Docking Station For Your Pocket PC?

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.synosphere.com/gallery.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.synosphere.com/gallery.htm</a><br /><br /></div>Synosphere's Bluedock is coming later this year -- and it supposedly gives your Pocket PC or other PDA the ability to connect to a full screen, keyboard, mouse, and even has USB and network ports.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20040123-Bluedock.gif" /><br /><br />What I want to know is how they've managed to get such a detailed display on that monitor when the iPAQ looks like it's soft resetting. :lol:

[Jimmy Dodd]

What I want to know is how they've managed to get such a detailed display on that monitor when the iPAQ looks like it's soft resetting. :lol:

Pay no attention to the PC behind the curtain...

- apologies to Frank Baum.

[Wiggster]

I especially like the full Teaser trailer, where the most useful thing is a spin around the Blue Dock.

But hey, if it comes to a fruition, I'll get that instead of my next laptop upgrade. If it doesn't, I'll keep using my Targus keyboard and imagining what's on my tiny screen without looking :wink:

[GoldKey]

I worry that this would be priced too high to make it worthwhile. Maybe would pay $150.

[Cortex]

this is awesome -- sort of

why do they need a docking station at all?

shouldnt they be able to make a box that has a vga connector and usb ports on the back (for keyboard, mouse, and/or printer) and bluetooth support and then you could connect the handheld wirelessly via bluetooth?

or better yet.... make a box that plugs into any computer via usb. have a software driver in ROM within the box that can install itself on the desktop when it connects. have the drive act as a relay that hijacks the input/output layer of directx so the video out would be replaced by the bluetooth connected pocket pc. in fact, you could have the video appear in a window within the windows desktop environment. then all keyboard and mouse input could be directed to that window. that would be awsome and it could probably be in an incredibly small footprint!!!!

that would be really useful. I could then really start using my handheld as an integral part of my desktop.

[Kati Compton]

Personally, I'd just like to see a Remote Desktop server for the PPC, accessible when the PPC is in the cradle, or connected wirelessly. ;)

[PJE]

The only way they can get this thing working through the serial port of a PDA is if the device is actually a WinCE/Palm device inside the cradle...

The unit runs as a PDA in it's own right, but the program/data storage is held within the PDA, thus using PDA as a serial disk drive.

All the programs on your PDA would load into CPU card of the device to run. If it did not run in this mode, then it would be the worlds slowest computer. The SD socket is also not physically designed as a docking port, I don't know how well it would hold up to the large number of inserstions/extractions of the interface lead.

My 2c

[EDIT] The dock would also need to use the same CPU family as the host, otherwise the software loaded on the PDA would be incompatible...

[EDIT2] I miss read the information. It works through the SD card slot, not serial. This would allow a reasonable data transfer rate with the dock, but there is still an almost complete computer in the dock.

[jnadal]

RE: Kati Compton -

Did someone say "ActiveSync Remote Display"? :)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=74473fd6-1dcc-47aa-ab28-6a2b006edfe9&displaylang=en

[Mitch D]

If you look towards the bottom of the picture you can see another ipaq which appears to have said screen on it

[ricksfiona]

I came up with this idea and posted it here a year or two ago. Bummer I didn't patent the idea... :(

[jeasher]

I think this is a pretty cool idea. I first saw it on the-gadgeteer.com site and the ladies say there was a working prototype at CES. I don't use my computer for gaming so a PDA docking station may have merit for me. What is the downside? Not having multiple windows is one...

[Jeff Rutledge]

If you look towards the bottom of the picture you can see another ipaq which appears to have said screen on it

Good eye! :way to go:

[nobody]

Is there a way to run regular windows application? Some one needs to come up with a emulation!

[Janak Parekh]

Is there a way to run regular windows application? Some one needs to come up with a emulation!
Unlikely to happen -- ARM processors would do a lousily slow job running x86 Windows apps.

--janak

[rob_ocelot]

This thing looks like is has been vapourware for YEARS. Not only are they using a 36xx/37xx series IPAQ (which isn't even SD compliant, let alone SDIO) the pictures they are showing use the IPAQ interface connector on the bottom of the PPC, which is supported by only one model group of IPAQ at the present time.

Their pitch totally contradicts itself as well...

Enhanched Productivity
- Use with any full size monitor, keyboard, mouse, network connection, SD card, and supported USB devices

Yet a few lines below in their features section...

Interfaces and Ports
- SDI Interface
- SVGA (640 x 480, 800 x 600)
- PS2 Keyboard and Mouse
- Network Interface Port
- Power Supply / Charging Circuit (100/240 AC)


PS2 Keyboard and mouse and a serial connector? This isn't 1999! :oops:

Their product shot also only shows PS2 style interfaces on the back and no SD/SDIO slot on the back. The mysterious SDIO interface which is the basis of how the damn device operates is nowhere to be seen!

I would stay very far away from this product, their page is absolute gobbledegook. I wouldn't be suprised if there was a PC running Pocket Controller behind a curtain at trade shows.

Regards,
Rob S.

[SassKwatch]

or better yet.... make a box that plugs into any computer via usb. have a software driver in ROM within the box that can install itself on the desktop when it connects. have the drive act as a relay that hijacks the input/output layer of directx so the video out would be replaced by the bluetooth connected pocket pc. in fact, you could have the video appear in a window within the windows desktop environment. then all keyboard and mouse input could be directed to that window. that would be awsome and it could probably be in an incredibly small footprint!!!!
Isn't that, in essence, what Pocket Controller does?

Technical details of how it works may not be exactly what you describe, but the resulting functionality you describe is exactly what I do with PC.

[JohnJohn]

Anyone else concerend they are using an orginal series iPAQ for develoment? :D

[Kati Compton]

RE: Kati Compton -

Did someone say "ActiveSync Remote Display"? :)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=74473fd6-1dcc-47aa-ab28-6a2b006edfe9&displaylang=en
Is it fast enough to be useful?

[Cortex]

Isn't that, in essence, what Pocket Controller does?

Technical details of how it works may not be exactly what you describe, but the resulting functionality you describe is exactly what I do with PC.

its close... but people have been trying to make input and output devices connect TO the pocket pc. thats tedious and unnecessary. the key is 1. allow a bluetooth connection between the pocket pc and the desktop and then 2. do the rest with a driver installed on the desktop.

i bet one could make something the size of an SD USB Cruzer adaptor that could do this.... and the key is having the software in ROM on the adaptor so you could use it with any windows desktop with a USB.

[JustinGTP]

RE: Kati Compton -

Did someone say "ActiveSync Remote Display"? :)

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=74473fd6-1dcc-47aa-ab28-6a2b006edfe9&displaylang=en
Is it fast enough to be useful?

It is a little slow, but I guess you would use it because W?BIC!

I like how Rob describes this, puts a new light on it. I think its fake :D

-Justin.

[Kati Compton]

I installed it... It was frustratingly slow. :(

Edit - I'm talking about the remote powertoy program.

[ctmagnus]

Although it may be faster on the "faster ActiveSync" Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PCs. I have yet to try it on my 5550, though, as I have yet to have a need for it; about the only thing I used it for on my 3670 was entering the WEP keys for my wireless setup, to make sure I got them right the first time.

[JustinGTP]

I dont think the program is really worth it in the beginning, I like my foldable keyboard. And plus, my PPC is right there anyways! But, saying that, you can put your pocket pc away from you and have BT turned on your PC and PPC and type through BT activesync. Thats what I have done :D

[Kati Compton]

Yeah - not sure how much is the program and how much is the connection. :(

[ctmagnus]

I'm thinking it's all connection. That developer powertoy that was released a while ago that did the same thing only without a client on the PPC end was equally as slow, if not slower.