By David Gewirtz
Recently, I've been giving a lot of thought to the tiny little SD card. The SD (which stands for Secure Digital) card is a highly secure stamp-sized flash memory card. Ever since the introduction of the Palm m500 and m505, Palm handhelds have come with the ability to use SD cards.
Until recently, that didn't really excite me. I mean, compared to Handspring's Springboard modules that were promoted as capable of doing anything (including wacky applications like a personal massager that attaches electrodes to your skin and "provides a stimulating muscle workout"), the SD card seemed mundane. But, like I said, I 've started giving the SD card idea more thought. And the more I think about it, the more excited I get. And you will, too.
As the editor of PalmPower and PalmPower's Enterprise Edition, I can have pretty much any Springboard module I want. So I can have the MP3 player, the wireless modem, the regular modem, the camera, and more. In fact, I do have them. They're in a cardboard box behind my desk. I've actually, on very rare occasions, used some of them. When I went on a long trip, I did use the MP3 Springboard module. Of course, by the time I reached the other coast, not only was the battery nearly gone on my MP3 player, it was also gone on the Handspring. I've used (with limited success) the wireless modem. But it's big and bulky and hangs off the back of the handheld computer.
I have used, for the purposes of experimentation, the eyemodule, which is a digital camera module. It's cute, but it doesn't take pictures of the quality I demand. To be fair, I'm a pretty fussy photographer, and I still prefer film. The quality of a 640x480 picture without the benefit of flash or lens adjustment just doesn't do it for me. As an aside, if you do want to see some of my photographs, along with other stuff on my personal Web site, feel free to visit http://www.Gewirtz.com.
Most of the time, these fancy Springboard modules live in the cardboard box. As editor-in-chief of PalmPower, it's my sacred duty to try out all the Palm OS devices on the market. On those occasions when I need to use the Handspring instead of my m505, the only modules I take with me are an 8MB memory expansion, and the backup module.
So, I add some memory. And I carry an extra backup with me. Interestingly, these are two things you can do quite nicely with Palm's SD Cards in the Palm m125, m500, and m505.
"While there may not seem to be a lot of sizzle to SD cards, it's becoming clear that they're the equivalent of a big, juicy steak."
This is where I began to think more seriously about the SD cards. Even though the SD cards don't capture bad photographs or let me listen to music while draining my batteries, they do let me carry more information and make better and more consistent backups. While there may not seem to be a lot of sizzle to SD cards, it's becoming clear that they're the equivalent of a big, juicy steak.
