LifeDrive

[HenryHowards]

My name is Henry Howards and I have been a long time "Lurker" on palmonecity and 1src. I used to have an account on palmonecity as DrNo. Well I have come to love palms so much I became an egineer for PalmOne over the last year.I got permission to post on forum sites as long as I sighned a contract stating i must keep my posting topic to a limit. I am pleased to be at 1src and I hope to be part of the community for a long time.
Now about the LifeDrive,This device is an amazing product, the 4 g replaced my ipod mini which i shamefully owned.The screen is brilliant but I wouldn't say as good as the e2 but better then any other palm device, besides the Treo 650.The size is quite big and I don't really fancy the desighn. I do have to say myself that it is a little bit "pricey" but I think you should go for it anyways, It does anything you want it to and it's overall a TERRIFIC devic.I myself,beleive it or not, perfer to use my t3 & e2. Thank you, Henry Howards

[Ezikial Anta]

DrNo... I'd seen you around... I think.
Hey, if your one of the engineers, tell them that we want replacable batteries... Please!

[cktlcmd]

Welcome aboard mate!

Replacable batteries and please suggest to them to create another line of Palm PDAs with a clamshell design that supports landscape and portrait view similar to the Sharp Zaurus. PLEASE! Some people like myself prefer a PDA with a built-in keyboard in clamshell design.

[intellidryad]

Yes Yes!
A clam shell design, a Keyboard and a removable battery.
Keep everything else on the lifedrive (well, if it's using the HD for RAM, I think it'll be much faster if it's a real RAM chip, but is it?)
Then, you could market it as a tiny "palm book" :D
I remember that the UX50 had took No.1 in overall rankings in some publications, maybe a "palm book" might do it, too.

Oh, if USB hosting (lets you connect USB devices to it) is built in, then this will not only be a notebook replacement, king of all PDAs and would take back the attention from the PPCs.

But then the price might skyrocket like clies, huh? :P

Actually, other then pleasing us gagdet lovers, I think palmOne should farther diversify it's product line, since most people still see PDAs as tech toys or business tool, and never even wanted one. For example, in Asia you could stuff in a bunch of dictionaries, add a keyboard, keep the screen black and white and sell it as an electronic dictionary, which most people will want to buy.

[Joel]

Welcome to 1src, HenryHowards. Just one thing I'm looking for: full OS X support for the LifeDrive.

[tungsten t5]

how about a 624mhz processor? and an intel graphics acelerator like the x50v?

[HenryHowards]

We are well aware that customers perfer batteries that can be replaced,as for PalmOne would make "spare" batteries which can be bought at local stores. This would not work because once a battery is purchased it can easily be reproduced by almost anyone and it would be sold around the market without PalmOne making any profit.We are not currently working on this, because we first are discussing the basic format of our new device.After we figure out what our next machine is we will look more into the replaceable battery
Thank you, Henry Howards

[tungsten t5]

so what? PPC companys put removable batterys in. Maybe you can put a chip in the PDA that only recognises palmone PDA's? (yes I know, i'm so smart and I should work for Palmone. Maybe you can put a good word in for me)

[GadgetGuru]

The RAM cache is 32 or 64MB. The Palm rep at the NY demo says 64MB, some reviewers still says 32MB...which is which?

The Lifedrive is still an amazing device...after all the reactions, I will still probably get one.



Things to consider when building the next High-end Palm handheld:

-real RAM instead of HD partition, speed up data access and lessen battery drain.

-Volatile RAM is as good as NVF RAM and it will drastically reduces reset times.

-user replaceable battery. At least 10 hour audio playback if you want to compete with an ipod.

-built-in DSP chip as Sony unit does, could dramatically increase battery life on audio/video functions.

-a cradle on high-end unit. A cradle makes a PDA a showpiece beside your PC, and would looke nice on any corporate setting. More Aesthetic, but it's almost like advertising the PDA.

-Cobalt. Cobalt, Cobalt, it's about time...

-more RAM in the next high-end Treo device

-A low end Palm OS smartphone, probably along the lines of Groupsense's product but priced at most $180. Price matters, the Tungsten E is PalmOne number one selling handheld partly because of its nice price point. The $150-$180 price rang e will also make it competitive against Symbian 60 phones.

- A good camera, hopefully 1 Mp or more in the next consumer line PDA.

-Adopt some of Sony design (Swiveling cam?). Copying somebody else good features is not bad. As long as its not intellectually patented, there's nothing wrong with it.

-consider VGA screens, the competition is now adopting VGA screens and its only a matter of time when all PPC might have VGA screens.

-built-in keyboard.

-continue development for high-end devices...High-end devices are not profit generating to a large degree but it carrys the company brand name. The added prestige makes low-end consumer pick up high-volume low end devices. Sony Ericsson's P900 line and Motorola RAZR line brings both company back in vogue, when it has been declining due to Nokia's onslaught.

-built-in hard drive on phone. Nokia N90 will have one... so be ready for the competition...

[clie_wannabe]

My name is Henry Howards and I have been a long time "Lurker" on palmonecity and 1src. I used to have an account on palmonecity as DrNo. Well I have come to love palms so much I became an egineer for PalmOne over the last year.I got permission to post on forum sites as long as I sighned a contract stating i must keep my posting topic to a limit. I am pleased to be at 1src and I hope to be part of the community for a long time.
Now about the LifeDrive,This device is an amazing product, the 4 g replaced my ipod mini which i shamefully owned.The screen is brilliant but I wouldn't say as good as the e2 but better then any other palm device, besides the Treo 650.The size is quite big and I don't really fancy the desighn. I do have to say myself that it is a little bit "pricey" but I think you should go for it anyways, It does anything you want it to and it's overall a TERRIFIC devic.I myself,beleive it or not, perfer to use my t3 & e2. Thank you, Henry Howards

just several questions:


why does the HD gets erased during a "hard reset"?
what if you're on the road, and because of a software error, you get a involuntary hard reset - what now? (restore ALL 4GB from a 4GB SD card?)
i, too, am an engineer myself, and as an engineer to another engineer; and would like to know the reason why it was designed this way (hey, i was planning to buy one as soon as it came out, until someone mentioned this issue)...


thanks!!!

[GadgetGuru]

Could the 64MB partition be backed up the expansion card?

And this Q to Lifedrive owners...do third party backup solutions work now? I think Backupman, backupbuddy still have issues with other NVFS units. So is it fixed for the LD? Just backing up the 64MB program partition...the 4GB is of course off limits since Sd card of that size is still not available AFAIK.

[clie_wannabe]

... the 4GB is of course off limits since Sd card of that size is still not available AFAIK.

if you ask me, i really dont know if a real 4GB SD card exist or not... but when i said that it my previous post, it was meant as an expression, ie., if you have a 4GB SD card to backup a 4GB built-in HD, then what use is the HD then?

:D

[HenryHowards]

I am honestly going to answer that We put on the 4g to aim more towards mp3 player users and we thought it would mostly be used for music. If this is your problem then simply don't purchase this device.It is a great device and I don't think this should influence your desicion just buy a 64 mb card and kepp your importan files,doc,etc. on the card.

[palmato]

Henry, welcome to the palm asyl.. err.. community! :D

I don't know to what extent you're allowed to answer technical questions. So sorry if this goes beyond your legal constraints.

Was there any discussion at palmone about increasing the LD cache memory? Or shall we assume that the current 32M is considered flexible enough?

[cktlcmd]

After we figure out what our next machine is we will look more into the replaceable battery
Thank you, Henry Howards
Please do suggest to them about a clamshell PDA in their future release.

[clie_wannabe]

I am honestly going to answer that We put on the 4g to aim more towards mp3 player users and we thought it would mostly be used for music. If this is your problem then simply don't purchase this device.It is a great device and I don't think this should influence your desicion just buy a 64 mb card and kepp your importan files,doc,etc. on the card.

thanks for the answer Henry... well appreciated...

by the way, a similar discussion regarding the HD erasure is in another thread - it would be great to take a look-see...

http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?p=814524

---

further comment, thought: if you said that the LifeDrive was meant towards being an MP3 player, and mostly be used for music - then why does your marketing label it as "digital everything," ie., carry all your music, video, documents, etc.?

:confused:

cheers!!!

[gsparks2]

My name is Henry Howards and I have been a long time "Lurker" on palmonecity and 1src. I used to have an account on palmonecity as DrNo. Well I have come to love palms so much I became an egineer for PalmOne over the last year.I got permission to post on forum sites as long as I sighned a contract stating i must keep my posting topic to a limit. I am pleased to be at 1src and I hope to be part of the community for a long time.
Now about the LifeDrive,This device is an amazing product, the 4 g replaced my ipod mini which i shamefully owned.The screen is brilliant but I wouldn't say as good as the e2 but better then any other palm device, besides the Treo 650.The size is quite big and I don't really fancy the desighn. I do have to say myself that it is a little bit "pricey" but I think you should go for it anyways, It does anything you want it to and it's overall a TERRIFIC devic.I myself,beleive it or not, perfer to use my t3 & e2. Thank you, Henry Howards

Is your birthdate really April 24, 1991 as your profile states?

[tungsten t5]

also you live in baltimore? april 24, 1991? 14 year old engineer that lives in baltimore when palmone is california based?

[foghead]

I am really curious about this as well.

If I am wrong, than I apologise, but I asked a close friend who DOES work at palmOne about this and he said that there was no Henry Howards (0r Howard) in the comapny address book and that except for a few very high-level marketing people, employees are not allowed to go out represent themselves as palmOne employees and talk about company policies. Certainly no engineers would be given this permission.

But as I said before, if I am wrong, than I apologise and welcome you to the group.

[Truth]

"Oh ho! Class, huh? At Columbia? Let me tell you something, pal. I called the registrar's office. I checked you out. They have no record of a Ray Thomas at that school! You liar!" - George Costanza, Seinfeld, "The Statue"

[clie_wannabe]

I am really curious about this as well.

If I am wrong, than I apologise, but I asked a close friend who DOES work at palmOne about this and he said that there was no Henry Howards (0r Howard) in the comapny address book and that except for a few very high-level marketing people, employees are not allowed to go out represent themselves as palmOne employees and talk about company policies. Certainly no engineers would be given this permission.

But as I said before, if I am wrong, than I apologise and welcome you to the group.

yes - it seems really spooky...

just take a look at his answers to my questions (in a previous post of mine)... as in "???"... Palm1 markets the LifeDrive to be "digital everything," implying that you should practically put all your documents, video, music, porn (!!), or whatever into your LifeDrive... and he practically answers as "... it was meant as an MP3 player..."

:confused: :confused:

[tungsten t5]

notice he is no longer posting.

[PalmTruthHurts]

I'm guessing this guy is a Palm employee wannabe. First he claims he lives in Baltimore, then oops I really live in Los Angeles, but Palmone does not have an office in Los Angeles. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale and Milpitas. He is 14 years old and is now a 27 year old in one day.

I repeat what Foghead said:
"Except for a few very high-level marketing people, employees are not allowed to go out represent themselves as palmOne employees and talk about company policies. Certainly no engineers would be given this permission."

My boss at work has a son who works at PalmOne in Sunnyvale and worked on the development of the LifeDrive. His son even refuses to discuss any products in development with his dad! All REAL PalmOne employees are required to sign non-disclosure agreements. There is no way a PalmOne employee would urge potential LiveDrive purchasers to "hold off" buying the device in hopes of getting a free usb-to-go add on in June.

Will the moderator please consider banning Howard from this forum? He is disrupting other people trying to have real discussions with REAL people. Howard is manipulating and toying around with all of us really interested in the LifeDrive.

If he is a real PalmOne employee, he is doing a discredit to PalmOne and its image as a untrustworthy, waffling individual. This guy is a marketing disaster for PalmOne and is hurting the company image.

[HenryHowards]

Hello, a couple things i have to get cleared up. I for one was not originally going to be posting as a "palm engineer" I was simpley going to be a 14 year old boy who was simply posting on the forum boards.Then when a similiar case happend to come up at work,I simply asked if I can reveal myself as an egineer.I sighned a little contract stating the topics I may and may not discuss.So I joined 1src. thinking I can help Palm buyers as yourself,but I see that there are some people who are going to be giving me a hard time. I have come to the conclusion that I will no longer be posting in these forums,As i will still "Lurk" to see what the customers really want. It's been nice posting Thank you for at least letting me get in a couple post.I don't blame you for not beleving me. I expected this to happen and I don't regret joining.

It's been good. Henry Howards.

[CliePet]

"HenryHowards" a new user without a real email or private messaging wrote:
> I became an egineer for PalmOne over the last year.I got permission to post on forum sites as long as I sighned a contract stating i must keep my posting topic to a limit.

Oh, please don't insult our intelligence (translation: inzult owr inteligenz)

If you are a real employee (which is highly doubtful) you should be fired for the unprofessional representation you make on a public BBS.

BTW: the company that you claim to work for prefers to be called "palmOne" not "PalmOne"

=========
UPDATE:
> I have come to the conclusion that I will no longer be posting in these forums
Thank you.

[Joel]

One user has been banned, another has been warned... please do not use 1src as a place to waste everyone's time. We're all here to help one another.

If you feel someone or something is bothering you, please do not hesitate to inform any of the mods. Thanks!

[Surur]

I always thought you P1 guys were just paranoid about competitors infiltrating your boards and spreading FUD, but I cant think of a better way to sabotage the LD launch (besides the memory problem of course) than to tell people to hold off for a better deal in the near future.

This thread should be made into a sticky ;)

Surur

[GadgetGuru]

Bogus or not...PalmOne really should not nda'ed their engineers/support staff unless they referred to future products and company secrets.

One of the reason Windows mobile is gaining so fast is because of their MVP program, maybe PalmOne or PalmSource should do the same...