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Jason Dunn
06-12-2003, 11:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.msnbc.com/news/921628.asp?0dm=C12MT&cp1=1' target='_blank'>http://www.msnbc.com/news/921628.as...0dm=C12MT&cp1=1</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/1919826.jpg" /> <br /><br />"The AV320 is one in a series of portable devices from Archos that just might revolutionize what entertainment you carry with you every day. The first model in the 300 series, the AV320 has a 2.5-inch, 20 GB hard drive inside. The device itself measures 4.4 by 3.2 by 1.2 inches and weighs 12.5 ounces. It’s a lot bigger than an iPod, or your favorite MP3 player, but once you know what’s inside you’ll understand why.<br /><br />The AV320 has a backlit, 3.8-inch LCD screen, capable of handling 320 by 240 pixels. Inside, Lithium-ion batteries should give you four hours of on-screen video watching or 10 hours of listening to music (with the display turned off) before needing to be recharged by the AC adapter/brick that comes with the device."<br /><br />Columnist Gary Krakow seems to really like this device! Check out the video on that page if you'd like to see the device in action.<br /><br />It's funny - I've always been very interested in devices like this, yet I've never purchased one. This device comes much closer to what I'm looking for, but for me the software is just as important as the hardware. A device like this would only be useful to me if if were able to synchronize all my digital media in an intelligent manner. For instance, all my digital audio is in 192 to 256 Kbps VBR MP3 or WMA format - high quality, large files. I'd be happy enough with files in 96 or 128 Kbps WMA format. My video files wouldn't need to be in the 720 x 480 resolution - they should be transcoded to the screen size of the device. Ditto for photos - I don't want to carry a 2 MB image around with me.<br /><br />I would want to connect the device, and have it monitor My Pictures, My Videos, and My Music, and sync over anything that was missing from the portable device. Does something like this exist? Point me at it, and I'll buy today. :mrgreen:

Joff
06-12-2003, 11:36 PM
It looks really cool. Too bad that it doesn't double as a PDA. I like it but I also need a PDA to manage my PIM. And it seems that Archos has made their own OS to run this thing. What a shame, it probably won't have any games. OQO, where are you :?:

bcre8v2
06-12-2003, 11:53 PM
I purchased the prior version of the Archos Multimedia Jukebox (MP3 & capable of displaying video) for my wife. She travels with it everywhere. It came with a 640x480/1.2 MP camera, built-in microphone, cable to connect to amp/stereo inputs or a TV. You can select either NTSC or PAL. It came with 2 adapters for SD or CF cards and can read files from these medium.
The bundled software is Musicmatch, Ulead, and an AVI to MPEG-2 converter (audio much be recorded in MP3).

I spent a little time converting 3700 songs (400 CDs) into MP3 and converting some video, but it is worth it. The jukebox is simply an amazing device - for half the price of a PocketPC.

My only criticism:
Creating playlists is tedious. If there was a way to remotely create playlists and upload them into the device, this would be awesome.

As a 20 GB portable HD, you can't go wrong. You can take your presentations/videos to any projector or TV with an input and you're golden. The PocketPC can't come close to this yet!. Margi go-presenter may be getting close...

&lt;= Wishlist=>
devise a way to connect these devices to a PocketPC or make a PocketPC with a 20GB HD!

-Steve - I have way too many gadgets
"Convergence is always the way of the future"

Jacob
06-13-2003, 12:08 AM
My only criticism:
Creating playlists is tedious. If there was a way to remotely create playlists and upload them into the device, this would be awesome.


I had a previous version of the Archos jukebox and I could swear you could copy over WinAmp playlists and play them on the archos.

Cortex
06-13-2003, 12:11 AM
i like the idea of a pocket pc with a high speed bluetooth hard drive much better

why pay for this thing when 100% of what it does can be done with a pocket pc. all we need is disk space.

R K
06-13-2003, 12:12 AM
For instance, all my digital audio is in 192 to 256 Kbps VBR MP3 or WMA format - high quality, large files. I'd be happy enough with files in 96 or 128 Kbps WMA format. My video files wouldn't need to be in the 720 x 480 resolution - they should be transcoded to the screen size of the device. Ditto for photos - I don't want to carry a 2 MB image around with me.

Sometimes, there's an advantage to leaving the files with their original attributes. I've dealt with this a bit before with my Pocket PC. Having full-sized original images on the portable devices allows you to easily transfer the picture to someone else, knowing the the image is the full-quality original version.

This is only convenient if the portable device has an easy method for transfering files though. If the device has no SD or CF Card slot, and lacks any WiFi or Bluetooth, then having media that is good for portability is not needed.

Excalliber
06-13-2003, 12:16 AM
Personally, the RCA Lyra looks much more intresting to me. It's less expensive, thinner at .98 inches thick (although about 1/2 an inch longer), and has a longer battery life (can you say 15 HOURS??? 8O ) It has a CF slot built in and it has a file explorer so you can flip around files w/o a computer. Here's an idea: all you do is get one cheap memory card and this, and you'd never need to buy super expensive cards that can be 3 times the price of the Lyra with about a fifth the space. How can anyone object to you saving money? :mrgreen:

It may have .3 inches less screen space, but it depends on more than that to decide if a screen is really better (and also, sharpness vs. size). The Archos doesn't have that battery life, you need to buy an extra addon to read any type of digital media (plus, CF to any other type of media converters are cheaper than the Archos' readers), and the design also just looks... cooler.

The Lyra is also alot cheaper, and they both have 20 Gig harddrives. and, you don't need an addon to record video (i know it comes with it, but it's another thing to lug around). And everyone knows that shape can make you think it's clunky or not, and I just love the design of the Lyra over the Archos... that's just me :wink:

Hmm... which would you pick?




and yes, i realise that this post sounds completely like an advertisment...

Cortex
06-13-2003, 12:20 AM
this thing is probably the way to go....

HERE (http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=HOPBIT&asource=)

HOPBIT is a personal mobile server that combines the wireless connectivity of Bluetooth with the storage capabilities of a large capacity hard disk drive. Small enough to slip into a pocket and light enough to carry everywhere, HOPBIT is a powerful personal tool that can transmit, receive and store large volume data sources--including images and music--communicate with digital networks, and provide a new dimension in portable memory for personal information equipment, such as PDA and PC.

YEAH BABY!

rapidnet_rick
06-13-2003, 01:18 AM
Personally, the RCA Lyra looks much more intresting to me. It's less expensive, thinner at .98 inches thick (although about 1/2 an inch longer), etc.....



and yes, i realise that this post sounds completely like an advertisment...

Ok, I'll nibble...so where can I read about it? I've just been to the RCA site, and could find nothing....

ToeCutter
06-13-2003, 01:30 AM
It looks really cool. Too bad that it doesn't double as a PDA. I like it but I also need a PDA to manage my PIM. And it seems that Archos has made their own OS to run this thing. What a shame, it probably won't have any games. OQO, where are you :?:

I just took a peek at the interface and it looks suspiciously similar to my Sharp SL-5500. Perhaps the AV320 is running....*GASP*.....LINUX?

Imagine the possibilities if it using Linux as it's OS.

Can anyone comment on this?

ToeCutter
06-13-2003, 01:35 AM
this thing is probably the way to go....

HERE (http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=HOPBIT&asource=)

HOPBIT is a personal mobile server that combines the wireless connectivity of Bluetooth with the storage capabilities of a large capacity hard disk drive. Small enough to slip into a pocket and light enough to carry everywhere, HOPBIT is a powerful personal tool that can transmit, receive and store large volume data sources--including images and music--communicate with digital networks, and provide a new dimension in portable memory for personal information equipment, such as PDA and PC.

YEAH BABY!

Only one problem: Bluetooth is so SLOW. I've tried transferring file to and from my Clie and it is incredibly slow. Doesn't BT max out at ~750kbps? That's half the speed of a cable modem. It would take hours to fill it up.

Still looks interesting though. If they added (in addition to Bluetooth) USB 2.0 or FireWire, it'd be the whip...

Kiyoshi
06-13-2003, 01:48 AM
I was seriously consdering getting one of these a while back until I decided to get a PDA instead (plus I was too impatient to wait for one of these). Well there are currently a few coming out now. The Smartdisk Flashtrax, the Viewsonic PVP, the Lyra, and the Archos AV320 are all these new 3.5"/3.8" screened portable video and music players. They mostly come with 10-20-40 GB hard drives (maybe bigger in the future) and are $400-$500. The reason you won't find these on websites is cuz they're not too far in the development process, you'll only find them through Google searches in press releases. Archos had nothing on their website about the AV320 for quite awhile besides for 2 press releases from the Comdex show or CES, (maybe they're the same thing? :roll: )

Cortex
06-13-2003, 02:13 AM
im telling ya

a pocket pc with one of these makes much more sense

THIS (http://www.dynamism.com/hopbit/index.shtml)

it has a USB port as well for loading it up with movies and music. you can then carry it in your breifcase/purse and watch/listen on your pocket pc!

R K
06-13-2003, 02:39 AM
im telling ya

a pocket pc with one of these makes much more sense

THIS (http://www.dynamism.com/hopbit/index.shtml)

it has a USB port as well for loading it up with movies and music. you can then carry it in your breifcase/purse and watch/listen on your pocket pc!

I'm with ya man.

Rob Alexander
06-13-2003, 02:39 AM
this thing is probably the way to go....

HERE (http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=HOPBIT&asource=)

HOPBIT is a personal mobile server that combines the wireless connectivity of Bluetooth with the storage capabilities of a large capacity hard disk drive. Small enough to slip into a pocket and light enough to carry everywhere, HOPBIT is a powerful personal tool that can transmit, receive and store large volume data sources--including images and music--communicate with digital networks, and provide a new dimension in portable memory for personal information equipment, such as PDA and PC.

YEAH BABY!

Yeah Baby is right! :alfdance: This is the first really exciting product along these lines that I've seen. If only it had a larger HDD (say 20GB) and USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1, I'd snag one the moment they come out. (I might anyway!)

P.S. I do have to chuckle at the site itself, though. They won't tell us the price, but are happy to accept our orders. Yeah, right! :bangin:

Excalliber
06-13-2003, 03:27 AM
there are a bunch on articles on the Lyra if you search google for "RCA LYRA 20GB RD2780 Audio/Video Jukebox" some of them are listed here

RCA site:
http://www.rca.com/content/viewdetail/1,2811,EI700493-CI258,00.html

Mobilemag.com site:
http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1383/

Beststuff.com site:
http://www.beststuff.com/article.php3?story_id=5216&section=AudioVideo

I4U (future technology news) site:
http://www.i4u.com/article376.html

If you look at the Mobilemag site, there are links to Amazon and J&R preorders, as well as the discussion portion's main topic being the release date. Amazon claims July 1st, J&R say July 25th if you email them, and RCA says late summer (which equated to a late July release, as J&R says).

so close to pre-ordering this thing... soooo close

:)

sponge
06-13-2003, 03:39 AM
This is interesting. Imagine if this were to become popular. This would kill the PPC's advantage in multimedia (Just get an Archos) and Palm would still be marginally cheaper than PPC. This would create quite a niche for PPC to live in.

I want one though.. there's no way ANY PPC can come close to the power of this thing, at least if it can play as high bitrate/resolutions as I think it can.

That Hobpit is neat, but I don't see it being used much.

admdvs
06-13-2003, 04:59 AM
There is a huge site on this at http://www.archos.com with lots of details and stuff. what what they are saying the the yahoo group, they are already starting shipping this bad boy..
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/archosmultimedia/

Cortex
06-13-2003, 05:12 AM
That Hobpit is neat, but I don't see it being used much.

its not out yet...

but i could easily see one in my car with an HP 1945 on the dash!

rapidnet_rick
06-13-2003, 05:13 AM
there are a bunch on articles on the Lyra if you search google for "RCA LYRA 20GB RD2780 Audio/Video Jukebox" some of them are listed here



Ok, I didn't see the model number in your original post, and all my searches brought up were Lyra MP3 players.

My thoughts are this.....

Archos is technically on their third generation device, and there have been many bumps along the way..... This will be RCA's first gen device....

I assume/hope that the RCA Lyra has upgradable flash. If not, god help you.

One of the great things about Archos, is that they seem to be interested in fixing issues, by releasing new code all the time. I have the Archos Multimedia 20, I started out with pre-releae code. Something like .67 and am now running 1.22. Many improvements along the way.

Personally, I would NEVER pre-order something. I usually wait and let others be the beta-testers. After I read personal reviews, I then make a decision.....

mjhamson
06-13-2003, 05:30 AM
I (as well a many other people I know) are anxious to see if any of these devices will transfer RAW photo images from storage cards. There is a vital need in the market place for such devices. Previous Archos products were unable to transfer these files. The reason was not due to any technical aspect, but rather because the company did not understand the needs of the market place. I hope that they have expanded there understanding.

I for one am very tempted at the idea of a HD & PPC (with pocket Loupe).

By the way, I submitted a link/article (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0306/03060901creoleafvaleo22.asp) to PPC Thoughts a few days back concerning the expanded use of the PPC for Pro Photo work but they to do not seem to be interested in such things. People need to realize that the PPC has great potential for more then just games and personal management.

just my daily gripe! :oops:

beq
06-13-2003, 06:11 AM
I too had bought their older Jukebox Multimedia 20 Photo for a friend's gift...

My interest was definitely piqued again when I'd read CNet's review of the AV320 a couple of weeks back, then looked at their updated web site (especially the info on all the add-ons)! I'm waiting for released reviews of the Lyra too, as these two seem to be the furthest along/highest profile for the moment, while the rest are still prototyping designs with Intel/MS.

The 40GB AV340's the one worth waiting for IMHO (Lyra doesn't even plan this capacity I don't think), but who knows when it'll come out. Also the 3D animation of how the cam attachment snaps on as one unit looks pretty cool (but big, but then again you do essentially get a 3.8" viewfinder and 40GB space). Argh, but so many overlapping gadgets to choose from with a limited budget (ex: QVGA half-framerate MPEG-4 capture with this Archos or the Panasonic SV-AV30 or something else? I know personally how addictive the original SV-AV10 was). Not to mention most of the gadgets have way too many overlapping functions w/ a PPC to begin with!!

I'm just gonna beat this extra-dead horse again and ask for a PPC w/ a built-in 1.8" HDD and multi-megapixel cam that can shoot email-size MPEG4 vids. Well, actually, if it would bulk up the depth a lot, maybe make it into a snap-on attachment to the base PPC, but wait a minute, now we're right back to the iPAQ sleeve concept... Well, I don't know what I want then...

bjornkeizers
06-13-2003, 09:43 AM
Hmm cool. I'd definately get one, except it costs 800 euros according to Archos' page.

For that kinda cash, I could buy like two ipods or a laptop or two pocket PC's with memory cards..

It'd need to be 400 euros or cheaper, otherwise I'll pass and stick with my laptop.

altden2002
06-13-2003, 10:21 AM
People, save yourself trouble and do not buy archos. I have previous version of this device, Archos Jukebox Multimedia 20 and while feature set is commendable, quality is just very low. H/W is mostly Ok with few problems - battery has aged on me in no time at all and does not hold chanrge anymore, the entire thing has that cheap feel to it. But software is nothing to write home about:
- recent firmaware update has made DivX videos look far more "edgy" (i have flashed firmaware back and forth several times to verify)
- Last few seconds of video playback play like at double speed and audio gets out of sync, no big deal for movies but big deal for small amateur videos.
- Navigation is very slow - everytime you go up or down in the folder the HDD spins up, they can't even cache the directory srtucture.
- Picture view can only scale by factor of 2, so all of my digital pictures either do not fit on the screen at all or occupy small portion of TV screen in the middle.
- copying pictures from flash card to HDD fails every other time for no reason. On the bright side - it works every other other time, but still.
- battery life indicator is very impresize -it's hard ot tell when am i going to run out of juice and i never got "fully charged" (perhaps that is what killed the battery after all)).

There are plenty of good things about this device, it is very innovative, but i am not buying another archos, ever. It almost feels like i spend more time fighting this device than enjoing it.

For music player i would recommend either an iPod or yet previous Archor - Jukebox Recorder 20 (this one has open-source firmware, because people got so sick of original one they wrote their own, and standard AA batteries). None of them play video of course, so perhaps we can wait and see how good RCA is.

Perry Reed
06-13-2003, 02:12 PM
My only criticism:
Creating playlists is tedious. If there was a way to remotely create playlists and upload them into the device, this would be awesome.


I had a previous version of the Archos jukebox and I could swear you could copy over WinAmp playlists and play them on the archos.

Yep, absolutely. I've got the 6GB (audio) Archos Jukebox and you can copy over playlists from WinAmp or MusicMatch directly. You can also copy over Windows Media Player playlists, but you have to tell WMP to save the playlist in .M3U format. I do this regularly.

Perry Reed
06-13-2003, 02:14 PM
A device like this would only be useful to me if if were able to synchronize all my digital media in an intelligent manner. For instance, all my digital audio is in 192 to 256 Kbps VBR MP3 or WMA format - high quality, large files. I'd be happy enough with files in 96 or 128 Kbps WMA format. My video files wouldn't need to be in the 720 x 480 resolution - they should be transcoded to the screen size of the device. Ditto for photos - I don't want to carry a 2 MB image around with me.

I would want to connect the device, and have it monitor My Pictures, My Videos, and My Music, and sync over anything that was missing from the portable device. Does something like this exist? Point me at it, and I'll buy today. :mrgreen:

I don't know if any such software exists, but since we're simply talking about file copies, essentially, it shouldn't be difficult to create such a thing. It wouldn't even have to open the files to check for changed records (a la ActiveSync with Contacts, for instance); just compare the folders, look for missing (or newer) files and copy them.

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 02:59 PM
Sometimes, there's an advantage to leaving the files with their original attributes.

Indeed, but would a portable device have the horsepower to quickly display a 4 MP image? Or to play back a 700 Kbps WMA video file? A Pocket PC can't do either or those very well right now, so I doubt a device like this could. That was my only real concern - playback performance. I'd also need a 80 GB hard drive to take ALL my music + photos + videos with me. :-)

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 03:02 PM
...a high speed bluetooth hard drive...

That's kind of any oxymoron. :wink: Bluetooth's maximum theoretical bandwidth is 96 KB/s, and the reality is that it's much slower than that - so even streaming music would be very difficult to do. Bluetooth does not have the bandwidth for applications like this...

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 03:07 PM
HOPBIT is a personal mobile server that combines the wireless connectivity of Bluetooth with the storage capabilities of a large capacity hard disk drive.

Yeah, but then you have to carry two devices with you. That's not my idea of mobility. :-)

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 03:25 PM
Doesn't BT max out at ~750kbps? That's half the speed of a cable modem. It would take hours to fill it up.

It's much worse than that - Bluetooth's theoretical cap is 768 kbps, which is 96 Kbps. Any cable modem when attached to a fast server should be able to hit 500 Kbps without blinking (I've hit over 800 Kbps).

96 Kbps = 10.4 seconds per MB

Transferring over 5 GB of MP3s, which is only 1/4 of the total space, would take 14.4 hours. And since we know no one will ever actually hit 96 Kbps, I think 28.8 hours is a more realistic estimation.

Hell, even WiFi at 1.38 MB/s theoretical maximum is painfully slow for this type of task.

This is the wrong application for Bluetooth, unless we're talking about small files. I can see this scenario working if everyone is sitting in a room and they need to pull down a 50 KB Word document to look at. Of course, first you'd need to spend a few hours getting everyone connected to the hard drive.... :lol:

Crystal Eitle
06-13-2003, 03:26 PM
By the way, I submitted a link/article (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0306/03060901creoleafvaleo22.asp) to PPC Thoughts a few days back concerning the expanded use of the PPC for Pro Photo work but they to do not seem to be interested in such things. People need to realize that the PPC has great potential for more then just games and personal management.

just my daily gripe! :oops:
I'm working on a post on this one....

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 03:27 PM
im telling ya

a pocket pc with one of these makes much more sense

THIS (http://www.dynamism.com/hopbit/index.shtml)

it has a USB port as well for loading it up with movies and music. you can then carry it in your breifcase/purse and watch/listen on your pocket pc!

Umm...how many times are you going to say the same thing in different ways? We all read your first post. :lol:

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 03:29 PM
If only it had a larger HDD (say 20GB) and USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1, I'd snag one the moment they come out. (I might anyway!)

There's a reason why USB 1.1 external hard drives were a complete flop - there's just not enough bandwidth over USB 1.1 to do anything useful. USB 2.0 or Firewire would make this a more useful product, but I'm still wondering how useful this would be over Bluetooth - there's just not enough bandwidth to do anything useful!

disconnected
06-13-2003, 04:25 PM
I'm surprised to hear that you can't stream music using bluetooth. I thought I'd read some posts about companies working on developing bluetooth headphones for this very purpose. :?:

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 04:31 PM
I'm surprised to hear that you can't stream music using bluetooth. I thought I'd read some posts about companies working on developing bluetooth headphones for this very purpose. :?:

You can, but it depends on the type and size of the file (mostly the bitrate). So you sould definitely stream a 128 Kbps MP3 or WMA file (Bluetooth can handle up to 768 Kbps remember), but not a WAV file or any type of data that exceeds 768 Kbps (more like 500 Kbps in reality).

Did I say you couldn't? My concern was more about how slow it would be to put the music on. :-)

Excalliber
06-13-2003, 04:42 PM
If you need more space in these, you could always wait for Media2Go. Supposedly some companies are planning 80 gig models, but just how much do you want to pay for it?










and seriously, an Xscale for media??? :lol:

Gen-M
06-13-2003, 04:48 PM
It looks really cool. Too bad that it doesn't double as a PDA. I like it but I also need a PDA to manage my PIM. And it seems that Archos has made their own OS to run this thing. What a shame, it probably won't have any games. OQO, where are you :?:

This is why I use a Toshiba 5G PCMCIA card with my iPaq+PCMCIA Sleeve. It is also why I may move to Toshiba with a USB port and DeJe's mass storage USB Driver with an external 20G drive (Archos). I don't know why iPaqs have not adopted a USB port.

Jason Dunn
06-13-2003, 04:49 PM
If you need more space in these, you could always wait for Media2Go...and seriously, an Xscale for media??? :lol:

Yeah, I'm really waiting to see what Media2Go turns out like - it has the potential to be killer with a great UI and tight OS integration...or it could suck completely because Microsoft sometimes has trouble figuring out what consumers want.

Regarding the Xscale...yeah, it will be interesting to see if they can get it to perform properly. :roll:

Excalliber
06-13-2003, 07:06 PM
The Bluetooth HD doesn't make as much sense as you'd think. If you try to stream MP3s at 192 Kbps (which is higher than alot of people use anyways), a 512 Meg memory card would hold just as much music as the time that harddrive's battery would hold out before dieing. Does it have a user exchangable battery? Even if it does, that's yet another thing to carry and swap.

Edit: and by the way, a memory card doesn't need to be charged :)

Joff
06-13-2003, 10:12 PM
I thought about using a PCMCIA HD as well but I heard some bad stories. These HD seem to fail frequently.

I like both concepts, portable media player and PDA but why not merge these into one device? Surely the media player must have some processor to run the OS. With the right OS and a bit more RAM pehraps, we potentially have a portable media player with PDA functionality. :roll:

It looks really cool. Too bad that it doesn't double as a PDA. I like it but I also need a PDA to manage my PIM. And it seems that Archos has made their own OS to run this thing. What a shame, it probably won't have any games. OQO, where are you :?:

This is why I use a Toshiba 5G PCMCIA card with my iPaq+PCMCIA Sleeve. It is also why I may move to Toshiba with a USB port and DeJe's mass storage USB Driver with an external 20G drive (Archos). I don't know why iPaqs have not adopted a USB port.

Gen-M
06-13-2003, 10:33 PM
I thought about using a PCMCIA HD as well but I heard some bad stories. These HD seem to fail frequently.

The Toshiba Drives are reliable. I've used 2 and 5 gig drives for a couple of years now with no problems. I hear a lot about IBM microdrives failing.

I like both concepts, portable media player and PDA but why not merge these into one device? Surely the media player must have some processor to run the OS. With the right OS and a bit more RAM pehraps, we potentially have a portable media player with PDA functionality. :roll:

I totally agree with you here. Parkinson's Law applies - storage needs grow to exceed the space available. :D

ctmagnus
06-13-2003, 10:43 PM
It's much worse than that - Bluetooth's theoretical cap is 768 kbps, which is 96 Kbps.

That shouild be 96 kBps. Kilo is small k, bits is small b, bytes is big B.

:mrgreen:

Any cable modem when attached to a fast server should be able to hit 500 Kbps without blinking (I've hit over 800 Kbps).

Depends on your connection. My cable ISP, for instance, has a 2Mbps (250kBps) cap.

Cortex
06-13-2003, 11:14 PM
Yeah, but then you have to carry two devices with you. That's not my idea of mobility. :-)

You would leave your Pocket PC behind??? 8O

You could also tape them together and it would probably be smaller than this overpriced multimedia drive without a brain :P

Cortex
06-13-2003, 11:20 PM
The Bluetooth HD doesn't make as much sense... a 512 Meg memory card would hold just as much music as the time that harddrive's battery would hold out before dieing. Does it have a user exchangable battery? Even if it does, that's yet another thing to carry and swap.

Edit: and by the way, a memory card doesn't need to be charged :)

But my Pocket PC battery would be dead anyway... it might as well die with the bluetooth hard drive...

Excalliber
06-14-2003, 12:00 AM
True, but this thing is built with the thought of multiple devices using it, or you'd just get a pc card sleeve and a pc card. Otherwise, it would do just as well as a cable drive. Great if you have multiple devices, but you're better off getting a wired drive otherwise.

But more and more PPCs use replaceable battery, so people could use it longer. Not only that, but the standby time between transfers also drains battery, while the device you use could be off.

But what I think they should do is make an affordable and longlived (battery-wise) WiFi drive like this. If it had a good battery, you could just leave it somewhere (like on a desk at work, or pluged into the A/C at home for network use) and use it. Another great place would be a golve compartment of a car.

Cortex
06-14-2003, 01:27 AM
the advantage of bluetooth (in theory) is allows multiple different devices to communicate without having to worry about propriatary plugs and connectors.

a wi-fi drive would be nice but it would require a lot of software overhead for network management since wi-fi devices actually have to get onto a wi-fi network.

they do need to increase the bandwidth of bluetooth though to be able to use the drive for video...

also i would expect to see a bluetooth car stereo before wi-fi.

Rob Alexander
06-14-2003, 02:38 AM
If only it had a larger HDD (say 20GB) and USB 2.0 instead of USB 1.1, I'd snag one the moment they come out. (I might anyway!)

There's a reason why USB 1.1 external hard drives were a complete flop - there's just not enough bandwidth over USB 1.1 to do anything useful. USB 2.0 or Firewire would make this a more useful product, but I'm still wondering how useful this would be over Bluetooth - there's just not enough bandwidth to do anything useful!

Yeah, I just saw the post you wrote about the speed of BT. I didn't realize it was that slow. That has definitely quelled my enthusiasm. So what we'd need, then, would be something along these lines with USB 2.0 or Firewire, and with 802.11g wireless for transmitting to/from the PPC. For now, though, I guess I'll keep my money in my pocket.

Excalliber
06-14-2003, 03:16 AM
How likely is that to happen? I'm not saying it wouldn't be great, but the bluetooth standard is not likely to change enough to allow for video streaming. They would have to probably triple the theoretical limit of bluetooth for reliable video, even at scaled down PPC resolutions. Now, that's the theoretical limit... the real world speed never goes up by the same multiplier as the theoretical limit (for lack of a better way to say what i mean :wink: ).

And by the way, it would also make the battery drain greater, although still not up to the WiFi level

beq
06-14-2003, 05:23 AM
People, save yourself trouble and do not buy archos.

Eh, now I know why my friend's been giving me the cold shoulder afterwards ;)


P.S. Off-topic, but I think we should shoot for the biggest capacity afforded by a given form factor. 20GB for a 1.8" (as in the Toshiba PCMCIA), and 80GB for a 2.5" (as in Archos USB drive, etc). Unfortunately (as I'd mentioned in another thread), in my experience the bigger-capacity 2.5" HDDs seem to require more power in the real world than smaller-capacity 2.5" HDDs. Theoretically it shouldn't if you just bump areal density w/o increasing platter count or whatnot, but I've had bad luck bus-powering bigger HDDs off the USB port. If not for that I'd take out the 80GB HDD from our ThinkPads and stick them in USB enclosures...

ctmagnus
06-14-2003, 05:37 AM
Unfortunately (as I'd mentioned in another thread), in my experience the bigger-capacity 2.5" HDDs seem to require more power in the real world than smaller-capacity 2.5" HDDs.

I read somewhere that one manufacturer's 80GB 2.5" HDDs used less power than lower-capacity drives from the same company. I believe it was on the Creative newsgroups, but that was a while (several months) ago that I saw it. I also believe it was either Toshiba, IBM or possibly Fujitsu who made those drives.

beq
06-14-2003, 05:58 AM
Hey thanks for that info, I'll check it out! I'd thought only Hitachi/IBM makes an 80GB right now (4200rpm, 8MB cache), as I didn't think Toshiba has one yet (and I was pretty sure Fujitsu didn't as well). But I haven't kept up w/ the news much.

Anyways I have 30-40GB IBM drives (both 4200rpm and 5400rpm), the last generation before Hitachi. And I often had power trouble w/ them, whereas I also have really really old 6GB and 10GB IBM drives that always bus-power successfully. So I'd become disillusioned w/ the "newer requires less power" mantra. But this was just from my limited personal experience, maybe I just had bad luck.

EDIT: Then again I'd mentioned Addonics' USB Y-cable in that other thread, which should solve any power problem. I'd only found it recently before posting that, so I'm still awaiting to receive my order for it (along w/ their super high-power USB hub). To repeat, it has 2 USB input connectors on one end and a USB extension output on the other end (meant to plug into another USB cable). One input is the usual power + data, the other only power, and the output combines both input power... I'm thinking it might also enable the various USB trickle chargers (i.e. those sync+power cables) to recharge faster...