.KEYWORD xircom
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Was the SpringPort Wireless Ethernet Module worth the wait?
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY After spending over a year on pre-order, the Xircom Wireless Ethernet Module for Handspring Visors has finally arrived in the hands of Ray Rischpater, making him fully qualified to answer the question, "Was it worth the wait?" Find the answer in this review.
.AUTHOR Ray Rischpater
As a long-time Palm OS device user and wireless software developer, I was thrilled by Xircom’s (now an Intel division) announcement and demonstration of the Xircom Wireless Ethernet Module (at http://www.xircom.com/cda/page/0,1298,0-0-1_1-1727,00.html) on the heels of the original Handspring Visor release. Over a year later, I can now answer the question, "Was it worth the wait?"
The SpringPort Wireless Ethernet Module is an IEEE 802.11b, also called WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), wireless network adapter for the Handspring Springboard interface on Visor handhelds. A slightly oversized Springboard module, it protrudes a bit above and behind the Visor case, as seen in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A The SpringPort Wireless Ethernet Module juts out slightly from my Visor Prism.
With the module, you can synchronize, browse the Web, or check your email wirelessly while within range of a wireless base station. Moreover, any Palm OS compatible application that uses the Palm OS TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) stack should work with the module.
.H1 Setup
After I went through a nearly interminable wait while the module was on pre-order, it finally arrived in the typical Springboard packaging. Inside were the module, a thin sheaf of documentation, and a charger. Having set up and maintained numerous WLANs (Wireless Local Area Networks) before, I promptly set the manual aside and popped the card into my Visor Prism handheld. Figure B shows the SpringPort Wireless Ethernet Module.
.FIGPAIR B Here the SpringPort Wireless Ethernet Module can be seen before it’s plugged in.
When you insert the module, it automatically copies the Xircom drivers to the handheld’s RAM and runs the SpringPort utility application. Its appearance on screen, shown in Figure C, is anticlimactic.
.FIG C The SpringPort application doesn’t exactly tax the color capabilities of my Visor Prism.
From here, you first enter details about your wireless network, including the device name, network name, and encryption settings, as shown in Figure D.
.FIG D Here’s the SpringPort application Client Settings screen.
Next, you set up the Visor handheld’s Network Preferences, just as if you’re configuring your device to use a modem with an ISP (Internet Service Provider). Finally, you have the option of configuring the Visor to HotSync using the SpringPort module.
A final screen in the SpringPort application, shown in Figure E, lets you check the card’s battery and wireless signal strength.
.FIG E Here’s the SpringPort application Status screen.
This utility lets you check your wireless settings from the get-go, as well as measure wireless network coverage within your network.
Setup was smooth, although I found after the fact that reading the manual would have been a good idea. The setup application uses somewhat different names for the wireless network settings than those I know; after I skimmed the manual, setup was a lot easier. There are some additional settings, such as one for power management, which you can change, and the manual describes this better than the application does. The setup application could do with a quick interface overhaul, adding help to each of the dialogs and including the ability to look for wireless networks in operation instead of forcing you to enter a specific network’s name. While functional, the application just doesn’t mesh with accepted Palm OS interface guidelines, leaving me with an odd taste in my mouth.
The module comes from the factory with a partially charged battery, letting you set up the module and test it before fully charging it. I quickly depleted the battery running around the house checking wireless coverage, before I’d even had a chance to launch the Web browser or mail client. The module itself charges while in the Visor when the Visor charges, which is a nice touch. Xircom includes a Handspring travel charger you use to charge the module in the original Visor handhelds. Either way, it takes about two hours to fully charge the battery. Once charged, the module battery appears to outlast the Visor Prism’s battery, and quite possibly will do the same in a Visor handheld running on AAA batteries.
.H1 Software
Xircom thoughtfully provides Handspring Blazer 1.1 (at http://www.handspring.com/software/blazer_overview.jhtml) and Palm MultiMail (at http://www.palm.com/software/multimail/) on the module, along with an added bonus: the card is flash RAM, not ROM! The module includes FileMover, with about 100KB of free space, so you can update these applications if it becomes necessary. Moreover, there’s no reason why you can’t tuck another small application on the card, too.
Both Handspring Blazer, shown in Figure F, and MultiMail have been covered in the press before, so I’ll only touch on the high points here.
.FIG F Handspring Blazer is included.
Handspring Blazer is an excellent Web browser, able to display most pages with no difficulty. Of course, pages for the desktop can be hard to read, but that’s the price you pay for a wireless browser that fits in your pocket.
Blazer truly shines when showing WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) content. Intended for small screen phones, WAP pages load quickly on the device and fill only one or two screens, letting you read without perpetually scrolling. In fact, the marriage of WAP and handheld computers may be better than with telephones, as the slightly larger display and faster performance makes WAP far more pleasant to use.
Palm MultiMail is a good email client, supporting both POP (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP4 (Internet Messaging Access Protocol 4). Unlike its fully featured kin, it only supports one email address. That’s sufficient, especially if you already use Palm’s Mail application and HotSync application anyway. I put it through its paces with the wireless card and found it was up to managing my email quite well. It’s great around the house and office, letting me quickly check for new messages and go back to my desktop to reply to the longer ones. Of course, with both POP and IMAP4, you pull your email; there’s no notification of incoming mail until you check for your email.
In addition to Web access and email, you can also wirelessly synchronize your Visor using the SpringPort card and HotSync application. Setup is a little confusing because you set up your device as if it were dialing into the network via a modem using the network preferences you set up for the card. Once set up, it works flawlessly, however, and is as fast or faster than a USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection. The only flaw I can find isn’t Xircom’s fault: there’s no Macintosh support for LAN synchronization in the HotSync application. As a Macintosh user, I hope Handspring or Palm will add this soon!
.H1 Performance
A frequent question with any wireless network product is wireless range. This is a very difficult question to answer, because at the frequency (2.4 Ghz) WiFi networks operate, walls, furniture, and even plants or the human body can affect radio propagation. Rather than measure distance, which is virtually meaningless to you, I compared the SpringPort module’s range with two other wireless devices, an Apple PowerBook G4 with Airport and Apple PowerBook G3 with a Farallon card. The SpringPort performed as well as either machine, and it often outperformed the Apple PowerBook G4 by several feet. If you already have a wireless network, expect the SpringPort to do as well as your existing wireless clients. If you don’t, your mileage may vary: I’ve seen ranges anywhere from fifty feet to several hundred feet, depending on where the access point is and what materials are between the wireless client and the access point.
As with any other WiFi network, you can extend range by adding multiple base stations interconnected with wired Ethernet. At my location, I have two Apple Airport base stations connected to the in-building Ethernet, letting wireless users freely roam over the building and surrounding area. Wireless clients on a WiFi network, including SpringPort Wireless Ethernet Module users, can seamlessly roam between access points. Not surprisingly, this feature worked flawlessly with the Xircom module; I was able to perform a HotSync, while jogging, between the two wireless access points. As I did so, the Visor never skipped a beat (although my heart did by the end)!
It’s difficult to give an honest assessment of the SpringPort’s true speed, primarily because the included applications aren’t optimized for a wireless network, and neither HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) nor POP provide good benchmarking for network performance anyway. It’s certainly fast enough to be useful, however. Both Blazer and Palm MultiMail perform more than adequately. Although I have no evidence one way or the other, I would conjecture that performance limitations are probably within software running on Palm OS, and not the wireless module itself.
Speaking of software, any third party application using the Palm OS TCP/IP stack should work out of the box with the module. To test this, I used the SpringPort module with AvantGo (at http://www.avantgo.com). Not surprisingly, AvantGo’s modem (network) synchronization works without a hitch. Using AvantGo to browse pages while connected works well, too, although I prefer Blazer, simply because it renders as the page loads.
Just for fun, I installed ICQ for Palm (at http://www.geocities.com/rowlandcutler_mobile/icqfor.htm) as well, and I quickly discovered that what is a minor nuisance on my desktop is indispensable on my Visor handheld. While chasing my son around, I can quickly whip the device out of my pocket and dash off a quick message to my spouse before the kid gets out of my sight.
While I didn’t test it, the SpringPort module supports the WiFi security options, including access control and encryption. Sadly, WiFi has received a lot of unjustified negative press regarding the network’s security recently. Critics would do well to recall that WiFi’s security is designed only to provide security equivalent to in-building cabling, which isn’t very secure unless you keep everything under lock and key.
.H1 Conclusion
A product this expensive (at $299.99) deserves consideration before you buy. If you already have a wireless network, it’s really quite reasonable, especially given that the price includes about $40 worth of software and a $34.95 charger. These goodies make the effective price something like $230, only a little more than many standalone WiFi interface cards. If, on the other hand, you don’t have a WiFi network in place, expect to pay at least another $150 or so to get a WiFi base station, making the solution more expensive than the Visor handheld you use with it.
For businesses considering wireless networks for mobile workers, it’s a no-brainer: the product will save employees time finding places to synchronize throughout the day. For home or office use, it might be a little harder to justify. I don’t, however, think this reflects poorly on Xircom. Rather, it’s an observation about the economics of today’s wireless networks.
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The Xircom SpringPort Wireless Ethernet Module is more than worth the wait. With excellent industrial design, ample software to let you plug-and-play, and sound engineering, it’s a first-rate product.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on the Xircom Wireless Ethernet Module, visit http://www.xircom.com/cda/page/0,1298,0-0-1_1-1727,00.html.
For more information on Handspring Blazer 1.1, visit http://www.handspring.com/software/blazer_overview.jhtml.
For more information on Palm MultiMail, visit http://www.palm.com/software/multimail/.
For more information on AvantGo, visit http://www.avantgo.com.
For more information on ICQ for Palm, visit http://www.geocities.com/rowlandcutler_mobile/icqfor.htm.
For more information about Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Ray Rischpater is a freelance author entranced by mobile devices, having published several books and articles on the topic, including Palm Enterprise Applications: A Wireless Tech Brief, from John Wiley and Sons. He lives near Santa Cruz, CA with his wife and son.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6f664
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