No PCIMA slot? What?

So I have a PCMCIA card from Sprint that allows me to connect to the Internet, etc. I tried using it on my my HP Pavilion dv6000z in the slot that looks like a PCMCIA slot. The card fit, but did not go in all the way. I thought I did not push it in all the way, so I pushed it a little harder. It didn't go in any further. I finally got a flashlight and looked in there, and I saw it was a completely different pin layout than a PCMCIA slot. I was pissed. My question is, what is that slot and what is it used for, and also is there a way of getting some sort of external PCMCIA slot (which I don't think exist), etc.

 

The dv6000 does not have a PCMCIA slot, it has an ExpressCard slot which is incompatible with PCMCIA. You would need to get a card from Sprint that fits in the ExpressCard slot format -- these started coming out recently and I believe Sprint should offer one.

 

First, the Sprint card you have is called PCMCIA (or PC Card). It was the old standard for notebook computer slots. It was a 16-bit or 32-bit interface, somewhat related to PCI. The new standard is called ExpressCard, and is based on the much faster PCIExpress interface. The new ExpressCard slots are the only slots found on HP's newer consumer-line notebooks (not sure about their business machines), and they are NOT backward compatible with the older PC Cards.

Sprint has been "evaluating" Novatel's EV-DO ExpressCard modem for some time now, and officially announced it a few days ago -- http://home.businesswire.com/portal...d=news_view&newsId=20070130005481&newsLang=en . It should be available by the end of February. Get that and you'll be set. Noy sure what to do with the PC Card version you have, though.

 

I knew a little bit about the PCMCIA card (nevermind the typo in the topic name) But this ExpressCard thing is new to me.
I thank both of you for your help.

 

There are adapters pcmcia to express card slot:
http://www.duel-systems.com/products/adapters.aspx
However, I guess they cost too much if you need to use it with only one PCMCIA card. Then it make sense to buy a new express card version of the card.

 

Well, I found my solution here:
http://www.sprint.com/business/products/phones/usbU720_allPcsPhones.html
Not optimal, but hey, at least its compatible with both of my laptops (One I use for work, etc)