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| Product: axxPAC SmartMedia Adapter |
Company: AMS Hardware & Software |
| Web: www.axxPAC.de |
Phone: 0461/90398 |
| Platform: IIIx, IIIe, or IIIxe |
SRP: US$80 plus memory
Street Price: same |
Cred Rating: | Special Award: |
I had my Palm III for about a year before I started feeling the crunch. Between the various games I'd been "testing," some e-texts that I'd loaded (a few study aids and an undisclosed sci-fi trilogy), and my recent obsession with AvantGo, the 2 megs of RAM that had
seemed so roomy when I first got the machine just wasn't enough. So I upgraded to the 4 meg IIIx and threw in the axxPAC, an expansion
module designed for the slot in the back of a IIIx. Now with my Palm IIIx bumped up to 12 megs of RAM, I've got more room than I
could possibly use (at least for now).
The axxPAC is not actually memory itself, it is an adapter for SmartMedia card slots that fit into the expansion slot of a Palm
IIIx. For US$80 you just get the adaptor. SmartMedia is available in sizes from 4 megs ($15) to 128 megs ($270), though at this time axxPAC only supports up to 32 megs. The axxPAC comes with a replacement cover for the back of the Palm that allows the SmartMedia cards to be easily removed, so expansion is unlimited.
The axxPAC is designed to work with the Palm IIIx, but because the Palm IIIe and the IIIxe use the same motherboard, there will be a version available for those units. In the Palm IIIx, installation of the axxPAC is simple. Open up the back cover with a screwdriver and
plug the AxxPAC into the expansion slot. Couldn't be simpler. Then, rather than putting the old case back on again, you put the included replacement case-back on, which has a slot through which the SmartMedia cards fit. The whole installation takes about 5 minutes,
soup-to-nuts. Once the cover is closed, the SmartMedia card can be inserted into the Palm without removing the case. Now all that's left
to do is install the 37k software driver on the Palm like any other application. Once that's done, you insert a SmartMedia card and you're ready to
roll. The software allows transferring applications or databases from the SmartMedia card to the Palm and back again.
The case of the annoying protrusion.
While all of that is really great, the axxPAC is not without its problems. At this point, it is impossible to run applications directly from the card, though
this may change with the full release (mine was a pre-release). The other big problem, which will not change with the full release, is the
fact that even when the SmartMedia card is completely inserted into the Palm, it sticks out about 4mm from the side. This means that
when a card is in, it doesn't fit in my carrying case. For some soft cases this might not matter, but if the case is a tight fit like the Rhinoskin
Shocksuit that I have, or the JetPac, the card must be removed before putting it in the case. Using it with the card sticking out
feels...well, vulnerable.
The card sticking out the side bugged me so much I was forced to do the unthinkable: risk my newfound capacity in the name of
science. I took a pair of scissors to my Olympus 8 meg SmartMedia card, cutting off that portion that jutted out and leaving just enough
that I can still remove the card. Now folks, I don't recommend that you try this at home, but it did work for me. The card I used was an 8 meg card from
Olympus, and I don't know if there are differences between manufacturers or memory sizes. Larger sizes of cards may contain more
circuitry, and you will certainly destroy your card if you cut into the business portion of the card. Cutting the card will also make it hard to use in other
devices if you ever decide to take it out of your axxPAC. That being said, I would have a hard time using the axxPAC if I didn't cut the
card, so for me it was worth the risk.
Everybody gets to the point where they need more memory. The axxPAC has a price that is competitive with other memory expansion
options (like the TRG 8 meg upgrade for $100) but with the advantage of unlimited removable storage capacities and cards up to 128
megs. While it loses points for not running apps off the card, and for the unavoidable DIY solution to the protruding card, overall it is a
great product. Now that I've got 12 megs, I've doubled my AvantGo channels, put all the games I had deleted back on, added the fourth
and fifth books in the undisclosed trilogy, and I've still got room for what seems like a galaxy's-worth of information.
- Nate Heasley [4/26/00]
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