Siemens subsidiary Roke Manor Research has developed a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz CompactFlash card with GPRS capabilities, compatible with Pocket PCs.
UK based Roke Manor Research, a Siemens subsidiary, recently announced that the company has developed a tri-band GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz CompactFlash with GPRS capabilities dubbed the CF45. Compatible with Pocket PCs, the new card is based on MC45 technology developed by Siemens Wireless Modules and will enable Pocket PC users to make both data and voice calls - increasing the number of solutions on the market capable of doing so to two.
 | The CF45 brings tri-band GSM and GPRS to Pocket PCs in a small package
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The tri-band GSM/GPRS module has been designed for GSM 900, 1800 and 1900 networks, making it suitable for use within both European and American mobile phone networks. According to Roke Manor Research, the card is the smallest product of its kind with a weight of just 20 g and measurements of 58 x 43 x 5 mm. It protrudes only minimally beyond a standard CompactFlash expansion slot, and makes use of a flip-up antenna to improve signal reception.
Previously, the only card available capable of providing similar functionality to handheld users - and also then, only Pocket PC owners - was Audiovox' RTM8000 card, launched in August last year. With its measurements of 64 x 43 x 3 mm and GPRS Class 8, the CompactFlash Type I RTM8000 is only slightly inferior to the smaller, CompactFlash Type II CF45 which boasts GPRS Class 10.
Due to its use of GPRS Class 10, theoretical data transfer rates for the CF45 are 85 Kbps to download, and 42.5 Kbps to upload (assuming CS2 coding), making it faster than a typical dial-up connection. Real life performance is, as with all GPRS equipment, dependent on network performance and signal strength, and is as such expected to be lower.
No information was provided as to when the CF45 can be expected to be generally available, nor at what price it will sell.
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