Engadget Mobile takes Verizon's V640 ExpressCard EV-DO adapter for a spin

Yuo guys are lucky that you are getting "REAL" broadband speeds in your area with the V640. I have had no such luck... I am averaging barely 230 kbps download and 30-80 kbps uploads in New York City (with an external Verizon antenna).

I wrote a blog entry about my personal experience at: http://www.sodhi.org/ee/index.php/v6/comment/verizon_v640_express_card/

if you have a motorola E815 you can use it for wireless bluetooth modem for EVDO. I use mine with a Powerbook G4 and it works great without having to spend for dedicated plan with Verizon or getting a card. I think you do have to have the Vcast or internet package that allows you to do the web over the phone and have a phone where the firmware has not been updated to disable this feature. This is not supported by Verizon, of course, but it does work and work well.

This is where I learned how to do it:

http://www.jasongilstrap.com/2005/11/motorola-e815.html

ExpressCard wasn't implemented first by Apple.  Several HP, Fujitsu, and LG laptops included and /54 width slots about a year ago.

Many of these manufacturers have also hedged by including BOTH ExpressCard and PCCard slots, but more and more area appearing with only ExpressCard slots.  Many new Dell laptops are ExpressCard only, but unfortunately everyone except Apple and Sony are confusing customers by including the /54 width slot. 
From the outside a /54 width ExpressCard slot looks the same as a PC Card slot.  I can't wait till people shove ExpressCard/34s in a PC Card slot and bend all the PC Card connector pins.  (Please note, /34 cards fit in a /54 slot, and *most* ExpressCards are being designed as /34).

Now, as for *why* all these manufactures are going to *fail* by moving to ExpressCard?  Well, they're not.  There are three major reasons for moving to ExpressCard and away from PCCard.

1) Cost: Adding a PC Card slot to a laptop design requires adding a dedicated PCCard Host Adapter (a PCI bridge).  This is an extra component that is no longer necessary with ExpressCard.  
2) USB:  Each ExpressCard slot supports 1 USB connection.  Every laptop has USB on-board so no extra silicon is required to support the ExpressCard USB connection.
3) PCI-Express:  Each ExpressCard slot supports 1 PCI-E lane.  Again, most laptop chipsets have moved away from the legacy PCI interconnect and to PCIExpress.  No extra silicon is required to support the ExpressCard PCI-E connection.  This single PCI-Express connection supports a far greater throughput than the best CardBus connection ever could.  

So by moving away from PCCard and to ExpressCard, all laptop manufacturers are reducing their cost and complexity while simultaneously providing a higher-datarate expansion port.

Give it a year and CardBus slots (and cards) will be considered archaic.

It's kind of funny to watch people complain about something that they've done no research about. Yes, there aren't as many ExpressCard options out right now as PC Card (PCMCIA). It's a somewhat new technology and has been adopted by several of the other industry leaders including Apple. I wonder if these people that complain are the same ones that complained when Apple introduced FireWire. These days there aren't too many devices that use FireWire 800. The only one that I can think of that I use is a medium format digital back for shooting tethered photography. Am I irritated that the FW800 port takes up space and there's not many devices available for it? No, because I know that as the industry picks up speed, more and more peripherals will come with available FW800 options.

The future is now.

Dear Dr. Wasabi,

I apologize for the poop comment, that was way out of line and uncalled for.

Sincerely,
Leonard Nimrod

Dr. Wasabi,

If you look at any OEMs higher-end notebook you'll see an ExpressCard bay. This is usually in the 54mm variety, not Apple 34mm. If there was one compalint you should have it would be for opting for the smaller width bay.

Apple didn't invent EC, but they are (once again) the ones who saw the need for better technology and decided to make a change. utilized and who got the other OEMs to jump on board.

You should read up on USB. If not for Apple's decison to add USB to it's machines your PC would still be using parallel and serial cables to connect to periphels. Also, if Apple hadn't decided to not include floppy drives in thier machines I bet those would still the norm among all OEMs. Whether you belieive that Apple sees the future of computing or mold the future of computing, either way you must admit that you smell like poop.

And the MacBook Pro has only been out for 6 months and there are already a large number of cards ranging from the one in this article to SATA II to dual Firewire 800. Seriously a good move for Apple and the industry all around. Try getting that kind of speed from PCMCIA! If history is any guide then even low end notebooks will have this funcitonality within two years and by Christmas there will twice as many cards as their are today.

What type card are you pining after, Dr. Wasabi? I have an in with Jesus, I'll see what I can do.

Dr. Wasabi, please get a clue before you speak. ExpressCard is an INDUSTRY STANDARD that Apple just happend to be first (as far as I know) to implement. Other companies are using it in their laptops too, and if you spent half as much time searching for EC products as you do complaining about them, you'd find plenty.

So, please stop asking other folks to do your work for you and find them yourself. Google is your friend.

ExpressCard... what a clown! Any of you smart guys can show me any ExpressCard Apple product based?

Cause as far as I know, Apple was the only responsible of introducing this stupid technology, so I guess it is fair to ask them for any product related: nothing.

You, like me, we paid for that bay/technology and what for? Was an Apple lame movement for gaining more space in their laptops. Next step?? We will see next January MacBook Pros thinner and lighter. Of course without this unusefull bay.

PD.- Signed by a MBP very happy owner

ouch. the only data plan (near me) is $80/month for unlimited, minimum 1 year contract.

The express cards sit way to loose in the slot. I had the firmtek sata expres card and any slight movement and the card disconnected. The are not held in place very well. I'll pass on express cards until there is a way to secure them in the slot better.