Wi-Fi SD Card with 256 MB of Storage Available Soon

Ed Hardy · 03-23-2004, 10:57 AM

A single SD card that offers both wireless networking and 256 MB of storage will be available for Windows Mobile users in the near future.

Read more at http://www.brighthand.com/article/Sa...rd_Coming_Soon

Mike Cane · 03-23-2004, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Unfortunately, SanDisk doesn't expect the necessary driver to allow Palm OS models to use this card to be available for many months.

I am authorized by Sandisk, as their new ad hoc spokesman, to declaim that there is a typo in your above reported sentence.

"months" should read "YEARS"!

Lucky Bob · 03-23-2004, 03:42 PM

Maybe Sandisk should finish their first WiFi card before they release another one...

neuron · 03-23-2004, 07:21 PM

I guess they thought they have finished the first one(PPC only). This one maybe PPC and POS 6 only.

dorelse · 03-24-2004, 12:24 AM

I'm laying the whole SD WiFi issue squarely on PalmSource's shoulders (I think, or maybe SDIO Now)...clearly the whole SD slot power issue isn't Sandisk's fault...Palm didn't provide enough power to the slot on some units...clearly PPC's do.

I'd bet money that the Palm driver has been done for months, and happy Sandisk development folks are running around using this card in their personal Palm's right now with the unreleased driver.

We're all stranded w/o it because legal counsel for both companies haven't been able to get licensing rights for the SDIO standard...from SDIO Now! or whomever holds the licensing rights.

Ed...tell me if I'm wrong, cuz it wouldn't be the first time...

Quote:

Unfortunately, SanDisk doesn't expect the necessary driver to allow Palm OS models to use this card to be available for many months.

See, I'd just change it to say:

"SanDisk doesn't expect the necessary driver to allow Palm OS models to use this card, well, ever."

Mike Cane · 03-24-2004, 01:21 AM

You are the second person recently to mention the slot not having enough power for the Sandisk card.

Where did this come from all of a sudden?

Previously, all I've heard is that it's been some bizarre licensing issue.

Is it both?

NickC · 03-24-2004, 03:55 AM

With many devices now coming with WiFi built-in this card is going to be a year too late.

They showed a modified Axim X3 using it, but it could equally have been an X3i with a normal SD memory card with a lump stuck on top - who'd know the difference?

It may be useful for the smartphones if they get around to releasing it for them.

Ed Hardy · 03-24-2004, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mike Cane
You are the second person recently to mention the slot not having enough power for the Sandisk card. Where did this come from all of a sudden?

This came up way back in early December:
http://www.brighthand.com/article/Sa..._Wi-Fi_SD_Card

Ed Hardy · 03-24-2004, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dorelse
I'm laying the whole SD WiFi issue squarely on PalmSource's shoulders (I think, or maybe SDIO Now)...clearly the whole SD slot power issue isn't Sandisk's fault...Palm didn't provide enough power to the slot on some units...clearly PPC's do.

I'd bet money that the Palm driver has been done for months, and happy Sandisk development folks are running around using this card in their personal Palm's right now with the unreleased driver.

We're all stranded w/o it because legal counsel for both companies haven't been able to get licensing rights for the SDIO standard...from SDIO Now! or whomever holds the licensing rights.

No, its all about power. According to what I was told at CTIA, there's only one Palm OS model that provides enough power to the SD slot for even the next-generation, low-power Wi-Fi SD card to work reliably. SanDisk wouldn't tell me which model this is but expect a card/driver for it to be available in a few months.

dorelse · 03-24-2004, 11:20 AM

Ed - If its all about power...can you explain (and maybe I'm making this up) how an SDIO Now! compliant device (the part I'm probably making up) doesn't spec to the power req's?

Just answered my own question...no where on the bsquare's Licensees page are any Palm manufacturers....so I guess that solves that mystery...Palm (when it was 1 company) didn't spec their SDIO units to bsqurare's standard architecture...thus the quandry the Palm units are in.

(SyChip however, is listed, as are a number of other PPC manufacturers, as well as PSION.)

Am I getting close?

BTW...I'm guessing the T|C is the only one with enough power, with its beefy battery,...which is why the SanDisk WiFI card is useless for a Palm at this time....

I solved my Palm T3 WiFi issue a month or so ago...bought an iPaq 4355. I got the T3 in October believing the SD WiFi cards were just around the corner, lived through the SD slot issues, and finally gave up and moved on.