Gadget to read a thumbdrive

[asims]

Greetings!

Does anyone know of a gadget that would allow my USB thumb drive (i.e., jumpdrive, USB drive, etc) to be directly connected to my h2215? With the thumb drive becoming so popular, surely someone has come up with something like that.

[dean_shan]

You could buy a USB Host Adapter CF Card (http://www.ratocsystems.com/english/products/subpages/cfu1u.html). It's a little pricey though so don't be shocked when you see the price.

[asims]

Thanks for such a quick reply!

I'm going to get a little pickier - since the cradle that the IPAQ sits in connects to the computer via USB, couldn't there be some type of adapter that could use that same lower connection so that I wouldn't have to remove the CF card?

[dean_shan]

Sorry but I don't think there is one.

[Robb Bates]

Not possible.

As Dean Shan alluded to, a USB flash drive needs to connect to a computer with USB hosting capability, such as a desktop PC. The h2215 does not have a USB host feature, so it is completely impossible to connect to the h2215's USB port to have it read a USB flashdrive.

What I would suggest is get a USB SD card reader. There are a few types that are the same shape and size as your typical USB thumbdrive/flashdrive. Just do a search for "smallest usb sd card reader" on eBay and you'll see what I mean. This isn't exactly what you were looking for but it should solve your problem.

Robb

[asims]

I understand - the CF card gives the h2215 the hosting capabilities it needs.

I'm thinking I'm probably going to have to break down and just buy me another cradle that I can leave at work. Often times while I'm at work (and my cradle is at home), I find something on the internet that I would like to put on the ppc. Currently, I save it on my flashdrive, then load it onto the ppc when I get home via the pc.

A mini card reader sounds like a nice space-saver for transporting around. I'm looking more for another way of letting my ppc read stored information. Right now, the flash drives are cheaper than SD or CF cards and seem to be more versatile. I'm not looking too hard right now because I haven't filled up my 128MB CF and 256MB SD cards yet. Who knows, maybe by the time I do fill those two up, there will be something on the market or the SD and CF cards will be priced as low as the flash drives :).

[OneAngryDwarf]

Woah there... thumb drives cost a lot more than SD and CF cards... i would just get yourself a small card reader in the form factor of a thumb drive. Check pricewatch.com
SD 512 for $67, 256 for 34... i hear Sam's Club has some 256MB SD's for around 40 also if you don't want to order it... Don't know about 512... When I bought my SD card a year or so ago I bought it at Costco and it was a lot cheaper than Sam's Club but I don't know (kind of doubt) if that still holds true. I'm pretty sure you aren't going to find any thumb drive for these kinds of prices.

[mscdex]

Woah there... thumb drives cost a lot more than SD and CF cards... i would just get yourself a small card reader in the form factor of a thumb drive. Check pricewatch.com
SD 512 for $67, 256 for 34... i hear Sam's Club has some 256MB SD's for around 40 also if you don't want to order it... Don't know about 512... When I bought my SD card a year or so ago I bought it at Costco and it was a lot cheaper than Sam's Club but I don't know (kind of doubt) if that still holds true. I'm pretty sure you aren't going to find any thumb drive for these kinds of prices.

You can get a 256mb SD card at Buy.com for about $22 or $23 after rebate. Maybe even less. Keep checking up on it, as I've seen the price even go as low as $19 after rebate for it.

[JimPAQ]

It sounds to me like all you really want to do is connect your 2215 to your computer without using the cradle. So you can download stuff on your desktop and install it on your PDA right then rather then wait until you get home. If so, Belkin makes a great USB cable that allows you connect your PDA to a USB connection on your desktop. What's even more awesome, it also comes with a Car Power outlet adapter and a regular home 110 outlet adapter. So, when you’re on the road or in a hotel and need to recharge your PDA, you've got no problems.

Now for the bad news. When I purchased my 2215, Belkin did not make a cable for it. However, they did make one for the 1900 which was basically the same cable connector. I have never had a problem with it not working. According to their website, the cable now supports the 2215.


--Jim

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=1981&pcount=&Product_Id=148062

[Rob Alexander]

I used to have to buy a second cradle for all of my Pocket PCs and it always griped me later when I'd change to another model and have the extra cradle sitting around. When I got my 2215, I still needed to connect both at home and work, so I gave the built-in Bluetooth a try for connecting at work and it works like a charm. All you need is a small Bluetooth dongle for the extra PC (under $40 at buy.com http://www.buy.com/prod/D_Link_DBT_120_Bluetooth_USB_Adapter/q/loc/101/10321431.html) and you're in business. Also, this way you'll likely be able to use it again for your next PPC.

[CoreyJF]

I usually leave my cradle at work and sync at home through wifi

[BTS]

I have been using the CF card reader (or SD) for a few years now and it works great. It's worth carrying the little card reader around with you. I have used a USB thumbdrive on my Toshiba (which has USB hosting). I had to download a driver for it and it worked great. The problem was that soon after my Activesyncing just wasn't working (no prior problems). Best to stick with the devil you know and use flash cards.

[asims]

I usually leave my cradle at work and sync at home through wifi

I like the idea of syncing via wifi. How do I go about setting things up to do so?

[Steven Cedrone]

I usually leave my cradle at work and sync at home through wifi

I like the idea of syncing via wifi. How do I go about setting things up to do so?

Not to drag this off-topic (but since this was your thread anyway...), You need a WAP (wireless access point) or at the very least wireless on your desktop, and a WIFI card for your Pocket PC. Let us know a little about the hardware you have now and we can give you some more info!

Steve

[Sven Johannsen]

I usually leave my cradle at work and sync at home through wifi

I like the idea of syncing via wifi. How do I go about setting things up to do so?

Not to drag this off-topic (but since this was your thread anyway...), You need a WAP (wireless access point) or at the very least wireless on your desktop, and a WIFI card for your Pocket PC. Let us know a little about the hardware you have now and we can give you some more info!

Steve

And you need to have partnered the PPC wth the PC in some 'normal' method once, before you can do sync via WiFi.

[one504]

You can use one of these:
http://www.simpletech.com/usbflashdrives/Bonzai.php

[asims]

My laptop is a HP pavilion with Mobile AMD Athlon XP 2500+ processor and D-Link wireless connection. As you probably know, the h2215 has Bluetooth wireless capability. I connect quite often to the laptop and at work via ActiveSync. Could a USB Bluetooth do the trick? That shouldn't be too hard to set up.

one504, I like that card reader!

[asims]

Steve, if this needs to be redirected to a different/new thread, just give me the new address. My initial question was answered, and this one is starting a new one.

I just went out today and got a D-Link Bluetooth DBT-120 adapter. How do I set up Active Sync connection using Bluetooth and Internet connection?

Trying to figure it out myself is getting frustrating. As long as the ppc is in the cradle, I can connect to Active Sync and the internet via Bluetooth. But the moment I remove it from the cradle, I lose all connections.

[asims]

Hot Dog! I got it!! :mrgreen:

Someone (my apologies for not remembering who) mentioned http://www.geekzone.co.nz/ as a good source of information on how to connect Bluetooth devices. I went there, found the information I needed, and am now connected to ActiveSync and the internet! Woohoo!! :mrgreen:

It's good to know I have another source I can go to when I have questions about my PPC. Thanks for stimulating my grey matter and directing me to more resources!