Registered: May 2000
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Posts: 34

We're outfitting our buildings with the Cisco 802.11b base stations and one of the projects we're looking into is a problem tracking and asset tracking system using the Symbol SPT1740.

However, a number of us have Visors and have been dismayed about the pushback of the Springport 802.11b from summer 2000 to Winter 2001.

Does anyone have any inside information or rumours or anything at all about this product's release date, features, problems, specs, etc...?

Cheers

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

According to the Xircom rep at Comdex, wireless ethernet should be out in March.

Registered: May 2000
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Posts: 34

Any specs on things like size, battery life, battery requirement, TCP/IP stack, 802.11b compatability with other 802.11b equipment (3Com PCMCIA cards seem to have a hard time with anyone else's base stations), price and etc etc etc...


Cheers

Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 3034

Not yet. It should use the built-in Palm TCP/IP stack. If I had to guess, I'd say that it'd be similar in size to the Bluetooth modules. IOW, flush springboard size with a little wafer antenna.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 13

Actually, I won't be surprised to see it around the size of Xircom's landline modem module, which uses an external battery pack (compatible with StarTac batteries BTW). I would really hope they don't expect to power the module from the Visor's batteries. I can hear the "slurp!" now.....

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

I wonder they're gonna do the PCMCIA sizing thing for the antenna. As everyone knows, the (antenna) size matters. On most PCMCIA cards, the antenna sticks out for quite some distance.

P.S. I'm for now going HomePNA for my home network but I'll probably go 802.11b by barbecue season so it'd be nice to try it out then.

Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 39

AirPort sounds better than 802.11b.

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 434

quote:

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Originally posted by [email protected]
AirPort sounds better than 802.11b.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location:
Posts: 39

i know that theyre the same, im just saying that aiprort is nicer to say then 809.11b

Registered: Oct 2000
Location:
Posts: 14

The concept of Xircom's wireless ethernet Springport stuff sold me on the Visor last summer, and I've been waiting and waiting and waiting since...

With wireless providers becoming more available, (ie Yadayada) I'm beginning to wonder if wireless ethernet is really what I want. Ethernet would be fun at work, school and home but would be limited to those locations. A wireless solution would let me surf pretty much anywhere.

I don't think Xircom has announced a price for the 802.11 stuff yet, but I'm assuming it'll be around $200. That's 5 months of Yadayada service, and the modem is free.

I guess I'm torn. Pros/Cons to either solution for a guy who wants the Internet on his Visor? Thanks.

TBK

Registered: May 2000
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Posts: 34

When 8-10 hours of your life per day is spent at work, there really and on your feet going from desk to desk fixing computers, there isn't anything much better than to have your e-mail, web, IRC, instant messaging and Remedy trouble ticketing system following you.

After work, assuming that a Canadian version (Eastern Canada, Toronto in particular) of the Yada Yada service comes out, that would be most ideal.

As far as application in schools and home go, I finished school 5 years ago and only heard about wireless Newtons being installed in another university campus as a trial in my final year. With Mosaic and Netscape being the only browsers on the scene and the web as unpopulated as it is today, I never got to see the positive effects of having wireless internet at school at your side all the time.

At home, it'd be quite an expensive thing to do... besides, I'm stuck in my ways that only the computer(s) in the house are/should be the internet access points. (But that may change 8) )

As far as the cons of the actual 802.11b springport, I'd guess battery life and bulk at this point. I don't yet know how Xircom is going to implement.

Cheers