PDA News

palmOne Introduces LifeDrive, Its First Mobile Manager Product

Little White | Reporter, Little Bill | Reporter
Date: 07/17/2005

Venturing beyond its well-known focus on the handheld and smartphone markets, palmOne, Inc. today introduced the LifeDrive mobile manager, an innovative product that fuses business productivity tools and entertainment applications. Designed for people with a significant volume of digital information, the LifeDrive mobile manager offers 4GB of hard-drive storage (3.85GB user available), a large 320x480 high-resolution color screen, and wireless access through built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth(R) wireless technologies.

Consumers today demand more from their mobile devices as their digital information continues to increase in size and scope. Many people want easy access to all of their essential documents, email and wireless web access. They want the ability to entertain themselves in a free moment, and to share personalized content, such as photos, home movies or their entire MP3 collection. The ability to do these things in an all-in-one device has become a reality with mobile managers.

With LifeDrive, people can easily carry virtually all of their essential desktop computer files and folders. Crucial documents can be set to update automatically at each HotSync operation, and users can receive secure wireless email with attachments whenever they are within range of a Wi-Fi connection or by connecting via a compatible Bluetooth phone. People can even remotely retrieve Microsoft Office files left behind on the desktop computer.

Inside the 4GB Hard Drive

The 4GB Hitachi Microdrive(TM) weighs less than a AA battery, is smaller than a matchbook and transfers data 30 percent faster than the previous-generation Microdrive, so users can get to their music, pictures, data more quickly. With 3.85GB of usable storage, LifeDrive mobile manager users can store and access all of the following on a single device:

-- 1,200 office documents;
-- 6,000 emails;
-- 1,000 photos;
-- 300 songs;
-- 2.5 hours of video;
-- 50 voicemails;
-- 10,000 contacts; and
-- 10,000 appointments.

Stored information, media, files and documents are available at any time on the 320x480, high-resolution color screen, which can flip from landscape to portrait at the touch of a button.

Access to Office Files and Folders, Quickly and Securely

With support for native Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Adobe Acrobat Reader, LifeDrive smart file management makes it easy for users to carry and access thousands of files. This innovative, new software system saves time, making it easier for a mobile professional to work efficiently while away from the office. The LifeDrive smart file management system comprises four key applications:

-- Folder Sync -- automatically updates selected files when syncing;
-- File Transfer -- drag and drop thousands of files from a PC onto LifeDrive mobile manager;
-- Drive Mode -- behaves like a USB drive to easily transfer files to any PC or Macintosh; and
-- Files View -- transferred folder structure remains intact, making it easy to locate important information.

Flash memory keeps information safely intact, even if the device loses its charge, and 128-bit encryption keeps valuable data safely secure when invoked. Password protection safeguards access to the device, while the Private Records function protects specific files, even when the rest of the mobile manager is unlocked. An optional Intrusion Protection function erases all data and returns the device to factory settings after a user-specified number of failed break-ins.

Wirelessly Surfing with High-speed Connections

By connecting to any of the more than 80,000 public Wi-Fi hotspots in popular hotels, cafes and airports around the world, LifeDrive mobile manager users can do the following:

-- access POP, IMAP and Exchange email accounts;
-- download the latest calendar appointments from the office;
-- retrieve documents from the desktop computer with the WiFile software; and
-- surf the web with the included web browser, which has been optimized for mobile surfing.

palmOne is working with T-Mobile to ensure a good hotspot experience for LifeDrive customers to access the world's largest public Wi-Fi network. T-Mobile is providing a free 30-day trial offer for LifeDrive owners.

The device's built-in Bluetooth can be used to connect to compatible Bluetooth devices nearby, allowing for wireless syncing with a Bluetooth laptop, wireless sending a document to a Bluetooth printer or hands-free dialing to a Bluetooth phone.

Mobile Multimedia and Expansion

While on the go, LifeDrive mobile manager users can enjoy listening to songs from their personal music collection, viewing photos or watching video clips. To highlight the music capabilities of LifeDrive, RealNetworks is giving LifeDrive customers free access to its Rhapsody client, which they can use to manage their personal music collections. RealNetworks is offering a 30-day free trial of its award-winning Rhapsody music service, providing unlimited access to more than 1 million songs on their PCs. In the coming months, subscribers also will be able to use the Rhapsody To Go service to download and transfer an unlimited amount of their favorite music to their LifeDrive and enjoy it wherever they go as long as they are subscribed to the service.

The built-in voice recorder allows for hands-free notes or personal narrations to accompany photo slideshows. Users of the LifeDrive mobile manager will enjoy fast performance for business and multimedia applications, thanks to the 416MHz Intel XScale processor.

The expansion card slot, which supports SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCard formats, makes it easy to transform the LifeDrive mobile manager into a camera companion. Instead of bringing a laptop on vacation, users can simply download images from the camera's SD memory card onto the LifeDrive mobile manager to free up the card for more photos and enjoy photos on a larger screen.

LifeDrive includes a special version of Addit software, which provides users with on-the-go access to tips and tricks, new articles and software updates. Addit also will showcase advanced software applications that add value and functionality for the user, such as photo editing on the go and players to support streaming media. The LifeDrive mobile manager from palmOne has an estimated U.S. street price of $499.

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