01-11-2006, 09:13 PM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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FM SD Card Reviewed
"In this test, I present to you this SD card radio FM with which you can listen to the channels of radio on the FM band. You will have the possibility of reading a technical description of the product, the result of the test carried out with the pocket PC QTEK 2020, and our point of view accompanied by our personal opinion. C-Guys, Inc is manufacturing it of this SDIO Radio FM. As you can see it on the photograph, the system is delivered in a small box with mini CD of installation and the ear-phones."
An interesting review of C-Guy's SDIO Radio FM card that is Pocket PC compatible. It looks somewhat attractive, but would be 100% better IMHO if the audio was routed through the PPC and not out through a mini-jack at the top. What do you guys think?
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Dr. Jon Westfall, MCSE, MS-MVP
Executive Editor - Android Thoughts
News Editor - Windows Phone Thoughts
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01-11-2006, 09:27 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
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Re: FM SD Card Reviewed
At last an SD card! I've been waiting long for such a beast.
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Originally Posted by Jon Westfall
It looks somewhat attractive, but would be 100% better IMHO if the audio was routed through the PPC and not out through a mini-jack at the top. What do you guys think?
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It's, unfortunately, impossible, without implementing an A/D converter in the card, which may mean a higher price tag, a bigger size and a probably CPU- and/or SD bus-hungry PDA-size sound player, even if the price/size is decreased by leaving out the amplifier and the minijack from it. Right now, only the very expensive PDAudio is capable of this. It'd make not only multimedia add-on cards much easier to use/friendlier/recording- and BT streaming-capable, but also mobile phone cards.
The fact that no cards (not even phone cards) implement sound streaming over CF/SD buses, may mean that there may be some very serious hurdles in implementing this functionality. It's just an assumption though - hardware manufacturers may be plain lazy 
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01-11-2006, 11:17 PM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 555
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Re: FM SD Card Reviewed
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Originally Posted by Menneisyys
At last an SD card! I've been waiting long for such a beast.
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Originally Posted by Jon Westfall
It looks somewhat attractive, but would be 100% better IMHO if the audio was routed through the PPC and not out through a mini-jack at the top. What do you guys think?
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It's, unfortunately, impossible, without implementing an A/D converter in the card, which may mean a higher price tag, a bigger size and a probably CPU- and/or SD bus-hungry PDA-size sound player, even if the price/size is decreased by leaving out the amplifier and the minijack from it. Right now, only the very expensive PDAudio is capable of this. It'd make not only multimedia add-on cards much easier to use/friendlier/recording- and BT streaming-capable, but also mobile phone cards.
The fact that no cards (not even phone cards) implement sound streaming over CF/SD buses, may mean that there may be some very serious hurdles in implementing this functionality. It's just an assumption though - hardware manufacturers may be plain lazy |
Could it be, also, that the radio uses the earbuds' cords as an antenna, which would not be possible if this was done through the PPC's own audio output?
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01-11-2006, 11:30 PM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
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Re: FM SD Card Reviewed
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Originally Posted by felixdd
Could it be, also, that the radio uses the earbuds' cords as an antenna, which would not be possible if this was done through the PPC's own audio output?
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Yup, that's also a reason. Although, using the "ground" as the aerial can also be OK - then, the ground wire of the wired headset connected to the PDA will also act as an aerial, as with the entire body of the user if he directly touches the PDA if it happens to be a metal-housed one.
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01-12-2006, 01:34 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 578
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It might be worth considering if it included AM radio. FM alone does not appeal to me. I want both.
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01-12-2006, 02:22 AM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 866
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Not to offend anybody, but I think this is such a stupid idea. Why on earth would you want to use up your SD slot on a card that sticks out so far (and likely to break), which prevents you using memory cards, particularly when you can buy very small FM radios these days for less than this costs?
Sorry, but I see these things as pointless. FM for PPC is only good if its built in.
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01-12-2006, 03:02 AM
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01-12-2006, 04:59 AM
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Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by MitchellO
Not to offend anybody, but I think this is such a stupid idea. Why on earth would you want to use up your SD slot on a card that sticks out so far (and likely to break), which prevents you using memory cards...
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Well, the world said the same thing when full-sized SD Wi-Fi cards were first released. :lol:
Give it time. I'm sure the product will mature into a more compact form.
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01-12-2006, 05:25 AM
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Oracle
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 866
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Darius Wey
Quote:
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Originally Posted by MitchellO
Not to offend anybody, but I think this is such a stupid idea. Why on earth would you want to use up your SD slot on a card that sticks out so far (and likely to break), which prevents you using memory cards...
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Well, the world said the same thing when full-sized SD Wi-Fi cards were first released. :lol:
Give it time. I'm sure the product will mature into a more compact form. |
Yeah maybe, but I still don't think its is practical.
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01-12-2006, 07:24 AM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 5,067
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by bbarker
It might be worth considering if it included AM radio. FM alone does not appeal to me. I want both.
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I'm not sure it's absolutely impossible to put an AM radio in such a thing, but there is something to think about : the aerial size. Good reception of the Medium Waves band (as opposed to FM and Short Waves, where a simple cable is enough - like the ground of the headset) requires a ferrite aerial, which can take up more space than would fit in a SD card.
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