3 but don't want to have to deal with any hardware drivers not supported by PalmOne. I also don't want to use the only SD-slot for wifi.

I asked, they answered.

kevinbgood @ 3/26/2004 6:12:34 AM #
I dropped the manufacturer a line to see when and how much this card would be. They replied in the same day. Now how's that. Here is the letter.
_________
Hello:

Thank you very much for your interest in our product.

Unfortunately, our Palm driver is not done yet. We expect it will be available in a few months.

The price is about the same as others, MSRP $129 and street price will be lower.

Please wait a bit longer.
________

So it looks like they will be good for it. I am going to keep my eye on this one since SanDisk isn't doing anything.


Addicted to Palm

RE: I asked, they answered.
just_little_me @ 3/26/2004 4:45:23 PM #
Yup, I got a similar reply...


JLM.

Battery life

richardgaywood @ 3/26/2004 7:08:08 AM #
Hmmm. My Tungsten E has, what, a 900mAh battery? If my memory serves; it's around there. And it runs for, oooh, say five hours. Which gives around 180mA draw for the unit itself; plus the 260mA draw for the WiFi card means two hours battery life, tops. It'll be worse for the Tungsten Ts.

And therein lies my problem with WiFi in PDAs: it's just too much power. I already have a Sharp Zaurus with a CompactFlash WiFi card and as neat as it is, a solid half hours browsing knocks most of the charge out of it's 950mAh cell. Admittedly, the cell is eighteen months old and a little tired, but nevertheless, you can see the battery meter creep down.

I guess this is a roundabout way of begging for a Tungsten E2 with VG and Bluetooth! Then I can put a USB bluetooth adaptor on the PVR box I'm building for my living room and get wireless PDA browsing in there and in my office. If I need wireless anywhere else, I'll use my iBook.

----
T|E | Sharp Zaurus | iPaq 3570 | iBook 800 | S-E T610 | Linux, linux, linux!

RE: Battery life
donqixote @ 3/26/2004 9:04:25 AM #
But Palm has the best solution you never know:

Notice about PowerToGo!

Basically T|T4 will have both bluetooth + power hogging WiFi yet it is very sleek and live in your shirt pocket (unlike bulky PPC and Linux handhelds).

WiFi is built in the handheld itself, that's what everybody wants. What nobody wants is having bulky batterey builtin inside the handheld like in the T|C!

That's smart, isnt it?

Therefore, when you activate WiFi, it is highly recommended that you also attach PowerToGo to the back of the handheld, this way, the builtin internal batterey in the handheld is free to sleep for the next round more useful tasks.

You still can, however, rudimentarily activate WiFi without attaching PowerToGo (perhaps you forget to bring it in your bag). But you will know exactly what you are doing.

Users always have more options! Never limit what they want to do!


RE: Battery life
donqixote @ 3/26/2004 9:04:25 AM #
But Palm has the best solution you never know:

Notice about PowerToGo!

Basically T|T4 will have both bluetooth + power hogging WiFi yet it is very sleek and live in your shirt pocket (unlike bulky PPC and Linux handhelds).

WiFi is built in the handheld itself, that's what everybody wants. What nobody wants is having bulky batterey builtin inside the handheld like in the T|C!

That's smart, isnt it?

Therefore, when you activate WiFi, it is highly recommended that you also attach PowerToGo to the back of the handheld, this way, the builtin internal batterey in the handheld is free to sleep for the next round more useful tasks.

You still can, however, rudimentarily activate WiFi without attaching PowerToGo (perhaps you forget to bring it in your bag). But you will know exactly what you are doing.

Users always have more options! Never limit what they want to do!


RE: Battery life
sub_tex @ 3/26/2004 10:18:29 AM #
WiFi yet it is very sleek and live in your shirt pocket (unlike bulky PPC and Linux handhelds).

Can we stop the "bulky PPC" argument already? I think it's plain to see that PPCs with wifi are plenty sleek. The Linux PDAs on the other hand, are nowhere near where they should be (Zaurus C760 aside).

What nobody wants is having bulky batterey builtin inside the handheld like in the T|C!

Matter of personal taste.

Therefore, when you activate WiFi, it is highly recommended that you also attach PowerToGo to the back of the handheld. . .

It's still adding yet another device and now killing any "sleek" argument you have. It's like old iPaq users defenging those huge PC card sleds. Anything that adds bulk to the PDA is an annoyance.

You still can, however, rudimentarily activate WiFi


RE: Battery life
donqixote @ 3/26/2004 9:28:13 PM #
Can you read carefully or not?

I meant, you are to attach the PowerToGo _only_ when you turn the WiFi on. Therefore, your handheld is bulky _only_ when you turn the WiFi on. In most other time your handheld is still very sleek!

Question:
Rather than just attaching extra batterey when you are WiFing, why not attach the WiFi device + its batterey like Enfora?

I see a big problem here..

Because inherently, serial I/O from/to external device is slow. Limited only 115 KBps! Therefore, Although Enfora can go up till 11 MBps, the throughput is effectively only 115 KBps.


::::::::: Never go broke betting on stupidity :::::::::


RE: Battery life
donqixote @ 3/26/2004 9:39:59 PM #
SDIO and SD memory cards are even worse. Because its bus width is only 4 bits (MMC is desperately only 1 bit). So basically, if we want to transfer a data byte from handheld to SD devices, we need to do it in two batches.

Much better power performance than Scamdisk

talos4 @ 3/26/2004 12:33:43 PM #
The low power functions of this card are far superior to the current Sychip 6060 card.

Check out my post in the forums:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=21500


This will be....

vesther @ 3/27/2004 12:36:36 AM #
....the SDIO Wi-Fi Card to buy, provided that everything goes on schedule and that they remain loyal to the PalmSource Community.

A Palm-Powered Handheld is the bread and butter for many people. Without a Palm-Powered Handheld, your progress is all for naught.

Reception?

Krhainos @ 3/27/2004 8:18:13 PM #
Most WiFi cards shipping (for PCs at least) tend to be 30mW-100mW -- and some cards have a throttling feature (Cisco Aironet 350 in particular) -- wonder if this card has the same features? Also, these guys alreayd thought ahead about standby time by having it idle/standby at an amazing 1.5mA - but at full use, I wonder what the full output power of this card is?

.. sounds like a question I should e-mail them instead of pondering about it here :P

-k

Top

Account

Register Register | Login Log in
user:
pass: