GPRS CompactFlash Voice/Data Card

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/oet/forms/reports/Search_Form.hts?mode=Edit&amp;form=Exhibits&amp;application_id=596753&amp;fcc_id=QDJ-200205EDS01">https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/oet/forms/reports/Search_Form.hts?mode=Edit&amp;form=Exhibits&amp;application_id=596753&amp;fcc_id=QDJ-200205EDS01</a><br /><br />Rich Brome was snooping through the FCC Web site, and look what he found: a CompactFlash GPRS modem made by Chi Mei Communication Systems in Taiwan. It looks like it supports voice and data, and is a true "world phone" (Tri-band). It seems to <a href="https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/retrieve.cgi?attachment_id=245585&native_or_pdf=native">stick out a fair bit though</a>. The <a href="https://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/oet/forms/blobs/retrieve.cgi?attachment_id=245958&native_or_pdf=pdf">PDF manual has some good information</a> on the product, but in terms of availability or pricing - unknown.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/dunn2002/G1.jpg" /><br /><br />"With the GSM/GPRS CompactFlash card, you can instantly turn your Pocket PC or notebook computer into a wireless communication device so you can perform voice/data communication anytime and anywhere. You can not only enjoy high quality voice communication but rapid and stable GPRS data transmission. You can finally get rid of the tiny little screen of your mobile phone and access various on-line information comfortably."

[hrianto]

It looks like Audiovox CF card.

[Arne Hess]

It looks like Audiovox CF card.
It definitely is the Audiovox card:

http://www.ppcw.net/images/column/audiovox_rtm-8000/DSCN0283_small.JPG (http://www.ppcw.net/images/column/audiovox_rtm-8000/DSCN0283.JPG)

If you are want to see more about the card, find my review of the Audiovox RTM-8000 here at PPCW.Net:

http://www.ppcw.net/stories.php?story=02/10/18/3570253

[jojaboi]

that's just what i was gone say. damn u people who get to play on the computer at work and damn this blue collar job. :D

[rbrome]

Okay - sorry this isn't quite the news I thought it was...

Since Audiovox Communications isn't actually a hardware manufacturer, (and Chi Mei is a no-name manufacturer), you guys are definitely right that this is the Audiovox product.

So the news here then is that the device was just approved by the FCC yesterday, so it's now legal to sell and use it here.

[techie]

I think its exciting to see this type of product out there. GSM is the world standard for mobile comms (almost, but even the US is being dragged kicking and screaming into the fold, even if they petulantly had to pick their own frequency). I will soon be online *anywhere* - which is the true promise of mobile technology.

[BHammer]

This is exactly what i have been looking for!! This is great news!! I have been researching this for a little while but i have a few questions from the articlues you guys posted.

1) What does CSD data calls mean? Or GPRS connection?
2) What is the PIN that you have to enter when you install the card? Wasnt to clear on this
3) What do you sign up to for phone service? Does any provider (Verizon, Cingular ect) support this?
4) Is the cost any difforent?

Thats all i can think of for now, thanks a bunch if you can explain a few of these things to me :) Have a great day!

BHammer

[Underwater Mike]

Arne,

You mention in your review that "...there is no way to call contacts right out of Pocket Outlook which means you can to use the phone interface only. This isn't a good solution at all and I would like to see Contacts support..." But on the ShoppingPDA page for the product, the description of the dialer software says: "Integrates the data in your Contact and you can make phone calls from your Contact entries directly."

Has the product been updated since your review, are they claiming a feature that is not supported, or am I misinterpreting the two statements? :?

BTW, problems aside, this is great compared to the options available to CDMA users. Where's the @&^T*$@ Yiso CF card for Sprint? :cry:

[Arne Hess]

You mention in your review that "...there is no way to call contacts right out of Pocket Outlook which means you can to use the phone interface only. This isn't a good solution at all and I would like to see Contacts support..." But on the ShoppingPDA page for the product, the description of the dialer software says: "Integrates the data in your Contact and you can make phone calls from your Contact entries directly."

Has the product been updated since your review, are they claiming a feature that is not supported, or am I misinterpreting the two statements? :?
You can call Pocket Outlook contacts but you can not do it from Outlook with tap and hold a contact but from the IA Style phone interface only. This workaround may works but it's not so convenient as it could be by integrating this functionality into the pop-up menu of Contacts.

[Arne Hess]

1) What does CSD data calls mean? Or GPRS connection?
CSD is Circuit Switched Data which means you dial in to a number like you used to do it with a modem.
GPRS is General Packet Radio Service which means it's a packet based connection and you are not billed by connection time but by transfered data. Also GPRS is up to 5 times faster today than CSD (see also my column here: How fast is GPRS in reality? (http://www.ppcw.net/stories.php?story=02/09/24/7007368)).
2) What is the PIN that you have to enter when you install the card? Wasnt to clear on this
The PIN is standard in the GSM world and protects your SIM card. PIN means Personal Identification Number and is a 4 to 8 digits numeric combination which have to be entered to "start" the SIM card working.
3) What do you sign up to for phone service? Does any provider (Verizon, Cingular ect) support this?
4) Is the cost any difforent?
This have to be answered by US folks better as the USA differintiates from the rest of the GSM world... ;-)

[Janak Parekh]

3) What do you sign up to for phone service? Does any provider (Verizon, Cingular ect) support this?
Apart from what Arne said: only GSM providers will work with this card. GSM providers in the US include T-Mobile, Cingular (certain markets), and AT&T (certain markets).

As Mike put it, there's a CDMA card (i.e. for Sprint, theoretically something similar could be used for Verizon) in the wings, but it's not out yet.

--bdj