Wi-Fi for the Smartphone??

[Guest Rog42]

According to a mobile webtailer I use regularly, the new SANdisk SDIO WLAN card is compatible with the MS Smartphone. Check out the link here.

They even list the Samsung, Mitac, and Motorola Smartphones. Surely if the drivers work with those phones, they should work with the others, after all it's the same platform.

Imagine how cool that would be. Pick up email, and MSN Messenger for free on the WLAN at home/work, then use GPRS out and about. 8)

Has anyone out there tried this/got it working yet?

[Guest awarner [MVP]]

Err it states

Supports Pocket PC 2002 and Pocket PC 2003 devices

It will not work with Smartphone 2002 devices, as for 2003 devices?

who knows at the moment :-k

[Guest Maverick]

Ah.. Finally a topic subject with question marks :-)... I would have probably screamed if I saw another topic with the subject "Wi-Fi for the Smartphone" !!

[Guest Rog42]

But in Specifications (and I checked this on the Sandisk site too) it states:

Compatible with the following:

Viewsonic V37  

Viewsonic V36

iPAQ 3950/3955

iPAQ 3970/3975

iPAQ h2210/2200

iPAQ h1920/1930/1940

iPAQ h5150

Samsung i700 Smartphone

Samsung M400 Smartphone

Legend SP200

Celvic (JTEL) N110

Mitac Mio 8210

Mitac Mio 339

Mitac Mio 558

As far as I remember the Samsung, and the Mitac's are all MS Smartphones.

I agree with you. My experience of SDIO in Smartphone is barren. The desert of hw without the oasis of a driver. But here comes Sandisk claiming compatibility. I figured this forum would be the place to find the "Alpha" user. ;)

[Guest Will]

mitac models listed there are pocketpc? 8380 and 8390 are the mio smartphones

;)

[Guest sabio_proeliat]

Hmmm what's the 8210?

:shock:

[Guest Rog42]

In retrospect (the problem with posting at midnight, sleep deprivation) all of the models listed are PPC Phone edition devices. Bummer.

I was thinking if I couldn't get Bluetooth (for connectivity) wi-fi would be battery-draining, mind numbingly, awesome

[Guest Maverick]

Maybe someone can persuade Sandisk to write drivers for Smartphone ;-)

[Guest Rog42]

Yep or Socket - they do one too. And perhaps we can convince QTEK (HTC) to produce extended batteries . . .

[Guest Smart-UP]

Maybe a large mfr of WiFi hardware is working with a major mfr of phone hardware to bring a Microsoft powered phone with integrated BT and WiFi access, and maybe this hardware is not too far in the future, there might even be prototype phones around that are being tested as I type this. Maybe ;)

[Guest Rog42]

From what I know the large mfr is bringing out a PPC with all the integration, and the timescale is looking like next April (all pure speculation of course)

But not a Smartphone with Wi-Fi.

[Guest Maverick]

PPC with built in WiFi AND bluetooth are already in the market. There could be number of reasons why they arent there on the smartphone - Battery consumption etc. Also, Network operators may be reluctant to sell such phones because it will take the GPRS revenue away !!

[Guest Rog42]

Well yes, there are WLAN and BT integrated PPC's (the first was the iPAQ 5450) and there are PPC Phone Editions with GSM/GPRS (but not Wi-Fi and BT). But there are no devices with all three at the moment.

The first reason you mention is part of it. Getting the chips small enough and the batteries powerful enough is the part of the problem

The second reason is not really part of this at all. Most of the telco's in the US, UK, Europe and even here in Aus are all setting up WLAN hotspots and generating further revenue from that anyway. An integrated device will go a long way to increasing overall spend.

Nope, Wi-Fi is notorious with battery life. Therein lies the problem. But there will be a fully integrated device early next year.