And then there's ludicrous memory. IBM's Microdrive ($500), which is represented in Figure C, is currently not an ideal match for the TRGpro because of its high battery drain (a battery-saving version optimized for PDA is due out sometime this year).However, it will work with the TRGpro and can store 340MB of data on its miniature spinning hard disk. On a good note, it doesn't require drivers because it's a standard ATA storage device. You just need to expect to change the batteries every few days.

FIGURE C

The IBM Microdrive allows the TRGpro to hold huge amounts of data -- up to 340MB. Click picture for a larger image.

Simple Technology, Inc. also released a 320MB flash memory device (with no moving parts) at Fall Comdex, although, at over $1,500, it's very expensive for PDA use. The important thing to consider here, nonetheless, is that while IBM and Simple's CF devices aren't practical, they do work, and demonstrate just how expandable the TRGpro really is.

CompactFlash also has the advantage of being a peripheral expansion format as well. Need a 56K modem or Ethernet card for your Palm? No problem. Pretec sells a CF V.90 modem, shown in Figure D, which was designed originally for Windows CE but works great with the TRGpro, and 3Com and TRG are working together on drivers for 3Com's CF Ethernet card. Socket Communications also sells a serial card for connecting external devices and a bar-code wand card for inventory management and retail applications.

FIGURE D

Pretec sells a CF V.90 modem that was designed originally for Windows CE but works great with the TRGpro. Click picture for a larger image.

CF readers
The TRGpro is equipped with a standard Palm III serial HotSync cradle for installing programs and databases through the Palm Desktop software, but that's not the most efficient way to get data onto it. For that, you'll need a CF card reader, as shown in Figure E.

FIGURE E

The SanDisk Corporation CompactFlash card reader is just one of many card readers available. Click picture for a larger image.

A CF card reader is a device that connects to your PC, Macintosh, or laptop computer via USB (Universal Serial Bus), parallel port, or PC Card connection. It allows you to access a CF memory device as if it were a removable hard disk, like a Zip or Jaz drive. CF readers transfer data extremely fast, at rates of over 1MB per second. Got a lot of .DOC files and applications you need to install? Just dump them straight onto the CF card from the reader as if the card were a hard disk (you can see a sample of this in Figure F) and pop it back into your TRGpro when you're done. CF memory modules use the FAT (file allocation table) file system standard, just like IBM PC and Windows CE devices do.

FIGURE F

With a CF reader connected to your PC, you can use CompactFlash cards as removable hard disks and transfer large files to your TRGpro in the blink of an eye. Click picture for a larger image.

Laptop PC Card CF adapters are frequently sold with CF memory cards as a set for an extra $30 or so. For PC desktops and Macs, TRG highly recommends Microtech's CameraMate, shown in Figure G, which has a high-speed USB interface and is compatible with the IBM Microdrive. The CameraMate can also read Smart Media memory cards, which are used by several brands of digital cameras. If you own a digital camera that uses Smart Media, the CameraMate's a good way to solve two data access problems with one device. In the United States, Microtech's preferred online distributor is D-Store (at http://www.d-store.com), which sells the CameraMate for $79.