Limtex, Walter Morton and Thread,
I wanted to discuss CF as it relates to PDA applications and Windows CE
The basic concept which you must accept before this discussion is the observation that even with power of today's PC's the scope of applications is relatively narrow for the average user. Likewise, there is a relatively narrow breadth of applications from user to user. This streamlining of functionality is a natural evolution that each user experiences. When I assess my current PC use it is limited to the internet (80% of total use) including web browsing and e-mail, photo editing and digital photography (15%) and Microsoft Office applications (5%) such as Word documents for letters and Powerpoint for occasional slide presentations for work. There are additional uses such as my tax preparation once a year and the like, but no other "killer apps" which demand PC access. My wife uses the PC for Word documents (*.rtf files for translation services) and e-mail. Other common applications for the average PC user may include things such as computer games, "Living Books" for kids, Internet-aided telephony or others. These could be classified under the general category of multimedia applications. I have intentionally excluded common business applications for the sake of simplicity.
If you carry this one step further to the mobile computing market, the domain of the laptop computer, such streamlining determines the functionality one demands in a laptop computer. To go yet one step further, streamlining of mobile applications directed initially at the intrepid PDA user has emphasized personal information management such as contact lists, phone lists, to-do lists and the like. These are relatively simple applications consisting mostly of lists and required only gray scales for display. They stand no chance of converting laptop users. However, the advent of color LCD displays, a de facto OS (which is focusing software development), affordable built-in accessories (such as 56K modems) and more powerful microprocessors has brought additional functionality to the PDA market. These include the "Pocket" versions of the Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and multimedia functionality.
It is becoming clearer that the domain of the laptop clearly overlaps the subnotebook, handheld and palmtop Windows CE and Palm OS markets. Laptops are expensive, (most considerably more expensive than a comparable desktop PC), bulky (many airlines consider it a piece of carry-on luggage), and difficult to travel with (battery lives of around 2.5 hours). The biggest plus is clearly the screen size, the full keyboard and the full-fledged Windows 95 or 98 OS. Realizing this, Microsoft is trying to narrow the chasm between Windows 98 and Windows CE. In my opinion, one of the goals is to be create a platform whereby the essential software applications/classifications (see my first paragraph) are practical and functional in a scaled down version. Practicality comes at the price of convenience. For example, the mobile CE devices do not pack enough punch to allow full document creation and editing capability currently (such as is experienced with Powerpoint), but perhaps this is not an immediate goal. If it were, the devices would still be several years away waiting for system-on-chip semiconductors to evolve.
During my recent trip to Sunnyvale I was able to carry my PDA in a backpack without concern about a separate piece of carry-on Samsonite, read my e-mail on AOL, view web pages off-line that I had intentionally downloaded the night before, post on SI (a favorite pasttime), take notes at the Shareholders' meeting, preview digital photo images from our travels without wearing out the batteries on my digital camera, and draft a response to the inquiry Limtex posted. Simply stated, this device possesses all the functionality I would have demanded of a laptop and exactly those things I do most at home.
Where does that leave CompactFlash? Well, think about this. The trend for the desktop PC (or a laptop) is to be a fortress where all the full-featured software and their offspring (personally created documents) are stored on a gigantic hard drive. Along with this vast amount of storage space you get a token amount of RAM and a floppy drive the holds 1.44 MB of storage. On the other end of the spectrum, the "Palm" PC's possessed a scaled-down OS, RAM for storage of personal data, and no modem or memory expansion slot. Contrast this to the new Windows CE devices that possess a contantly evolving OS (from the same software Gorilla that fathered its big brother) embedded in an upgradable ROM module, sufficient RAM for basic functions, and one or more expansion slots for memory expansion or additional functionality compatible with these PC/CF slots. In this instance, the ROM and RAM allocations make up the "hard drive" while CF represents a limitless "floppy drive" that carries the documents created on the PC or other mobile devices such as a digital camera. Thus, the proportions between "hard drive" allocation and "floppy drive" capacity are completely reversed when compared to the PC. According to SanDisk the use of CF in a PDA is as follows:
SanDisk CompactFlash Memory Card: A place to store your big ideas.
If you really depend on your handheld PC, you know how important it is to back up your data. SanDisk CompactFlash memory cards are the ideal solution...Need to share files between your handheld PC and your desktop PC? SanDisk CompactFlash memory cards excel at that task, too, letting you bring all of your important PC files with you everywhere you go.
IMHO, the Cassiopeia E-100 is striving to create a "seamless" interface between portable personal documents (addresses, phone numbers, family photographs, a record collection,...) and the user. It does so by allowing full multimedia applications in addition to basic PIM functionality. Imagine a device that could scour the web from the comfort of your bed, perform a 15 minute full color slide show of family vacation photos, and play a 4 minute music video of your favorite music group all from a single CF card.
Limtex, you ask why a CF card is needed for a PDA. I think it depends wholly on why you purchased the device in the first place.
Examples:
entertainment: mp3 music files, music videos, stored news casts or audio books...
reference: dictionaries, drug compendia (PDR), ...
graphics: digital photographs, electronic "picture frames" or slide shows,...
logistics: maps interfaced with GPS functionality.
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