SDIO -- Engadget

SDIO posts

Trimble unveils rugged lineup of Nomad handheld computers

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 17th 2007 at 10:32AM

If Trimble's Juno ST PDA wasn't rugged enough to handle your oh-so-critical field duties (or unexpected drink spills), you'll be thrilled to know that the firm has you on the brain. The Nomad lineup of handheld computers weigh just 21-ounces, are designed to "fit comfortably in a user's hand," and pack a fairly decent array of specifications. Internally, you'll find an 806MHz processor, 128MB of RAM, and optionally, you can tack on integrated Bluetooth, GPS, a bar code scanner, two-megapixel camera, and 802.11g; additionally, an SDIO and CF slot, up to 1GB of flash memory, a daylight-visible VGA touchscreen, Windows Mobile 6, and a rechargeable Li-ion are on board. Trimble is offering up four separate Nomad 800 flavors depending on your level of necessity (and budget), all of which can be found real soon ranging from $1,699 to $2,499.

NXP delivers the next "world's smallest" WiFi chip: BGM220

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 1st 2007 at 9:30AM

Sheesh, this race for the "world's smallest" anything is seriously getting out of hand, but if it'll make our future handsets and wireless routers a tenth of a cubic centimeter smaller than before, we suppose we'll have to digress. NXP Semiconductors is reportedly ready to "start sampling a single-package 81-pin TFBGA WiFi chip that it says is the smallest device yet for 802.11 b/g connectivity." The GBM220 is, of course, eying the lucrative mobile handset market first and foremost, but handheld gaming systems and PDAs will certainly be in the mix as well. The chip itself comes in at a wee five- x five-millimeters, supports SDIO / SPI host interfaces, handles WPA2 / WMM, features an "ultra-low power drain," and should play nice with Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Symbian, and Linux. NXP's minuscule WiFi chip is slated to reach "volume production" by Q4 of this year, but you probably won't even notice the difference when planted in your forthcoming gizmo.

[Via WiFi-Planet]

Haicom's HI-505SD Bluetooth-enabled GPS SDIO receiver

by Darren Murph, posted Feb 6th 2007 at 1:13AM

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to get GPS (and Bluetooth) onto your PDA, handset, or other SD-slotted handheld, there's not exactly a smorgasbord of offerings out there to choose from if you're not willing to sacrifice your flash-based storage, but Haicom's latest takes care of all those dilemmas in one fell swoop. The HI-505SD plugs directly into your device's SD slot and utilizes its battery in order to power up the SiRF Star III GPS receiver and Bluetooth antenna, but rather than whining about your sudden loss of storage, this SDIO adapter offers up a miniSD slot to cram a few extra gigabytes back into your machine. Interestingly, Haicom also sells a bevy of attachment cables in order to use this device directly from a power source, but we envision this slightly unsightly device spending most of its time docked in your Treo. Unfortunately, there's an absence of details regarding price and future availability, but we're sure these will be available for import sooner rather than later.

[Via NaviGadget]

Spectec rolls out microSD-packin' SDIO GPS receiver

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 27th 2006 at 7:18PM

If that handy SD slot in your Treo (or similar smartphone) has gone lonely long enough, you've probably been waiting for "that killer device" to slam down in there and boast about. Thankfully, that time has seemingly come, as Spectec's latest SDIO GPS receiver packs a whole lot of functionality into a minuscule (and sleek) package. Unlike alternative GPS attachments for your handset, the SDG-810 provides a SiRF Star III 20-channel tracking adornment, is WAAS-enabled, and sports a microSD slot to carry up to 2GB of excess data (like maps, for instance) since your original flash memory slot just got occupied. While pricing information wasn't readily available, this nifty smartphone must-have should be available in your neck of the woods (read: everywhere) real soon.

[Via GearDiary]

Zentek's 1Seg SDIO card

by Donald Melanson, posted Sep 30th 2006 at 5:17AM

If you're looking for a little TV-on-the-go action of slightly higher quality than plain-old analog broadcasts, and happen to live in Japan, then Zentek may have just the solution for ya. It's just announced what looks to be the first 1Seg (or One-Seg, if you prefer) TV tuner on an SDIO card, which'll let you pick up those sweet terrestrial digital broadcast signals on your SDIO-equipped handheld or cellphone. Although, not unlike early developments in WiFi on SD cards, it looks like you'll have to put up with the card protruding more than just a little bit from your handheld device, as it measures about 2.1-inches long. (Hear that? It's the sound of thousands of these simultaneosly snapping in Japanese pockets). You'll also have to wait a bit to actually get your hands on one, with Zentek set to offer the device to OEMs in the first quarter of 2007.