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Which Storage Format?


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What should the new storage module media be? You do not have permission to vote on this poll.
CompactFlash http://www.innopocket.com/product/cf.html	14	23.33%
SmartMedia http://www.handspring.com/products/sbmodules/memplugdetails.jhtml	31	51.67%
DataPlay http://www.dataplay.com/jsp_files/en/discover/index.jsp	8	13.33%
Other	7	11.67%
Total:	60 votes	100%

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Topic: Which Storage Format?

Guest

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Forget CF, SmartMedia, and any other type of mem card for springboard modules.

This is what should be used in the next module. 500mb of storage space in the size of a quarter! That's more memory then any palm users will ever need in a lifetime.

Here is the link to the company that produces these drives....

http://www.dataplay.com/jsp_files/en/discover/index.jsp

Handspring, if your reading, show this to the R&D dept today!

04-05-2001 07:06 PM

Toby
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quote:
Originally posted by smittyofdhs
http://www.dataplay.com/jsp_files/en/discover/index.jsp

VaporGear was supposedly working on one of these things. Couldn't find the picture, but the modules will be huge since they'll require their own power.

04-05-2001 07:24 PM

Guest

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quote:
Originally posted by Toby

VaporGear was supposedly working on one of these things. Couldn't find the picture, but the modules will be huge since they'll require their own power.

2 of the current modems use there own power (AAA batteries) so the module wouldn't have to be any bigger then these modules.

On the other hand, if there was 500mb CF card or SmartMedia card, then this would all be a mute point. But I have yet to see one. The biggest CF I've seen is 128 or 192.

Next question, could a cf module adapter handle a cf card that's 192mb? or is it limited to 16,32,64 cards?

04-05-2001 07:37 PM

Kupe
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Not much information on their web site. I'm most interested in power consumption as spinning media are notorious power hogs (compared to solid state). Also, spinning media have a much higher failure rate than their solid state competitors - especially in portable units that are accessing the media during constant movement and bumping

Any idea what the power consumption, g-shock, and MTBF numbers are for these little guys?

Kupe

04-05-2001 07:42 PM

Toby
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quote:
Originally posted by smittyofdhs
2 of the current modems use there own power (AAA batteries) so the module wouldn't have to be any bigger then these modules.

Yes, it would. There's a bit more hardware required for the dataplay drives than for a modem from what I can see. There's probably also a higher power consumption. BTW, I found the innogear product: http://www.dataplay.com/images/en/p...innodrive-1.gif.

quote:
On the other hand, if there was 500mb CF card or SmartMedia card, then this would all be a mute point.

Well, there are CF microdrives up to 1GB, but power consumption is one of the biggest hurdles to making those feasible for Visors as well.

quote:
But I have yet to see one. The biggest CF I've seen is 128 or 192.

Yes, 192 is the largest CF memory card available currently.

quote:
Next question, could a cf module adapter handle a cf card that's 192mb? or is it limited to 16,32,64 cards?

They should be able to handle all the way up to 192 from what I know. Not sure if anyone's found it necessary to try it yet, though.

04-05-2001 07:47 PM

sdoersam
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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Glen Burnie, Maryland
Posts: 205

quote:
Originally posted by Toby

VaporGear was supposedly working on one of these things. Couldn't find the picture, but the modules will be huge since they'll require their own power.

I remember the module you are talking about. And it was huge. Made the modems look small. I seem to remember that it ran the entire length of the Visor due to power needs and room for the drive mechanics. I remember thinking that it looked awfully unwieldy. Be interesting to see if it ever comes out and what it would actually look like.

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04-05-2001 07:52 PM

Toby
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quote:
Originally posted by Kupe
Not much information on their web site.

I think it's more a design issue.

quote:
Any idea what the power consumption, g-shock, and MTBF numbers are for these little guys?

From http://www.dataplay.com/pdf/en/DataPlay_Media.pdf:

quote:

Reliability
Recording Layer Archival Life 100 years
MTTF 100,000 hours
Load/Unload 1,500 cycles

Environmental
{...}
Shock
Operating (2ms) 800G
Non-operating (1ms) 2,000G

Vibration (5 to 500Hz)
Operating 1.0G (0-P)
Non-operating 5.0G (0-P)

04-05-2001 07:54 PM

Guest

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quote:
Originally posted by Toby
[B]

Yes, it would. There's a bit more hardware required for the dataplay drives than for a modem from what I can see. There's probably also a higher power consumption. BTW, I found the innogear product: http://www.dataplay.com/images/en/p...innodrive-1.gif.

[B]

After seeing that picture, I agree..... this defeats the purpose of the handheld. I stand corrected!

04-05-2001 07:58 PM

EricG
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Location: Alive and well on VisorCentral.com
Posts: 861

I need another compact media format like I need a hole in my head.

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04-06-2001 12:01 AM

EricG
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Registered: Aug 2000
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Just remembered, the "data play" cd is one of those "digitally secure" devices <sic> .... -- No Thanks --, peddle your wares to someone else.. next (open standards, consumer friendly) product please..

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04-06-2001 01:43 AM

glecko
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Registered: Apr 2001
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Is this dataplay storage device re-writeable? If not, you can't compare to smartmedia or CF.

GL

04-07-2001 12:07 AM

Galley_SimRacer
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Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 172

DataPlay media is not currently rewriteable, but at a cost of only $5-10 per disc, you can afford to buy a crapload of them compared to CF/SM cards. Rewriteability is in the works.

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04-07-2001 12:34 AM

Vertigo
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Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Posts: 406

quote:
Originally posted by EricG
I need another compact media format like I need a hole in my head.

Couldn't agree more.

04-07-2001 02:06 AM

Matthew Nichols
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For the same reasons PocketZip & to an extent MinDiscs didn't catch on I don't expect to see this replace flash memory in most cases. For music I can see this being a big hit. For handhelds, cameras, etc... which also make up a good percentage of Flash memory users, I don't think it will be that effective.

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04-08-2001 05:15 AM

ajcross
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Registered: Nov 2000
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quote:
Originally posted by Matthew Nichols
For music I can see this being a big hit.

It would be good for ebooks, off-the-visor program storage or anything else that doesn't have data changes. Once rewritable gets here, it has a space advantage over CF/Smartmedia.

The bulk on the innodrive module is HUGE. It almost screams lets build the laptop pda!

04-11-2001 05:01 PM

Celchu19
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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: St. Louis
Posts: 308

They arent' that big, they are just THICK, thinker than an type 3 pcmcia card!!!! I think that they are going to have to make a Sleve for the ipaq to accomiate it, because the type 2 pcmcia drive won't sell at all...;

sam

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04-19-2001 01:38 AM

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