PDA as XP mass storage device/USB client? (getting data off the flash memory card)

[darkhorse]

Can any current or upcoming PDAs operate as a USB client and be automatically detected by XP as a mass storage device so the PC can access the flash memory card in the PDA?

Are there any other methods to transfer data from the memory card to the PC outside of the following?
1. ActiveSync.
2. Put the memory card in a PC card reader.
3. Network the PDA and PC (via Wi-fi, BT, etc).
4. If the PDA works as a USB host, connect it to a storage device (pen drive, external HD, etc), and then connect the storage device to the PC.

Thanks.

[Darius Wey]

As far as I know, this still cannot be done. I've heard that there may be plans in the future to implement this in Longhorn although reports are sketchy.

[Sven Johannsen]

Nope, and 3. doesn't even work as you might expect. You can see network folders and files from the PPC, but you can't see the PPC from the network. (unless you have AS over the connection running and do it that way)

The heart of the issue is that there is no way to share folders and files on the PPC. That is, you can't right click 'My Documents' and say "Share". Hence you can't get to them from the network. Just something that is not implemented. It would have to be a change on the PPC, not the desktop OS BTW.

Not sure I understand 4. Are you saying connect the USB storage device to the PPC and then remove it and connect it to the PC? If so then yes, if you can connect the thing to the PPC in the first place.

[darkhorse]

Here's how I usually have PCs networked at home: Windows PCs on a network all on the same workgroup, and with sharing permissions set up accordingly, I can move files around and read and write as I please.

-- Using a PPC w/Wi-fi and without AS, Sven, you're saying that the PCs cannot access the PPC at all (view directories, read, write)? Can the PPC access the file system on the PCs?

-- In the same setup, what if I ran Resco Explorer on the PPC? Can the PPC access the PCs?

-- In a third scenario, using PPC Wi-fi and AS on one of the PCs, will I be able to transfer files from either the PPC or PC?

Thanks for your insight.

[Sven Johannsen]

That's correct, none of the machines on the network will see the PPC, and Resco doesn't help that. Nothing does. You will be able to ping your PPC, but you won't see it it any network search from Windows. Ping /a won't bring up any name either. It doesn't really have a netbios name or FQDN. You don't recall specifying any workgroup or domain right? You also didn't specify any shares, and C$ doesn't really mean anything here.

So, what can you do? You can access any share on the network from the PPC. You can do that from file explorer by hitting the network icon and supplying the path, e.g. \\mypc\shared files. You can copy things in that share to your PPC, or back, I believe. Resco (and others) makes your life a bit easier. It will 'browse' the network and show you a tree of available Hosts and the available shares. You can then map those shares for future use. Then if that mapped share is accessible you can copy to and from it, and run things from that share. You can open a word doc or play an mp3 on the network or things like that. It gives yo a lot of capability if you have the PPC in your hand and are working from it.
It's not much use if your pocket PC is in another room and you are at your PC. Fot that you'd want to be conected via Active Sync, and that would have to be initiated from the PPC when wireless.

When connected with Active Sync over wireless though, there's not much you can do from the PPC, that you couldn't do from the cradle. You can do all that stuff though, surf, check e-mail, use Terminal services, etc.

[DVD]

.... It's not much use if your pocket PC is in another room and you are at your PC. Fot that you'd want to be conected via Active Sync, and that would have to be initiated from the PPC when wireless.

As both an alternative and adjunct to AS, I run Remote Display Control on the PC, which allows me to control the PPC, wherever it is, wirelessly from the PC -- in particular I can run File Explorer on the PPC from the PC. (And since the PC runs XP Pro, I can control it from any other PC on the network by Remote Desktop.)

Still have to initiate the Remote Display Control connection from the PPC though. (Which I do right after turning on wi-fi when I get home.)

[carphead]

Fle Transfer Anywhere does quite a good job. It allows you to point a web browser at the ppc and the download files via the browser.
If your interested it's on pocketgear.

[Sven Johannsen]

That looks interesting. Can't check it out where I am. What does the PC interface look like? Does it look like a PPC screen like remote display or Pocket Controller, or are you looking at more of a file tree, like an ftp session?

[carphead]

It's been a while since I tried it myself. Not having any use for it. But from what I remember it was more like a Web Browser list. Like you get when IIS is set to allow you to browse a directory list.