FM SD Card Reviewed

[Jon Westfall]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.freepaq.com/index.php?redirect=/bons/affichetest.php?testid=179&langage=us' target='_blank'>http://www.freepaq.com/index.php?re...=179&langage=us</a><br /><br /></div><i>"In this test, I present to you this SD card radio FM with which you can listen to the channels of radio on the FM band. You will have the possibility of reading a technical description of the product, the result of the test carried out with the pocket PC QTEK 2020, and our point of view accompanied by our personal opinion. C-Guys, Inc is manufacturing it of this SDIO Radio FM. As you can see it on the photograph, the system is delivered in a small box with mini CD of installation and the ear-phones."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/DSCN5243.JPG" /><br /><br />An interesting review of C-Guy's SDIO Radio FM card that is Pocket PC compatible. It looks somewhat attractive, but would be 100% better IMHO if the audio was routed through the PPC and not out through a mini-jack at the top. What do you guys think?

[Menneisyys]

At last an SD card! I've been waiting long for such a beast. (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&amp;cat=73)

It looks somewhat attractive, but would be 100% better IMHO if the audio was routed through the PPC and not out through a mini-jack at the top. What do you guys think?

It's, unfortunately, impossible, without implementing an A/D converter in the card, which may mean a higher price tag, a bigger size and a probably CPU- and/or SD bus-hungry PDA-size sound player, even if the price/size is decreased by leaving out the amplifier and the minijack from it. Right now, only the very expensive PDAudio is capable of this (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&amp;title=sick_of_using_wired_headsets_with_tv_rad&amp;more=1). It'd make not only multimedia add-on cards much easier to use/friendlier/recording- and BT streaming-capable, but also mobile phone cards.

The fact that no cards (not even phone cards) implement sound streaming over CF/SD buses, may mean that there may be some very serious hurdles in implementing this functionality. It's just an assumption though - hardware manufacturers may be plain lazy :)

[felixdd]

At last an SD card! I've been waiting long for such a beast. (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&amp;cat=73)

It looks somewhat attractive, but would be 100% better IMHO if the audio was routed through the PPC and not out through a mini-jack at the top. What do you guys think?

It's, unfortunately, impossible, without implementing an A/D converter in the card, which may mean a higher price tag, a bigger size and a probably CPU- and/or SD bus-hungry PDA-size sound player, even if the price/size is decreased by leaving out the amplifier and the minijack from it. Right now, only the very expensive PDAudio is capable of this (http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&amp;title=sick_of_using_wired_headsets_with_tv_rad&amp;more=1). It'd make not only multimedia add-on cards much easier to use/friendlier/recording- and BT streaming-capable, but also mobile phone cards.

The fact that no cards (not even phone cards) implement sound streaming over CF/SD buses, may mean that there may be some very serious hurdles in implementing this functionality. It's just an assumption though - hardware manufacturers may be plain lazy :)

Could it be, also, that the radio uses the earbuds' cords as an antenna, which would not be possible if this was done through the PPC's own audio output?

[Menneisyys]

Could it be, also, that the radio uses the earbuds' cords as an antenna, which would not be possible if this was done through the PPC's own audio output?

Yup, that's also a reason. Although, using the "ground" as the aerial can also be OK - then, the ground wire of the wired headset connected to the PDA will also act as an aerial, as with the entire body of the user if he directly touches the PDA if it happens to be a metal-housed one.

[bbarker]

It might be worth considering if it included AM radio. FM alone does not appeal to me. I want both.

[MitchellO]

Not to offend anybody, but I think this is such a stupid idea. Why on earth would you want to use up your SD slot on a card that sticks out so far (and likely to break), which prevents you using memory cards, particularly when you can buy very small FM radios these days for less than this costs?

Sorry, but I see these things as pointless. FM for PPC is only good if its built in.

[PeterLake]

Make it satellite radio and now we're talking! W?BIC(ould).

UPDATE: I didn't even see the topic about XM PPC when I posted this. http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=382954&amp;sid=ee7c50af504bd060ddf9b9b167187229.

Freaky... 0X

[Darius Wey]

Not to offend anybody, but I think this is such a stupid idea. Why on earth would you want to use up your SD slot on a card that sticks out so far (and likely to break), which prevents you using memory cards...

Well, the world said the same thing when full-sized SD Wi-Fi cards were first released. :lol:

Give it time. I'm sure the product will mature into a more compact form.

[MitchellO]

Not to offend anybody, but I think this is such a stupid idea. Why on earth would you want to use up your SD slot on a card that sticks out so far (and likely to break), which prevents you using memory cards...

Well, the world said the same thing when full-sized SD Wi-Fi cards were first released. :lol:

Give it time. I'm sure the product will mature into a more compact form.

Yeah maybe, but I still don't think its is practical.

[Menneisyys]

It might be worth considering if it included AM radio. FM alone does not appeal to me. I want both.

I'm not sure it's absolutely impossible to put an AM radio in such a thing, but there is something to think about: the aerial size. Good reception of the Medium Waves band (as opposed to FM and Short Waves, where a simple cable is enough - like the ground of the headset) requires a ferrite aerial, which can take up more space than would fit in a SD card.

[pocketpcadmirer]

Well, looks like its only win mobile 2003 compatible(see the cover)

Sunny

[scs_ppc]

Well, looks like its only win mobile 2003 compatible(see the cover)

Sunny

It runs on WM5, here is the review I put together for pocketnow.comhttp://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&amp;t=reviews&amp;id=751. I used an Axim X51v.

Stephen Skarlatos
My Digital Life (http://mydigitallife.us/)
------
Contributing Editor
pocketnow.com -- it's all about portability...
http://www.pocketnow.com

[joelevi]

This reminds me of the .mp3 players for the Handspring Visor's Springboard slot.

The Handspring (Palm) device would simply display the .mp3 interface, the Springboard module (as I remember) held a battery (AAA, or AA, I forget which), the .mp3 processor, the application code, storage space, and a headphone jack (absent on the Visor).

Interesting...[/img]

[Pdaholic]

I gotta agree with others here, it's impractical. I don't like having to add stuff on to my device, I can barely remember where I put away my ear buds :) Streaming radio would be best for me, over a wifi connection.

[onepieceman]

What I do is this; I've bought some earphones with a radio built in (from Philips, about £5/$10 from what I recall).
Not only do I get to listen to the radio, I can also listen to media player, and I get to hear when a call comes in on my PocketPC phone.
Of these 3 things, the SD card solution can't do 2 of them.

Not quite perfect though. There is no microphone on the radio headset, so while I can hear a call come in, I then have to take the earphones out to take the call. Otherwise a far better solution, IMHO.