GPRS/GSM SD Card Turns Your PDA Into A Cell Phone

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=9132">http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=9132</a><br /><br />"You can take an ordinary Windows PDA and turn it into a true mobile Internet terminal. In addition the [Siemens] CF45 can turn your PDA into a GSM phone for voice calls should you so wish."<br /><br />Look for availability in Europe around the fourth quarter of 2003 (I think that means June of 2004 in tech speak ;) ) at a cost of around €270. No specifics were given on the operation of the device, but given that PDA's have very different locations for the SD slot, speaker and mic, I would think to make this universally appealing the SD card would have to have jack for a hands free headset, or better yet, support bluetooth headsets on BT enabled devices.

[rlobrecht]

I wonder if they will work out a way to include the Pocket PC Phone Edition bits with it. We've all heard the complaints about the Thera experience, and how cludgy it is compared to PPCPE.

[Janak Parekh]

I wonder if they will work out a way to include the Pocket PC Phone Edition bits with it. We've all heard the complaints about the Thera experience, and how cludgy it is compared to PPCPE.
I'd be very surprised if they can. Pocket PC Phone Edition is supposed to be an OS-level thing. If anything, this will serve more as a data solution than a phone solution anyway -- I can't imagine the connector for a headset jack to an SD card to be that sturdy in the first place; on the other hand, maybe SDIO has enough bandwidth to talk to the Pocket PC's speakerphone and microphone -- but unfortunately, most Pocket PCs don't have them lined up well enough for phone operation.

--janak

[disconnected]

This is one of several reasons why I think (not that I thought of it myself; someone suggested it in another thread) that there should only be one version of the OS, and it should include all the features of the phone edition. Phone makers or third parties could then make these plug-in modules for GPRS or CDMA that would make the PPC a fully operable phone edition.

[Chris Spera]

The iPAQ 5400's do. I'd be interested in this if just to see that I can use my iPAQ as a phone. I don't know that I'd use it as a main phone, but it would be nice to be able to finally use a converged device for that low of a price...



Christopher Spera

[Oliver T]

Stupid question: Where on earth do you put your SIM in this ? SD cards and the SIM card in your mobile are almost the same size, or am I missing something ?

Cheers,

Oliver

[Sven Johannsen]

From the article: That's because virtually all Pocket PC machines don't have a PCMCIA slot but they do have an SD card interface. So you can take an ordinary Windows PDA and turn it into a true mobile Internet terminal.

Yea, if it is an SDIO slot

The CF45's ....[should]..... cost around 270 Euros. Given that Viewsonic sells a PocketPC device for under £200, it should be feasible to create a bundle with the CF45 for under £400

OHHH, when did the V35 become SDIO capable? :roll:

I've never been real excited by SD peripherals. Just seems that any sort of substantial external stuff would be real prone to snapping off the half inch wide by sixteenth inch plastic tab the slides into the PPC.

[Ed Hansberry]

OHHH, when did the V35 become SDIO capable? :roll:
Since it was released last fall.

[Sven Johannsen]

Stupid question: Where on earth do you put your SIM in this ? SD cards and the SIM card in your mobile are almost the same size, or am I missing something ?

Cheers,

Oliver

Probably in that part that is going to break off :?

[Sven Johannsen]

OHHH, when did the V35 become SDIO capable? :roll:
Since it was released last fall.

Really? I didn't know that. I even went to their web site and they don't mention IO, just memory cards. At least I didn't see it on the specs or pdfs. I believe you though. You'd think they'd be real up front with that. It'd be a leg up on the HP 1910 I would think.

[Janak Parekh]

Really? I didn't know that. I even went to their web site and they don't mention IO, just memory cards. At least I didn't see it on the specs or pdfs. I believe you though. You'd think they'd be real up front with that. It'd be a leg up on the HP 1910 I would think.
Apparently the hardware supports it, but there are currently no drivers. ViewSonic has been quoted as saying drivers will eventually be released.

--janak

[Ed Hansberry]

Really? I didn't know that. I even went to their web site and they don't mention IO, just memory cards. At least I didn't see it on the specs or pdfs. I believe you though. You'd think they'd be real up front with that. It'd be a leg up on the HP 1910 I would think.
Yeah, they haven't been real up front about it - but then again, why bother. There are still no SDIO cards to speak of. This came up last fall and someone from VS stepped in and confirmed it was SDIO capable.

[R K]

The V35's SDIO slot and it's small size is what made it a tough choice compared to the iPAQ H1910 for a lot of people.
In the end however, the H1910 just won over because it had wider availability, and maybe because it looks so great.

[Sven Johannsen]

Apparently the hardware supports it, but there are currently no drivers. ViewSonic has been quoted as saying drivers will eventually be released.

--janak

That's like having a PC with USB ports running NT4. Ya ain't got USB :wink:

[Ed Hansberry]

Apparently the hardware supports it, but there are currently no drivers. ViewSonic has been quoted as saying drivers will eventually be released.

--janak

That's like having a PC with USB ports running NT4. Ya ain't got USB :wink:
There is a difference. NT fundamentally can't work with USB without those hacked up USB drivers that often cause problems. THe 3900 shipped the same way and the Feb. ROM fixed the problem. I wasn't aware the V35's drivers didn't work. If VS is going to supply an updated ROM, all will be fine. For now though, who cares? What SDIO device is it that you want? WiFi, camera, modem, etc. None exist. :( Even the BT cards are of limited supply and mainly for the Palm M50x series.

[scoopster]

Anybody find it odd that this is supposedly an SD card, yet it's the Siemens' model CF45 ??

[danmanmayer]

I guess now i could get the newest Ipaq and throw this in the SD slot... but then where will i put my memory.... Ahh the sweet world of wireless always seems to cost an extra something.

[Sven Johannsen]

What SDIO device is it that you want? WiFi, camera, modem, etc.

I don't want any. I just commented that the article specifically indicated putting this in a V35. The SDIOness of that slot still seems to be in question. Would seem to me you need the hardware and existing, working drivers to make the claim that it is. You and Janak can duke that out :wink:

[Abba Zabba]

Anybody find it odd that this is supposedly an SD card, yet it's the Siemens' model CF45 ??

Good Point :?

I guess this will be the sort of replacement for the now 5600 series void that most of us have :)

[simonedwards]

I think the journo may have got it slightly wrong. The card isn't actually a SD card but a compact flash card.

I have just come across this website, which describes the card in more detail: www.roke.co.uk/cf45

This makes sense as I was at CeBit earlier this year and I saw of the Siemens guys walking around demonstrating a CF card.