PalmOne Releases 4GB PDA [updated] 279
davidconger writes "PalmOne has introduced the first device in their new line of Mobile Manager handheld devices. The LifeDrive includes an embedded 4GB Hitachi Microdrive and additional software for file/folder synchronization. The device includes both WiFi and Bluetooth. Price tag on the device $499. PocketFactory has done a complete review of the LifeDrive." Reader gandell adds a link to Brighthand's review. Update: 05/18 18:08 GMT by T : An anonymous reader corrects this story's original headline, writing "Despite rumors the LifeDrive would run Linux, it runs PalmOS 5 (Garnet). However, the device seems to have a Linux-friendly design, and is likely to run Linux soon, whether supplied by PalmOne's sister company PalmSource, or by Linux hobbyists. PalmSource is likely to offer a Linux OS upgrade for the LifeDrive, once it is ready to support the huge variety of legacy Palm apps under Linux." Update: 05/18 18:44 GMT by T : One more review, this one at MobileTechReview.
Are PDA's even still relevant ? (Score:2, Interesting)
in this age where my celphone has as much capability as a PDA (including 4gb of storage)
why would anyone want a bulky pda anymore ?
Re:Are PDA's even still relevant ? (Score:5, Interesting)
I think Cell phones are too small for many pda-ish things, currently.
Unless someone comes up with a better display method, perhaps holographic, they are limited. Oh, and they need a better input interface
Re:Linux (Score:3, Interesting)
You have done something horribly wrong... (Score:1, Interesting)
Fitting 4.5 GB of Data onto a single 650MB CD (and it's not full by any stretch, nor does that take into account all the drivers that don't get installed) would be fucking amazing. Microsoft could put PKWare and all the other compression authors out of business.
I dumped my PDA and don't miss it (Score:3, Interesting)
People I work with use their iPAQ's for watching movies ripped down to fit on their screens and listen to music. However, that is about it.
I don't miss my PDA, and I know more and more business travelers who have stopped carrying theirs as well.
Yawn (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm really disappointed by this. I've been holding off on a new PDA, but I don't think I'll be getting this one.
The good:
The bad:
Personally, I'm glad it's not part of a phone. I want a seperate phone and PDA. I carry a thumbdrive in my pocket for toting files, which is very convenient because I don't have to mess with cables if I need to transfer files to another PC. If it's done well, I suppose the ability to carry along, edit, and then synch MS Word, etc., files could be handy. The music features aren't something I'll use. I'll stick with my iPod (which has way more than 4 GB of songs on it). Now an iPod with better PDA features--there's something I'd like to see.
/K
New Tungsten E2 is cheaper and more interesting (Score:5, Interesting)
The real news item is the huge number of improvements PalmOne made to their best-selling Tungsten E (top-selling PDA across all OS last year). Although the E2 has a slower cpu than T5, the E2 is reportedly even faster for many common tasks! Some changes from E to E2 include (cut/paste from palmone.com):
1. about 30% brighter than the Tungsten E display and with 40% better color saturation.
2. data is safe even when the battery is completely drained--if you recharge it a year later, all your data is still there.
3. built-in Bluetooth
4. Much better battery life. About 12 hours of continous MP3 playing according to one review.
5. compatible with wifi sd card.
6. Much-improved bundled software: NEW Documents To Go® 7.0 and VersaMail® 2.7.1 email client. The new versamail can finally be used with Google.
7. Improved processor. The faster Intel 200MHz XScale processor. Not the speediest but reviews indicate that for many common tasks, the E2 easily outperforms the T5 which has a much faster CPU.
8. Multi-connector port. I don't care about this feature but you might.
The E2 is about $100 cheaper than last year's average selling price of PDAs in the USA.
What is missing:
1. voice recorder. Sometimes, we don't want to pull out the pen and write. As a PDA targeting business users, the lack of voice recording is not good.
2. extra SD slot. Having only 1 SD slot and no built-in wifi means forcing the user to choose between extra storage and wifi. Not good. Provide at least 2 SD slots unless wifi is built-in.
3. >=64MB RAM. Since it only has 1 SD slot, it should provide at least 64MB RAM. At least provide a more expensive version of the PDA with this option. Yes, I know 64MB RAM in Palm device is more than 64MB RAM in PocketPC but still...
On the bright side, I've seen some multi-function SD cards hitting the market. Like wifi + storage combo SD card.
Maybe a slightly different take on convergence (Score:4, Interesting)
Speaking as a Treo 600 user, the combination is pretty good, but there are compromises. Text input is OK, but a bit cramped. It is irritation to have the phone crash every so often. Likewise battery is overall good, but you're dead in the water if you run out, which you may if you will if use it much as an MP3 player or browser.
Now, suppose you are carrying a Treo and an iPod photo. Now you are no longer converged, but have two packages of functionalty: PDA/Phone/Network Access on one hand, Media Player/Mobile storage (like a USB key chain) and the other. Plus, you have a limited choice of phone carriers, and if Sprint is what's available for a Treo in your area, you might not like the way they package their services (sorry -- no voice dial on the treo, we sell that). Even worse, the excellent service policies you once enjoyed with Palm aren't there anymore. If you break your phone, you are S-O-L, unless you paid the exorbitant fees the provider wants for a "service plan".
Now, reenvision a slight redistribution of the functions between the two packages: Phone/Network Access on one, Media Player/Mobile Storage/PDA/Wi-fi access on the other. Link the two packages by Bluetooth.
There are significant advantages. Here are a few I can think of:
(1) If one device is out of juice, you can still use the other; furthermore if you have wi-fi nearby you may still be able to communiate when your phone is down. Skype anyone?
(2) You have a choice of service providers. You can even switch without throwing your PDA away.
(3) You can get your PDA fixed. And you don't give up your phone. Switching phones is a snap too.
(4) You get a phone whose ergonomics are optimized for making calls, and (hopefully) a easier to use PDA.
(5) You don't have stupid hardware limitations the carrier builds into the phone. The Treo 600 has a header on the circuit board for Bluetooth, but no bluetooth headsets for you: Sprint doesn't want to cut into sales of their CF network card, which sucks in ways to numerous to count and only works on Windows.
Of course the alternative next step would be a converged PDA/phone with a hard disk.
I'm not too sure about that though. It will avoid the Batman utility belt look, but it may be too expensive, too inflexible, and too complicated. Converged phones have major screen size trade offs, after all; you may be able to store video on the thing, but would you want to?
Don't call this a PDA (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I dumped my PDA and don't miss it (Score:5, Interesting)
Sure, some of those things I could do with a laptop, but a laptop has a shorter battery life, won't connect to GPRS by itself, doesn't fit in my pocket and I wouldn't want to carry one around all the time.
Re:Portable wikipedia anyone? (Score:3, Interesting)
Which has a 4 GB hard drive, and *actually* runs Linux, unlike the unit under discussion.
Wonderful... (Score:3, Interesting)
Oh, goody.
You mean like Open Zaurus? Which after HOW many years of development is still worthless as a PDA and somewhat less useless, but still extremely marginal as a Linux system? This isn't a flame, but a statement from someone who tried to get several revisions crufted into a working system on a SL-5500, and eventually gave up and went back to a Palm in frustration.
If Palm actually comes out with a reasonably debugged, usable version of Linux running their existing UI, I'm all over it. Clean, simple, and elegant. If I have to wait for what passes for the Linux PDA community to come up with something usable, I might as well get a paper notebook and pencil.
SE S710a + Dell Axim X50V (Score:2, Interesting)
Compact Flash Storage (4 Gigs)
SD Storage (2 Gigs)
Memory Stick Storage (1 Gig)
802.11b Wifi
Edge data transfer
Megapixel Digital Camera
640X480 Resolution
Re:Linux (Score:4, Interesting)
I develop third-party apps for Palm OS, so let me explain this. It's a bit complicated.
Palm applications are built against a set of application level APIs. Through the history of Palm OS, they have changed the kernel underneath the APIs without changing the APIs appreciably. At first, they used a licensed kernel from a third party. Then, I believe they switched to their own kernel. I'm not sure, but I think this was at the time they switch from Motorola 68000 processors to ARM (RISC) processors, which was the time of the switch from OS 4.x to OS 5.x.
A few years ago, PalmSource (the software people -- PalmOne are the hardware people) decided the non-multitasking nature of the OS wasn't that hot, and it was time for an update. So, they wrote OS 6. OS 6 has, I believe, yet another completely new kernel. This makes sense because it has a much more complicated task: to provide preemptive multitasking and better security. To date, neither PalmOne nor any other hardware manufacturer has actually released a device that runs OS 6.
Now, the complicated part: Palm OS is an embedded OS, and they do a new build of it for each new type of hardware that is made. It is not an OS that you install from CD-ROM onto any old hardware. Unfortunately, the process of bringing it up on new hardware seems to be quite painful and difficult, probably involving writing new device drivers just about every time you make a new device.
Meanwhile, Linux has taken the embedded world by storm. Virtually any embedded device that comes out now comes "for free" with Linux drivers already available for it. So, why is PalmSource switching to Linux? Pretty simple: (1) they've already proven they can switch kernels and maintain application compatibility no problem in the past (two or three times, even), and (2) they want free drivers because that'll make bringing up new devices dramatically easier.
As you may have guessed by now, if they ever do release a Linux Palm OS device, it's probably going to be just the Linux kernel and not any of (or not much of) the Linux userland stuff. That is to say, it'll be Linux, but it won't be GNU/Linux. The user will probably be totally unaware that it has Linux behind the scenes, as will the application programmer as well (most likely).
Furthermore, it's my prediction that until this Linux-based Palm OS transition is complete, no hardware devices will be released that run OS 6. Since Linux promises to make it that much easier to bring up the hardware, and since OS 5.x is still selling fine, there isn't a big motivation to do the extra work if it's all about to become lots easier later on (in months or hopefully not a whole year) anyway.
Re:Whatever happened to PDAs? (behold, the PMSD*) (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm thinking about it in terms of putting the music-sharing ability of iTunes/Rendezvous (not the crippled version on 4.6+, but the early versions) on a mobile device that has much storage and connectivity.
Wouldn't it be nice to set up in a coffeeshop (ah, good ol cliches) and discover other people's playlists in range? Then, depending on how scrupulous the software used is, you can either stream new stuff, or *ahem* download shared tracks?
I've been looking for something like that for a long time. If they make it easy and popular to use, I think that it can revolutionise how I hear media. It almost reminds me of how I used to share files over IrDA with my PowerBook G3 back in the day.
*Personal Mass Storage Devices