Socket Wi-Fi SD Card Delayed to August

The release of one of the most anticipated peripherals of this year has been pushed back again. Socket Communications has announced that its Wi-Fi card that can be used with some SDIO-capable Pocket PCs will not be available until August 1.

This Wi-Fi card will be part of BSQUARE's SDIO Now! program. While several Pocket PC models have SDIO support, this doesn't mean they can use all SDIO peripherals. Software drivers must be written. To simplify this process, BSQUARE created the SDIO Now! program. Handhelds and peripherals that are part of this program are guaranteed to be interoperable, without additional drivers being necessary. Numerous handhelds are expected to be released this summer with SDIO support; however, it is not yet known which of these will be part of the SDIO Now! program.

There will not be a Palm OS version of this card. Fortunately, SanDisk is working on an SD WI-Fi card as well.

Socket's Wi-Fi card uses the Intersil PRISM 3 chipset and Digital Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSS) Wireless LAN technology that allows data to transfer at up to 11 Mbps at ranges up to 400 feet. It lets a Pocket PC user roam among multiple 802.11b Wireless Network access points. It also allows the user to download data from wirelessly equipped laptops without a cradle or network connection as well as share data directly with other wireless handhelds.

Socket also gave a price for its Wi-Fi card for the first time: $150.

The company origially announced this card in January. At that time, the company said the card would be out by the end of March. In March, Socket changed that to "mid-year", and the company now says the card will be available August 1.

"Actually going to production on a first generation product such as the SD WLAN card can lead to delays. There are many regulatory, association and other agency issues which need to be passed to deliver a final product," explained Peter Phillips, VP of Marketing, Socket Communications. "In addition, going to production with a new chip from Intersil and making it fit within the SD form factor is not a trivial task and requires new production, test and validation equipment to ramp up from samples to production volumes."

He also said, "Developing a good customer experience from a software perspective can take a bit of work. Our goal is to deliver an easy to install/use, quality product."

SanDisk Having Problems, Too

SanDisk is working on a Wi-Fi SD card that will work with both Palm OS and Pocket PC models. In March, it said this card would be available in June. Now, according to the company's website, the Pocket PC 2003 version of this card will be available in July, while the Palm OS version will be out some time this Fall. This card is expected to cost $100.

The company is also developing an even more anticipated product: an SD card that will combine Wi-Fi and 256 MB of memory in one. The release for this has been bumped back to some time in the fourth quarter of this year. It will sell for $150. There are expected to be both Palm OS and Pocket PC versions.

Hagiwara Sys-Com announced in March that it's developing both Memory Stick and SD Wi-Fi cards. These will only be for the Palm OS. The company says that these will be available in the third quarter of this year. It has not announced what any of them will cost.

About Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, is a medium-range wireless networking protocol. It offers data transfer speeds of up to 11 MB per second over a range of 300 feet. It's typically used to allow mobile devices, like laptops and handhelds, to connect to networks and therefore the Internet. Networks can be set up at home or offices and an increasing number of coffee shops and other businesses offer Wi-Fi access.

Related Links

• Pocket PC?s Brewing SDIO Crisis
• More Details on the Coming Wi-Fi Memory Stick