DualCor cPC-connectivity information now available
Outside of the recent news that the device will ship within 90 days, it seems like some time since we’ve had an update on the DualCor cPC, the first device of any size to offer both Windows XP Tablet Edition and Windows Mobile 5.0. DualCor has updated their web site with some interesting information and a new look at the handheld device, which will sport the Microsoft Touch Pack that ships with Origami devices. In the Download Center on the DualCor web site there is a cPC data sheet (PDF) that offers some new information about the connectivity options of the device.
According to the PDF all connectivity options are only available through USB or the CF slot which means no integrated WiFi, Bluetooth nor 3G. I find this decision disappointing, especially the WiFi and Bluetooth, as it has become fairly standard for devices to include at least WiFi if not both. There will certainly be a lot of CF card swapping to say the least. The PDF also indicates under the phone jack heading that it “enables VoIP and cellular through CF or USB”. It is clear that all connectivity options for the cPC will require an external adapter of some sort, which is disappointing. I am not aware of any CF EVDO cards from either Verizon nor Sprint so this would rule out the possibility of using EVDO on the cPC until the USB dongle starts shipping from Sprint, and even then it would be clunky.
-jk
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
What a disappointment!! No Wi-Fi or BT? That is so retro!
To me, one of the strongest selling points of such devices is the “all-in-one” design. Just pick it up and go, don’t worry about having all your “stuff” with you. With the advent of larger USB thumb drives I have had no trouble being without a CD-RW drive. But having to hang stuff off of a small portable device is, to me, self defeating.
JK -
Does Dave (from the MOTR podcast) have any ides of when they are shipping the DualCor with integrated BT, 801.11a/b/g or EVDO? Tell Dave that this is an outrage and that he must get that company to add integrated BT + Internet!
Bummer! I could understand not integrating a cellular option, but no WiFi?!
I think you guys are missing the point. 802.11b is top-end by PPC standards, but slow for a TPC. Even g is yesterday’s tech. Bluetooth is creeping along, but Wireless USB might displace it entirely. Phone carriers do not provide all the same services. Should DualCor lock you into just one? And don’t forget Wimax. Plus, not everyone needs BT, wifi and phone in one device.
In a device this small, you need to pick and choose what hardware to include and features that may not be used and are rapidly advancing are not keepers. Given the choice, I too would have taken the modular and upgradeable approach with the wireless tech (however I usually take the modular approach anyway).
I believe that WiFi (b or g) should be in every WinXP device sold. What is the last WinXP mobile device you remember without at least WiFi? I agree that they want to give choices but even so there are certain bare minimums that must be met to be truly useful. There are NO wireless connectivity options currently available for the cPC that provide high speed connectivity, and I am afraid they will be hampered by this.
Are there any CF WiFi cards that wouldn’t stick out of the slot (for the antenna)? If not, that would essentially mean that you’d have to take the card out whenever you put the device away to avoid breaking it.
When cheap ($200-$300) PDAs offer bluetooth and/or WiFi, it’s hard to see how this device would sell without it.
How disappointing. Scratch that off my list of potential new devices. For the life of me, I cannot figure out what dualcor is thinking? No built in wifi or bluetooth is a deal breaker for sure.
I agree with the necessity of wifi, but not integrated does not equal not available (is that too many “nots”?). If you only want wifi, you plug in that card. If you only want phone, you plug in the other card. If you want both, plug in the phone CF card and a wifi dongle. For the wireless trifecta, use the phone card and a USB wifi/BT combo dongle. In the future, perhaps there will be a single card for all three. But for the present, I think plugging in a dongle is an acceptable solution.
It’s a little disappointing that everything isn’t included, but if you think about the variety of communication methods that are going up and getting outdated right now, it does make sense in the long run. We’re about to go through a stage where every form of wireless communcation from IR to 3G cellular will be represented in the hardware market simultaneously. Every form of communication has useful functions, but no one requires them all simultaneously. However, it might have been nice if they had included more than just the one CF slot, maybe 2 CF slots or a CF and SDIO. Although large, you kind of benefit from the CF enough to justify it. But even miniSD would have allowed for wifi right now, and who knows what else later.
I think the overall design of the device suggests it is primarily for those few who benefit tremendously from a super PPC (it has 1GB of NAND Flash and shared access to the 30GB hard drive, which in a standalone PPC would be just ridiculous) combined with a simultaneously running, data sharing XP PC. And it has (relatively speaking) good to outstanding battery life. In a sense, it could eliminate an ultralight notebook/PPC combination, at the expense of a keyboard. But it does seem like people are moving more towards pairing a PC or notebook with a smartphone or PDA phone.
Mark,
I hear what you are saying, but the practical application of carrying around multiple CF and/or USB cards minimizes any UMPC/handtop device’s ability to be mobile.
I thought once like you when I first got my Sony U. I carried around USB adapters for BT, microphone, webcam, etc. but it became a PITA.
When I got my OQO and it was all integrated and pocketable, it changed my mind.
With the 4.5 hour double capacity battery, I can simply carry my OQO in my pocket and do a Tablet-style presentation anytime and anywhere.
I don’t have to carry a bunch of accessories with me, defeating the point of mobility.