CF, SD, MS, SM, SB, Huh?Aug 08 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The world of Palm expansion options is filled with enough two letter acronyms to drive anyone crazy. CF? SD? MS? SM? SB? Read on to find out what they mean.
Confused by all the two letter acronyms? Want to just go hide in a corner till they all go away? Make it stop, you say. Never fear, help is here! What are all these two letter acronyms? Each acronym stands for a type of expansion format supported by one or more Palm OS device: * CF: Compact Flash * SD: Secure Digital * MS: MemoryStick * SM: SmartMedia * SB: Springboard What are the strengths and weaknesses of each format? Which devices support which formats? Read on to find out. CF Compact Flash is a standard expansion format widely used in digital cameras, MP3 players, Pocket PC PDAs, and some Palm OS devices. CF has been around since 1994. The cards are 1.7 in x 1.4 in x 0.13 in (43mm x 36mm x 3.3mm)and weigh 0.5 ounces. They have 50 pin connectors (two rows of 25) and are completely compatible with PCMCIA ATA specs, making it easy to use them in PCMCIA adapter cards. All CF cards can run at either 3.3V or 5V. Compact Flash is the cheapest external memory option and comes in much larger sizes than the alternatives, up to 1GB as a microdrive. There are a limited number of CF I/O devices including modems and wireless ethernet. Only the HandEra 330 and the TRGPro sport CF slots. Additionally, there are several Springboard modules that let Visor owners use CF for storage only (these modules do not support microdrives). SD Secure Digital is a new smaller expansion format. It uses the same pin connectors as MultiMedia Cards (MMC); MMC cards will work with Palms with SD slots. SD isn't a very common format, but MMC is used in a lot of digital cameras and MP3 players. SD is a new format based on MMC cards. The cards are 1.26in x 0.95in x 0.06in (32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm) and weigh 0.05 ounces (1.42 grams). They use a 9 pin connector and operate between 2.7 and 3.6 volts. SD is still very expensive and MMC isn't much better. Both formats are only available in sizes up to 64 MB. At this point in time there are no SD I/O devices (in fact, the SD I/O spec hasn't even been formalized). Only the HandEra 330, Palm m505, and Palm m500 include SD slots. MS MemoryStick is a Sony-proprietary expansion format, included in most Sony electronic and computer products. It is long and thin, shaped like a stick rather than a square. MS is specific to Sony products. It is 1.97 in x 0.85 in x 0.11 in(50.0 mm x 21.5 mm x 2.8 mm) and weighs 0.14 ounces(4 grams). It has a 10 pin connector and draws between 2.7V - 3.6V. MS is very expensive. It is only available in sizes up to 64 MB. At this point in time there are no MS I/O devices although Sony has promised digital cameras, modems, GPS, and bluetooth devices. Only the various CLIE devices uses MS. SM SmartMedia is an older and physically larger memory expansion format. It is used in some digital cameras and some older MP3 players (I haven't seen one with SM in a long time; most have moved to smaller media). SmartMedia is an older standard and physically larger than other standard memory formats. It measures 1.77 in x 1.46 in x 0.03 in (45mm x 37mm x 0.76mm)and weighs 0.06 ounces(1.8 grams). It has 22 pins and draws at either 3.3V or 5V. SM is fairly cheap, especially in smaller sizes. If you are looking for 8-16MB of extra storage space, SM is the cheapest option. At larger sizes it equals out with CF, and larger SM cards can cost more than equivalent sizes of CF. SM is available in sizes up to 128MB. No Palm OS device supports SM directly, but you can use SM for extra storage on Visors using a Springboard module. SB Springboard modules use a proprietary Handspring connection. No other consumer devices have Springboard slots. Springboards are specific to Handspring Visors, but many different manufacturers make many different modules. They vary greatly in weight, and can vary in size, but the base width is approximately 1.25 inches (31.75mm). Springboards have 68 pins and can draw between 3.0V and 3.6V. Springboards are the most complex option. If you are looking just for a lot of extra memory the Springboard slot is inferior to other options. Flash modules are available in 8MB and 16MB sizes but are very expensive. Modules that support connections to other media like CF or SM only offer limited functionality; generally files need to be manually copied to RAM before they can be used. If you are looking for I/O devices, then Springboards are a good option. It's now been over two years since the first Visors were released and there are finally a wide variety of available modules, everything from digital cameras, GPS units, MP3 players, barcode scanners, vibration units, and just about everything else you can imagine. All Handspring Visors come with a Springboard slot, although the Visor Edge requires an addon module (included) to use modules. Which format is best? It really depends on how you want to use the expansion slot. If you need more memory and want fast access to data directly on an external card, CF is your best bet. It's very fast, relatively cheap, and available in a multitude of sizes. If you want every new gadget known to man - GPS, MP3, digital camera, etc. - then Springboards might make sense to you. Another consideration is what memory format other devices you own use. If your digital camera and MP3 player both use MMC then an SD slot might make sense for you. I wouldn't chose a Palm OS device based solely on expansion format. There are a lot of other very important factors such as screen quality, upgradeability, and desktop support. That said, as someone who reads a lot and is really anal retentive about backups, I find CF incredibly appealing. I have a HandEra 330 with both CF and SD slots, and all of my media is CF. It's cheaper and faster, and I can get large enough cards that I can put every book I could possibly want to read on a single card for easy access.  |
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