Is there any PDAs that have wireless network capabilities, or add ons to support wireless networks? I’ll be going to college this fall, and areas of our campus will have wireless access points (Don’t know if its 80211.a or b, but I’ll be sure to find out), and if I could get online for free with my a PDA in between classes, that would be fun.
Sure.
I have the Dell Axim, and an 802.11b wireless card that plugs right into the top of it and connects to my home’s wireless network.
It works like a champ. Not only can I browse the 'Net, and use Word, Excel, etc, right on the PDA, but it also has a Terminal Services client, so I can do things on the server as though I were logged in.
It’s very cool.
The Palm OS and devices running the Palm OS have comprehensive wireless networking capabilities.
If your campus already has Wireless Access Points, all you need is a Palm handheld device that supports the protocol being run on the WAP. Even if the Wireless Access Points of your University are 802.11g products, they will be backward compatible to support 802.11b products (but not 802.11a). Check the specifications with the System/Network Administrator of the University before you make a purchase decision.
The Palm Tungsten C has inbuilt 802.11b wireless support, so you won’t need any additional hardware to connect to the Internet or the University LAN.
Apart from the Tungsten C, a large number of Palm handheld devices (even older models, and models from other companies such as Handspring) can be equipped to connect through the Wireless Access Points. You would need to buy hardware add-ons for these devices.
Your options are:
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Secure Digital (SD) card modules inserted into the SD card slot of Palm handheld devices for 802.11b support.
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Xircom SWE1130 Springport Wireless Ethernet Module for Handspring devices.
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Xircom PWE1130 Wireless LAN module. This is a cradle that snaps on the back of a Palm m500 series or a Palm m125 series handheld. (http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/products/xirpwe1130.htm)
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The Sony PEG-NX70V CLIE, a Palm OS 5 powered device, utilizes an Intel 200MHz ARM processor. This device not only has the power to run leading edge performance critical Palm OS applications, but also has an expansion slot for a PEGA-WL100 WiFi card. (same link as above)
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Attach a Compact Flash Adapter and add-on a CF Wireless Card.
The WinCE/Pocket PC line also has a fair number of Wireless capable devices and add-ons.
Apart from 802.11 Wireless Networks, it is also possible to connect your handheld devices wirelessly to the Internet through CDMA, GSM, CDPD, GPRS, Bluetooth and Infrared.
If you have any specific device/model in mind, do let me know and I’ll inform you of the options available for that device.
If you’re confused between 802.11a, b and g and want more clarification, feel free to ask.
I highly recommend the Palm Tungsten C. Yes, it’s pricey, but you get what you pay for. A 400 Mhz processor (that’s not a typo, four hundred Mhz in a PDA), 64 Megs of RAM, 320x320 display, not to mention Documents to Go which lets you easily synchronize your Word and Excel documents between your PC and your Palm; i.e. you get a copy of your Word document on your Palm, looking very much like it does on the PC complete with fonts, bolding, italics, color, etc.; edit it there then sync and that version is copied to your PC. I sorely wish I’d had that ability when I was in school.
And the 802.11 is builtin and totally easy to use. Just run the setup application, it finds any wireless network(s) in range and connects. That’s it. Then you can email, web surf, or whatever.
Oh, and for data entry you can either use the thumb keyboard or you can write or draw on the screen, whichever you find easier/quicker.