PalmOne LifeDrive

Posted by T3 Online on Fri 19 Aug 2005

Finally, a PDA that stores all your media.

With PDAs starting to feel as exciting as a bus ride to Grimsby, PalmOne has proved there's life in the old handhelds yet by unveiling the first hard-drive model. An enticing mix of business and pleasure, the 4GB LifeDrive "mobile manager" combines powerful organiser software with multimedia prowess.

The device enables you to play MP3s, watch videos and view photos downloaded directly from a digital camera, all while keeping your affairs in order. Contacts, a calendar and an Office file-editor are also at your disposal. Dual wireless seals the deal, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth providing Internet and email access wherever you roam.

The sleek silver casing is made from aluminium and plastic, and is tough enough for life on the road. The screen, however, lacks brightness and has fewer pixels than the latest VGA displays, although text still looks crisp. With room for 2.5 hours of video, 300 MP3 files, 1,200 images plus thousands of emails and documents, the unit is also understandably quite hefty. This is a fair trade-off for ample storage, but we wonder why PalmOne couldn't squeeze in a camera for spontaneous shots.

Plug the handheld into any USB port and it pops up as a removable storage device. You can simply drag and drop files onto the drive and synchronise designated folders with your computer - no HotSync required. Your precious files won't be wiped out if the non-replaceable battery dies, which is fortunate, because you can't carry a spare.

The LifeDrive faces stiff competition from two hard-drive phones due later this year: the 3GB Samsung SGH-i300 and the 4GB Nokia N91. Nevertheless, it should still win the hearts of early adopters with its plug-and-play functionality and intuitive Palm platform.