May 24th, 2006
The ain't got no PC card blues - cured
An increasing number of small form factor laptops, Tablet PCs, and UMPC devices do not include a PC Card (PCMCIA) slot, leaving 3G users out of luck. Until now. Alliance Technology Partners has just announced availability of a PC Card to USB adapter that promises to solve the problem.
This small device acts as a portable card slot and passes the information through a USB port on the PC. The following high-speed data cards are supported:
- PC5220 - Cingular, Verizon
- PC5740 - Verizon
- Kyocera Wireless Passport KPC650 - Verizon
- Novatel Wireless S620 - Sprint, Verizon
- Novatel Wireless U730 - Cingular
- Sierra Wireless Aircard 580 - Sprint
The adapter is apparently already in demand. Alliance reports that new orders will be filled in early June. The adapter costs $199.00. No word on the site whether this device will work on the MacBook laptops from Apple which also do not include a full-sized PC Card slot.
Hat tip to Rob Bushway at GottaBeMobile.com
Marc Orchant has been building, testing, and sometimes breaking hardware and software for 25 years. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
