Rumor: SDIO Coming to Treo 90

Posted By: Ed Tuesday, July 23, 2002 2:24:22 PM

An anonymous source has said that Handspring definitely plans to include SDIO capability in the Treo 90 this fall. According to this person, they were told this by someone in a position to know inside of Handspring.

However, a Handspring spokesperson still denies that his company has any definite plans to include SDIO to the Treo 90, though he will say they are looking into the possibility.

The Treo 90 is the first device from Handspring to include an SD slot, which allows it to use both SD and MMC external memory cards.

However, SD slots can also have an additional function that allows other types of peripherals to be plugged into them. This is called SDIO and it is necessary to use Palm's Bluetooth SD card. At this point, the Treo 90 doesn't support SDIO.

The Handspring spokesperson did say that no hardware changes would be required to allow the Treo 90 to support SDIO; all that is required would be a software patch. Of course, this would have to be stored in RAM as the Treo 90 doesn't have flash ROM.

About the Treo 90
Despite being part of Treo line, the Treo 90 isn't a smartphone. Instead, it is a mid-range handheld with a 160 by 160 color screen, an SD/MMC slot, 16 MB of RAM, and Palm OS 4.1.

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phone user

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 2:51:33 PM #
i might by one if i could put a bluetooth card into-it`s a mystery that it isn`t inside it in the first place - look at ericsson phones - they have got bluetooth for ages
RE: phone user
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 3:15:20 PM #
If I'm not mistaken, Bluetooth is Ericsson's baby. So, it would be in their best interest to have it in their phones early on. Other companies have been on a "wait and see" plan in regards to the technology.
Bluetooth is totally free and no license is required
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 4:19:43 PM #
Q: Where can I get Bluetooth specification ? Is it license free ?
A: Bluetooth specification can be downloaded from Bluetooth.com which has more comprehensive information about Bluetooth.com and its SIG. It is totally free and no license is required to use it.

http://www.bluetooth.com/sig/trademark.use.asp


RE: phone user
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 7:51:57 PM #
...don't know how "in the know" you are regarding Sony-Ericcson's phones, but I am fast becoming an enthusiast.

They've got some serious, SERIOUS sh*t coming down the pipes in Q4.

That p800 has got me considering ditching the Palm OS all together. Symbian is almost like, "Palm done RIGHT".

In fact, considering Symbian 7 already has Microsoft document manipulation capabilities built in, they've surpassed Palm in a lot of ways. Built-in graphics, sound, etc.

Best....or maybe WORST kept secret in the business, depending on who you talk to.

Asia-Pacific: Handspring looking at Bluetooth capabilities.
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/24/2002 3:44:19 AM #
Handspring Asia-Pacific and Latin America director Edward Chan-Lizardo.....would not say what features the next Treos would have though the firm was looking at BLUETOOTH capabilities.

from Handspring adds colour to Treo communicator
Thursday June 27 12:00am
South China Morning Post
Copyright 2002 South China Morning Post Ltd.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S2D453751

RE: phone user
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/24/2002 3:56:41 AM #
maybe before they think about bluetooth they should think about the design of their phone, the current design is just horrible, I would never buy a phone like this even it got a kitchen sink built-in.

Dont tell me that Treo is just a pda with phone capapbility, becasue even as a PDA it looks stupid.

Confirmed

Beavis @ 7/23/2002 2:53:45 PM #
I have a friend of a friend who knows this guy, whos cousins neighbors sister-in-law heard the same thing. So it must be True

RE: Confirmed
Ed @ 7/23/2002 2:56:53 PM #
I heard it from a guy named Rob Johnson who got it from his friend Larry Richards who works in Handspring's R&D department. Oops, I just got Larry fired. Oh well, how important is that compared to you knowing the exact source of the rumor?

I believe the person who told me this. If you don't trust my judgement, I suggest you skip all articles that begin with "Rumor".


---
News Editor

RE: Confirmed
Beavis @ 7/23/2002 3:26:10 PM #
I love your rumors Ed. Especially the one that turn out to be true. But an anonymous source who was told by someone in a position of know inside of Handspring, begins to sound like my statement above.

Keep up the good work. We all love you.

RE: Confirmed
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 4:29:30 PM #
I think Rob and Larry would both have been fired.

You can't run a news site unless you protect your sources.

Thanks for the good work, Ed.

RE: Confirmed
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 6:38:33 PM #
I appreciate Ed's policy on annonymity, I have provided information multiple times before and if he hadn't been discrete in his reporting, I'd likely have lost my job.

-Peng Lord

RE: Confirmed
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 7:10:54 PM #
Peng, this is your boss. You're fired.
RE: Confirmed
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 8:01:48 PM #
Peng's boss, this is your mother. Come home now.
Bluetooth SD I/O card via a software update
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/24/2002 3:39:20 AM #
NOTE: The Treo 90 organizer is not currently SD I/O compatible. The Palm Bluetooth card, as well as future SD I/O cards including digital cameras or GPS devices will not work with the Treo 90 organizer.
www.handspring.com/government/treo_organizers/treo90.jhtml

Q. Does the Palm Bluetooth SD I/O card work with the Treo 90 organizer?
A. The Palm Bluetooth card does not currently work with the Treo 90 organizer since the Treo 90 does not currently support SD I/O, but we may support it in the future via a software update.
www.handspring.com/enterprise/treo_organizers/faqs.jhtml#expansion3

Handspring is dead.

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 2:54:10 PM #
The Treos are pices of ****. Poorly constructed plastic, and terrible screens. The phone companies are going to eat Handspring alive. I would avoid their products if at all possible.
Handspring is Alive!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 3:01:31 PM #
The Treos are pices of gold. nicely constructed plastic, and excellent screens. The phone companies are going to bow to Handspring. I would buy all their products if possible.

RE: Handspring is dead.
RobZombie @ 7/23/2002 3:02:25 PM #
Ahh yes, there's nothing I trust more than the opinion of some anonymous person in a web forum bashing a company. Save your breath. I couldn't care less what you think.
RE: Handspring is Alive!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 3:21:04 PM #
I believe Nokia and SonyEricsson are like .. Huh .. !? you call that a phone ?
RE: Handspring is dead.
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 3:27:09 PM #
But someone called RobZombie... that I trust. J/K :-)
RE: Handspring is Alive!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 3:28:15 PM #
Love the Treo 270....absolutely love it. Go HS !
RE: Handspring is dead.
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 4:44:51 PM #
I quit going to palminfocenter because some readers are absolutely the most imature around, I just happened to come here because of a bookmark. This site should be called palmbigbabyinfocenter!!!!
RE: Handspring is dead.
jjsoh @ 7/23/2002 5:06:12 PM #
: I quit going to palminfocenter because some readers
: are absolutely the most imature around, I just
: happened to come here because of a bookmark. This site
: should be called palmbigbabyinfocenter!!!!

LOL. Either this poster is pretty clever or just plain retarded. Either way, I laughed a good 5 minutes. :)

Off chance that s/he's the latter, let me see... You just HAPPENED to come here because of a "bookmark", and upon reaching this site KNOWING that you "quit" it, you not only read the article AS WELL AS the comments posted, but you ALSO take the time to reply with your own post about how we're ALL BABIES.

Excellent. We're glad to have you back.


Jim

RE: Handspring is dead.
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 5:06:50 PM #
Whoever started this thread, "Handspring is dead" is clearly uninformed. My company recently supplied the Treo 90 to our field sales force and it has proven to be very versatile. Since I responsible for programing them and dealing with any problems that may occur, it has been a welcome change to deal with Handspring again. We started off with the Visor Platinum, moved to the Palm M505 and then to the Sony Clie. The Treo is the first handheld that we have used that has caused no problem in its first month of use. Zero complaints, zero returns for service, zero problems. The backlight and stylus problems we found in the demo units have been fixed. This is a great PDA. Obviously not for everyone, but for the price and functionality, it is perfect.

If you don't like Handspring thats fine, but try to make intelligent comments when you post on PIC. Yes, Sony's are great and the Palm's are also outstanding. Try to open your mind to fact that not ever user has the same needs. As for the phone companies eating Handspring alive. That hardly affects the Treo 90 since it is not a smartphone. Also, we use several different smartphones in the field and the Treo 180 has worked well, especially when utilizing Treo Mail.


RE: Handspring is Alive!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 5:17:29 PM #
Kyocera, Samsung, SonyErickson and Nokia make great phones that can be used as pda's. Handspring is making a great pda that can be used as phone. It is a difference in philosophy. These products will pull from different consumer groups. Yes, the Treo is not the greatest phone in the world, but for what it does it works very well. The phone companies are not making the worlds finest pda's but for what they do they work well. The world is big enough for both.
RE: Handspring is Alive!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 6:31:14 PM #
My only question is how do you make a phone call outside in the daylight if you're using the color treo? I'm a prism user and I know how bad the screen is outside. I can just picture myself trying to shade the screen with one hand while dialing with the other with my face right up against the screen! :-)
RE: Handspring is dead.
Sweetlu @ 7/23/2002 6:49:07 PM #
I actually held a Treo 90 and I must say it is an excellent PDA. Light & compact with color. I really like the keyboard (I have silkyboard on my m505) and the flipcover. One thing that prevented me from buying it is all the dead screen issues that are floating in the forums.

I'll wait until they launch an OS5 with SDIO (and hopefully a jog dial as well). By that time they should fix the little quirks they are experiencing.

But if somebody comes out with highres+ screen that does NOT flip like the NR series, then you got me sold.

RE: Handspring is Alive!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 7:38:55 PM #
The treo 270/90 screens are pretty bad outside but I've never had trouble calling outside. Just covering the screen with your hand usually gives enough cover for you to barely see who you are calling. Worst case scenario (too bright to cover with your hand, no shade nearby) you can dial with the keypad.

I read from the Treocentral forum that a user with broken backlight reported that he could see the screen better outside after it broke. I wish Handspring would give option to turn off backlight.

RE: Handspring is Alive!
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 8:00:51 PM #
Uhhh.....the Treo 270 and 90 aren't transflective LCDs that "happen" to have a backlight (or sidelight), in the vein of an m505, m515, iPaq, etc.

Any picture flat-out comes from the BACKLIGHTING.

Get it?

No backlight equals....well.....nothing.

RE: Handspring is dead.
TDS Computer @ 7/24/2002 1:20:13 AM #
Wow,
I just got my new Treo 90 on Monday, and it looks pretty good outside. I am in Tucson, AZ, so we have a fair amount of sunshine! I would not call it perfect, but even in direct sum I could read everything. Move to a little shade (Like in a car), and it looks fine. You can't really see the colors in sunlight, but it is readable.
Overall, I am quite happy with my new Treo 90. My first thought was that it would be a supplement for my Prism, but now I am thinking about it being a replacement for the Prism.

Visit us at www.tdscomputer.com
RE: Handspring is dead.
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/24/2002 7:14:21 AM #
The Treo 90 screen blows away my old 760 CLIE. It is far easier to read under the sun in HiRes. Plus it's so much smaller! I highly recommend it.
RE: Handspring is dead.
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/24/2002 9:12:34 AM #
Refresh my memory. What HiRes would that be?

"The Treo 90 screen blows away my old 760 CLIE. It is far easier to read under the sun in HiRes. Plus it's so much smaller"

RE: Handspring is dead.
rmcalister @ 7/24/2002 9:48:30 AM #
Whoever wrote this:

Uhhh.....the Treo 270 and 90 aren't transflective LCDs that "happen" to have a backlight (or sidelight), in the vein of an m505, m515, iPaq, etc.
Any picture flat-out comes from the BACKLIGHTING.
Get it?
No backlight equals....well.....nothing.

Obviously hasn't used one. In DIRECT sunlight, the Treo screen is definitely useful outside without back/side light. It's hard to read in sunlit areas without some shade. But in direct sunlight (you have to turn it to eliminate glare) the screen is very usable.

Stop making comments about things you're not sure about.

Flash ROM

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 6:20:36 PM #
I see that the 180 and 270 have flash ROM, is the 90 the only one without it?
RE: Flash ROM
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 11:04:37 PM #
IIRC, the 90 actually has Flash too, but it's compressed, unlike the others. Check the discussion boards at www.treocentral.com for more details.

GPRS on 180/270 - When?

danger @ 7/23/2002 6:31:14 PM #
As per the subject.

RE: GPRS on 180/270 - When?
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 8:25:53 PM #
Between now and the end of September I believe. Zerogravitywireless.com is advertising GPRS for Treo as available Ocotober 1, 2002.

How long does the battery last?

I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 6:41:05 PM #
And where can I download the patch?
RE: How long does the battery last?
Drob8785 @ 7/23/2002 7:31:16 PM #
The patch isn't out yet- note the headline reads: "Rumor: SDIO Coming to Treo 90" meaning that its just a rumor that sometime in the future Handspring will release it.

**Pain heals, chicks dig scars, Glory is FOREVER.**
RE: How long does the battery last?
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/23/2002 11:06:05 PM #
Chances are that whenever it actually becomes available, you'll be able to download it from www.handspring.com--but the when is still a big question.

Obsolete??

sandbuck @ 7/23/2002 8:12:40 PM #
I can't believe HS is doing this to me. I wait all this time for the latest and gratest, and now with SDIO my new Treo 90 is obsolete after just a few months!

These companies need to stop the constant updates for about 11 years and innovate behind the scenes. Then, when all PDAs have mp3 capabilities and can fly under their own power, release updates to the current models.

Okay I feel better.

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