Palm LifeDrive Review:

The Palm LifeDrive mobile manager has all you need to take your life on the road. With Palm LifeDrive’s 3.85 GB of usable storage, you can store and access years worth of e-mail, thousands of Word docs, 1200 PowerPoint presentations, 300 songs, 1000 photos, 2.5 hours of video, and more…all with room to spare. And your information is always safe on your LifeDrive mobile manager, even if you’re too busy to recharge the battery.

Palm LifeDrive smart file management.
You have better things to do with your time than manage files. With new Palm LifeDrive technology, you can quickly drag and drop thousands of files from your PC onto your Palm LifeDrive mobile manager with the folder structure intact. Select the files you want to keep in sync, and they’ll automatically be updated whenever you sync with your computer. Plus, you can use your Palm LifeDrive mobile manager like you would any other USB drive to easily upload files to any PC or Mac.

Palm LifeDrive Built-in WiFi 802.11b and Bluetooth 1.1 wireless.
Stay connected at any of the over 80,000 public WiFi hotspots in popular hotels, cafes and airports around the world. Access your POP, IMAP and Exchange e-mail accounts with the included VersaMail e-mail client. Download your latest calendar appointments from the office. Retrieve documents from your main computer with the WiFile software. Use the included Blazer web browser, optimized for the mobile experience, for surfing. Or, use Bluetooth to connect to compatible devices nearby–sync with a Bluetooth laptop, print wirelessly to a Bluetooth printer or dial a Bluetooth phone.

Support for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files.
Rehearse your PowerPoint presentation discreetly in an airport. Make last-minute changes to a Word document. Check the numbers in an Excel spreadsheet and update them on the spot. Download and view an Acrobat file. The Palm LifeDrive mobile manager comes with support for native Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files and converted PDF files.

More room for MP3 files, photos and video clips.
Whether you’re viewing schematics from business associates, listening to songs, or both, the Palm LifeDrive mobile manager gives you room for virtually everything you might take with you. Plus the software you need is pre-installed. View photos and videos with the PalmOne Media application. And enjoy all the songs in your personal music collection with on-board support for MP3 files in full stereo.

Palm LifeDrive Built-in voice recorder.
Capture that big idea anywhere. Tape important lectures. Take notes hands-free. Or, record a slideshow narration to accompany your photos. It’s all possible with this integrated, go-anywhere audio functionality.

Palm LifeDrive - Camera companion.
Why take your laptop on vacation? Instead, download the images from your camera’s SD memory card onto your Palm LifeDrive mobile manager, and free up your card for more photos. Back at your desk, you can easily upload your photos to your personal web site or photo-printing service.

Expansion possibilities.
Palm LifeDrive mobile manager gives you plenty of options. The built-in expansion card slot supports SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCard formats. Transform your Palm LifeDrive mobile manager into an in-car navigator with a GPS Integrated Car Cradle. Carry a portable, wireless keyboard that unfolds to full size to conveniently create or edit files on the go. The included Addit software makes it easy to try or buy popular software titles via Bluetooth or WiFi.

High resolution, color rich display.
Sit back and enjoy the view with this 65,000-color, 320 x 480 Transflective TFT display. Flip to portrait or landscape orientation with the touch of a button, and get a better perspective on work, photos, or anything else. The status bar gives you quick access to key functions on screen, like the current time and search.

Palm LifeDrive - Multiple security measures.
128-bit encryption keeps your valuable data secure. Password protection safeguards access to your device, while the Private Records function protects specific files when the rest of your device is unlocked. The optional Intrusion Protection function erases all data and returns the device to factory settings after a user-specified number of failed break-ins.

Sleek exterior, racy interior.
Everything is encased in an elegant, brushed silver finish. On the inside, you’ll have fast performance for business and multimedia applications, thanks to the 416 MHz Intel XScale processor. The 5-way navigator lets you launch applications, select items, and view details all with one hand. The on/off/hold button keeps your MP3 player on without inadvertently launching other applications.

Palm LifeDrive - Stay organized with the basics and more.
And last, but not least, you’ll have all the essentials of a good personal assistant with our award-winning PIM applications–Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Memos. Not to mention the ability to sync with Outlook on a PC or with iCal and Address Book on a Mac.

Palm LifeDrive User Said:

I’ve been intrigued by handheld computers for years, but was never convinced that they could be truly useful. Last year, I was thinking of buying an MP3 player, especially for use on long trips. Then I saw some dual-function players that also served as photo viewers, and thought maybe I’d get more use out of something like that. Still, I didn’t buy anything, as it seemed as though none of these devices really lived up to its potential.

Then I saw the Life Drive last spring and decided to get one. I have to say that I’ve got more pleasure out of this device than from any other electronic purchase I’ve ever made. I can use it to listen to music or to show off photos, but I also have found many other uses for it that I hadn’t even imagined. I carry it with me everywhere and use it multiple times a day.

I now use the Palm LifeDrive as my only reminder system, keeping it synchronized with Outlook on my desktop. If I’m walking down the street and remember something I have to do, I pull out my Life Drive and enter it in my Task list. The next time I synchronize (recharging the device at the same time), the task gets added to my Outlook tasks. If someone gives me their email address, no more writing it on a paper napkin! I enter it in my Life Drive contacts, and the next time I send an email, it’s already in my Outlook address book.

The Palm LifeDrive has a 4 gig hard drive, which is a lot of storage. I never used an older handheld, so I can’t compare it to what older models had. However, it holds a lot of stuff! I have the Oxford Compact English dictionary on it, a very complete Italian-English dictionary, the Britannica concise encyclopedia, the CIA World fact book, the entire Bible, and my entire recipe collection. (Have you ever been in a supermarket and can’t remember what you need to buy to make tiramisu?) There’s still plenty of space left! If 4 gigs isn’t enough, you can put more stuff on an SD storage card. These come in sizes up to 2 gigs.

The Palm LifeDrive comes with a version of Office software, so you can put Microsoft Word files on it, as well as Excel and Access files, and modify them on the road. There is also a version of Acrobat Reader,which has a desktop companion that will convert normal Acrobat files to a format more suited to the small screen.

I didn’t think I would like using a stylus for input and was planning to buy a keyboard. However, the Graffiti 2 hand-writing recognition system is very intuitive and quick. I just started writing without reading the instructions for forming the letters, and the only one I had trouble with was the letter “x”. I found out on my own that Graffiti 2 will recognize many more ways of writing a letter than they officially claim.

I bought a text-completion program (by Teal) so that it suggests words before I finish writing them. The one problem with this is that I use both English and Italian; the program recognizes both, but I have to manually switch vocabularies before beginning to write, which is a drag. I wish it could figure out which language I’m using and switch automatically, as Microsoft Word does with its spell checker. Teal also makes a useful program (Teal Glance) that displays a daily to-do list with a clock when you turn on the Life Drive. However, some programs override the Teal Glance screen if they were the last program you used before turning it off. (Usually the Palm LifeDrive picks up right where you left off when you turn it on.)

For Music, the Life Drive has two programs: Pocket Tunes and Rhapsody. Rhapsody is great for organizing music on your desktop and digitalizing your CD collection, but it has some kinks in it. It also transfers music to your Palm LifeDrive, but I find it quicker to just drag and drop the music directly onto an SD card (using a USB card reader). Pocket Tunes organizes and plays the music once it’s on the Life Drive. I’ve noticed that if I’m listening to music and want to use the Life Drive for something else simultaneously, there is a pause or click in the music whenever I touch the menu with my stylus. I had read that this could be avoided by keeping the music on SD cards, but I still hear the click. I also read that installing and updated operating system from the Palm web site would address this problem, but it hasn’t. However, that’s a minor complaint, because usually when I’m listening to music, I don’t multitask.

The Palm LifeDrive has both Blue Tooth and Wifi incorporated. I haven’t really used either. There is an email package, Versamail, that looks pretty straightforward, and also a web browser called Blazer.

I’ve also installed a few games to amuse me in the dentist’s office and while waiting for trains. There is an enormous amount of stuff available on the web.

I’ve heard rumours that Palm will be abandoning the Palm LifeDrive, or replacing it with something else. I really hope not. One of the things I’ve heard is that the Treo cell phone will replace the Life Drive. I have no desire for a big cell phone that does everything, and the Treo doesn’t have the hard drive. Plus it costs a lot more. The functions that the Palm LifeDrive already has are plenty for me. I had been planning to buy a new laptop, mainly for travelling, but I don’t think I will need one. If I can find a wifi hot spot, I can check my email with the Palm LifeDrive, and also look up train schedules and the like on the web.

There are other features that I haven’t used much yet, such as the voice memo. This allows you to dictate a reminder into the Palm LifeDrive if you don’t have time to jot it down with the stylus. You can later attach an alarm to the memo. I don’t know if these can be synchronized with Outlook. You can also use this to record a lecture.

I find that the battery lasts for several days without recharging, more than my cell phone for sure. There is a dual cord that will charge and synchronize at the same time. The only complaint I have is that this cord seems to have a weak attachment. When I press the synch button, sometimes the connection with my computer gets broken and I have to straighten the cord out, press the button carefully and lay the device down carefully. Probably I should get the cradle with built-in cord to avoid this, but it would be nice if the cord that came with the device worked better. Some people complain about the case (or sleeve might be a better word) that comes with the device, but I think it’s sufficient and haven’t thought of getting a real case.

I can only say that if you’re thinking of getting the Palm LifeDrive, go for it!

—– By Barbara Vaughan

Compare Prices Of Palm LifeDrive