Pretec SDIO Products

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.computex.com.tw/news_archive_detail.asp?index=5387' target='_blank'>http://www.computex.com.tw/news_arc....asp?index=5387</a><br /><br /></div>Pretec recently announced their SD Camera. Looks pretty cool -- let's hope it doesn't share the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9771">same problems</a> as their 1.3MP CompactFlash Camera.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/news/20030422-Pretec-SDCamera.jpg" /><br /><br />"SD Camera uses [a] VGA CMOS senor, can take still image picture or capture video clips up to 640X480 resolution, which is 400% better than most PDA and color big screen cellular phone today." 400%!? Hmm... ;)<br /><br />In the same news release, they also refer to the SD Presenter, which will apparently support 1024x768 output from the Pocket PC, as well as products to come out later this year, including GPS, Bluetooth, WLAN, and GPRS cards. Perhaps 2004 will finally be the year of the SDIO card; out of curiosity, how many of you are using SDIO peripherals now?

[Kaber]

None. The latest ROM upgrade for the iPAQ 3955 included an SDIO upgrade, but I use the SD slot on my iPAQ for storage. In fact the majority of my installed apps are on the SD card. I guess this is better news for those with a PDA that has native dual card slots (a lot of the newer PDAs have CF and SD slots ).

I have many CF/PC Card devices though which I use in my dual sleeve.

[CESkins]

"SD Camera uses [a] VGA CMOS senor, can take still image picture or capture video clips up to 640X480 resolution, which is 400% better than most PDA and color big screen cellular phone today." 400%!? Hmm... ;)

Wonder what their frame of reference is? A Palm Pilot perhaps :roll:

[foghead]

Seems right to me...

Last time I checked, 320x240 (PPC resolution) had 1/4 as many pixels as 640x480. This would make the camera 400% better as far as the amount of data in a picture is concerned. 8)

[CESkins]

Seems right to me...

Last time I checked, 320x240 (PPC resolution) had 1/4 as many pixels as 640x480. This would make the camera 400% better as far as the amount of data in a picture is concerned. 8)

Hmmm...looks like you are right...however the Sony Clie has a 480x320 screen which would not equate to 400% better.

[foghead]

Yeah, but the Sony Clies don't have an SD slot either. The Palm TT has 320x320 resolution and SDIO, so the camera is only about 300% better, but since the press release only mentions PPCs and this is a PPC site, I thought that was quibbling.

[EscapePod]

Also, I've seen photos on the Clie, and they 'suck'.

Too bad my Axim doesn't do SDIO.

[Janak Parekh]

Last time I checked, 320x240 (PPC resolution) had 1/4 as many pixels as 640x480. This would make the camera 400% better as far as the amount of data in a picture is concerned. 8)
Of course. That wasn't my point. My point was that (a) it's marketing-speak to make it sound huge; and (b) you can now fairly readily get 640x480 and better cameras (witness the Nokia 3650 on the low-end, and the Clie NZ90 on the high-end).

--janak

[foghead]

I understod your point.

I just didn't think that it was really innapropriate because while display size is normally expressed as "HxV", ie 640x480, the digital camera industry normally refers to the number of pixels or megapixels and manufacturers make a huge deal over relatively small percentage increases.

That was one of the better run-on sentences that I have written in awhile. :oops:

[Janak Parekh]

I just didn't think that it was really innapropriate because while display size is normally expressed as "HxV", ie 640x480, the digital camera industry normally refers to the number of pixels or megapixels and manufacturers make a huge deal over relatively small percentage increases.
Of course. It was my (little) attempt to rail at it. Especially for a sub-1 megapixel unit. :)

That was one of the better run-on sentences that I have written in awhile. :oops:
Hmm, I'll have to send the grammar police at you. I think Pony99CA qualifies as that around here. Steve, where are you when we need you? ;) :lol:

--janak

[Looxer]

I'm not using any so far, but I'm waiting for SDIO camera but with built in FLASH!

[jizmo]

Saying that the image taken with the camera @ 640x480 is 400% better than PPC display sounds right about as smart as stating that 640x480 image, interpolated with software to 6400x4800 would be ten times better than the original.

We all know it's the *quality* of the image that really counts, not its resolution. I haven't used the camera, but if it takes crappy pictures with it's "400% percent better" size, it's really no use.

/jizmo