To: limtex who wrote (10238 ) 4/9/2000 11:08:00 PM From: Ausdauer Read Replies (2) | Respond to
Microsoft's endorsement of CompactFlash microsoft.com .microsoft.com "CompactFlash memory cards: What they are and why you need one." microsoft.com COMDEX 1998: A FEAST OF INNOVATION "At Comdex two years ago I was taken by the profusion of digital cameras, which were filmless and convenient but usually didn't give great photos. This year digital cameras costing a few hundred dollars tended to offer much better images and value, and digital camcorders were plentiful. Falling prices and rising performance are transforming digital storage, too. Several companies showed removable media that store large quantities of data in very small spaces. SanDisk announced a variety of products, including a 160-megabyte CompactFlash memory card that is roughly the size of a matchbook and will cost $465 when released in early 1999." microsoft.com I. OVERVIEW Pocket PCs herald the next generation of truly personal computing. Pocket PCs will enable people to make the most of their time at work and after, keeping them entertained for five minutes or hours at a time. The Pocket PC is capable of playing music as well as downloading books to be read at leisure. Pocket PC's high-resolution display screen and Microsoft's innovative ClearType technology closely mimic the printed page with crisp and clear fonts. The Pocket PC comes with industry-standard expansion slots that customers can use to extend storage and connectivity options. For example, the CompactFlash memory card -- similar to a small floppy disk-- can be inserted into the Pocket PC for over 300 additional megabytes of storage. In addition, this same expansion slot provides the ability to plug in a modem, a digital camera or any number of hardware devices , enabling customers to expand on what the Pocket PC can do. II. ELECTRONIC CONTENT: electronic books and MP3 The Pocket PC will build on the accessibility and functionality of today's Palm-size PCs. Like today?s devices, the Pocket PC is an incredibly versatile and expandable device to meet our customers' growing needs. Pocket PCs will be built on powerful 32-bit microprocessors with plenty of core system memory. It comes with industry-standard expansion slots that customers can use to extend their storage or connectivity options. For example, users can take a CompactFlash memory card similar to a small floppy disk and insert it into the Pocket PC for over 300 additional megabytes of storage. In addition, this same expansion slot provides the ability to plug in a modem, a digitalcamera or any number of hardware devices, enabling customers to expand what the Pocket PC can do. microsoft.com III. DESKTOP FUNCTIONALITY "Pocket PC's ship with pocket versions of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel as well as support for industry-standard CompactFlash peripherals to help users stay productive while away from their desks." microsoft.com IV. INTERNET BROWSING microsoft.com V. INDEPENDENT SOFTWARE Pocket Player is a great way to add music listening to the list of things you do with your Palm-size PC. If you don't already have a CompactFlash (CF) memory card in your Palm-size PC, you certainly will want to get one (or more) to store your MP3 music files. There are a lot of factors that affect the file size of a given piece of music. A general rule, however, is one megabyte per minute of music. You definitely do not want to move megabytes of music files using your serial sync cable. I recommend using a CompactFlash card reader instead. There are inexpensive models that connect to your PC either through the parallel printer port or the USB port. You can read a review of two good CompactFlash card readers in the UpLink Accessories area. If you're interested in finding MP3 files, check out the UpLink article. microsoft.com VI. MULTIMEDIA FUNCTIONALITY: MPEG movies microsoft.com VII. THE PALM KILLER As an active member of the Windows CE newsgroups, I often see people post the question, "What's the difference between a Palm Pilot and a Windows CE-based device?" This can be a tricky question to answer when emotions run high on both sides of the fence -- everyone has an opinion about it. When the fires settle down and the clever retorts end, the bottom line is commonly summarized like this: A Palm Pilot is a pocket organizer and a Palm-size PC is a pocket computer. Although perhaps overly simplified, that statement is fairly accurate, and there are some interesting ideas that start to pop up when you look at it that way. microsoft.com Pay no attention to that loud munching noise... SanDisk ImageMate CompactFlash card reader (USB version) microsoft.com microsoft.com microsoft.com
