Want insight on Compact Flash Standard

is

by

current

It seems to me that the USB memory stick will be the prevalent memory device in the coming five or ten years. CF has too many pins, which makes it more expensive and more vulnerable. Also USB will fit anywhere, while CF will always need special add-ons. CF was good for digital cameras, but there it is now replaced by SD-Cards. I would'nt expect any substantial growth for CF.

Nice view!

Hello, Mike,

Could you please let me know why most of current PDAs do not support USB port?

Thanks.

Johnson

Johnson,

This is the type of question that is asked by someone who has never looked into what a USB anything is.

So a simple answer:

USB is a master / slave interface.

The PC/MAC is a master and everything else is a slave. ( this includes disk drives and scanner/camera devices)

So a PDA has to be a master.

Until very recently, master chips for embedded application did not exist.

Now, go look up USB.

hamilton

Posting a question on a newsgroup *is* looking it up.

-- Joe Legris

Not entirely correct. USB-on-the-go

I wonder how many embedded devices use this technology ??

Does anyone know what devices use which chips ?

hamilton

USB

Hello Johnson,

good question. It might be too early. I still use a Palm IIIx, even without CF or SD card slot, but if I were looking for a new PDA, I would certainly want one or two USB ports. It would allow to connect keyboard and mouse, it would permit to copy images from a camera, connect a printer and transfer data to a PC. Also intelligent peripherals like a GPS receiver could be easily connected. Maybe it is just wishful thinking, but I don't see any better alternative for PDAs. Michael

USB slaves are easy to make/program and require few resources on the target.

USB hosts (masters) are complex and resource hungry.

(Read: expensive)

Microsoft doesn't mind squandering your computers resources on the host protocol, which is probably the main reason it (USB) became so ubiquitous.

Rufus

Do you think WinCE PDA and Palm OS PDA will adopt USB master in the near future?

Thanks.

Johnson

Wouldn't surprise me.

However, my crystal ball says you are more likely to get bluetooth or wifi in the pda which could communicate to an offboard USB master.

Of course, the offboard master will pboably cost what your PDA did...

USB

I think it is fair to assume that since most WinCE PDAs are using the Intel PXA series, you can figure out what is coming by looking at what is in the latest PXA chip!

standard

replaced

CF will always be around for PDA/embedded systems, simply because it's faster (16 bits) and easier to design with.

I have not seen any camera (USB master) with USB memory.

Actually, newer camers are using xD (which is reincarnated SM) instead of SD. SD is deadend without suports from camera makers.

The highest capacity memories are CFs (4G & 8G). I think most manufactures disagree with you.