First reaction... podcasts can be more than a little unsettling. I listened to Jeff K.'s podcast and my main reaction is, if I ever tell a friend or relative that I plan on doing something like that, have them lock me in a closet until I come to my senses. I've read his website sporadically for a few years now, including during the phase where the Pocket PC seemed to make some sense to him, and I've always felt that his opinions were balanced and reasonable, although nobody would find it surprising that he has a very strong Palm bias.
Now after hearing him in this podcast, I have mental images of him in a large tent on a hot Sunday in the Dust Bowl, holding a rattlesnake in one hand and a LifeDrive in the other, saying "Repent, sinners..." Rock of Ages is being played (or perhaps pounded is the more accurate term) from an old upright piano in the corner.
And before anyone rails on me for this well intentioned ribbing of the podcast, let me say that I'd probably sound every bit as "on the fringe" if I did one myself. I guess I just think it's a bad idea overall, especially if you want to maintain the facade that you're at least reasonably sane. Given the tenuous state of that facade in my case, I think I should leave well enough alone.
Second reaction... is it just me, or is "LifeDrive" among the most pretentious and self-important product names that you've ever encountered? With Jerry Lewis in poor health these days, who will be able to host the LifeDrive telethon?
I've read his website sporadically for a few years now
I had never heard of Jeff K until this thread. I was reading the original front page post wondering who the heck he was. I guessed that he was a Palm executive of some sort.
I hate to say it, but you're all fanboys yourselves. That's not an insult, but just a natural role we end up taking. No one wants to say that the device their using isn't the best. Everyone naturally justifies their purchase and overlooks the flaws.
I'm sure there's fanboys here, but I'd like to think that most of us have made a rational decision as to why we use Windows Mobile.
I've always said that once Palm fixes multiple categorization and multitasking, I'd consider going back. Those two are requirements for me, and it's frustrating that they haven't been fixed. The Treo 650 is indeed a very attractive device, and Palm deserves credit for that piece of hardware -- but I'm not that interested in Garnet.
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As one poster said, you also get comfortable with what you're used to.
Indeed. One thing I hear from a lot of people who switch from Palm to Pocket PC is that it's "awkward" or "difficult". I found that it takes a few months before a new UI becomes immediately intuitive. I now find Palm's UI far more unintuitive than Pocket PCs'.
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But that's not for everyone. 95% of the customers I serve aren't after power and bragging rights. They just want to get the job done. In the case of most of the medicos, that means access to medical resources and basic PIM functionality.
Sure -- and, in those cases, I've occasionally recommended Palms. The real threat to Palm, though, is that cell phones are slowly gaining enough functionality for the majority of low-end uses. Palm knows it needs to attack the high-end and Smartphone markets to survive. While they have accomplished this on the hardware, the OS is lagging.
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Palm devices are simpler to use, and, contrary to what one poster here has said, don't crash 6-9 times a day.
Actually, there are known issues on the most recent devices -- especially the T5 -- that do require several resets per day. In fact, the linked discussion talks about it. My WM devices, on the other hand, usually last weeks to months between soft-resets.
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They also launch faster and are less complicated (wow you can actually quit applications when you say quit!)
I'll buy the faster, but as I assert above, I don't agree on the complicated bit.
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But it also has it's downsides. Activesync isn't exactly the best syncing software.
Yes -- and, finally, Microsoft has improved it significantly in WM5 (barring the loss of WiFi sync, which we've all railed about). And many of us have also railed about the close button.
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it will be interesting to see if the HP hw6500 does a better job at converged devices than the treo - if so, that puts palm one step closer to the grave.
I think the hw6500 will have its niche, but it's too hard to say. My biggest problem with the hw6500 is the low screen resolution. I'd love to see a device in that formfactor with a 480x480 screen.
Like everything else, both the PPC & Palm interface leave something to be desired. I think the Palm interface is more user friendly out of the box, especially for a new user. Tap Solitare, it starts...PPC, Start -> Programs -> Games -> Solitare. Sure its more like Windows, but I don't necessarily think that's a postive in a PDA.
Now, configure a PPC with some nice add-on's, and its quickly becomes much easier to use.
I've owned lots on either side of the fence, the Treo 650 & 600 are amazing. One handed operation, intuitive inveface (ex. Contact lookup), and really blow the current Smartphones away. I'm anxiously waiting for WM2005 for Smartphones to see what the MS boys have come up with.
Same for the Palm...load up some 3rd party add-on's and it too becomes a better user experience.
Either way, I'd love for Palm to be successful to keep MS working hard to gain marketshare. MS is best when chasing the leader...now that they've pased Palm, we'll see how they progress.
Either way, I'd love for Palm to be successful to keep MS working hard to gain marketshare. MS is best when chasing the leader...now that they've pased Palm, we'll see how they progress.
I have a LifeDrive now, and it's an excellent device. The built-in browser is better at rendering non-mobile sites than Pocket IE. I can actually use Outlook Web Access on the Life Drive, where it's a total pain on Pocket IE. I went this way because I'm tired of HP not upgrading the OS on their devices, switching from the Jornada to the iPaq, discontinuing iPaq sleeve models, etc.
Syncing is much better with the LD, and it support Wi-Fi file access (don't know about Wi-Fi sync).
The OS has some bugs and the LD reboots from time-to-time (more than my iPaq 4155) and it takes much longer to restart after a reboot. I turned file encryption on, and it took 8 minutes to start after a power off (encryption is now off). It should have a mini-USB port instead of the Palm cable, but at least it's the same cable as all the other Palms. The headphone jack is on the bottom, which is dumb, but no dumber than Pocket PCs that do the same thing.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I'll haven't decided which device I will stick with.
The agument over which is better is identical to the Windows vs. Apple argument. The answer is both and neither.
up until know, i have admired Jeff Kirvin's way of thinking, his articles, etc. etc.
but up until recently, i do NOT get his means of argument, his logic... which in my opinion, are now going in circles... even it were not bashing Palm against PPC, or vice-versa... *as in duh????*
or maybe he just likes to disagree with everything?? *could be*
I have a LifeDrive now, and it's an excellent device. The built-in browser is better at rendering non-mobile sites than Pocket IE. I can actually use Outlook Web Access on the Life Drive, where it's a total pain on Pocket IE. I went this way because I'm tired of HP not upgrading the OS on their devices, switching from the Jornada to the iPaq, discontinuing iPaq sleeve models, etc.
Syncing is much better with the LD, and it support Wi-Fi file access (don't know about Wi-Fi sync).
The OS has some bugs and the LD reboots from time-to-time (more than my iPaq 4155) and it takes much longer to restart after a reboot. I turned file encryption on, and it took 3 minutes to start after a power off (encryption is now off). It should have a mini-USB port instead of the Palm cable, but at least it's the same cable as all the other Palms. The headphone jack is on the bottom, which is dumb, but no dumber than Pocket PCs that do the same thing.
Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I'll haven't decided which device I will stick with.
The agument over which is better is identical to the Windows vs. Apple argument. The answer is both and neither.
Terry, now that you have a LifeDrive - is it true that during a "hard reset," even the 4GB HDD gets erased?
Terry, now that you have a LifeDrive - is it true that during a "hard reset," even the 4GB HDD gets erased?
Pressing the reset button doesn't erase the 4GB HDD...there is a software setting that will erase the drive after X number of incorrect password attempts (we get to set X).
According to this Brighthand thread: http://discussion.brighthand.com/pal...=&threadid=989 pressing the reset button is a soft reset. A hard reset will erase the HDD (see near the bottom of the first message in the thread for info on the LifeDrive).
I may eventually come back from the dark side to a WM5 PPC with a 6GB CF MicroDrive, but I've had a MicroDrive failure a couple of days after warranty in the past...
Re: Each serves their own market
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