RSSAmazon Reveals Palm's HD Based PDA
By Ed Oswald | Published May 6, 2005, 12:38 PM
Amazon.com on Thursday leaked details of PalmOne's rumored LifeDrive PDA that is expected to ship later this month. According to details on the Web page, the PDA is rumored to have a 4GB hard drive and color screen, as well as wireless connectivity.
According to sources, the retail price of the LifeDrive, slated for release on May 18, is expected to be around $500. The unit will have a 416MHz Intel XScale, the fastest processor in a Palm handheld to date, along with a 320x480 display resolution.
It is not clear, however, if the LifeDrive pictures listed on Amazon are legitimate, as they were not posted by Amazon nor PalmOne, but rather by a third party. Also, the dimensions posted have been brought into question based on the pictures shown.
According to a report by News.com, the LifeDrive will be compatible with the Real Rhapsody music store, possibly indicating that PalmOne would like the LifeDrive line to compete with Apple's iPod Photo players, which are similarly priced.
LifeDrive's existance would indicate a move by PalmOne towards more complex PDAs. Long known for their simplicity, the company's devices have, for the most part, fewer features than their Windows-based counterparts. However, the LifeDrive would put the company on more equal footing with those devices, and in terms of storage space, would put them ahead of the pack.
The new device would come at a crucial time for PalmOne. Data released within the past month indicates that overall, PDA shipments have fallen nearly a quarter, and the company has lost share of the smartphone market, falling below 10 percent in many surveys behind rivals Nokia and Symbian.
That looks pretty sweet. I can't wait to find out more about it. This is just the thing that will probably finally coax me into getting a PDA. Although, I'll probably wait til the price comes down a little.
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|I just wish Somone would make an IPOD like PDA like the one above that held 60 or 80 GB like the ipods do. Then I'd be in heaven . . . ooh better yet - also add pocket pc with integrated phone!
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|Like the Treo 650? I'll admit tho, this LifeDrive with a phone capability would be in my pocket in no time. Shame it doesn't have it. :P
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|I read the story link from Good Morning Silicon Valley about the LifeDrive line of hard-drive equipped PDAs on Beta News. Check out this post I'm replying too.
"Wow posted by wincement
May 6, 2005 - 1:15 PM
That looks pretty sweet. I can't wait to find out more about it. This is just the thing that will probably finally coax me into getting a PDA. Although, I'll probably wait till the price comes down a little. "
Do you wonder if this guy works for any of the related companies? I'm not saying he does, because he might just be a genuine interested party. But here is the things with blogs, with all the hype PR people within corporations and overeager workerbees want to exploit blogs. They see this not an legit way to hear from potential users and actual users, but as a way to seed hype. Again, maybe they are just an interest person I can't tell but look at their comment closely. I can usually spot the fakes I'd tell you how, but I don't want to make the fakers smarter.
PR people are to blogs as Viagra sellers are to email.
I'm just sayin...
Here's some disclosure. I know about this product and some intended pricing, marketing and set up, but I won't disclose the info because I signed a non-disclosure form. But knowing the people behind this I wouldn't for a second put it past them to start a "buzz creation" campaign using blog comments, fake blogs and paying people to comment on blogs.
I'd like to think the savvy people will see behind astroturf "fake grassroots" campaigns and phony viral marketing, but I doubt it.
Lately we have seen reporters paid to hawk products, think tank people paid by the Right wing who haven't disclosing their relationship with the Vice President (AEI), journalists paid to promote a bill (Armstrong Williams), fake video news (Karen Ryan reporting), fake grassroots letter writing campaigns and fake town hall meetings where there are no people who hold opposing view points.
Let's not believe everything we read on blogs (not even Mr. Spocko's comments! After all I'm a fake person, on a cancelled TV show acting as a pseudonym for a real person with no certain agenda!)
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|damn right. I would easily be willing to spend $500 on a pocket PC smartphone with atleast a 20 GB hard drive whatever the current processor is and a decent screen with a full keyboard. Not only that but i am a poor college student. Why cant these manufacturers get it right by just combining everything people are looking for. Instead it seems like they are always coming out with something that has 4/5 capabilities. Message to the manufacturers: Take a clue and combine!! Thats the only way you will ever take over the iPod!!!
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