Want insight on Compact Flash Standard

The compactflash standard a( or compactflash + standard which is more appropriate), is a standard for the ultra-small, removable data storage system and additional card functionality including magnetic disk drive data storage and I/O cards such as ethernet, serial, fax/modem, digital phone card, USB, barcode scanner, Bluetooth, 802.11b wireless LAN, wireless digital cell phone cards, etc.

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For now the compactflash peripherals seem quite popular for PDA device, like PCMCIA for a few years ago, despite they are very similar.

I would like to get your opinions on the following questions: Do you think in the next couple of years, the compactflash standard is likely to get more popular, or to become obsolete and being replaced by another standard? Do you know any opponents of CF standard, either current or potential, can replace CF standard in the future?

It is a very open-mind question, and any opinion will be highly regarded.

Thanks.

Johnson

Reply to
Johnson Liuis
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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.

Reply to
mike102de

Nice view!

Reply to
Johnson Liuis

Hello, Mike,

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

Thanks.

Johnson

Reply to
Johnson Liuis

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

Reply to
hamilton

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

-- Joe Legris

Reply to
Joseph Legris

Not entirely correct. USB-on-the-go

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provides a peer-to-peer connection between what otherwise would be slave devices.

Reply to
steven

I wonder how many embedded devices use this technology ??

Does anyone know what devices use which chips ?

hamilton

Reply to
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

Reply to
mike102de

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

Reply to
Rufus V. Smith

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

Thanks.

Johnson

Reply to
Johnson Liuis

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

Reply to
Rufus V. Smith

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!

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Best Regards,
Ulf Samuelsson   ulf@a-t-m-e-l.com
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Reply to
Ulf Samuelsson

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.

Reply to
linnix

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