Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 35

I am just curious: What makes the springboard slot better than the hotsync port on the Visor and Palm. Convenience? High Bandwidth? I cannot believe it is just expandability. You can connect many devices to a Palm through the hotsync port. Flash memory cards, modems, GSP recievers are all available.

I would like to what the advantage is of the springboard?

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

Well, for starters, the Springboard is connected to the CPU bus while the HotSync connector on the Palm is a serial port. Thus, I suppose that would mean higher bandwidth. One of the biggest advantages is that Springboard memory becomes available to the processor (ie, the Handspring 8mb FlashModule). I don't think this can happen through a serial connection.

The potential for a Springboard is almost limitless. A module can enhance and add functionality to the Visor or it can be a stand-alone device.

Check out some of the modules that have been announced and I think you'll be amazed at what can be done.

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MarkEagle - Ice is nice!

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

The main advantage of the Springboard is that the modules insert inside of the Visor's body, so very little is added to the form factor compared to the Palm's snap-on accessories. You might want to take a look at the Eyemodule sprinboard and compare it to the snap-on digicam that Kodak makes for the Palm. I disagree with the general consensus that it's the Springboard is the Second Coming, but it's definitely a hell of a convenience. Look at the Gameboy's success and you'll get an idea of just how far you can go with the concept.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: brooklyn
Posts: 268

the springboard slot also allows for two add-ons to be used at once, i.e.: a modem and keyboard - great for those of us on the road w/o a laptop.

now i just need my stowaway...

matty

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 18

But beware the springboards are slow to come to market and those nice serial devices that work with the palm now do work..They will not work sith eht visor as it has no true serial port and cannot comunicate with them. especially the GPS!!! The handyGPS springboard that was suppose to be out 4 months ago and is again delayed only uses one street mapping software(a good one) but will not allow the other softwares out there for GPS tracking to work. My advice is buy a palm if you want to hook stuff up now.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location:
Posts: 35

Developers are hesistant to develop springboards until they are certain of the viability of the platform. Maybe Palm should license the springboard technology/patents from Handspring.

That would be interesting.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

Handspring's S-1 filing for their upcoming IPO did mention that they were going to license the Springboard technology. If someone else (ie Palm) were to release another PDA with it, I'm sure the developers would be releasing modules faster than we could buy them.

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MarkEagle - Ice is nice!

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: San Pablo, CA, USA
Posts: 3

Another, I think big, advantage of the Springboard module, over add-ons via the Pilot's serial/cradle port is "plug & Play." You pop the module in and it works right away. No drivers or configuring needed. And of course, greater access speed and less overall baulk.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 10

Once again, everyone is stuidously avoiding mention of the TRG-Pro, whose compact flash slot would seem a more standard direction for the Palm community to take. This would allow potential usage of accessories for any device which uses compact flash, somewhat akin to the USB standard in computing. I am not exactly sure why Handspring felt the need to use a proprietary connection.

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 434

The only difference that I am aware of is that SMs are plug & play, and CF cards are not (can not?). For a consumer device, the plug & play ability with the SM is significant.

I'd too would like to know, from a hardware point of view, if there there are any advantages (performance, power consumption, etc.) to either standard.

[This message has been edited by yucca (edited 04-14-2000).]

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Baltimore MD, USA
Posts: 717

A minor point, but...

IIRC the CF card standard specifies that the card's form factor has to be roughly like a thick credit card.

The Springboard standard has no such restriction. The springboard unit can bulge out all over the place as long as it can insert its plug into the Visor.

This gives an advantage as the Springboard developers are not quite as constrained sizewise.

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

It may not be so much a question of studiously avoid mentioning the TRG-Pro as being uninformed about it capabilities.

I have yet to hear about GPS, pager, and MP3 CF modules that more or less maintain the PDAs form factor. Most of what I've seen are memory modules for features that are to be built into the PDA itself, like WinCE units with MP3 and voice recording. One of the reasons that the Palm doesn't need 32 mb of RAM is that it's not storing voice recordings, MP3s, etc. Most Springboards store the data they create within themselves, not on the PDA.

Winchell echoes what Jeff Hawkins had to say about designing the Springboard slot as opposed to going with CF. The Springboard slot's larger dimensions are more accomodating for self-contained modules.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: Miami, FL, USA
Posts: 96

Waterboy:

You can connect a GPS to the Handspring. The Visor support Serial port syncing so a serial connection to a GPS would work.

As for Navincom being late, so have many other software products and hardware been late. That is no excuse to be critical.



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Mike Vidal
Ice Owner
Corvette Enthusiast
Racecar Spelled backwards is Racecar!

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

Bandwidth, Bandwidth, Bandwidth

The serial port on the classic Palms has a bandwidth of 115k bits per second.

The compact flash port on the TRG Pro has a bandwidth of at most 8 megabytes a second.

The springboard port has a bandwidth of 32 megabytes a second, just like internal memory does.

Data access from Compact Flash is 1/4 the speed of main memory. Any memory-intensive task is going to run 4 times slower than it will out of internal memory, and the Dragonball is none to fast to begin with.

CF is like an external data port. Your CF card is more like a Zip drive than a hard drive. The serial port on a Palm is like a floppy.

Plug and Play

The other big bonus. You can plug your springboard in and it's automatically ready to go. You pull it out, even while a program's running, and it's gone... the program will even (at least on the ones I've tried) automatically rescan memory and present a shorter list of databases!

USB versus Serial

I think they screwed up here. They should have put two more pins on the connector so that you could plug in an adapter and get 100% compatibility with the Palm. Still, I'll be able to dial in from my GoType, and no Palm owner can do the same.

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: white plains, new york, 10606
Posts: 6

quote:

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Originally posted by argent:
Bandwidth, Bandwidth, Bandwidth

The serial port on the classic Palms has a bandwidth of 115k bits per second.

The compact flash port on the TRG Pro has a bandwidth of at most 8 megabytes a second.

The springboard port has a bandwidth of 32 megabytes a second, just like internal memory does.

Data access from Compact Flash is 1/4 the speed of main memory. Any memory-intensive task is going to run 4 times slower than it will out of internal memory, and the Dragonball is none to fast to begin with.

CF is like an external data port. Your CF card is more like a Zip drive than a hard drive. The serial port on a Palm is like a floppy.

Plug and Play

The other big bonus. You can plug your springboard in and it's automatically ready to go. You pull it out, even while a program's running, and it's gone... the program will even (at least on the ones I've tried) automatically rescan memory and present a shorter list of databases!

USB versus Serial

I think they screwed up here. They should have put two more pins on the connector so that you could plug in an adapter and get 100% compatibility with the Palm. Still, I'll be able to dial in from my GoType, and no Palm owner can do the same.

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Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Wellesley, MA, USA
Posts: 6

inside.
ice is not nice

[This message has been edited by drews85 (edited 05-02-2000).]

Registered: Jan 2000
Location:
Posts: 391

quote:

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Originally posted by zr0e:
ok Argent i am gonna cut and paste something that i hope will help you...

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