Comments on: Sony CF Memory Card Compatibility Soon

Work in progressing on a new software driver to enable Compact Flash memory cards to work with Sony Clie models that have the WiFi expansion slot. The driver is currently undergoing beta testing and will work with various CF cards up to 1GB in size. In addition, a patch to enable Memory Stick Pro media is expected soon.

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If this comes to fruition...

mashoutposse @ 4/7/2003 11:19:33 AM #

...that would make the clamshell CLIEs by far the most capable PDAs ever. No more excuses for the Memory Stick-hating crowd.

RE: If this comes to fruition...

mrborgs @ 4/7/2003 11:28:04 AM #

If Sony really wanted this to happen why doesn't their software work with the driver? If this driver only works with third party apps then you will have to buy new software and fill your memory just to use extended memory!?!?

RE: If this comes to fruition...

i2oadi2unnei2 @ 4/7/2003 11:36:44 AM #

Hmmm, I'm not surprised Sony wil make use of that CF slot for memory and not just the WiFi. I remember a while back Sony had a driver contest for the CF slot and no one won if I recall. I wonder if Sony took a look at those entries and then use that as a template then created their own and decided not to award anyone with it which isn't a nice thing to do because the prize wasn't that great anyways... As I remember I've posted before that Sony makes great products because they do tend wait till a product comes out, takes it apart and then 'copies' it and creates their own version... *GRIN* But hey, at least give the guy/gal credit where they got the driver idea from!

...|3eep |3eep!!...

RE: If this comes to fruition...

robrecht @ 4/7/2003 11:49:45 AM #

I think the contest was sponsored by ClieSource and that SONY had no official involvement. As I recall, nobody won because nobody submitted anything. With SONY changing their models so quickly, and without their official support or involvement, I think many developers thought, "Why bother?" Who's to say SONY's newer models wouldn't disable such 3rd party drivers to protect's SONY's proprietary technology.

Thanks, Robrecht

RE: If this comes to fruition...

i2oadi2unnei2 @ 4/7/2003 12:18:37 PM #

ROBRECHT......... I stand corrected *grin* Work overload, can't think straight early this morning...heh

...|3eep |3eep!!...

RE: If this comes to fruition...

abosco @ 4/7/2003 12:51:20 PM #

Very good first step, but it should still take a few months to get write capability, maybe a few weeks to tweak the speed of read/write, then maybe a few more months after that to have it work with the built-in Clie apps. The most important thing I would buy a large Microdrive for would be pictures and videos that I first download to the MS, then permanently move them over to the CF card since I can't have the Microdrive in at the same time as the Wifi card. Then I can watch it/play it/run it whenever I want without having to worry about space. Ever. Hell, that's great.

Hey, now here's a good idea. Sony releases an official update to MoviePlayer, Movie Recorder, Clie Camera, Audio Player, Voice Recorder, etc, to work with more than just the MS for $10. I know a boatload of people would be willing to pay $10 to make their most functional device on the market even more functional, myself included. OR Sony could just release a new NX with full CF support. They have a long history of doing things like that. Who knows, time will tell.

Cliesource rules, PIC's back, and a no-name company is developing a full CF driver that works in beta for dirt-cheap.

-Bosco
Proud Member of the Top Non-Mods
Members: abosco and ImpReza M3
Now accepting new applications

RE: If this comes to fruition...

bcombee @ 4/7/2003 2:37:46 PM #

I think the issue with the built-in apps is primarily due to applications not expecting to see multiple external storage slots -- its easier to write code with the assumption that there's only going to be one expansion volume; it takes more effort to support multiple cards.

--
Ben Combee, CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
Programming help at www.palmoswerks.com

RE: If this comes to fruition...

JKingGrim @ 4/7/2003 2:55:58 PM #

With that said, we can conclude that the built in apps will never support the CF drive.

RE: If this comes to fruition...

OcellNuri @ 4/10/2003 1:02:11 PM #

"Very good first step, but it should still take a few months to get write capability, maybe a few weeks to tweak the speed of read/write, then maybe a few more months after that to have it work with the built-in Clie apps."

Write has already been implimented. It only took 5 days too. :D

You can read more about the progress of the driver here... http://www.cliesource.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=10328

It's "Ocell" for short.

typo?

Ambassador @ 4/7/2003 2:01:18 PM #

Petitions orgainized by ClieSource for Sony to release an official driver went answered.

Was that supposed to be "unanswered"?

Seems to me that Sony is selfish... I like their improvements but will not be giving them any of my $ anytime soon. Besides my 515 is just what I need as far as useability and function. I don't need the bells and whistles.

RE: typo?

Admin @ 4/7/2003 3:03:54 PM #

thanks, don't know how that got through!

MS PRO driver

UZI4U182 @ 4/7/2003 5:06:57 PM #

I do believe the MS PRO driver for the NX/NZ/TG CLIÉ models is already out...

--Devan-- | UZI4U182@suscom.net
www.devanstavern.tk
Main PDA: Sony CLIÉ PEG-SJ30
>|< This close to getting an NX60

Works pretty good.

helf @ 4/7/2003 5:35:59 PM #

I've been playing with the beta . Works pretty good :)

SD to Compact Flash Adapter?

jbeedham @ 4/7/2003 9:52:14 PM #

Is there an adapter that will let me use SD memory in a compact flash slot? This way I will be able to use memory from the palm I have now in the Sony.

Now only if Sony will release the Memory Stick tuner and they will have the ultimate PDA!

-------------------------------------------------------
currently using Palm m125 and waiting for Garmin iQue.

RE: SD to Compact Flash Adapter?

mikecane @ 4/7/2003 11:29:28 PM #

Yes. I just plugged "SD to compact flash adapter" into goog, and got some hits, among them:

http://virology-online.com/Products/MMCCF.htm

-- not a recommendation, just a lead.

RE: SD to Compact Flash Adapter?

mikecane @ 4/7/2003 11:37:46 PM #

How odd that its URL should mention virology. The place is called PDADen, it turns out. Here's a sensible URL:

http://pdaden.com/Products/MMCCF.htm

End of CF on Clie...

MemoWare @ 4/8/2003 8:47:52 AM #

If this does succeed and is released, then you can fully expect never to see a CF slot on another Clie model. With Wi-Fi and other capabilities coming out in Memory Stick format, Sony has less and less motivation to include CF in its units. This threat to MemStick sales would pretty much convince Sony not to consider using a CF slot in the future, even with proprietary CF drivers.

Bottom line: the CF slots in the NX/NZ are (and have been) temporary solutions for Sony -- I hope nobody thinks CF is going to be a long-lived feature in the Clie line.

RE: End of CF on Clie...

robrecht @ 4/9/2003 1:57:49 PM #

I suspect MemoWear is right. Already a year or so ago, SONY was showing concept designs of PDAs with 2 Memory Stick slots. They just needed to fix the slow transfer rate (Memory Stick Pro) before they could make such designs practical with sophisticated I/O options. I'm still made about SONY's Memory Stick fiasco.

Thanks, Robrecht

Late in on the Subject of CF

P5CRR @ 5/30/2003 3:35:45 PM #

Argh!

It has to be said that I am very disapointed with the limited functionality of the CF slot. I bought my WiFi card in Japan and it now reisdes in the slot on a permanant basis. Reading this articale, gave me hope, but some of the commetns make think that it may be a short term solution.

Add to this the limited support of OS5.0 apps (What has happened with Avantgo?)

I hope that the CF slot is expanded further, as I need the MS slot to run either the MS GPS Card (when becomes availbel in the UK/US) or the MS Bluetooth (to connet to a Bluetooth GPS device).

Having a card that holds my music/pics and apps would redeam the NX Clie.