My Thought Of Lifedrive

[mar_ning_2000]

I think when PalmOne was trying to decide what kind of PDA they should introduce to the market, technological innovation is not(and I don't think it has ever been) the most important factor. To PalmOne, what is more important then the "geek-ness" of a device is market acceptances. Some have said that LifeDrive is a device that should got released two years ago. PalmOne has to look at the percentage of PDA users and “would be” PDA users that would accept a device with such complexity, and ask itself would this percentage reach a high enough level so they can make enough money to survive? Apparently they think now is a good time to release such a device. Sony, sadly is a very good negative example to show the importance of market acceptance. The reason for Sony' s failure is that they had mis-judged North American PDA user's ability to accept device that are too complicated(and that's different from Asian PDA users). PalmOne have always have the reputation of "Doing a little bit at a time, but usually getting that little bit right"(sorry, I forgot who said that). Regardless whether the exist of Sony is a good or bad thing for Palm OS in general, just in terms of the competitions between companies, PalmOne outlasted Sony. Personally, do I believe LifeDrive should have been released two years ago? Yes! But I also understand what took PalmOne so long.

[Ezikial Anta]

I dont understand why people are complaining so much...
Seriously, Apple was buying all of the Mini drives for its iPod mini's, and to date, this is the first PDA with a HDD in it. If its such little "Innovation" why hasnt someone else done it yet?
I know someone will have a smart answer or reply to this, but, i would also like to hear a good answer too.

Edit, just thinking about it, i heard a Sharp device had a HDD in it, but i meant a release from PPC or P1.

[5standingby.]

Because having a HD in a PDA is not really an innovation. Spinning media and parts are not as good as current flash memory, that is upgradeable by the way, if you had a dual slot design.

Although PPC will have one this fall with a HD, I don't see this trend continuing in PDA's unless you can get really large sizes in a small form factor (like 20 or 40GB). Hitaching isn't supposed to come out with the 1" 20GB drives until '07. Then it may take off, especially if PalmOS releases a Linux version around then.

[winexprt]

Because having a HD in a PDA is not really an innovation. Spinning media and parts are not as good as current flash memory...

Couldn't agree more. Having a spinning Hard Drive in a PDA is, to put it bluntly, just plain STUPID. Unless the LD has technology built into it, a la IBM laptops, which sense free-fall and then park the HD, the first time people drop their shiny new 500 dollar toy while the Hard drive is spinning...they're gonna be in for a VERY unpleasant surprise.

Just ask yours truly: who dropped his 15GB 3G iPod while the HD was spinning and found it was ruined.

I've dropped every PDA I have ever owned , to no real detriment (THANK YOU solid state memory!). I dropped my iPod ONCE, and it was totally ruined.

Now, which memory format would YOU rather have in a small handheld device prone to dropping? ;)

[Cyker]

I dont understand why people are complaining so much...
Seriously, Apple was buying all of the Mini drives for its iPod mini's, and to date, this is the first PDA with a HDD in it. If its such little "Innovation" why hasnt someone else done it yet?
I know someone will have a smart answer or reply to this, but, i would also like to hear a good answer too.

Edit, just thinking about it, i heard a Sharp device had a HDD in it, but i meant a release from PPC or P1.

As you say, it has been done before but really is sticking a HD in a portable device really innovation?
The word 'innovation', to me, implies 'clever', but a HD in a PDA just doesn't seem clever to me on so many levels...

Most manufacturers seem to have figured out that a hard disk on a PDA isn't worth it because it's silly and counter-productive:

The only good thing about hard disks is that they are extremely cheap in terms of space vs cost.
Other than that, they're relatively slow, fragile, and eat up a great deal of power - All things you don't want on a PDA.

A PDA is not supposed to be a data-warehousing device, which is why Palm are pitching this more at the iPod crowd, but as I said in another thread, 4GB is far too small for that group, so the LD is kinda stuck in the middle, not entirely sure of it's purpose...

[applejosh]

I agree with the questionable inclusion of a 4GB HD. I personally would rather just see 512 or 1GB flash memory instead. The Life Drive is apparently a tangent that PalmOne wants to explore. The spinning HD has to have some sort of negative effect on battery life, and 4GB really isn't enough to compete with the iPod, IMHO. I look at this as less of a PDA and more of a low end multimedia device with a higher price tag because it includes PDA functionality. It may win over Palm enthusiasts, but I don't think it will become a force in the mainstream. Hopefully, I'm wrong and P1 will get a much needed injection of cash, though.

[PeteUX]

Gotta agree with Winexprt and applejosh on this. I have also dropped, and sat on every Clie that I have had and they have survived for the most part. The inclusion of a HDD will just add damage internally and that will be EXPENSIVE. This is also a palm device with music, similar to the Sony devices so will never replace an iPod. I Think a 2GB stick for my UX might be in order instead of upgrading for now, until I can be sure I will never drop it on the way to the car!!!!

[PaTx]

I've also dropped every handheld I've ever had (I dropped my Z71 several times and my T3 too, last time with some help from my son ;)).

However, this device seems fairly hard:

"As always, my first test with any handheld device is the Gadgeteer creak test. So, I squeezed it, shook it, tried to flex it (gently) and was impressed by its solidness. The casing does not flex or creak when squeezed. The only noises I could generate were a few rattles from the side buttons when shaking the device. Since I don't normally go around shaking my PDAs like a maraca, I will say that the LifeDrive passed the test with flying colors."

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/palmone-lifedrive-review.html

There are also some other similar tests:

"HD tested for one-meter drop with head not engaged -- Don't try this at home!"
http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2005/05/long_live_impre.html

:cool:

[sonypenguin]

I guess I will hold on to my UX-50 w/ 2GB for more longer periods.
LD just doesn't satisfies me since my UX can do better than LD.... and it also have a camera, keyboard, and VR. If I really want to have more space, I will just put 4Gb memory stick that is a lot safer than 4Gb HDD.

[SoS]

I guess I will hold on to my UX-50 w/ 2GB for more longer periods.
LD just doesn't satisfies me since my UX can do better than LD.... and it also have a camera, keyboard, and VR. If I really want to have more space, I will just put 4Gb memory stick that is a lot safer than 4Gb HDD.



where, perchance, will you obtain a 4Gb memory stick, and how much will it cost..?

[SoS]

just googled it...4Gb memory stick pro ~$400-450

great idea...go for it!

I would remind you that the LD is $499 and will be cheaper soon...

[Wytnucls]

2Gb MS would be the limit anyway (FAT16) ~$150-200.00

[SoS]

2Gb MS would be the limit anyway (FAT16) ~$150-200.00

good point!!

[xpan]

flash memory has limited lifetime (some thousand read/writes) and is very expensive... The HD was an innovation because with 400 Euros I can have WiFi, plus GB of storage and one free slot for my GPS in one freaking device...

The only thing missing is a VGA... but I can live without it... :D

[Adrenochrome]

Hey, I would have liked to see 4Gb flash memory as well, but I'll settle for an HD. I don't think my end-user experience will be that much different. If I have to wait an extra second or two between major applications - well, that's what I do now with my T2.

And it's only a matter of time before the hacking starts. Within a few months you'll see people inserting 40Gb drives in there with the software to make them work. And if that happens, I'll sure as heck be thinking about following in their footsteps.