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"LifeDrive- will drive you nuts!" on by poochieboy2
Pros: big memory, wi-fi, nice screen
Cons: resets very often, incompatible with third party sware
Summary: I thought LifeDrive would drive my life into a more organized one--but it did not. After upgrading from a mere Zire 72 (which worked exceptionally well for epocrates, calorie king and lots of skyscape and mobipocket books), I purchased the LifeDrive from Palmone. I found out that the thing resets over and over and when you are ready to show your friends your slideshow of your vacation it says---"low memory cannot run slide show"- I realize how unstable it is. The tech support is in Manila---which is OK because I am a Filipino-American, but the only solution is always a quick reset---my gosh it took me 72 hours to put back all my previous software and you want me to Quick reset? I returned the Lifedrive after 25 days of use, I said the headaches the waiting to reboot over 5 minutes drove me to the edge I am surprised the cnet editors scored it high--it is unbelievably a Palm flop! I am wondering how many people actualyy returned their LifeDrive---all of you who hates it say "I". I am a physician and the forums against the LifeDrive have been numerous. I am pretty sure the PDA I got was not defective---it is just the nature of the beast! Too bad I am stuck with the Palm as a lot of my software are palm. Anyone please help me find a replacement please!!!!!!!!!!!!
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"Lifedrive is perfect for my needs..." on by blackraven
Pros: Wifi, Bluetooth, 4gig drive, Documents to Go, design
Cons: Limited battery life under full strain, list price (although available for under $430)
Summary: (Former m100, Palm V, & Sony Clie user)
I've been using my Lifedrive for over a week now and must highly recomend it to those with similar needs... Wifi & Bluetooth connectivity are a must for me (e-mail & web access), both setup very easy and have worked flawless; Documents to Go is included as well as Adobe which support all my document needs; plenty of space for programs which I utilize most (psych & med); also plenty of memory for files, pics, music, & video (downloading the free TCPMP media player allows for Divx & Xvid viewing).
There have been concerns about the "speed" of programs loading...compared to the flash based Palms, the programs are not instant loading...but most load in under 3 seconds (count...1...2...3) I personally don't need anything quicker then that. Another concern is the number of times it crashes...usually from hitting icons too fast or too many times before letting it load; it does take longer to restart, but I've only had to reset it twice in the past week & half (& have added many additional apps).
A landscape mode button & a nice design/feel of the Lifedrive makeup for the above problems some users had.
Lastly, yes, it does retail $499...but between the features, memory, cool factor, & being able to get it online for around $400, the Lifedrive is highly recommended!Updated
The battery life is like a cell phone...the more you use it, w/ all features, the quicker it is used up. You can watch a 2 hour movie & still check e-mail/todo list...you'll just need to recharge at night. I charge every other night...right next to my cell.
As for the included e-mail client & setup, it is easier to setup then Outlook (some service providers are already included, other you just need to know your incoming & outgoing servers...available from Outlook settings).
I'm a Palm user...I have an extensive collection of psych & med programs, so I continue to use Palm. Not wanting to get rid of my current cell phone for a smart phone, I decided to purchase a wifi/bluetooth device. Now with my Lifedrive & V3 (which tether just fine) I'm set...I'm organized...I'm wireless! -
"Good for medical students" on by Carmen Sandiego
Pros: Large 4 GB capacity, WiFi, large screen
Cons: Bulky, Slightly expensive, awkward on/off switch
Summary: My first PDA was the Palm Tungsten T3, which I found very useful for use on the wards as a medical student. Unfortunately, it was lost, and I decided to go for a new Palm. The specifications of the LifeDrive were very attractive, and seemed to cover the things which I felt were lacking in the T3.
Storage space is very important if you want to be storing a lot of eBooks (each around 8-30 MB). The 64 MB main memory of the T3 was not sufficient at all for me, and I used an SD card with it. The LifeDrive has ample space and I think its price which is rather expensive is justified considering how much you would be paying for SD cards to get the same storage space on another PDA. I now have extra space to store family photos, games, novels, maps and other software in addition to my medical books. I can also store most PowerPoint presentations of lectures I take. Another advantage in the LifeDrive is that files aren't erased if you forget to recharge the battery.. an annoying thing which occurred every now and then on the T3.
WiFi is easy to set up and use, but the webpages are slow in loading.. I don't see that as a major problem though because I don't plan to use it for the internet a lot. It's useful if you only want to check important emails occasionally. The battery is quickly used up when WiFi is on, and I think a 20-30 minute session would probably drain all the charge.
The LifeDrive is rather bulky compared to other PDA's, but with the right case it's not that bad looking.. and the large screen makes up for it. Before buying it, I read that the on/off switch is "odd".. I agree with that, but I don't find it too much of a problem. The option of locking the keys is useful.
Music quality is tinny when heard directly from the speakers, it was the same with the T3, but I expect it to be alright with earphones. I would also like to test movie playing soon.. although it's probably best if it's plugged in the charger while playing.
I was delighted to find Solitaire already installed on the LifeDrive.. but I didn't really like the lack of an option to view programs as a list.. except in Favourites mode. I like being able to see all available software on one page. There was also a problem transferring backed up files from my old Palm to the new one. I had to do it manually.
But overall, I think the LifeDrive has met my demands from a PDA and it's useful for work, study, time organisation, email, and play (even if for games and photos mostly). I don't regret going for it. -
"Great All-In-One Unit" on by jjennings2510
Pros: Huge 4gb Hard Drive
Cons: Compatibility with older palm software
Summary: I just want to say first that I actually own this pda. Unlike some people that bash devices without even owning them. This pda is awesome. It has a ton of memory for storing office files, music, photos, etc. As far as the lag I've been reading about it is hard to notice. Yes sometimes it does take a couple of seconds to switch applications but it's still faster than my old pda which I loved. (palm m515, it finally died on me) And most of the time its just as fast as the other palm pdas out there that use flash memory. It is bigger than my m515 but it's not huge. It fits comfortably in the hand and it can still fit in most pockets. The screen on it is terrific. It's vibrant and pictures and games look great on it. I also like the fact the the screen has a orientation button on the side that allows you to switch to landscape mode. It's easy to use this system with one hand because of the navigation keys. Battery life on this system is ok. When you're typing documents or reading ebooks etc. the life is pretty good. But when you start playing music or surfing the web it goes down a little. For me I've gotten an average of 6 hours of life per charge but that's with me surfing the net a little with music playing in the background and then watching some video clips. If you're only going to use this system for work then the battery will last longer. WiFi and bluetooth setup is very simple. Anyone can do it. I'm very gald that palm finally decided to add an led that changes colors when charging is complete. Charging takes about 2.5 hours when the battery is completely dead. Pocket tunes is a great mp3 player that is included on the system. It supports skins and if you upgrade it, it supports other audio formats (windows media, etc.) The only complaint I have with this system is the compatibilty with palm os 4 software. Most of it crashes the system so you have to check the websites for updates. But I just want to make it clear that this is NOT the only palm that suffers from this problem. ALL current generation pdas suffer from this problem (tungsten t5, t|x, tungsten e, etc.) I think it's because of the new file system palm uses (nvfs) so if you're thinking about going the t5 route then it's going to have the same problem. And it suffers from the same delays and it uses FLASH memory. and it only has 160mb of it. I think the problem lies within palm os 5 which is limiting todays hardware. Speaking of which p-tunes does skip whenever you have it playing in the background and you switch apps or save something to the hard drive. But once again I strongly feel that this is a limitation of the os which is NOT a true multi-tasking os. Sorry for blabbing but I just wanted to touch on the different things that I like and hate about this pda. It only comes with a usb cable, not the cradle which is something you will definitely want to invest in. it comes with a pretty good amount of software including docs to go for office files. Overall I am very satisfied with this pda and would recommend it to anyone. The price is a little steep but it's worth it. It's worth it but there's no reason why you should pay retail for it. Most sites are selling this unit for $399. I got mine for $380. only $30 more than the t5. What a bargain. But I know the T5s have dropped in price. Anywayz don't let people scare you away from this pda by saying it's buggy or slow. It's only buggy whenever you use incompatible software and it's not any slower than some of the other "top" palms (T5, T|x) All of the palms suffer from the software issue so it's recommended that you start fresh if you're upgrading from an older palm. It'll save you a lot of trouble. This is well worth the money especially if you find it for $399 the same price as a T|X which only has like 200mb of memory instead of 4gb. (4000mb for those that don't know) This unit will replace your laptop........it saved me from having to spend $2000 for a new one and it does the same thing. Games, movies, word processing, music, voice recording, web surfing, transfering files over a network, etc. and it's a lot smaller and cheaper. Highly recommended!!!!!
ps Like I said before the only reason I gave this palm a 9 instead of a 10 is because of the software compatibility issues which are common to ALL current generation palms............. -
"Great multifunctional box!" on by robke67
Pros: Storage space, wifi, bluetooth, battery life, software.
Cons: Size and price.
Summary: After using it for a couple of days I have to say that this is really an excellent device. It stores documents, photo's, music etc. without problems and you can use them on the road. At work or home they transfer/sync easily to the pc (both Mac and Windows). I also work with a iPAQ hx4700 but the LifeDrive absolutely beats it in useability, features and software functionality.
Palm LifeDrive user reviews
