Please give me the for dummies version. I have looked on Wikipedia and other sites. It tells you what it is and the different cards you can get for it but WHAT DOES IT DO?
I want to understand what I have on my computer. Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide.
+> "80 GB" iPod wrote:+
+> What does it expand? Is it just for more memory?+
No, it allows you to "expand" the features and ports of the machine. For example if you needed another FireWire port you could buy an ExpressCard FireWire Card., if you needed wireless internet you could get a subscription with Sprint, Verizon, ATT, etc and they would give you an ExpressCard wireless card to link up with the service. If you needed an e-SATA port you could buy and e-SATA ExpressCard. The options are many.
If you do ever need to buy an ExpressCard thought make sure it's OS X compatible. There are a lot out there that are Windows only.
+> "80 GB" iPod wrote:+
+> What does it expand? Is it just for more memory?+
No, it allows you to "expand" the features and ports of the machine. For example if you needed another FireWire port you could buy an ExpressCard FireWire Card., if you needed wireless internet you could get a subscription with Sprint, Verizon, ATT, etc and they would give you an ExpressCard wireless card to link up with the service. If you needed an e-SATA port you could buy and e-SATA ExpressCard. The options are many.
If you do ever need to buy an ExpressCard thought make sure it's OS X compatible. There are a lot out there that are Windows only.
That slot is an expansion slot, which enables the computer's capabilities to be increased through the addition of a card. It doesn't do anything itself when there isn't a card in it.
A really useful thing you can do with that ExpressCard slot is to put a memory card reader in it. SanDisk sell a product called a "Multi Card ExpressCard™ Adapter". Stick it in your MacBook Pro and it can read SD and SDHC memory cards:
I use a SD - multi card reader in my ExpressCard/34 slot since I transfer pictures frequently from my camera to my macbook pro. They are very cheap on Ebay and are well worth it!
I use mine with a Sprint wireless card like the guy a few posts above suggested. When I'm in an area with 3G service, the speed is really snappy and it's usable just about anywhere.