Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Another Approach To Dual CF Slots
Posted by Brad Adrian in "HARDWARE" @ 01:56 PM
http://www.pitech.com/hardware/iCFCF/ipCFCF_index.htm
With the growing prevalence of compact flash-sized Pocket PC accessories, I find myself wishing more and more for a dual-slot compact flash sleeve for my my iPAQ; it would be so cool to be able to use a huge CF storage card and CF 802.11 card at the same time. I've seen (and coveted) the NexiPak, but have hoped for something similar, without the bulk and hefty pricetag.
It seems that Portable Innovation Technology has heard my wishes and will soon be shipping their MemPlug Dual-Slot Expansion Pack.
This bit of hardware differs from other dual CF sleeves in several ways:
• It is a slimmer design, much like the protective sleeve that comes with the newer iPAQs.
• The sleeve's bulk is minimized by building one CF slot into the top and another into the side.
• Only one of the slots is I/O compliant, which means that the other can only function as a memory slot.
• There is no auxilliary battery built in.
Sure, it's a bit of a compromise that there is no additional battery and that only one slot is I/O compliant, but those features make the price much easier to swallow: $49.99. The NexiPak goes for around $149.99, so if you can live with the features of the MemPlug Dual-Slot Expansion Pack, you can save some big bucks. There is also a version coming soon which combines a CF slot and a MemoryStick slot, which sells for $79.99.
These packs can only be preordered so far, but I'm trying to get my hands on one. If I do get one, I'll be sure to let you know how it works.
With the growing prevalence of compact flash-sized Pocket PC accessories, I find myself wishing more and more for a dual-slot compact flash sleeve for my my iPAQ; it would be so cool to be able to use a huge CF storage card and CF 802.11 card at the same time. I've seen (and coveted) the NexiPak, but have hoped for something similar, without the bulk and hefty pricetag.
It seems that Portable Innovation Technology has heard my wishes and will soon be shipping their MemPlug Dual-Slot Expansion Pack.
This bit of hardware differs from other dual CF sleeves in several ways:
• It is a slimmer design, much like the protective sleeve that comes with the newer iPAQs.
• The sleeve's bulk is minimized by building one CF slot into the top and another into the side.
• Only one of the slots is I/O compliant, which means that the other can only function as a memory slot.
• There is no auxilliary battery built in.
Sure, it's a bit of a compromise that there is no additional battery and that only one slot is I/O compliant, but those features make the price much easier to swallow: $49.99. The NexiPak goes for around $149.99, so if you can live with the features of the MemPlug Dual-Slot Expansion Pack, you can save some big bucks. There is also a version coming soon which combines a CF slot and a MemoryStick slot, which sells for $79.99.
These packs can only be preordered so far, but I'm trying to get my hands on one. If I do get one, I'll be sure to let you know how it works.
