My LD Shipped from palmOne...

[acraniotes]

For those who chose to go the tax-free route, your LDs should be shipping as I write this. I ordered mine from palmOne on 5/18 (along with the aluminum hardcase - $551 total), and upon checking my order status online just now, found that it was delivered to my apartment while I was en route to the office this morning.

Needless to say, I'm quite curious to see what my experience is going to be with this device, and whether or not it will make the grade as a replacement for my aging NX-80. If it falls short of expectations, I'm going to be in a bit of a bind as I refuse to go back to the dark side, and no other Palm devices currently on the market even remotely appeal to me.

Oh, well... My NX still has a few weeks of life left in it - barely. The screen flickers and craps out randomly when swiveled, the battery is losing it's ability to hold a charge, and it generally looks as though it was run over by a bus (which isn't exactly the impression I want to make when I'm in a client meeting...).

- Adam

[acraniotes]

Okay, after one night of mucking about with it, I can say that I'm relatively pleased with the LD, but it ain't no homerun for Palm. My NX80 is currently in a rather severe state of decay, which made this purchase necessary for me. But for those whose current PDAs are still chugging along merrily, I'd suggest you wait for LD2, or whatever it is that palmOne will be following this device with.

It's not that the LD is bad - far from it. The performance is just fine, the screen is decent, the dual wireless (which can be used simultaneously!) is great, the vast, out-of-the-box storage space is certainly welcome, and so far the battery life seems like a non-issue. It's just that for $500 clams, it's a bit steep for a ho-hum device. Like I said, if you're happy with what you've currently got, I see no reason for you to upgrade. However, if, like me your current PDA is close to giving up the ghost (so much so that it reflects poorly on you in client meetings), and you don't want to go to the dark side (I've been there, done that), the LD is a solid device.

Doubtless patches and apps are on the way that will allow us LD owners to get the most out of our devices, but for now...

- Adam

[Funky Gibbon]

However, if, like me your current PDA is close to giving up the ghost (so much so that it reflects poorly on you in client meetings), and you don't want to go to the dark side (I've been there, done that), the LD is a solid device.
I would have hoped for a less equivocal recommendation for this device. My T3 is, like your NX-80, about to turn up its toes and I am loath to turn to the "Dark Side" so would like tol get a Life Drive in a few weeks time. With this in mind, would you say something a little more positive about it, or is this as good as it gets.

[acraniotes]

Perhaps, as I spend more time with the device I'll find more to like about it, but in the meantime, it's simply a solid, albeit far from "ground-breaking" PDA. Perhaps the trouble I'm having here lies in the fact that I absolutely loved my NX80. True, it was an evolutionary PDA (decended from the NR70 - which I also owned and loved), but it was ever so slick. The LifeDrive, for lack of a better word, is kind of boring - no swiveling screens, hidden cameras, flip-top CF slots or illuminated keyboards here.

However, given that this device will be used mainly for business, mp3s, eBooks, and AvantGo, the gee-whiz factor really doesn't impact its functionality at all. Once I get a BT or IR keyboard, and really start putting it through its paces, I'll report back with further comments.

- Adam

[tonyreynolds]

I would have hoped for a less equivocal recommendation for this device. My T3 is, like your NX-80, about to turn up its toes and I am loath to turn to the "Dark Side" so would like tol get a Life Drive in a few weeks time. With this in mind, would you say something a little more positive about it, or is this as good as it gets.

Is this tounge-in-cheek???

'Cause I thought the posted comments WERE fairly positive. He was simply saying that if your current ride is broke, it's a consideration, if not, wait...

:)

[Funky Gibbon]

Is this tounge-in-cheek???

'Cause I thought the posted comments WERE fairly positive. He was simply saying that if your current ride is broke, it's a consideration, if not, wait...

:)
Not at all. There is so much hype about the Life Drive in both directions the more user raves I see the easier it will be for me to make my decision. Adam's comments were, in my opinion, somewhat non-committal and I asked him if he could say something a little more upbeat.

Where's the problem??

[tonyreynolds]

Not at all. There is so much hype about the Life Drive in both directions the more user raves I see the easier it will be for me to make my decision. Adam's comments were, in my opinion, somewhat non-committal and I asked him if he could say something a little more upbeat.

Where's the problem??

No problem at all.

:D

[acraniotes]

Well, now that I have TCPMP installed, I'm a lot happier. Even though I don't intend to use my LD for a ton of video playback, it's still nice to know that I can play unconverted .mpeg files flawlessly.

- Adam

PS - Is that more unequivocably positive? ;-)

[Funky Gibbon]

PS - Is that more unequivocably positive? ;-)

Yeaaaah!! Your indulgence of this aging Madagascan primate is much appreciated.:-)