02-22-2003, 06:00 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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PCMCIA announces NEWCARD format
"The PCMCIA technology association has today announced the 'NEWCARD' format. This new format makes use of PC Card, PCI Express and USB 2.0 technologies. The NEWCARD format is also aimed at both Mobile and Desktop PCs. "By drawing upon USB 2.0 and PCI Express, the NEWCARD specification will bring serial bus technology to a smaller form factor that offers more performance and improved ease of use. This new specification will revolutionize how PC developers and OEMs utilize the expansion slot for next-generation features such as wireless networking, storage and card readers."
I must be missing something. On the surface, this announcement seems about three years too late - we have CompactFlash and SD already, and this technology doesn't seem to offer anything worth getting excited about. Or does it? The list of quotes from the links of Dell, HP, Microsoft, Intel, and IBM makes me think this could gain rapid industry support. The question is, why?
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02-22-2003, 06:22 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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To me, this looks like the evolution of both CF and PC/Cardbus. The big problem with CF is that its bandwidth is not great -- it can't handle 802.11a/g speeds, for example. I'd imagine that this standard would be quite a bit faster than even 32-bit Cardbus.
In any case, the irony to me is that it looks like a bigger Memory Stick. 8O
--janak
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02-22-2003, 07:26 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
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I have to imagine one of the biggest reasons why this format is being pushed is to totally phase out the aging PC Card slots on laptops. As our tablet\laptop PC's get smaller and smaller those PC Card slots on the side are going to end up being a serious pain in the butt for system designers to work around. The CF format while able to do I/O isn't, from what I've read correct me if I'm wrong, comparable to the PC Card. I still cringe at something like this. How many gazillion PC Cards inhabit this world? And they want to replace the format. Then again I use to say the same thing about the ISA card format. Now you talk about ISA at a Best Buy and they give you a blank stare. IS what?? 
*shrugs* Anything that gives us more bandwidth is a good thing right?
I'm still waiting for my Isolinear Optical Chips to show up on the market. 
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02-22-2003, 07:55 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Apr 2002
Posts: 437
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I think maybe they would do better with a CompactFlash Pro or a CompactFlash Ultra slot, keeping the same shape and size of the CF slot but adding extra pins or doing whatever it takes to beef up the bandwidth.
That way, you get backwards compatibility with at least the older CF Cards and it's small enough for next-generation ultra-compact notebooks and next-generation ultra-powerful Pocket PCs.
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02-22-2003, 07:56 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by R K
I think maybe they would do better with a CompactFlash Pro or a CompactFlash Ultra slot, keeping the same shape and size of the CF slot but adding extra pins or doing whatever it takes to beef up the bandwidth.
That way, you get backwards compatibility with at least the older CF Cards and it's small enough for next-generation ultra-compact notebooks and next-generation ultra-powerful Pocket PCs.
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I agree - I think this approach would make much more sense. The CF form-factor is excellent, and considering what they can do with SD, I think they could create higher-performing CF cards...
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02-22-2003, 08:17 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 108
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The question is indeed, why?
PCMCIA can always create a new, better standard for PC cards, like what they did with CardBus. This way, it'll continue to be compatible with all the existing PCMCIA cards in the world. I mean, this new NewCard isn't that much smaller than current PC Cards, so why don't they stick to the ubiquitous PC Card format? The slightly larger PC Card format can pack in more circuitry & hardware, so a new class of PC Cards (with all the capabilities of the NEWCARD) will have more potential capabilities.
And like Janak mentioned about the CF bandwidth, I think CFA should come up with a new standard for a new generation of CF cards with better bandwidth & capabilities. For PPCs, part of the constrain is with the X-Scale design. But if there's a new class of CF cards, new X-Scale processors should also take them into account. Afterall, for handheld devices, CF is still the standard I/O expansion port. But to handle 802.11a/g, bty densities should also be increased as well, or a practical bty for a 802.11a/g PPC would probably be bigger than the PPC. 
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02-22-2003, 08:21 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 108
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Oh I absolutely agree with RK & Jason .. your posts wasn't there when I wrote mine.
One thing though, PCMCIA & CFA are two different organizations. So, I don't think PCMCIA would want to let CFA take over the market.
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02-22-2003, 08:44 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 12
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What about the fact that the name will not last the age of the technology? How long are we going to refer to it as NEW CARD? :lol:
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02-22-2003, 09:44 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 718
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Oh good. Another standard to add to the pile. I guess PCMCIA, Cardbus, CF I, CF II, SD, Smartmedia and Sony Smartstick weren't already enough *sigh*
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02-22-2003, 10:51 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 396
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Re: PCMCIA announces NEWCARD format
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
The question is, why?
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What happened to W?BIC :lol:
There are too many competing small formats but this is designed to replace the ageing PCMCIA slot. I think this could be a good thing - even for crossover into the PocketPC world.
There are so many cards that seem to think "tiny" is the answer, leaving us with dinky little memory cards that are capable of little else. Sure SD and others are fine for a memory card but where are the SDIO peripherals? If they do come out they are months, if not years, behind their CF equivalent. (Isn't it still just Bluetooth on SD so far?)
If New Card does take off for laptops there will be lots of useful IO cards (802.11g, 802.16, whatever's the next big thing...) created for the larger (in sales) laptop market. Any PocketPC which compromises with the slightly larger format becomes so much more expandable. And don't get me onto size-doubling single-function jackets - euuurrgghhh!
Terrible name though. 
Just my opinions - feel free to disagree.
Fred
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