Comments on: Rumor: LifeDrive and not the Tungsten X

Between May 10-20, 2005

Any1 played with a T|E2 yet and where? I ask b/c my local Staples still doesn't have it yet. It'll probably be another week till they have a demo model, and while the guy who seemed to be more knowledgeable about the T|E2 knew of it, he wasn't aware that his store 'll receive it soon.

[signature0]the secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse[/signature0]
[signature1]My PDAs: Visor --> Visor Neo (blue) --> Zire 71 --> Tungsten T3[/signature1]

http://news.com.com/PalmOne+hard+drive-based+handheld+on+horizon/2100-1041_3-5697038.html?tag=nefd.top

The situation has been rectified in the Tungsten E2 Handheld. Hopefully with the LifeDrive, you can expect the NVFS System on this handheld to not suffer the 512Byte Syndrome anymore (16-32Bytes per block, The Treo 650 was the first handheld to have this syndrome fix).

> 3. G1 Capable via some kind of patch or app.

Graffiti 1 IMO is too hard to use, I feel like Graffiti 2 is much easier to use now. Guys like you Gekko, are suffering from the Graffiti 1 Syndrome. You have to get over with the Graffiti 1 since it's just as hard to use as hell. Hell, I never used Graffiti 1 whatsoever, it was too hard to use, but I'm more accustomed to Graffiti 2. Everybody has different needs. While some people like Graffiti 2, I can respect that people need Graffiti 1, but keep in mind that I tried Decuma on a Tungsten T5, and the app crashed my handheld all over the place. Same thing likely with a Graffiti 1 Hack.

> 4. Better Software compatibility with older OS 5 apps.

Agreed. That's a requirement.

> 5. No OS bugs.

You need to cut some slack for palmOne, as no one is perfect. Bug fixes are always coming out, so don't try to push them to the limits.

> 6. Cradle available.

Don't expect a Cradle to be included anymore, as people are trying to reduce the weight by not including a cradle anymore.

> 7. BBVFS Backup software works.

Dunno about this.

Powered by Palm OS since March 2002

Dear Lord! How do you expect to back up 4GB to an SD card???!!

I know it's important to back up individual db's, but I'm doing that on a T5 with an OLD version of BBVFS. The real beauty of these programs was to be able to do a hard reset and be completely restored in moments while on the road. I fear those days are about over now. =(

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Sean

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.

It is your opinion that G2 is easier. It is many others' opinions (including mine) that G1 is easier. There is no reason we can't have both. So there is no reason those who work faster with G1 should have to "get over" anything. G1 works for us, it works faster for us than G2, and it would be trivial for Palm to include G1 as a switchable legacy option (with G2 as the default otherwise) for those of us who wish to continue using it. It doesn't hurt Palm or you for those of us who want to to continute using G1 to have the option to do so.

The thing is, the G1-advocates don't necessarily care that G2 exists. If Palm wants to market G2 as the "next big thing" then let them. Our gripe is having G2 forced down our throats and the lack of any configurable option for those of us who don't agree and are long-trained and better-skilled with G1. It's just plain ridiculous that we can't choose it somewhere as an option, even buried 5 layers into the preferences.

I've spent so many years with G1 on Palms, ever since my first (Palm V) I've had a Vx and an m505 and now a T3. I don't care if 90% of everyone else uses G2. There's countless other lame things we can customize in Preferences. Just add the option to use G1 so that the thousands of us who got on-board early with Palm can continue to work efficiently.

http://vtbsd.net/winhelp/

When in tablet mode, I sometimes use the G2 included on my device. Does anyone know how to write an "L" then a space quickly without having it turn into a "T"? That's my biggest gripe.

Here's how: write the 'L' and then make the space BELOW where you drew the "L". If you do this, you can do it as quickly as you can and it will not turn into a "t".

Well...after 5 years of reading PalmInfocenter nearly daily, I finally know something worth sharing! Cooool. Even cooler is this rumored LifeDrive. I'll be all over it!

Yip

With my E2, G2 seems MUCH easier, which kind of shores up my belief that the TE's digitizer isn't completely right. The two stroke characters (T, I, K, Y) are nearly impossible on TE. But with E2, it's at least doable, although as several others have noted, it does require you to go a bit slower. It's still my preferred form of data entry, although when I'm taking notes in a class or meeting or something, I still use the keyboard, but half of that is because I like to see people gawk at it...

A. Jay Sutton
IIIxe, V, Vx, Zire, TE, E2

I hope they pull this of well, as Ive been waiting for a similar type of device on the Windows Mobile side for a long time.

Surur

Unless you want a flat battery to result in at minimum a reboot, or worse losing the appointments you have just entered that day, the whole device needs to be non-volatile, not just your music and videos. If this device is used to the full I would be surprised if it lasts 2 hours for video and 8 hours for music. That means a totally flat battery could be a more or less daily occurrence. It needs to be bullet proof (e.g. no backup on low battery warning).

On windows mobile there is already a clear separation between program memory and storage memory. Potentially they could implement a system where just the storage memory is non-volatile (non-volatile RAM or HDD) and the program memory is normal DRAM. That way a flat battery would simply result in a soft-reset. I believe however that they are planning to down the same route as Palm and make the whole thing slow and non-volatile :(

Surur

While the Bluetooth Version is going to be 1.1 and the LifeDrive will only have the 802.11b standard, I'm glad that palmOne is listening--but with the exception of not including a Cradle with this one (You will only get a cable with the Athena Connector), and I have to see whether or not the Tungsten T5/E2 Cradle will work with the LifeDrive.

Powered by Palm OS since March 2002

I'd really prefer something totally devoid of a HD if at all possible (reliability/battery life concerns).

P1 could either ship a cut-down version in the current formfactor with a 2gb CF card (not Microdrive) standard or do something approximately the size of the T5 but with the LD's featureset (minus the HD, of course). Think how Tapwave did the Zod1 and Zod2 and imagine a LD1 and LD2 sort of scenario.

I could easily live without the built-in storage drive (flash or Microdrive)if that would keep the cost down as I already have several 1gb SD cards and 2gb SD cards are finally starting to creep downward. 2gb is currently plenty of space for me on a POS handheld.

I seem to recall the T|C being $400 at launch instead of $500 but it's honestly been out so long and seemingly stuck at $400 MSRP that it's hard to recall anything else.

At any rate, look at the track record of $400+ POS devices in the marketplace. Sony, Garmin, and P1 have all failed to make a dent in the priciest POS offerings.

I concur. 4gb is simply far too little storage space to try and adopt to carrying a HD around in my pocket. If the LD could somehow shoehorn an iPod-style 20gb HD or better into the same formfactor, then I'd have reason to get excited as I could conceivably carry the vast majority of my CD collection around with me and use it to offload images from my 7mp digicam when traveling.

Otherwise, 4gb will fill up pretty quickly and the inherent tradeoffs (fragility, power consumption etc) of a miniature HD being jostled around all day will continue to rear their head.

512mb on SD is the bare minimum I could use on a daily basis on a PDA. 1gb is my current comfortable norm and 2gb on an SD card is more than enough for anything I'd need ASIDE from carting my "digital life" (mp3s & jpegs) around with me. In order to do THAT, I'd like to have 40gb+ to make it even worth my while.

All that said, I am still going to give the LD a very close look but I will only buy it from a store with a very generous extended service plan.I am still curious to see how P1 is going to deal with the FAT16 limitations. Perhapos two 2gb partitions on the HD and one being used for media and the other being used for app storage?

There are endless possibilities for PDA memory! Not to mention music or the use of it as a BIG flash drive!

I want something that I can carry around the office in a pocket as I will be carrying my laptop in my hands. In must be light, sturdy & built to last. I will expect a docking station, BT and now WiFi. I don't want something do large it is going to pull my trouser down while I walk around the office.

Atari-Portolio > HP95LX > HP100LX > HP300LX > HP320LX > Nino300 > Nino500 > HP620LX > Jornada680 > PalmV > Vx > m505 > T|T > T615C > T|T3 > T|E2 > (back to) T|T3

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Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. - Sir Winston Churchill

Each success only buys an admission ticket to a more difficult problem - Henry Kissinger
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Now from the marketing side... I used to buy a new Palm device every 6 or 8 months, starting with the Palm Pro. I've owned 6 of them. When I came across Graffiti 2 I used it and gave it a few months and became proficient at it, but nowhere near as proficient as with Graffiti1. I've been waiting for another G1 device to upgrade, but it's been almost 2 years.

My point is that PalmOne has missed selling 2 units, just to me, because they only support one input method. Are there other PalmOne customers out there like me? This seems like a major marketing error on their part.

Lately, since I found out that Pocket PCs actually support Graffiti 1 natively (they call it something else) in addition to a few other options, I've been considering switching over! It's pathetic for PalmOne to allow this to happen to a loyal customer.

I used to spit on those Microsoft units, and I would be embarrased to own one, but I could switch over this stupid issue.

5.37 x 3.13 x 0.95 - 10.5 oz - RCA Lyra Personal Media Player
http://tinyurl.com/deh4x

Not to be confused with the Sony Clie UX-50/40 coming in at:
4.125" x 3.5" x 0.72" and 6.2 oz.

The specs for the life drive you give are much smaller than was previously described. It doesn't sound too large to me...

Two of those new 2GB SD cards equates to that internal drive today. In not too long, SD capacity will outstrip it. Meanwhile, the internal drive in LD will still be the same, non-removable 4GB.

And it will still be thick as a brick.

Not sure if i'd use something like that though. I'm a big fan of landscape mode.

I hope so. The current blue bar may have a higher contrast, but it looks tacky, in my opinion anway. I prefer a more elegant gray or neutral tone.

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Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

Surur