 | August 1, 2000 |
Card games
OUTLOOK: Storage choices blur PDA vision
Not much has slowed the Palm juggernaut so far. But with multiple companies now building Palm-OS-based devices, growing diversity among the designs threatens to confuse the market.
The mutations involve the expansion slots that let users add additional storage and functions. In a way, it's as if every early IBM PC clone had used a different floppy drive or expansion bus. If the Palm community isn't careful, failure to standardize may do what Windows CE devices have so far failed to do—derail sales.
Handspring fired the first shot when it launched its Visor handheld last fall. Rather than choosing an industry-standard expansion interface, such as CompactFlash, the company developed the proprietary Springboard slot. Announced Springboard modules include games, a modem, a music player, and a digital camera.
Handspring claims that it needed capabilities beyond what CompactFlash or other existing schemes could offer. Though that's debatable, Palm itself might have pre-empted the whole controversy if it had moved to establish an expansion standard earlier.
During PC Expo 2000, the extent of the gulf became fully evident. Palm announced that it will turn to the emerging Secure Digital Card (SD Card) for expansion capabilities in future PDAs. Developed by a consortium including SanDisk, Toshiba, and Matsushita, the SD Card targets secure storage for protected content, such as music. The first removable SD Cards are in development now. In future Palms, the SD-Card slot will primarily house memory modules, although the SD Card group claims that some peripherals, such as a Bluetooth module, will emerge. Palm will continue promoting its HotSync connector as an interface for third-party expansion products like keyboards.
Meanwhile, TRG Products' TRGpro uses CompactFlash. That's the most realistic choice today, given the wide availability of CF memory cards, not to mention peripherals ranging from Bluetooth modules to LAN cards to modems. However, TRG hasn't attacked the mass market, instead seeking success in niches like trucking and healthcare.
The diversity will likely get worse. Earlier this year, Palm announced that its OS would support Sony's Memory Stick devices, and at PC Expo Sony showed a prototype PDA with a Memory Stick expansion slot. Sony's device looks compelling in some respects—especially a thumb wheel that promotes one-handed, stylus-free operation. But the inclusion of the Memory Stick could limit the success of the as-yet-unnamed product.
—Maury Wright
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