Dell shuns new ExpressCard (PCMCIA replacement)?

[trikster2]

The PCI Express upgrade to the PCCARD/PCMCIA is called the Express Card

It's one of the new features of the Alviso/Sonoma chipset. It enables a removable card format that supports 250MB/s (thats bytes, not bits, Smokin).

It looks like HP Fujitsu, Toshiba, IBM are all jumping on the Express Card bandwagon but Dell does not include it in their Sonoma/Alviso high end laptops such as the XPS-2, Precision M70 or Lattitude D810 (unless I am reading the specs wrong?).

DOH

Does this matter or does anyone care?

Just another info spec in my Dell vs the World laptop decision...

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zdext/is_200309/ai_ziff103011]Express Card Don't Leave home without it[/URL]

From Dell
From Dell:

"ExpressCard technology is a small, modular add-in card designed to replace the larger PC Card over the next few years. The technology takes advantage of the scalable, high-bandwidth serial PCI Express and USB 2.0 interfaces. Systems with ExpressCard slots are expected to ship starting with the introduction of PCI Express in 2004. In this white paper, we explain why the PC Card is nearing its end of life and we describe ExpressCard technology. We conclude by describing how the industry and customers can transition smoothly from legacy PC Card to ExpressCard technology."

 

[Gibson486]

Who said they are not including it? From a business standpoint, Dell would be pretty stupid not to support it. Also, aren't those there current line of notebooks? It will be a while before Express Card becomes mainstream. Ofcourse, I have to agree that it is weird it is not in the specs.

 

[trikster2]

Unless it is a bonus feature they choose not to advertise, and every review ignores, and the pictures of the laptops are all wrong, the new sonoma/alviso laptops from Dell don't support expresscard.

It looks like Acer and Sony is standing with dell on this one. No mention of expresscard on the vaio website either.

HP/Toshiba/IBM/Fujitsu all suport expresscard, at least on their high end laptops.

It really makes you wonder if the new technology is going to catch on with big boys like dell and sony not playing.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: trikster2

Unless it is a bonus feature they choose not to advertise, and every review ignores, and the pictures of the laptops are all wrong, the new sonoma/alviso laptops from Dell don't support expresscard.

It looks like Acer and Sony is standing with dell on this one. No mention of expresscard on the vaio website either.

HP/Toshiba/IBM/Fujitsu all suport expresscard, at least on their high end laptops.

It really makes you wonder if the new technology is going to catch on with big boys like dell and sony not playing.

It will catch up. Like I said, it would be pretty stupid for Dell did not to adopt it. Implementing that new technology is at pretty much no cost to them ( isn't it intergarted into the Sonoma chipset?) and they have a new selling perk to sell their laptops. If anything, the only thing that will make this product not become a standard are the people buying it b/c they dismiss it as something useless.

 

[fbrdphreak]

It is also a feature that will not hit consumer mainstream for a while. How many average notebook users NEED ExpressCard? IBM & HP adopted it because they have a lot of business/professional clients; Toshiba probably offers it because they usually have a lot of the more current technology. Dell will get there one day, assuming ExpressCard becomes mainstream enough. Look for it in their Latitude business line first

 

[trikster2]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
It is also a feature that will not hit consumer mainstream for a while. How many average notebook users NEED ExpressCard? IBM & HP adopted it because they have a lot of business/professional clients; Toshiba probably offers it because they usually have a lot of the more current technology. Dell will get there one day, assuming ExpressCard becomes mainstream enough. Look for it in their Latitude business line first

"a while" here should be within the next year. At CEBIT like 35 expresscard products were announced. Expresscard will be a factor before the laptops I am buying today reach EOL.

Enough to make a buying decision on? No but possibly enough to tip the scales away from sony/dell/acer and towards HP, Toshiba, IBM etc.

FW800 or UW160 expresscards combined with the PCIe GigE could make a laptop workstation an I/O monster.

 

[fbrdphreak]

I agree; if you are spending any reasonable amount of money on a laptop and actually KNOW what an expresscard is, definitely buy a laptop that supports it. I always try to buy the most technology for the money