The Futer Of Mobile Managers

[tungsten t5]

what do you think will happen. just think romors on fall devices should happen soon. :D

[Jomo]

Bigger Hard Disks and a bigger buffer, probably. I suspect that, much like Apple, they'll have to correct the circuitry for the headphone jack. Beyond that, it doesn't seem to be Palm's habit to do radical iterations of their stuff. The Tungsten E2 doesn't fall far from the E, after all.

[poissonsouriant]

Here are my predictions:

LifeDrive (1)

OS: Palm OS 5.4.8 (Garnet)
Processor: 416 MHz
Screen: 18-bit 320x480 TFT
Storage: 4GB non-removeable CF microdrive, SD Slot
Battery: non-removable 1660mAh Li-Ion
WiFi: 802.11b, WEP & WPA
Bluetooth: 1.1

LifeDrive 2

Release date: 2Q 2006, or possibly even 4Q 2005
OS: Palm OS Garnet. Palm OS Cobalt is possible, but highly likely. Expect to see nearly all of the bugs from the LD1 eliminated.
Processor: The processor will most likely remain at 416 MHz. If there is a improvement, it won't go above 500 MHz.
Screen: The screen will most likely stay the same. As the second model in a PalmOne product line is almost always a small jump from the first, there is no reason to assume that PalmOne will suddenly make the jump to higher resolution.
Storage: The 4GB HD is the big selling point of the LD1, so they are unlikely to change it. It is possible that it will be bumped up to 6GB or 8GB. There will almost certainly be some addition to fix the lag problem, whether it is effective or not. Most likely they will merely add 64MB of NVFS for program storage. There may or may not be an option to only erase the NVFS during a Hard Reset, they could go either way.
Battery: The battery was another of the big complaints that people had about the LD1. Expect to either see a bigger battery (2000+mAh) or a removable battery (~1660mAh)
WiFi: Not likely to change beyond bug fixes, so expect 802.11b to remain. It will most likely support whatever encryption standards are common at the time. 802.11g, although possible, is highly unlikely.
Bluetooth: PalmOne could go either way with this. They've got Bluetooth 1.1 down pretty well, and it pretty much does what most PalmOne users want it to do. But the 1.2 standard is well established, and most other handheld makers use it. So neither 1.1 nor 1.2 will come as a surprise.

LifeDrive 3

Release Date: 4Q 2006 is most likely, but 2Q 2007 is possible.
OS:Palm OS Cobalt or PalmLinux, whichever is better at the time. To not come out with a new OS at this point would be just plain stupid, and even PalmOne can see this by now. There will be some errors at first, the big ones will be fixed by a ROM update which will be out surprisingly fast.
Processor: Expect to see a decent processor boost by this time, something exceeding 500 MHz. It also quite possible that the processor will be scalable, allowing to only use the high processor power when it is needed, much like Sony's Handheld Engine processor.
Screen: Just as with the OS, it is time for a change. The LD is billed as a multimedia device, so expect a greatly improved screen. My guess is a VGA or better TFT screen with at least 18-bit color depth. OLED screens are possible, and would be a great way to save battery life, but I'm going to guess that they won't make an appearance.
Storage: Which ever HD size they go with on the LD2, they will keep on the LD3. However, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the LD3 will have a user-accessible CF slot with a bundled CF HD. They may not have a LD3 without the CF HD available at launch, but it will definitely be available eventually.
WiFi:Unless the LifeDrive 3 introduces some new feature that would require high-speed network connections, or unless all other PDAs at the time include it, 802.11g WiFi is unlikely on the LD3. Most of what the average person will use a PDA with WiFi for is quick web browsing. Most home users only have DSL or Cable, so 54Mbps is overkill when your Internet connection is only 5Mbps. Expect this to be the feature that everyone hates and uses to predict the end of Palm as we know it.
Bluetooth: If PalmOne doesn't move to BT 1.2 on the LD2, they will almost definitely do it on the LD3. If Bluetooth 2.0 is well established and not so power-hungry by this time, it's a definite possibility.
Battery Life:With all of these high tech goodies on it, the LD3 is bound to be a power hog. Removable batteries are almost a certainty on the LD3, with larger capacity upgrade batteries available at a premium price from PalmOne. If they do go with OLED screens and/or a scalable processor, as mentioned above, then the battery life won't be so bad. Either way, don't expect 12 hours of MP3.
Other possibilities: USB-on-the-go capabilities (an emerging technology that seems to fit the LD very well), graphics processor (Dell's Axim X50V has one), biometric security (a cool little gimmick, there's an IPAQ with it)


Keep in mind, these are basically just guesses, based on my experience with PalmOne devices recently.

[Adrenochrome]

My thoughts exactly, P. Nice post.

[poissonsouriant]

*bump*

What do other people think is the the future of the mobile manager line? It can be positive or negative, just be polite.

[Robyr]

I see two obvious thing happening: Better battery life, VGA screens. I wish i had a lifedrive, my TJ27 is great though. I want a Palm made device that does what it does with builtin wifi, ala TJ37. Id like to see Palm pull a sony with the Mobile Manager line and have niche devices, sony made a killing that way. Id love a clamshell Palm device that had many everyday features. And personally, bluetooth can take a hike. :P

EDIT: Its 2AM, and i am fighting sleep, so my post will be pretty much incoherant.

[PDAJah]

I think PalmOne will spend more effort in dealing with software issues in the future. Here are some examples of developments I think they need to fund/influence:

- Significant improvement to the web browser; to get to Opera standards would be a start
- Docs to Go which can read native PDF files
- Ability to play encrypted WMA (I know Pocket Tunes are working on this but it needs to happen soon)
- Overall improved stability of the OS when dealing with badly developed/tested third-party apps

And finally, I think PalmOne should include integrated GPS (many Smartphones now have this capability)

[ielfilab]

The PalmSource interview series on Mchael Mace clearly shows Palm still lives in the age of organizers. With LD1 Palm has demonstrated their inability to write quality SW, I do not think there is future for Mobile managers.

[Unreg1stered]

If the LD line of products is profitable and stays (palmOne included) then about the only improvements we will see in the shorter term are small incremental ones as they don't cost much in terms of product change and continued marketing vs a totally new line or product launch.

Don't expect anything groundbreaking from palmOne for quite some time with Symbian and WM05 coming on strong. OS7 [Linux] had better be some kind of incredible improvement or we may not be seeing too many more palm based PDA's unfortunately I fear.

As powerful as PDA's are and bridging the gap as laptop replacements in some markets, there's not a whole lot more they can do except for software improvment and some minor hardware tweaks (stand alone pda). Better screens (VGA) and larger storage along with possibly a slightly faster processer are about all we can expect from palm, plus some minor things like what PPC's are doing like video out and other minor things but those are only useful to niche markets. They don't have the dominance anymore and are risk averse to bring out anything "groundbreaking" whatever that could be (not sure) and survive a possible flop.

What I'd like to see is more built in RAM vs HD based ram. More dynamic heap memory so you can emulate and play bigger games like zDoomz or others to come. Plus video out. Possibly a slide out keyboard.

Actually a T|E2 would actually fit me better if it had wifi as I'd rather have the storage on a removable flash memory. Better battery life, easier transfer, doesnt' get lost on a hard reset. Plus with the announcement of 4GB SD cards likely to keep increasing over the next few years, personally I don't see a moving, battery draining, fragile harddrive as something I want in my PDA. Course that's just my worthless opinion (I do have a LD and like it mostly).

[jjesusfreak01]

I dont believe we will see anything like your LD2. I personally believe it is not enough of an improvement, and users will be highly disappointed if Palm releases something like that. I believe the hardware will be somewhere between the LD1, and the LD3 you list.

[ielfilab]

I agree, OS7 (Linux) is the last hope. If the SW works, the HW details are EASY.
VGA screen, bigger battery, BT1.2 etc are small decisions and any engineering team worth its paycheck and any competent marketing team can agree on and deliver.

There MUST be a usable stable OS first.

PS, I used the LD for a week and it was simply crap.

[poissonsouriant]

I dont believe we will see anything like your LD2. I personally believe it is not enough of an improvement, and users will be highly disappointed if Palm releases something like that. I believe the hardware will be somewhere between the LD1, and the LD3 you list.

If it's released at the end of this year, which is somewhat possible, then my theoretical LD2 could work without a terrible amount of complaints. (Though I can think of some that will still complain. :D)

The second release in a PalmOne product line is generally all of what the first device should have been. There was very little change between the T1 and the T2 (as far as I know, just a slightly better screen). The Zire didn't have enough memory even for a entry-level PDA, so the Zire 21 fixed that. The Zire 72's only change over the Zire 71 is a marginally better camera, bluetooth, and a different case design. The Treo 650 added all the features people said were missing on the 600 (removeable battery, bluetooth, 320x320 screen)

You don't usually see a big new thing until the third item in a product line. The Zire 31 was the first with entry-level color, the Tungsten T3 was the first device (from PalmOne) with an HVGA screen.

What does this mean for the other PalmOne product lines, as three more are nearing their third device? A Tungsten E3 with HVGA? A Treo 700 with Cobalt, or maybe WiFi? A Zire 73 with a 4 megapixel camera and flash? Just guesses, of course.

[poissonsouriant]

LifeDrive 2

Release date: 2Q 2006, or possibly even 4Q 2005
OS: Palm OS Garnet. Palm OS Cobalt is possible, but highly likely. Expect to see nearly all of the bugs from the LD1 eliminated.
Processor: The processor will most likely remain at 416 MHz. If there is a improvement, it won't go above 500 MHz.
Screen: The screen will most likely stay the same. As the second model in a PalmOne product line is almost always a small jump from the first, there is no reason to assume that PalmOne will suddenly make the jump to higher resolution.
Storage: The 4GB HD is the big selling point of the LD1, so they are unlikely to change it. It is possible that it will be bumped up to 6GB or 8GB. There will almost certainly be some addition to fix the lag problem, whether it is effective or not. Most likely they will merely add 64MB of NVFS for program storage. There may or may not be an option to only erase the NVFS during a Hard Reset, they could go either way.
Battery: The battery was another of the big complaints that people had about the LD1. Expect to either see a bigger battery (2000+mAh) or a removable battery (~1660mAh)
WiFi: Not likely to change beyond bug fixes, so expect 802.11b to remain. It will most likely support whatever encryption standards are common at the time. 802.11g, although possible, is highly unlikely.
Bluetooth: PalmOne could go either way with this. They've got Bluetooth 1.1 down pretty well, and it pretty much does what most PalmOne users want it to do. But the 1.2 standard is well established, and most other handheld makers use it. So neither 1.1 nor 1.2 will come as a surprise.


Wow, I'm better than I thought I was:
http://www.1src.com/forums/showthread.php?t=90273