Gateway Integrating Multi-Format Flash Readers in Notebooks

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/2100-1040-984230.html?tag=fd_nbs_ptech' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/2100-1040-98423...ag=fd_nbs_ptech</a><br /><br /></div>This is something I'm glad is finally happening - something like a 6-in-1 reader directly integrated into your notebook. It's certainly better than Sony's Memory Stick-only slots on their notebooks.<br /><br />"Aiming to better connect its notebooks with a growing array of digital devices, Gateway is introducing a portable PC that can read the tiny flash memory cards used by digital cameras and MP3 players.<br /><br />Memory card readers that can read several different types of storage have become popular features on some consumer desktop models, but Gateway appears to be the first to include them on a notebook."

[dochall]

My shiny Tablet PC tosh 3505 has Sd, CF and PCMCIA already. Enough for me anyway

[willkess71]

A Gateway with 2 PC card Slots and then stuck in my 4-1 card reader. I agree this is welcome addition especially as my notebook is now more powerful than any of the desktops in the office. I use it for almost all my mobile editing.

[Fzara]

This is definitely an excellent idea.

However, I say replace the floppy drive with these card readers, and we should be good to go.

Btw: is it just me, or does anyone else feel that there should be IR ports on desktops? (I needed an NES Emulator yesterday but I was at the computer lab)

[alex22]

This is definitely a good idea since I used my VAIO a lot and constanly find the memorystick only slot is annoying.

Hope Sony will come up with notebooks with card reads that can actually read many of my CF and SD cards. :(

[draklava]

For those of you who have never heard of Sager laptops they have great quality, features and price.

My Sager has memory stick and SD/MMC - no compact flash though... it's good to have options!

[ctmagnus]

imo this'll be nifty from an admins standpoint... Stick something the size of a stamp into a computer and boot to it, no floppies, CDs or network connection necessary!

8)

[Tom W.M.]

Btw: is it just me, or does anyone else feel that there should be IR ports on desktops? (I needed an NES Emulator yesterday but I was at the computer lab)
I totally agree. I have wanted to transfer files for printing many times at school. We have some (really old) unused Mac All-in-Ones laying around, and they do have IrDA ports on the front. But they seem to be diabled (aaaarghh!), and the stupid things are about a third of the way up the case.
<blockquote>http://64.127.236.115/applehistory/images/models/5200.gif
The IrDA port is the little black rectangle on the front.</blockquote>Maybe these ports should be intergrated into the keyboard or monitor base.
Also, TigerDirect has some budget PCs that come with IrDA ports in another totally idiotic place: halfway up the front of the case.

[Tom W.M.]

imo this'll be nifty from an admins standpoint... Stick something the size of a stamp into a computer and boot to it, no floppies, CDs or network connection necessary!
You can really do that with all of those formats? I know it can be done with CompactFlash, but I have never heard of it being done with the others. And wouldn't the BIOS have to be tweaked around to boot from them? Would you have to format the cards?

[ctmagnus]

I know it can be done with CompactFlash...

Actually that's the extent of my knowledge in this sitaution. It'd be nifty, though!

I read somewhere you need a specific brand of card reader to create a bootable CF card. Do you know the brand off the top of your head?

[Mexico]

I have a Sony SRX87 subnotebook. I love the little thing, but every time I look at the Memory Stick slot, I wish I could replace the damn thing with something else, like an SD slot. Sony, sometimes it's OK to admit that you lost. Just get rid of that stupid stick. It'll be OK.

[Janak Parekh]

I have a Sony SRX87 subnotebook. I love the little thing, but every time I look at the Memory Stick slot, I wish I could replace the damn thing with something else, like an SD slot. Sony, sometimes it's OK to admit that you lost. Just get rid of that stupid stick. It'll be OK.
Ditto on my SR17K. I've wondered if it uses a USB interface and how difficult it would be to hack in something else. :)

I read somewhere you need a specific brand of card reader to create a bootable CF card. Do you know the brand off the top of your head?
Well, if you have a CF/SD/etc. reader that's IDE, then you don't need anything special. I have an Addonics IDE reader in my desktop, and if you put a card in before bootup, it can be recognized as a removable IDE device. I haven't tried booting, but the manual seems to imply it should work. Plus, a lot of notebooks have USB floppy/CDROM boot support - they could just add support for one or two special units.

--janak

[ctmagnus]

I read somewhere you need a specific brand of card reader to create a bootable CF card. Do you know the brand off the top of your head?
Well, if you have a CF/SD/etc. reader that's IDE, then you don't need anything special. I have an Addonics IDE reader in my desktop, and if you put a card in before bootup, it can be recognized as a removable IDE device. I haven't tried booting, but the manual seems to imply it should work. Plus, a lot of notebooks have USB floppy/CDROM boot support - they could just add support for one or two special units.

--janak

It seems to me it was a USB reader I read about that had that functionality. The writer of the article mentioned that he had tried several brands but it was just the one brand that would permit the card to be formatted as bootable. Of course he wasn't using the card to boot the machine the reader was attached to.

It may have been in the CerfCube Yahoo! group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CerfCube/).

What I would like to see is a card reader (preferrably all six/four/three formats) that connects to a floppy ribbon cable as my IDE ports are currently maxed out.