I guess it is the LifeDrive after all...

Posted by Scott Laird Thu, 05 May 2005 23:46:40 GMT

As earlier rumors suggested, Palm’s newest handheld is going to have a 4 GB hard drive. The rumor mills have given two different names for the product–“Tugsten X” and “LifeDrive.” According to CNet, it looks like Amazon has let the cat out of the bag, listing the PalmOne LifeDrive for $499.

Amazon doesn’t list a lot of details, but the name is really the only thing that was up for debate–most of the rumors list the 4 GB drive, Bluetooth, WiFi, and PalmOS 5.x. Most rumors say 64 MB of RAM, although 32 MB is a possibility.

Here’s one of Amazon’s pictures:

LifeDrive

People seem to think that PalmOne is going to market this as something other then a normal PDA/handheld; that implies that the software bundle will be a bit different then normal, but I haven’t seen any details. If you look at the image, notice that the 4 “application” buttons are different then earlier models–it looks like Home/Files/Pictures/Star (?), rather then Calendar/Contacts/To-Do/Memo.

Personally, I think it’s cool, but I just can’t get excited about Grifitti devices anymore. I’m still looking for a new handheld to replace my increasingly decrepit Clie, but I doubt that this will do it for me. Now, if they could add a keyboard and a 2-ish MP camera, all for about the same price, I’d consider it. As things stand, my pockets are just too full, and I don’t see what this adds to my life.

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Today's Palm rumor: a hard drive

Posted by Scott Laird Fri, 18 Mar 2005 00:01:10 GMT

Okay, so yesterday’s rumor has been thoroughly scoffed at, so it’s time for a new rumor. Today’s buzz suggests that Palm has a whole new product family under development to complement today’s Zire, Tungsten, and Treo families. The only details floating around are:

  • 4 GB of internal storage
  • WiFi
  • Bigger then Tungsten T5
  • New sub-brand (not “Tungsten”)

Since 4 gigs of flash costs about the same as a whole Palm, this rumor suggests that Palm is using a 4 GB 1” hard drive, like the model in the iPod mini. This wouldn’t be the first PDA with a hard drive–Sharp’s had one for months–but it would be the first one on sale outside of Japan.

So, if it’s not a Tungsten, then what is it, and what market are they aiming towards? Gaming? Media player? Portable web browser? Laptop replacement? Knowing Palm, they’ll probably screw it up beyond belief, but one can always hope.

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