Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 20

Is the thincom or the travel modem better

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Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 69

That all depends on whether you're dongle friendly.

The thincom, while having a small form factor, doesn't have a built-in RJ-11 jack requiring you to carry a dongle.

The HS Modem is fatter and heavier, but has a built-in RJ-11.

The forthcoming (sure...) model from innogear have the small form factor and a built-in RJ-11.

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 638

I think he was talking about the IR modem from Psion. This is absoultly the best modew because it does not require a dongle, it does not drain the battery of the Visor, and it connects at 56K unlike every other modem avaible. It's also pretty inexpensive at 125.
BEN

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 20

but how does it like work

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 20

what is a dongle

Registered: Feb 2000
Location:
Posts: 638

A dongle is the connector that is used to convert the regular phone jack to a jack that can be used for the modem. This is done because the phone jack is physically too big to fit in a springboard.
BEN

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 20

does anyone so is the ir or the thincom better I dont care about a dongle

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 65

I think it's a personal choice.

Do you want a 33.6 springboard, or do you want a 56k external device?

OEP

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

quote:

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Originally posted by BEN:
it does not drain the battery of the Visor

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Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 79

I would see a big negative with the IR modem in that you have to hold your visor very close to the modem and very still. This would drive me crazy. I'll be waiting for six pack or something else that is the form factor of the thincom but does not use a dongle.

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 69

Ditto on the dongle... I have the HS modem only because I received it as a bday gift. I might pop for the 6pack if/when its released, but more than likely by that time, there will be a wireless internet springboard out (a la omnisky) which would be KEEN. Yes, keen.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 20

is HSM a nice modem

Registered: Sep 1999
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 69

It's a bit on the hefty side, but it certainly works fine. I didn't have any problems at all connecting to my ISP. It wouldn't be a module that I would leave in all the time due to the extra size and weight (those 2 extra batteries).

Regarding the IR modem from psion; I would only choose it if I absolutely HAD to be connecting with several different devices... it's tough enough viewing and entering data on a 2x2 screen without the added pain of holding either the modem or the visor in a fixed position.

nufsed.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 6

i love my thincom modem. its nice because i can keep the original case for my BVDx and have the modem in it. the dongle is not that bad because you would have to keep a regular phone line connector with you anyway. the dongle is also nice because the form of the springboard fits the springboard slot perfectly without very much extra weight.
battery drain isn/t really that bad.
The thincom works good with all software i have tried (aol 2.0 and 1.0, and Avant Go).
also for a small fee hopefully if you are a 56k guy you should be able to send the thincom modem in the fall to have upgraded to 56k i believe this is wright? but in alot of instances like in Little Rock where i connect the fastest is at 26000 bps.

i give the thincom an 8 could be a 10 just wish there was an x-jack like on 3com pccard modems.

how is the 6 pack supposed to be small if it has a regular phone connector (because springboard isn't very wide) and a cellular phone connector (there's another dongle!)?

Wouldnt the drain on the batteries be the same for both modems meaning that wouldnt both modems drain the same amount of battery?

Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 97

I'd have to disagree with Set's post (2 posts ago). I can see his point though.

Let's admit something to ourselves though, as much as we are addicted to our beloved Visor, it simply isn't the best way to surf the Web.

For my purposes, I need a modem connection as a mobile HotSync option.

Since I don't need to be looking at the screen while it HotSyncs, I can put it on a table and next to the Psion IR Modem and sync away.

I haven't used the Internet based feature in Backup Buddy (I'll be buying the full version's license in a week... it's a GREAT program) -- but I think that I'll be backing up via the IR Modem also.

I don't like the idea of a dongle. And the idea of connecting at 33.6Kps (although plenty in a Palm OS economy) somehow makes me feel pre-historic.

Finally, and probably most importantly, as I am realistic and feel the at some point as Handspring advances it's product line or another company takes over the lead dog position, I'll want to be able to use the IR modem for the next generation of PDA.

[This message has been edited by Corky (edited 06-24-2000).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Atlanta, GA USA
Posts: 33

I have had good experiences with the Thincom modem. I use it mostly to check up on two e-mail accounts with Multimail, to do some lightweight sys admin duties with ptelnet and/or Mocha telnet, and even to chat with Yahoo Messenger. It was nice that the Multimail on the Thincom card didn't clobber the one resident in my main Visor RAM. All the functions seem to work quite well and it is much easier to bring the Visor along on a trip than a laptop.

I've done a bit of web surfing with both the Browse-it (which comes with the modem) and Proxi-Web. The Visor screen is certainly not suited for web pages where designers have forgotten that HTML is supposed to be device independant. The pages which are optimized for the Visor/Palm are quite neat though.

I have gotten good on-line times too with the modem (more than an hour at a time). The battery drain is not a big deal and there is quite a bit of recovery after the modem becomes inactive.

The biggest drawback is the dongle. I would prefer an X-jack connector too. I am thinking of modifying the existing cable to be shorter and to terminate in a female receptacle instead of a male plug. Then I could just unplug the phone and plug in the dongle. I also think that 56K is a mirage for most phone lines in this world. I have never acheived 56K with my 56K modems in any of my desktops or laptops.

The biggest draw of the Thincom is the form factor (for me). I use the EB Slipper case and the Visor has no chance of fitting the case with a HS modem. It fits just dandy with the Thincom. Then all I have to carry is the dongle and my trusty backup module

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 65

quote:

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Originally posted by WSGreer:
how is the 6 pack supposed to be small if it has a regular phone connector (because springboard isn't very wide) and a cellular phone connector (there's another dongle!)?

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Registered: Mar 2000
Location:
Posts: 49

Does anyone have pointers to pictures of the thincom modem? I would like to get a sense of what this dongle looks like? Where the dongle connects to the springboard? Would I be able to use the thincom modem while my visor is in my Rhodiana case?
Thanks.

Registered: Jun 2000
Location: Orem, UT USA
Posts: 6

Being a Thincom owner, and a long-time mobile user, I think that calling the Thincom phone cord a "dongle" paints an unclear picture. I've used dongles, and this is no dongle...

The Thincom includes a phone cord that has an RJ-11 male connector (to connect it to the phone system) on one end, and a 4 pin JAE male connector (to connect it to the Thincom modem) on the other end. The JAE connector is a standard mobile connector used by PC Card manufacturers since the dawn of time. It is a standard connector, not a proprietary one. You can connect any 4 pin JAE connector to Thincom and have it work just fine.

As to the added gear arguments raised, any road warrior not carrying a standard RJ-11 to RJ-11 patch cable is begging for difficulties when on the road. The cord from Card Access is the same size as a standard cord, and will take up the same space as a "normal" phone cord.

As for the Innogear board, I have to say I remain skeptical. Their product has been announced for several months, and yet they are still not shipping. I have to wonder about the chipset they are using, and if they are having sourcing delays from whoever they are sourcing their silicon from. That's a lot of features to put into a piece of silicon that is going to run on the Visor battery.

In contrast, Analog Devices is known for their expertise in low power consumption DSPs, like the one used in Thincom. Card Access claims it draws less than 50mA when fully active. Any device that wants to draw power from the Springboard slot has to consume no more than 100mA, from what I have read. I'd be interested in knowing what the power curve on the Innogear product will be.

Last of all, the flip-out jacks, such as the one to be used in the Innogear product, are still going to require pulling the Visor out of a carrying case or organizer if you want to connect. In a perfect world, an XJACK Springboard would be the answer, but even XJACK might be too thick.

So, for the foreseeable future, I'll go with Thincom for analog connectivity, and take a look at the wireless solutions as they start to trickle on to the market. 33.6Kbps transmission speeds are sufficient for mobile e-mail retrevial, remote hotsyncing, and casual browsing. I'll take a shipping 33.6Kbps module over a "vapor" 56K module as well, thank you...

Kiporama (the self-appointed Thincom Apologist)

[This message has been edited by Kiporama (edited 06-28-2000).]