Type II PCMCIA Cards

Hello all, I was just wondering, what functions do these cards offer, besides wireless networking? Im just curious b/c my laptop has a slot and it already has wireless built-in.

 

Well you can add USB ports, card reader, TV tuner, firewire, the list go on.

http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=PCMCIA&hl=en&btnG=Search+Froogle

I used my PCMCIA as a 6-1 card reader.

JC

 

I believe the difference is the speed. Type II cards need a Type II slot and are much faster than Type I (cardbus) cards. However, most laptops don't have a Type II compatible slot at the moment, so purchasing a Type II card could be a bit mistake.

 

Wrong. The difference is about the thickness.

Taken from wikipedia.org

There are three different sizes, varying in thickness: Type I is 3.3 mm thick, Type II is 5.0 mm thick and Type III is 10.5 mm thick. All are 85.6 mm long and 54.0 mm wide. Most notebooks used to come with two Type II slots or one Type III

They are the same speed, but different sizes.

 

I think the last part is probably getting out of date now, most new laptops come with either one type II or none at all (but have a ExpressCard slot instead).

But yeah, types are thickness, most cards are Type II, I'm not sure I've ever seen a type I or type III

 

My laptop is a little over a year old and I was wondering what functions a Type II card could bring, besides port upgrades... what's a TV tuner?

 

A TV tuner is a computer component which allows you to watch television on your computer. Most TV tuners also function as video capture cards, allowing them to record television programs onto a hard disk. Almost all TV tuners can function as FM radios: this is because the FM radio spectrum lies between television channels 6 and 7, and television sound uses the same modulation as FM.

JC

 

So if you have satellite, you can watch "wireless" TV? Or do you have to download it off the internet? In general, are TV files large?

 

you need either an over-air antenna, or a cable connection, or a satellite connection. once connected and with the software installed, it acts just like a TV - it is streaming, not a file you download.

 

Back in the old days before DVD writers and flash memory prices became affordable, Type III sized minature hard drives were one of the few options for multi-gigabyte portable storage options.

 

I recently ordered a Dell Inspiron e1705, direct, and was given the option of a TV-Tuner card. I did not opt for the option of $104 and my laptop (customized for gaming) came out to about $1300. So I'm wondering whether it was a wise choice -- considering similar, perhaps better-designed products from ATI/nVidia -- to have excluded the tuner form my purchase. What do you think? I may plan to watch TV on this laptop in the future, though I don't know for sure.

What do you think the brand was for the TV TUNER?

What other functions does such a device offer?

 

I remember those days well. I also had a FAX/Modem.