new palm life drive

basil · 03-31-05, 06:21 AM

Anyone have info on the rumoured new palmone pda called "lifedrive?" I'm wonderin if this is going to challenge the x50v as the next "latest and greatrs" with it's rumoured 4 G hard drive, and USB? If it becomes a reality ,rumored in april or may, anyone planning to jump ship?

maflynn · 03-31-05, 07:40 AM

While I haven't heard of the device specifically, I think can answer if a palm device will challange X50.

Background info: I was a palm user for a little while using the Palm III Tungsten T1 and T3. I've now had the X50 (mid) for a few months.

The problem with Palm right now is that the OS has not had any major updating or innovation. its basically the same OS when it was called the palm pilot.

PalmSource the keeper of the OS now that company split in two produced the latest and greatest version called cobalt. They released the OS to manufactors in December of 2003 - that's right, I didn't mistype Decemeber of 2003. Since then no Palm licensee has release a cobalt device. Palm source is now changing its direction and hoping that Linux will be their savoir.

Bottom line even though there may be some innovation coming from PalmOne, that basic OS has remained pretty static and while it may be a little more stable at times then the PPC (I've had to do less soft resets) it is much more limiting, not as flexible and to be honest quiet dated looking.

So I really don't think it will be a challange and to be honest I didn't think the T5 when it came out was all that innovative. Palm users may upgrade their devices but I don't see Palm converting too many PPC users.

Mike

Khris · 03-31-05, 07:52 AM

The Life Drive is supposedly as thick as two T5's put together. Who in their right mind would want to carry that kind of brick around with them?!

03-31-05, 09:11 AM

I was also a loyal palm user for a long time (from the palm III) and I also had amassed a huge amount of software for use...but despite all this familiarity and comfort, I decided to move to the "dark side" to ppc.

the main problem was just the "bang for the buck" and the huge disappointment of the advances. I mean, when I was looking the new T5 was about $400 and for only a bit more the axim was there with built in blue tooth, wifi, VGA screen - and there has bee a good increase in the types and available software (espcially medical - which up to recently IMHO had been horribly absent)

so at least this "poor soul" has sold his sould to the devil (read:M$oft) and will enjoy every second!!! :) lol.

gregpstone · 03-31-05, 12:28 PM

Ceril, I feel like a traitor, too. In my case though I'm breaking off a five year affair with a Psion 5. Palm drove them out of the user market, so they actually abandoned me first but I still feel funny moving to PPC.

03-31-05, 12:54 PM

Here are a couple links with some info on it. As you can tell from reading the articles, the pictures my ba fake.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000783038108/

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000960038227/

aximbigfan · 03-31-05, 01:00 PM

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW TOY PALM!!!
-ppc for da big boys-

chris

AdamaDBrown · 03-31-05, 01:02 PM

The rumors on this thing are circulating pretty fast and furious. One, nothing as yet has suggested that the LifeDrive (which does seem to be real and in the works) has USB Host, which is what I assume you meant by USB. Even if it did, it probably wouldn't be usable, because I don't believe Palm OS has support for USB Host. Two, there's no hard evidence that it will have WiFi either. We went through this same routine with PalmOne's last release, the Tungsten T5. It was hyped as the biggest thing since sliced bread, and it turned out to be stale crust. And yes, there's the size question to deal with. My advice: wait for official information.

psionandy · 03-31-05, 01:04 PM

Originally Posted by gregpstone

Ceril, I feel like a traitor, too. In my case though I'm breaking off a five year affair with a Psion 5. Palm drove them out of the user market, so they actually abandoned me first but I still feel funny moving to PPC.

Me too.. Maybe we should form a support group....

If psion had made a bluetooth revo/5mx then I'd still be with them (there were plans for such a device but they never happened).

So i joined the Sony camp and found new features and stuff that i couldn't do on the psion (but really missed what the psion could do)

If sony could repair a device for less than the cost of a new palm. I'd still be there. So I bought a T2 (again It could do stuff that the Clie couldn't but i still missed what the psion could do)

If palm had released a Mutitasking OS and Wifi as standard I'd Still be there (Palmos 6 HA I'll believe it when I see it).
And so I'm in the Axim Fold....

I see a patern developing here. But I ain't moving (at least for another 6 months anyway)

UnLoGiC · 03-31-05, 03:20 PM

I can only agree with maflynn, I was a Palm user for a long time but right now PalmOS is killing the Palm platform...just look at the T3 400 mhz 64 mb ram...but you can't run two simple programs at the same time!

queshy · 03-31-05, 03:32 PM

Palm only offers ONE model with built in wifi, and it's terribly dated and can't even play mp3's! I had a zire 71 and wanted wifi really badly. I've come to realize you can just do more with a ppc (particularly, an x50v :D) I do like the simplicity of the palm and hte battery life, but common, they never update it! We want some new models already!If they want to compete more with ppc, theyll need wifi, bt, vga screens--> all that stuff.

borntochill · 04-01-05, 01:11 AM

What cinched the switch from Palm to PPC for me was the Palm's crappy PIM abilities. The Palm Desktop PIM application was too barebones and I had endless frustration trying to sync my MS-Outlook data with the Palm. Whether using the built-in hotsync or third-party sync/conduit products, in the Palm I could never properly store Outlook contacts that contained both home+business addresses, multiple phone numbers, notes and so forth. Since PDA's were created first and foremost for their PIM functionality, this shortcoming really irritated me. I should confess that I haven't owned a Palm since the IIIx, but I imagine the PIM issue hasn't been entirely fixed.

Bob Q · 04-01-05, 01:39 AM

If micro$oft has anything to say about it, everything about PPC will be exclusive to Windows OS. Thats the way it has been since William Gates saw how well Palm was doing and said "I want to put Windows based handhelds in my POCKET" literally. Thats why they call it PocketPC. Bill Gates Pocket. :approve:

Jukov · 04-01-05, 02:23 AM

Originally Posted by borntochill

What cinched the switch from Palm to PPC for me was the Palm's crappy PIM abilities. The Palm Desktop PIM application was too barebones and I had endless frustration trying to sync my MS-Outlook data with the Palm. Whether using the built-in hotsync or third-party sync/conduit products, in the Palm I could never properly store Outlook contacts that contained both home+business addresses, multiple phone numbers, notes and so forth. Since PDA's were created first and foremost for their PIM functionality, this shortcoming really irritated me. I should confess that I haven't owned a Palm since the IIIx, but I imagine the PIM issue hasn't been entirely fixed.

YOu are absolutely wrong , IMHO. The palm's PIM and Desktop has changed since IIIx

a few times. I loved using it and even now I try not to use Outlook.
As for lifeDrive... The question isn't how many Gigs will it have - this is the problem w/ PalmOne. They just don't get it... If someone needs 4G he can buy it and most users don't need 4G . Now , Why would I need 4G? 1.For films - but then you better have VGA - once you have seen a movie on mobile VGA screen -you can't go back. 2. for music - then you beter have large battery which is also swappable. , and so on... What I'm trying to say is give me a full package (like Dell does) and I 'll be back in the Palm world in aheart beat. Don't get me wrong - I love My Axim but I love Palm OS better ...

borntochill · 04-02-05, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Jukov

YOu are absolutely wrong , IMHO. The palm's PIM and Desktop has changed since IIIx

a few times.

Okay, I did a little web surfing and see that with their OS version 5.2.1, Palm finally got around to recognizing that users might actually want to have more than one address per contact--a little late if you ask me--but they still leave off fields I use such as assistant, birthday, spouse, etc. Outlook/Exchange, like it or not, is the most widely used Desktop PIM in the business world. I'm glad that Palm has made interoperability with it less of a headache than in earlier versions.