Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 33

MemPlug, Flash plus, Flash Module, etc

Hello Everyone,
I am a new member as well as a new Visor Prism owner and I have a few questions you may be able to help me with. Even though I am new to the PDA arena it didn't take long to realize the the 8 MB of internal memory is not going to cut it. Which is the best means of external memory storage. I have tested a SB 8mb flash module, I love the "true" plug & play feature of it, but I still need more then another 8mb's of memory.
I see there is a lot of 3rd party solutions on the market. One of the compact flash card adaptors is very appealing to me since I already own 5 compact flash cards for my digital camera. Of all the compact flash adaptor options, the one that stands out is Memplug. The websites (www.memplug.com) states that the module has 6 apps built into it.
Does anyone have 1st hand use with the memplug? Do the included apps install in the visors internal memory or do they run directly from the card. And what is PiDirect as opposed to PiVFS?
Would you recommend purchasing memplug or another solution?

Is the Memplug currently the best memory expansion on the market or is there something else better?

Oh... one last question about Memplug (or any memory expansion product).... Does it slow down the visor or take noticeably longer to access data?....particularly with larger cards?

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Music City, USA
Posts: 35

Hi,

There are a couple of Yahoo Support Groups you may wish to read through...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flashadapter-forum

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/memplug

Both groups have very loyal and active participants and the questions unanswered by the archives of these groups will be addressed promptly in my experience.

Best Regards,

__________________
Steve (8C>

Registered: Dec 2000
Location: Silicon Valley, California
Posts: 173

You have multiple choices for memory expansion.

If you prefer CF cards, there are two plug-n-play modules with built-in software: Memplug and FlashPlus (www.innopocket.com).

If you prefer SM cards or MemorySticks, PiTech has modules for them.

As far as speed, I just moved from a 64 MB to 128 MB CF card. I initially noticed decreased speed when refreshing the apps. I asked about it on the yahoo group and got a response from the software developer.

Other groups with info on memory expansion are the Sony Clie group and m500 groups on Yahoo.

You'll be able to download the various software programs people use to "mimic" Palm 4.0 VFS.

1. Launcher III, Silver Screen and MegaLauncer are VFS-compatible, which means you can see the icons for the apps on the memory card on the screen. The default launcher is NOT VFS-aware, so you can't see your apps.

2. McFile, Filez, myWB, GentleMan are file managers. You'll need one because the expansion media will be arranged like the folders on your hard-drive. Most VFS-aware applications automatically "look" for a folder /Palm/Launcher or /Palm/Programs. You can use the file managers to create the folders and move the files. Other programs will tell you what folders to create.

I think you could probably run most everything from /Palm/Launcher, but you'll slow down anything that has to scan that folder for a file. I try to leave as little as possible in the /Palm/Launcher folder to keep the speed up.

3. PowerRun is a program which will transfer an application and its associated data files on to your memory card. AND...it will leave an icon which is visible with the default launcher. BUT--when you run a program via PowerRun, you MUST have enough free RAM on your handheld to hold all the files, because the program just transfers them from card-to-RAM and back.

4. MSMount is a program which allows you to "trick" the processor into seeing files in a specified folder as part of the internal RAM. It works great for me for books, articles, pictures, etc which take up a lot of space but aren't executable. There is a PiTech program (PiVFS which does something similar...it works with Palm OS handhelds without a Memplug...except Visors! )

5. Depending on what type of memory module you choose, it should come with a software that "enables" VFS on your handheld. Matchbook and FlashPlus are supported by KopsisEngineering's VFS-Helper. MemPlugs are supported by PIDirect by PiTech.

6. Most people find that it is much easier to create and transfer files on their desktop/laptop using a card reader!

Good luck!