RATOC and TWIN PARADOX CF USB HOST ADAPTER for x50V

[Pyrobon]

Well i am soon getting my own Dell x50v, and i must say i am really excited, i think it is an excellent pda for me.
The only particular thing that let me down is the fact the DELL doesn't have a USB HOST.
Someone recommended me a USB HOST ADAPTER that you can plug in on the CF either the RATOC brand: http://www.ratocsystems.com/english/products/subpages/cfu1u.html
or the twin paradox one:
http://www.twin-paradox.com/SEPDA.html

I was wondering if any of you have tested those host adapters on a dell x50v , i would like to hear your opinions and comments and let me know what devices you have been able to make work with the usb host.

Thank you! 0X

[Sven Johannsen]

I've seen numerous posts from folks using the Ratoc for keyboards to hard drives. I'm sure some will respond here. The Twin Paradox one still seems to have the same 'Availability to be announced' caveat that has been there for at least a year. Seems your choice may be limited.

Actually, over time I have come to be content with the lack of USB host capability, as most things that would be supported would hamper the portability of the PPC.

[yankeejeep]

For what it's worth, the Ratoc mass storage driver works pretty well with a Toshiba e805/WM2003SE/USB host cable. The mass storage is the only driver needed with SE since the OS already has a built-in HID for keyboards. I don't use the USB host capability very often but it is a nice addition for those times when you do want it. One thing to keep in mind is that mass storage devices (other than USB flash drives) should have their own power sources, since the power a PPC can put out over the USB connection is very limited. And connecting a keyboard definitely drains your device's battery, so be close to wall power.

[eschelar]

Well, I too have been desperately searching for anyone else who has ever used the RATOC device. I purchased one after MUCH difficulty about a year ago and have had little success using one.

I should add that my PPC is NOT on the list of supported models, as it is an Acer n10. I have also tested it with an HP 2210 and a dell x5. Both of those models are on the supported list and neither of them worked fully.

The dell x5 could not detect the card at all. It was running Windows mobile 2002 and had all the drivers correctly installed for 2002. I have received no help as to why that might have been.

The hp 2210 worked much better. With little trouble (after wrestling with this thing for a month, I got to know the process pretty well), I was able to install the device in a few minutes and managed to get a USB keyboard working with the thing in no time flat. It worked beautifully. I wasn't able to get it working with a Chinese IME, but that would have come much later anyways. I still hope for that kind of functionality later on in the Fujitsu Pocket LOOX. The hp 2210 was not able to connect to any flash disks or mass storage. I tried with a few external hard drives and mp3 players and dedicated flash disks.

My Acer has been able to use most of the same software as the hp 2210 ( I helped the owner to set it up and whenever she has problems with her device, I am still called upon to help.), however, my device is able to detect and power up the device but cannot use ANY devices through it.

I can't say how that might affect it's usability with an x50v, but I can say that it surely isn't all roses with RATOC. They continued to help me for a few weeks before passing the buck to Acer and ignoring my questions about why it also wouldn't work with the Dell x5.

To those who would say that USB host functionality is not so important to a portable device, I would imagine that these people would also be happy with two year old palms that did little more than read some ebooks and listen to some music and store people's phone numbers.

USB host functionality adds serious power to your pocket pc. The power draw of a keyboard is pretty minimal, but it's usefulness is that USB keyboards are commonplace and far more comfortable than folding ones. They also have better key layouts for high speed touch typers. I would rather spend twenty bucks for a couple of low end USB input devices and have a little mini-office setup at home and at work that was comfortable and could swap back and forth to a desktop model as needed than a hundred bucks or more for that still probably wouldn't fit in my pocket. I like to do a little writing in the park now and again and that works ok. A keyboard fits easily in a backpack whether it is a small usb version or a foldable one.

Photographers can use USB to tremendous effect, even amateurs. I can take 600MB of pictures in an afternoon without much difficulty and on a single battery charge with my canon a95. I could then slide the CF card into my PPC and view pictures, sure... But what if I was on vacation and didn't bring my tablet PC with me? Then I can put all the photos in my hard drive/card reader and re-use the card the next day. With a pocket PC with USB functionality, I can sit anywhere and edit and sort a week's worth of vacation pictures on a rainy vacation day using the battery in the hard drive. I can use a keyboard to write in my journal or catch up on personal writing projects. That's 80% of my tablet's functionality right there.

USB host is a big deal.

[Sven Johannsen]

So this is your idea of a portable setup?
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39575&highlight=spare+ppc :)

Just yanking your chain. Everyone has their own ideas of how best to use their PPC. I just find the size of typical USB peripherals, and the lack of drivers, make the USB host option less important to me. I can get a fairly full size BT keyboard and mouse, and they do fit in pockets. I personally wouldn't relish managing a hard drive's worth of pics on the PPC screen. It's OK for viewing snaps, but managing a library? Moving stuff to a hard drive would be a bit of a chore if you didn't have a USB host capable PPC anyway wouldn't it? You'd have to keep swapping the CF camera card with the Ratoc card and copy to and from RAM or an SD card if you have the secondd slot to move pics to the hard drive. I'd just bring the laptop if I was going to take lots of shots.

[Phillip Dyson]

After discovering that my e830 was incompatible with all of the bluetooth keyboards, I purchased the Fellowes Foldable USB keyboard and it works pretty well.

Plus there is no pesky connection to worry about. It folds up pretty small too.

[surur]

Moving stuff to a hard drive would be a bit of a chore if you didn't have a USB host capable PPC anyway wouldn't it? You'd have to keep swapping the CF camera card with the Ratoc card and copy to and from RAM or an SD card if you have the second slot to move pics to the hard drive.

Which is why built-in USB host should be an factor in your buying decision.

Surur

Happy Loox 720 owner

[eschelar]

Agreed surur. Built in USB is the way to go. Also, it is not so hard to transfer info from a CF or SD to a hard drive, if your hard drive has card readers built into it. I haven't explored to see how this works with the PPC as I don't have my loox yet. A PPC like the LOOX 718/720 or an Acer n50 would be optimal for this.