New (to me) Samsung Izzi Pro, no sync cable

I bought an Izzi Pro on eBay, because I like unusual devices (especially ones that seem practical for me in some way), and the combination of Windows CE 2.11 (yes, I'm a masochist ) and tilt screen appealed to me.

Unfortunately, I found out too late that it doesn't have the serial sync cable. The guy who sold it had the machine from work, and didn't even know one was needed. I'm not sure what he did with it, but probably didn't install anything or sync with his PC. He said he'll try to ask people at work about it, but I'm not hopeful.

So now I'm kind of stuck. I managed to install a few things by putting them on a CompactFlash card and installing them on the Izzi, but many programs have only a PC installer that requires ActiveSync. I'm also planning to use the machine, amongst other things, for writing, so syncing will be quite useful, and possibly necessary (unless there's another way to convert Pocket Word documents back and forth easily from some other format).

So what are the alternatives to the serial cable when it comes to communicating? Is it possible, for example, to use a modem cable (twisted)? The machine comes with a modem socket and my PC has a modem that's not used (since I moved to cable), so that'd be a good choice, since all I'll have to get is the cable. If that's not possible, what are other alternative? The cheaper and more easily bought the better. (BTW, using XP Pro on the PC.)

Thanks!

Hi,

Welcome to the H/PC world.

Usually these devices have infrared. If so it should be as simple as getting a USB IrDA adapter from somewhere, and - once setup correctly. It will do the work of the serial cable.

You can null modem it:
http://www.hpcfactor.com/reviews/editorial/on-the-road/

The best way to transfer Pocket Word documents back is either as RTF, although you can use straight .doc, however formatting may get lost.
A more expensive work around would be TextMaker from http://www.softmaker.de/

Review:
http://www.hpcfactor.com/reviews/software/textmaker-1-0/

You will need ActiveSync 3.7.1 to sync:
http://www.hpcfactor.com/support/syncsoft/

That should be enough encouragement to explore the site

Thanks!

I haven't thought about IrDA. That should work. I guess I didn't think about it because I tend to hate infrared, since having to keep alignment can be a real hassle. But if I can find a cheap IrDA, I guess it's the easiest way to get a jump start on things.

Null modem seems not worth it from that article, since it's just for transfer, not sync. I can transfer over the CompactFlash if I really need something.

I'm thinking in the long run of setting up a WiFi network with the Izzi, because I've heard that it should be possible to sync over that. Only problem is getting a WiFi card that would work with the Izzi, and that it could end up rather expensive (not sure -- do I need a router if I'm just connecting two computers?).

When I have more time I'll check HPC Factor some more. I've browsed it before, in anticipation of getting the machine, and downloaded some stuff, but there's of course a lot that I haven't read.

IrDA is a good solution I think.
If you can have the adapter about.. 3-5 metres away from the lamp. You should have a good field of view over at least 180 degrees.
The question of course is where is the irda on the device and is it on the correct side of the device to afford you to do that.

WiFi should work yes, but you will be needinga IR, Serial or USB sync before you can use it. You cannot create partnerships with WiFi.

It is possible to do it without a base station. However the NIC you choose has to have driver support for Ad-hoc connections.
There's a list of adapters in the HCL, however I'm not a WiFi user so cannot advise you on ad-hoc supported cards.

Got the IrDA USB adaptor I ordered from eBay for BP4. It works very erratically with my Izzi Pro, and the drivers seem to not want to install well under XP (every time I insert the adaptor, XP asks for them), whereas I had no problem when I tried it with Win2K at work.

I did, however, manage to partner the Izzi Pro, which should mean that once I get the Socket Ethernet CF card I bought on eBay yesterday, I should be able to communicate over a much more reliable (and faster) medium.

Hican iask did you have any luck i have the same problems i ahve a wireless card and a network 10/100 card pcmcia for the slot but it ignors it when i insert it also it ignores usb devices HELP.

XP is funny that way - it doesn't seem to have any IrDA drivers built in. I assume you inserted the driver CD when it asked for the driver; that solved the problem for me. But then you still gotta plug the dongle in the same USB port each time (even of it's on a USB or PCMCIA hub) because Windows makes only that port a virtual IR port. (If you plug it in elsewhere, it asks for the driver all over again and creates a second virtual IR port.)

(BTW, don't knock H/PC Pro too much - I still think it's a pretty good version. And the Izzi Pro is a cool device - I've looked for it from time to time myself. )

Edited by CE Geek 2005-12-26 5:23 PM