empty PCMIA slot?

August 28, 2008 8:11 PM

What can I put into my laptop's empty PCMCIA slot?

I need a wireless receiver, but that can go into a usb slot if needed. What other fancy doodads and hi-tech wizardry can go there?
Please give me your recommendations.

posted by robotot to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

Wireless dongles are annoying because they stick out, so if you don't have built-in WiFi, I'd go for that. HSDPA if you prefer and can afford it in your area.

If that's not the priority, I've always found card readers useful. Being able to slam an SD card (or whatever your most common camera/phone card is) directly into my laptop rather than into yet another doodad that I lose is a big plus.
posted by rokusan at 8:19 PM on August 28, 2008

Best answer: Multi-card reader is always a good choice. You can also try USB and Firewire cards if you don't seem to have enough ports, or you can add more space with a PCMCIA SSD (solid state drive).

Personally, I keep my ExpressCard slot occupied with a Sprint EVDO 3G modem.
posted by cgomez at 8:23 PM on August 28, 2008

Whatever you put in is going to use up battery power, even when off. So if you don't have a clear need, leave it empty.
posted by orthogonality at 8:25 PM on August 28, 2008

You can get a Bluetooth mouse, but a memory card reader is probably the most practical.
posted by kenliu at 8:28 PM on August 28, 2008

Best answer: Cash
posted by pompomtom at 9:20 PM on August 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

pompomtom: Cash

Clever, except for the fact that a notebook computer is already a theft target. :)
posted by knave at 9:28 PM on August 28, 2008

I like a mini USB hub since my machine has too few ports
posted by mmascolino at 9:29 PM on August 28, 2008

GPS receiver.
posted by Mitheral at 9:47 PM on August 28, 2008

Response by poster: I like the PCMCIA SSD. I didn't know such things existed. Where can I get one?
posted by robotot at 9:51 PM on August 28, 2008

Its worth mentioning that whatever you put in there will drain your battery faster than having nothing in there at all. So unless you need an SSD then you might not like how much power that thing is going to eat. On older machines I sometimes pull the wireless card out and put it in a bag to save on battery.
posted by damn dirty ape at 10:33 PM on August 28, 2008

Hmm, looks like the SSDs only seem to come in ExpressCard. I could have sworn the made them for the older PC Card slots too. But you can still accomplish this with a nice big CompactFlash card by getting these two products.

Newegg - Transcend 32GB CompactFlash Card
Amazon - Sandisk PCMCIA to CompactFlash Adapter
posted by cgomez at 12:07 AM on August 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

A wireless mouse

or a remote control
posted by -harlequin- at 10:57 AM on August 29, 2008