Editorial Review

Windows PDAs have long fought an uphill battle. Users have flocked to the highlyfunctional Palm Connected Organizers and tended to ignore the more powerful,more expensive, and bigger Windows PDAs. The release of the new HP Jornada 548,the first among the new Pocket PC devices to hit the market, may finally turnthis around. The Jornada is still a bit bigger, about 5 ounces heavier, and moreexpensive than the Palm Vx. But it is sleek, robust, highly functional, and thecolor screen is beautifully sharp. The "wow" factor is definitelythere.

The Pocket PC OS is also responsive and well thought out--a big improvement overWinCE. In addition to the suite of powerful pocket applications (Word, Excel,Internet Explorer, PIM, and Scheduler), the Jornada can also serve as a digitalvoice recorder (to capture those spur-of-the-moment thoughts), an MP3 player,audible content player, and even an e-books reader.

The standard 32 MB memory is expandable using standard CompactFlash Type Icards. The product ships with a synchronization cradle (which supports USB orconventional serial interfaces), an extra sync cable (so you don't have to takethe cradle everywhere), an AC power adapter, and earbuds. A microphone and asmall speaker are built in. For MP3 use, we recommend expanding your RAM to 64MB with a CompactFlash card to provide an hour of near-CD-quality music.

Most Windows users should be able to run through the setup wizard and startusing the Jornada and its applications without cracking the manual. Learning touse handwriting recognition, which is integrated into all the applications,requires mastering a few special stylus strokes, but you should be writingsmoothly within half an hour. In comparison with Palm's Graffiti system, thePocket PC system is fully on par.

In our tests, setting up a connection to a desktop PC for synchronization wassimple. Within 20 minutes, we had installed the ActiveSync software, hooked upthe supplied cradle to the AC adapter and a USB port on our PC, and establisheda connection. If you have an older PC or laptop, you can also synchronize usinga slower serial connection. Synchronization is automatic and file transfer issimple using the Windows Explorer-like interface.

The only real caveat is that Pocket PC works best in a Windows-centric world. Atlaunch, it appears that there is no support for synchronizing with non-Microsofte-mail and scheduling applications. (With an optional modem or network-interfacecard, you can send and receive Internet POP mail directly via your ISP.)

The choice between Pocket PC and Palm still comes down to tradeoffs. Palms arestill lighter, smaller, and cheaper, and they do the basics beautifully. TheJornada 548 is slightly bigger, 5 ounces heavier, more expensive, but vastlymore powerful and flexible. The choice all depends on what you expect your PDAto do. --Thomas Mace

Pros:

• Handsome, compact design
• Superb color screen
• Ships with 32 MB RAM
• Large application suite
• Easy setup and intuitive interface

• No support for synchronization of non-Microsoft e-mail and schedulingapplications
• 5 ounces heavier than Palm V

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (192)

SUPERB value
Great price on a great flash card. I needed ONE more flash card so I could stop juggling the flash cards I already have between devices every few days... (Kodak DC4800 camera, HP Handheld computer, DC50, etc.)

Especially when traveling, I take LOTS of pictures and adding this card to my electronics arsenal means I can snap longer before downloading onto my 6-gigabyte digital wallet storage device. Shooting highest-resolution pics is less trouble with this high-capacity card when compared to smaller-capacity ones since this card doesn't fill-up so quickly. And storing files (images, audio, documents, etc.) for my handheld computer is easier and more fun, too.

And this card is NOT SLOWER than others I have. My devices seem to read/write to this card at the same speed as my other CF cards.

Very good value, good performance
I shoot digital pictures -- lots of them. 64MB CF cards just don't cut it anymore, especially with really high-quality TIFF or RAW images; being able to store only five TIFFs before changing cards is just irritating. [And, of course, it's very nice to be able to store over 1000 meduim-quality compressed images, too -- great for those vacation pictures or shots of your kid's school play!]

So, Viking's 128MB card is a pretty good performer, and I certainly can't complain about the price. It may not be the fastest CF card on the block, but I'm just not ready to shell out $... for a Lexar pro series card that'll store images faster. I'm happy to pay $... less, and wait a few seconds per image. And, of course, if you're using the card for MP3 or program storage (such as for a Pocket PC), you probably won't notice much difference anyway -- you write a file once, and retrieval speed is usually no problem.

I'm happy with my Viking card -- so happy I'm buying another.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (175)

More memory than I know what to do with.
I popped this into my Canon S100 and with the default resolution, got a reading of 1478 shots available! That's an incredible amt of space and for someone heading off on an extended trip, it should be quite a boon. I have been following CF costs on a dollar-per-meg basis for some time, and while the newest & largest cards have tended to carry a premium, this one does not. It is roughly fifty cents per meg, less than 1/4 of what it cost per meg only 18 months ago!

Gotta look at this one.
Wow, does it again by offering twice the capacity of my 64MB Viking card without doubling the price of it.

Moore's law, but faster.

This card works great in my iPAQ and camera. I remember thinking foolishly when I got my 64MB card that I'd never have enough stuff to fill it. Was I wrong....

This card is large enough to fit several mp3 (songs), full feature film, and some audible and e-books with ease...not to mention extra applications.

Plus, Viking offers toll-free tech support, something that not all vendors do.

A very important thing to note from the technical details: (Note: Check the maximum memory capacity of your portable device before ordering.)

Some devices, usually cameras, are limited in the amount of extra storage they can see. Don't buy more than you can use in your device. You may have to check the website or call the device vendor to clarify: some device documentation only mentions compatibility with smaller cards because these larger cards didn't exist then. My camera docs don't mention this size card, but it does work with it.

CF Memory Card Error can be avoided!
While I love the size of the card and really need that much memory for my Canon S40 (especially for my one week vacation and 250 photographs) I have to say that I lost 2 photographs... you might say that 2 out of 250 is pretty good, but if you take a photograph, frankly, you want to keep it.
When I took 16 photographs and downloaded I had no issues... but after taking 250 photographs the card started having CF Memory Errors in two places. Those errors meant that I could not download all my photographs in one go and had to download in batches. I was unable to rescue those two photographs and didn't feel like buying/using software to try and save them.
I have to admit that Viking's email tech support was very responsive and discussed formatting issues. The nice part about buying a known brand - they have a great return policy.

Right now the card is on probation - if it happens again, I'm returning it. I would probably buy another Viking card though.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (61)

Nothing better than a half-gig hard drive for your Pocket PC
It's probably a little early in the CF card's lifespan to write this review, but I'll focus on potential uses rather than reliability.

I basically bought the card for my HP Jornada 567 Pocket PC 2002. It already had 64 megs of memory, but I wanted more. I also already had a 256 MB card for my Nikon Coolpix 775, so this one was more for the handheld than anything else.

My HP can playback MP3's directly off the CF card without modification, and with drag-and-drop functionality from my notebook's hard drive, which is nice. That way I can store around a hundred songs for music on the go, which I typically listen to in the car, using a cassette adapter through the HP's headphone jack.

I also enjoy watching movies on the go, and with the downloadable Windows Media Encoder, I can reformat almost any movie file into .WMA format, and bring it with me. The card could conceivably store three full-length feature films at 192 x 144 resolution without much problem.

It's also great for carrying large text documents with you wherever you go...like, say, your novel, technical manuals, the Bible, as well as a couple dozen songs, and still have room for a movie or two...amazing! I don't know how I got around without this baby.

Another plus is that you will *never* run out of space while taking photos on vacation with your digital camera, even at the highest settings, unless you do field work for National Geographic.

So far, this card has changed my definition for personal entertainment and functionality. Viking makes pretty good hardware, too. Just watch out for any rebates they offer (there was no offer on *this* card, but be careful).

Now I'm just waiting for the Gigabyte card...

The first three months it worked great, then died!
I really wanted to give this unit a good review because I really liked having the 512 megs available.

I've owned this card for the last 5 months and have been going back and forth with Viking to get it replaced. They are very efficient at giving a replacement but I have recieved defective replacement units twice so far and have been without it's use for almost two months. I paid twice what it is today which doesn't bother me (technology speed).

The replacements have not accepted any data beyond 58 meg and then crashed, no matter which computer, which CF reader, My laptop or PDA, it doesn't work and now I am frustrated. All my 256 meg Sandisk, Mr Flash and Kingston work fine. If you want a reliable CF card I think you may want to look elsewhere.

Beware rebate
Getting them to honor the rebate was a battle.

After 8 weeks, they informed me by e-mail that it was rejected.

It took a phone call to the CEO's office (no kidding) and another 8 weeks to get the rebate check.

Features

• Optimized for use in PDAs, MP3 players, or digital cameras
• Write speed guaranteed to exceed 1.2 MB per second (8X) with independent test results exceeding 2.25 MB per second (15X)
• High quality components guarantee steady performance, the utmost durability, and breadth of compatibility
• Individually tested to ensure each product works the first time, everytime
• Five year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (34)

64MB card - 155 pictures for a 1MP Kodak DC240 camera
Well, I had no idea how much room a 1 MP picture would take up on a CF card. I know it is a combination of compression and format, but I never really did the math.

GREAT PRICE: I bought this card, number one, because the price was great. Now the price is even greater when you get it for about 2MB for $1.

NUMBER OF PICTURES THAT CAN BE STORED:
155 in a DC240 with 1MP.
55 in a DX3900 with 3.1 MP.
I never knew the MP versus MB formula, this practical application helped me out. I understand however, much depends on your compression and format. This was all .jpg files and on Kodak cameras.

SEEMS COMPATIBLE FOR PDA AND PC:
I know one of the concerns on these cards is compatibility. Since I have had it, I have put it in an @migo Pocket PC, on the PCMCIA card on an IBM laptop and a Kodak DX3600 and a HP315. It worked great.

Nice card and a nice size, I'm set for awhile now.

Great value and good performance
I've used Viking components in the past and never had any negative experiences with their products. When I got a digital camera, I shopped the local computer and mall stores for Compact Flash memory cards before turning to Amazon.com. I was pleasantly surprised to find an affordable Compact Flash card in the capacity I was looking for made by Viking. The card works great with my Kodak digital camera and Sandisk CF reader. A top notch product at an affordable price.

Features

• Reads and writes to: ATA Flash, CompactFlash, and SmartMedia
• Reads and writes at 1.5 MB per second (10X) allowing fast file transfer to and from your flash card
• Compatible with most Windows and Macintosh environments
• Computer recognizes the card reader as multiple additional drives on your computer; allowing the utmost in flexibility and convenience
• One year replacement warranty and 30-day money-back guarantee

Reviews (109)

I Love It!
The product works wonderfully for transfering data to my computer from my PDA or Digital Camera. It was very easy to install and has a screaming fast transfer rate!

Other reviewers have stated that the reader doesn't work with Windows 2000. I'd like to mention that a friend of mine bought one and he uses it with Windows 2000 daily. He has no problems with it. However, the Amazon site does not state anywhere that it is compatible with Windows 2000.

I also checked the Viking site and they do not guarantee compatibility (eventhough they are kind enough to include a driver for Windows 2000). Maybe the driver isn't perfect yet so Amazon and Viking are reluctant to state it is fully compatible with Windows 2000 still?

P.S. The reader doesn't work with my Diamond RIO MP3 player but it does work just fine with my Lyra. I guess Diamond does something to the card that makes it incompatible with any other device once it is used in the RIO. Strange, huh?

Anyway, I highly recommend this product.

Works very nicely with my iMac/Olympus camera
I use the USB reader to transfer photos from my Olympus D-400 Zoom digital camera to my iMac. Before buying my iMac, I had used the FlashPath floppy adapter to get photos to my Mac G3 desktop machine. This worked OK, but it was somewhat tedious to insert the flash card into the special floppy adapter, run a special application on my Mac to download the photos, quit the application, eject the floppy - and then start working with my photos. With this USB reader, things work much more intuitively - there's no special application to deal with anymore. The flash card simply appears as another icon on my iMac desktop, and I use the normal Finder operations to copy to/from it.

My only issue occurred in the initial setup. My iMac was not recognizing the flash card as a legitimate device and would just keep displaying the error message "Initialize or eject?". After a couple of emails and phone calls to customer support, I realized that I needed the "File Exchange" control panel enabled (it used to be called "PC Exchange", I believe). The FlashPath adapter specifically probibits the enabling of that control panel. After clearing that up, I've really enjoyed using this product.

Editorial Review