In this document I will attempt to document some stuff that I had to figure out on my own. This document was written by Philip Wilk and is available online at http://www.zenspider.com/~pwilk/handera.html .
The symbol 802.11b card is one of the compact flash (CF) cards that Handera explicitly supports. To use wireless 802.11b cards, one must install the operating system update that adds this functionality. (December 18, 2001)
I used the Surf and Sip 802.11b public network at Wall Berlin Kaffeehaus successfully to access the internet from my Handera. In order to log into the network you must use a web browser. There are no other login methods at this time. There are several web browsers available for the Handera, but not all browsers will work. For instance, the AvantGo web browser does not work. You must use a browser that does not use a proxy in order to login. The browser that I used was EudoraWeb. However, EudoraWeb does not handle the redirects that Surf andSip uses, so one has to open the “login” URL directly at https://secure.surfandsip.net/login.cgi. (December 18, 2001)
It seems that most any modern CF card should work in the Handera. I have used a SanDisk 16Mb and a Viking 128Mb with no problems. The CF cards are great if you have a laptop because you can access them directly with a super cheap adapter via the PCMCIA slot. CF memory right now is cheaper than SD or MMC and also available in much larger capacities. (December 18, 2001)
The Handera can use both SD and MMC. As far as I can tell they are competing but similar standards that use the same form factor. MMC in general is cheaper than SD. I am not sure if there is a big advantage of SD in the Handera. SD is supposed to be fast, but I am pretty sure both SD and MMC are limited by the Handera bus speed. In the future SD may offer the user access to copywrited-protected information that the provider has you install directly to the card allowing them a measure of control over their content. You should pay about $1 per Mb right now for MMC, and SD costs about 20% more. (December 18, 2001)
The power adapter that you can buy from Handera is a bit expensive. I found a “Compact Switching DC Power Adapter” from Al Lasher’s in Berkeley for about $20 that does the job perfectly. It is made by Velleman, comes with 8 changeable plugs, provides 1.5A, and can accept 100‑240 VAC. Most other variable power supplies are heavy “selectable” power supplies which are inefficient and often do not give very stable power output. The selectable power supply I tried before buying my switching power supply was off by about one volt. I suggest buying the fancy Velleman power supply from Al Lasher’s. (December 18, 2001)
I use Renewal Batteries that I buy from Sundance Solar online. (December 18, 2001)