WiFi + T3 = A BIG "0"

[n0m0n]

Well its been almost 2 years now since I heard that there was going to be a WiFi card for the T3...
I really did not think Palm was going to play to friendly with any 3rd party company.
Especially now that Sony has caved in and no longer is their main competition any longer.
Any new news on this Phantom, WiFi SD card???
I Still sit here and wait...
Well actually I purchased a PPC x30 in the meanwhile, and have been enjoying the WiFi capabilities very, very, much for the past 2 months.
Take some getting used to now I am not saying I am not waiting to power-up my T3 again...
But come on now...
I think the only WiFi Palm will allow is going to be only if you purchase one of there new PDA which are about to get launched...
Seriously now, any news, or is this still not going to happen???
Please no comments about the dinosaur monster WiFi cases !!!
Thanks

[winexprt]

Combine all that with the rumor that the upcoming T|4 will not have WiFi built-in and that makes me one unhappy camper. :(

[n0m0n]

Yeah, but that is only one model that is rumored to be released.
I figure there are going to be about 3 new models, or upgrades coming out shortly.
Everyone is so focused on theT4 that no one is looking to the 2nd, or a 3rd tier PDA.
The T4 would be the 1st tier, if it was not clear.
Anyway I just placed my order for a NetGear WGR101 portable router.
It's the size of a PDA and can be plugged into a DSL, or a Cable Modem jk while traveling...
NICE!!!
Found a GREAT price acutally when all is said and done it will be $60.00 under what NetGear is selling it for on their webpage.

I really think Palm is handicapping themselves with the prolonged driver release.

This could actually work out for them as well as for WiFi accessory manufacturers like, GPS manufacturers ect..

What's nice about the x30 is that it comes with "both", WiFi as well as BlueTooth capabilities built into the unit...
Well they aren't so I will not go on and on...

[Vidge]

I do think that Wifi on a Palm unit is a real necessity. I had a x30 and now a hp4155 with both BT & Wifi and it is very nice to have. I haven't used my Enfora Portfolio much since getting it.

[n0m0n]

Didn't keep the x30?
Why, I have been getting along with it more. and more.
The price was right, for the speed and wireless capabilities, and it offers more then most PDA's.
I send mine back and got a replacement with the A02 ROM Version.
Alot of my issues don't seem to be there anymore.
It just takes getting used to.
Still I do eye my T3 and as I said earlier I would light it up if a WiFi card was released.

[edeab220]

Well, I know for sure (I can bet my T|T3 on it :p) that palmOne will release a WiFi SD Card. Most of us know that already...

My ETA for the WiFi SD Card from palmOne? Hopefully next month since it is a part of the Spring lineup...

[n0m0n]

That is what has been said now for almost 2 years now.
It just never happens.

[edeab220]

That is what has been said now for almost 2 years now.
It just never happens. The palmOne WiFi Card? It was just confirmed by them when the Zire 72 and 31 came out...it was just rumors before.

Ah who am I kidding...we probably do have to wait another two years. Just give me the OS 6 upgrade and I'll be fine ;).

[n0m0n]

I was referring to the 3rd party companies that have been trying to get out a SD WiFi card to the public for the Palms.
Those same companies that got SD WiFi cards out for PPC units.
Palm was not to friendly when it came to agreements, as well as assistance with drivers for the Palm OS units.
Even Sony, released a card years ago for their units.

Ah, whatever,..
Take care.

[applejosh]

Yeah, my "old" ipAQ 3955 has been getting more and more use lately, just because of the lack of wi-fi for the T3. I had an NX80 that I thought about bringing out of retirement, but the iPAQ will do. If Palm's not careful, I might just decide to join the evil empire and make my next PDA a PPC.

What I really want is an SD wi-fi card that works in both my iPAQ and my T3...then I wouldn't have to carry around the CF sleeve. But I think that's just wishful thinking...

[n0m0n]

Yeah, if, and that is a big, IF, Palm comes out with a WiFi SD card, it will be a proprietary one.
Unlike my Veo 1.3 MG Camera SD card, which I am able to use in either my T,3 or x30 the WiFi card will be only good in the T3…
If they only would allow 3rd party vendors to create WiFi drivers for theT3 we would be able to share out WiFi accessories between the 2.
Now I know Palm probably doesn’t like the idea of someone having anything else then there PDA’s but it would be nice.

[Cyker]

We should make a money pool and hire CliePet and Sharky to make one :D
(Yes this is me joking ;))

[madmaxmedia]

I would say the TC is the second option right now, since it is available. I would have bought one if it had stereo audio, instead I have a UX50.

Considering how poor the battery life on the T3 without wireless or with BT, I can't imagine how bad it would be with Wif. I guess as bad as the UX. And there is the extended battery for the T3 as well.

[strider_mt2k]

I'm really suprised to find how much I use WIFI at home and on the road.
It's something I found that I value highly in my TH55.

[applejosh]

I'm really suprised to find how much I use WIFI at home and on the road.
It's something I found that I value highly in my TH55.

Ditto. At first I didn't miss it, but then things I was used to doing with my NX80 suddenly weren't possible. Bluetooth is a fine short (vert short) range connection method, but it sucks for anything Internet related. It's just too darn slow. (And I keep leaving my BT USB key at work, at the parents, at home, etc.)

[Vidge]

Didn't keep the x30?


Nope. Mine was defective and I got tired of Dell lying to me about when I was going to receive a replacement. I waited 3 weeks and finally gave up, although I am still waiting for my refund. :(

There are almost no Wifi hotspots in my area so my Wifi use is limited to my home/office. So while it is nice, it's not a real necessity. Outside of those areas, I have to have BT, so that's why having a device with both comes in handy. (I use a BT phone. I know people put BT dongles on their computers but I don't understand why. The connection is slow and of limited range. Why not just use the computer instead?)


Considering how poor the battery life on the T3 without wireless or with BT, I can't imagine how bad it would be with Wif.

You have to check out the battery thread over at BrightHand. Those guys have figured out how to change the battery, replacing it with a larger one, and getting 25% more battery life.

Actually, Palm needs user replaceable batteries. The battery life on my hp4155 and the x30 I had were both about the same, if not less, than my T3 but no one complains about that on the PPC side because they just carry another battery. Back in the day, Palms had user replaceable batteries. I don't know why they insist on using these ones we can't swap out.

[TMann]

Like many people on this forum, I have been really, REALLY frustrated with Palm's lack of Wi-Fi support over the past couple of years. It is an embarassment to Palm that the TT3, their "top-of-the-line" PDA doesn't have a Wi-Fi SD card option. Even the lowliest of PPC's can plug a third-party Wi-Fi card into their machines and have Wi-Fi access. What is even more amazing is how Palm actually seems to be reluctant to help other third-party manufacturers, (ie. SanDisk) develop a Wi-Fi card for their PDA's. How dumb is that?! Think how much more useful those TT3's and TE's could be if one could pop in a Wi-Fi SD card, just like the PPC people do. I would surmise that Palm's decrease in marketshare over the past couple of years is due at least in part to the lack of Wi-Fi support.

And as to the Enfora Wi-Fi case, let me first that I think that it's a great idea, and a well-implemented design. The people who made it should be commended for "thinking outside the box." But I'd never buy one. Why? Well, every one of my PDA's has had a nice protective case to stay in. Thus, it is just too much of a hassle for me to take my PDA out of it's normal case and then put it into a different case for Wi-Fi access, and then put it back when I'm done using Wi-Fi. It seems to me to be a bit of a cumbersome solution. Wouldn't it be much easier to just carry a Wi-Fi SD card in the pocket of my PDA case and just slip it in whenever I was near an access point?

Or better yet, why not build a PDA with built-in Wi-Fi and bluetooth? Why is it that the Sony UX-50, the European TH55, the iPaq 4155, 4355 and the Dell X30's can all have BOTH Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in, and yet, Palm seems unable, or unwilling to put both into any of their PDA's. (I probably would have purchased a TC a long time ago, if there was a bluetooth option for it. Bummer...)

I'm sorry for the long rant, folks, but I just don't get what Palm is thinking. I love the Palm OS; I think that it is a better OS for a PDA than the PPC OS. But I think that Palm has made a big mistake by letting the PPC platform get so far ahead in the area of Wi-Fi support. And now that Sony is out of the picture, I fear that PalmOne will have even LESS reason to innovate with their upcoming products.

Anyways, thanks for reading this far. Hope that I didn't step on anyone's toes, or cause anyone to get offended. I'm just a little frustrated, that's all...

TMann :(

[bruceckl]

Why not changed to TH-55 (Euro verison)?

[n0m0n]

Why not changed to TH-55 (Euro verison)?


Well maybe because Sony has abandoned their customer base???
If it goes down then you will be looking for a new PDA company so why waste the time?

[edeab220]

Well here's what Zire 72 and T|T3 users are waiting for...

Sometime this month...$129...palmOne 802.11b WiFi SDIO Card

Part # - P10952U
SKU #: 8 0593101064 3

[applejosh]

I hope you're right, but I'm still not holding my breath.

[n0m0n]

Drivers we are waiting for drivers.
The existing SD WiFi cards can work that are already out on the market.
Drivers for Palm OS units.

I have a Veo 1.3 Mg Photo Traveler which is a little SD camera.
I use it in my T3 as well as with my x30 (PPC)
All I had to do is get the Palm OS drivers and the WM 2003se drivers and the SD hardware worked flawlessly.

Drivers that is what is needed.

[applejosh]

True. But since Palm isn't releasing the necessary OS patches independent of their own card driver, we're stuck (ala Sony) with what they release. And since this wi-fi saga has been going on for a while, I've become skeptical of any new news. (I've personally only been following it for a couple months as I used my Clie with their proprietary (not really - Intel) wi-fi card prior.) Palm's getting greedy, which is what happens when the economy is down. Kind of related, think of all the patent lawsuits and such that have happened since the tech bubble burst. I don't remember hearing about nearly so many in the 90's. Companies are scrapping for every dime in any way they can. <end of economic/political rant> Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

[n0m0n]

True. But since Palm isn't releasing the necessary OS patches independent of their own card driver, we're stuck (ala Sony) with what they release. And since this wi-fi saga has been going on for a while, I've become skeptical of any new news. (I've personally only been following it for a couple months as I used my Clie with their proprietary (not really - Intel) wi-fi card prior.) Palm's getting greedy, which is what happens when the economy is down. Kind of related, think of all the patent lawsuits and such that have happened since the tech bubble burst. I don't remember hearing about nearly so many in the 90's. Companies are scrapping for every dime in any way they can. <end of economic/political rant> Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Well I took care of my WiFi needs and wants by purchasing a Dell Axim x30 624 MHz unit with Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities.
I am enjoying the wireless option very much.
So much so that the OS change isn't that bad...
Wonder if Palm notices!!!
YEAH RIGHT!

[TheZodiac]

I didnt realize the T3 had been out for two years. What callender do you guys use? And Im sure you all just read the story of the release of a $129 WiFi card that will work with the Zire 72 and Tungsten T|3 exclusively. Correct? Mmk.

Source:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/6167418185339486/

[Vidge]

I didnt realize the T3 had been out for two years. What callender do you guys use? And Im sure you all just read the story of the release of a $129 WiFi card that will work with the Zire 72 and Tungsten T|3 exclusively. Correct? Mmk.

Source:
http://www.engadget.com/entry/6167418185339486/

The T3 hasn't been out for 2 years. It was released last October.

PS - The source of the Engadget story is here (http://www.dailygadget.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3142) :D

[TheZodiac]

The T3 hasn't been out for 2 years. It was released last October.

PS - The source of the Engadget story is here (http://www.dailygadget.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3142) :D

I know it hasnt (denote sarcasm) This is what has been said earlier in the thread :rolleyes:

[edeab220]

I hope you're right, but I'm still not holding my breath. Of course I'm right! :p. It's in palmOne's system, and stores have been notified of the upcoming release. It should be soon...this month at the earliest, next month at the latest.