LD question

[luvzmutt]

I have a few questions about the LD. I am not really PDA "savvy". I have a T3 that I use to store pictures, keep my calendar and contacts. I also use it to play games. Despite not being "savvy" I still love new gadgets. I use Nextel for phone service (paid for by work), I usually get the newest phones that come out. Well of course I ran to CompUSA to buy a LD, but I have some questions. Would anyone be willing to give me their e-mail address so I could ask them the numerous questions I have. I know that CompUSA has a 21 day return policy, and I am not sure if I should keep the LD.

Thanks!

[Sharkk717]

sharkboy717 <at> aol <dot> com

don't have an LD (yet) but i could probably answer all your questions and if i can't then i'll send you to someone who can :D

regards, sharky

[HenryHowards]

Please post them on the forum, I work for PalmOne and would be glad to assist you with anything I can.I am sure other people on this messageboard will also be able to assist you.

[MrNako]

I wonder if the LifeDrive has the white border around the screen.

[luvzmutt]

I will try to type them all up and post them here. It may not be until tomorrow though.

[luvzmutt]

OK, here are my questions. I will try to put them in the best, most cohesive order I can.

1. When I did the first hot sync with the LD all of my programs did not transfer over. Specifically, DateBook 5 and a weight watchers program I use. I understand that not all programs are compatible with the LD, I can live without the weight watchers program, but I absolutely HATE the calendar app that comes with the LD. Granted I have an old version of DateBook 5, if I upgrade to the new version, can I use it with the LD, or can someone suggest a comparable calendar program that works with the LD. I saved the logfile from my first hot sync. Can I e-mail it so someone can explain to me what works and what does not.

2. I have read about hard resets. What exactly is a hard reset. With my T3 I get fatal errors and have to reset, but I never lose any information. What does it mean that the HD is “wiped out” with a hard reset. Will the information be restored with a hot sync? I have an expansion card for my T3, but do I need a backup card to protect my data, or is that only if I am away from my laptop?

3. I never really used my T3 for music, because I could not figure out how to get songs onto the unit. I was under the impression that I had to keep them on an expansion card. Is this the case for the LD, or how else can I get music on to the LD.

4. If I go away, and want to put a movie on the LD, how would I go about doing that?

5. Also, if I go away, can I use a car charger to keep the battery from draining, (similar to my laptop)?

6. When I want to hot sync my LD, I found it difficult to plug in the unit to the cable. If I decide to keep the LD, should I buy a cradle, is it easier to attach the unit to a cradle then the cable?

7. What is the Lifedrive Manager? I am not sure exactly how it works.

All in all, being that I love new gadgets, I really want to keep the LD, but I am wondering what the big difference is between that and my T3. I have a WI-FI card for the T3. have never used bluetooth (not really sure how to, anyway) As I said before, I use my T3 mostly for the calendar, contacts, keeping pictures and games. I just bought some e-books and will start to use whatever Palm I keep for reading (e-books are SO much cheaper than hardback books). I do want to explore more of what Palm has to offer. The “6 second” lag does not bother me much, but I don’t want to lose all my data.

I may have more questions once I get some of these answers, but thanks for any help.

[Sharkk717]

2. A hard reset is for when your Palm is unsavable except by going back to factory settings. A hard reset will delete EVERYTHING (including that on your HD)

3. Use drive mode and follow the manual instructions for dragging and dropping songs onto the LD

4. Using drive mode also. You might need to convert it. There are many tutorials here about that process.

5. I think P1 will make an accessory that does this if they haven't already...

6. That's a personal decision, but i personally love the cradle

7. This lets you manage the music/video/files on your LD. this would be a good way to put on the music and video you asked about earlier!

regards, sharky

[forgot password]

[QUOTE=luvzmutt]I I know that CompUSA has a 21 day return policy, and I am not sure if I should keep the LD.

I just returned from the Compusa store in Tacoma where I just about bought the LD. At the checkout stand I was told by the clerk who verified with a sales manager that the 21 day return policy does not apply to PDAs. There are no returns on PDAs period, regardless if there is a manfacturing defect or not. Once you walked out of the store it is non returnable!!! I was told that compusa buys the units and cannot return them. The sales clerk who finally helped me said that there is a 21 day return policy as he was trying to push the one year $70 or thew two year $100 extended warranty.

I was really impressed with the LD, the screen is the same as on the T5 (I held my Tungsten C next to it to compare the two, while the C screen is brighter there is a difference in the colors which were richer on the LD. While I like a bright screen I do like the LD. Also it is lighter, smaller and feels better in my hand than either the IPAQs or my C. ALso lighter and nicer than my NZ90 (guess am used to larger PDAs.

I will never shop or buy anything from compusa again and it was with a heavy heart I left the LD in the store. Since no one else has the LD yet I will order from Palm and save myself the almost 10% WA sales tax!!!!!!!!!

[tungsten t5]

before you do anything Read the manual! this is one thing that I wish palmone would include with there pda's but it is downloadable from palmone.com

[rlc7254]

[QUOTE=forgot password][QUOTE=luvzmutt]I I know that CompUSA has a 21 day return policy, and I am not sure if I should keep the LD.

I just returned from the Compusa store in Tacoma where I just about bought the LD. At the checkout stand I was told by the clerk who verified with a sales manager that the 21 day return policy does not apply to PDAs. There are no returns on PDAs period, regardless if there is a manfacturing defect or not. Once you walked out of the store it is non returnable!!! I was told that compusa buys the units and cannot return them. The sales clerk who finally helped me said that there is a 21 day return policy as he was trying to push the one year $70 or thew two year $100 extended warranty.

[QUOTE]

I think if you read the back of the receipt, you will find that they have a 21 day return policy. It doesn't mention anything about PDAs or anything else. Since that is what they put in writing, then that is what they have to honor. The salesman can say anything he wants, but he doesn't represent the coporate policy. I purchased a T5 from them. The first one I had failed in a week, the replacement one failed in five days. I took both of them back to the store I got them from and got a full refund with no hassles. They will try to coerce you into the no refund policy, but if you show them the reciept, and stick to your guns, there should be no problems.

:D

[GadgetGuru]

Note that I don't have a LD yet, so my answers are based on my experiences with various Palm devices that I have over the years.

1. Try downloading the latest version of Weight watchers and Datebk5. Then install it as before. Datebk5 uses the Palm built-in database, so your appointments should still be there. Not with weight watchers though, if you know the database name, you might be able to fished it out of your old Palm or from the backup or archive folder of your PC, otherwise you'll have to reenter the data. The latest version of Datebk5 should work with your LD.

3. As stated browse to the Palm/Audio/ folder and drop your mp3s there. I don't think Pockettunes that come swith LD support WMA unless you upgrade to the pro version...

4. Get the opensourced TCPMP player, install it, then connect your LD to your computer as an external drive, then drag-and-drop your video files in there. If you need an easy converter from DVD/VCD. Try looking at PSPvideo9.com and read through the various tuitorials. PSPvideo9 convert video files to mp4 which plays well with TCPMP. The built-in media player that comes with the LD will not play mp4 though...but TCPMP is much more versatile...

[JAmerican]

I wonder if the LifeDrive has the white border around the screen.

I'm most certain it does. But I could be wrong.

JAmerican

[Cyker]

You are probably right - All colour LCD panels will have this border.

Even mono-LCDs and OLED devices (The VZ) have this border, but with them you can't see it because the colour is black.

[Festus440]

3. I never really used my T3 for music, because I could not figure out how to get songs onto the unit. I was under the impression that I had to keep them on an expansion card. Is this the case for the LD, or how else can I get music on to the LD.
4. If I go away, and want to put a movie on the LD, how would I go about doing that?
7. This lets you manage the music/video/files on your LD. this would be a good way to put on the music and video you asked about earlier!


The LifeDrive Manager is the way to go with those tasks. You will have a PDA icon in you system tray. Double click it (or run LifeDrive Manager through the Start/Program menu). It looks like Windows Explorer. Just drag your media (mp3, mpg, etc.) to the appropriate folder.

It will offer to convert the media to a Palm format if appropiate. For example, if you drag an avi movie file it can convert it to an asf file that is resized to fit the LD screen (which makes the files size lots smaller).

You can also turn on synchronization for one or all of the folders. That way the files on the LD hard drive are backed up to your PC with each hotsync.

Plus the LD is still available to do other things while your using the LifeDrive manager.

[bean]

I always sync to 2 computers for my palm ...keeps my datebook straight on both my home and my work computer. and it's one of the things i love about palm...that i can sync it to both.
i'm somewhat excited about the possibility of syncing files from my computer but what i'm wondering about is this: is it possible to keep both sets of files - 1 from my work computer (call it A) and 1 set from my home computer (call it B) without finding my B files ending up on my A (work) computer. Can i separate the syncs somehow?
i'm also nervous about the battery life. i play bubblet (ok, ok, i'm addicted) while i'm on the subway or waiting around and my tungsten t really runs down fast these days. (can i have palm replace the battery?) is it better than the t battery?

sorry, that was a few questions.

bean

[Festus440]

I don't know if you can have separate synced folders on different computers. Since you mark whether a folder or file is synced in the Windows app, not on the LD, my guess would be that you can but I'll have to check that out.

Regarding the battery, I don't have enough experience with it yet, and I had a Sony NX70 before this not a T.

It's going to depend on what your doing. Programs that make use of the radios (BT or WiFi) will obviously shorten battery life. Doing things that make use of the hard drive a lot will have the same effect. (Playing movies or listening to mp3 files.) I don't have any numbers on this, but I sure people will be posting their test results here on the board soon.

I would think that using apps that fit in memory shouldn't effect batttery life any more than on previous PDAs.