Mobile CF?

[gregmills]

I was thinking (dangerous past-time I know).

Why isn't there a CF card which contains whatever circuitry is missing from a standard PPC to convert it into a mobile phone? I've used my Pocket PC with Skype and it works pretty good as a phone. Most of the hardware in a cell phone is already there. You can use the screen for a keypad. You already got the display, memory, and battery. Maybe you need an antenna attached to the card and a place to slide the little memory card the phone company gives you.

Still it seems like it would be doable.

[Menneisyys]

I was thinking (dangerous past-time I know).

Why isn't there a CF card which contains whatever circuitry is missing from a standard PPC to convert it into a mobile phone? I've used my Pocket PC with Skype and it works pretty good as a phone. Most of the hardware in a cell phone is already there. You can use the screen for a keypad. You already got the display, memory, and battery. Maybe you need an antenna attached to the card and a place to slide the little memory card the phone company gives you.

Still it seems like it would be doable.

... and it has already been done. There're several GSM/GPRS CF cards, all using the same chipset.

Unfortunately, the problems with it make the entire thing almost useless. Its only positive aspect seems to be a built-in GPRS multiclass 10 modem (while, e.g., most cheaper Nokias are Class 6, and non-high-end Sony-Ericsson phones are Class 8 only).

It's biggest problem is that it's almost useless as a GSM phone because no sound is routed though the PDA. You can ONLY use their own, wired (!!!!) headset with them - no BT, no PDA mike/loudspeaker support, nothing. Furthermore, their sound quality isn't that great, either.

Furthermore, if you also want to receive calls on your PDA, battery life becomes a joke (a few hours).

In a word: there's a reason for their being be so unknown. Current CF-based GSM/GPRS solutions are NOT worth purchasing.

[Deemo]

http://www.convergentech.com/detail.aspx?ID=2