lifedrive or ipaq hx2795

[JvT5]

I tested them both at circuit city today. both on sale. the ipaq is approx. $50 more than the LD. I like them both but I prefer the minimalist look of the LD. But I like the size of the ipaq and the fact that battery is removable.

I really can't choose between the two so I'm asking for anyone's opinion. I do use a mac laptop at home and Im wondering if the ipaq is compatible with my computer.

I will be using the PDA primarily at school and at the hospital (im in med school) most of my classmates have the new t/x but i personally don't like it.

-Storage-wise, the LD has an edge over the ipaq but it can easily be levelled by the use of a 2GB SD card.

-About the biometric security feature of the hx2795, it's a nice addition but probably i won't be using it.

-For the OS, im still unsure what to choose. I like the look of Windows mobile but it seems complicated. And im still unsure about the compatibility of windows mobile to mac osx.

opinions are greatly appreciated
-john

[erinford]

First let me admit that I don't have any experience of Windows Mobile. However I have used Palm based devices with Macs for a while.

I am two weeks into my new LD and on the whole I am pleased. My previous Palm was a Treo 600 and I synced that with both my Mac and my work PC. I am doing the same with the LD - with no issues so far, though the Mac is the primary sync.

Reasons why - I sync the LD with iCal and the Mac address book using HotSync, and use iSync to sync with .Mac, my old iMac, and my SE750i cellphone. The Mac has Docs to Go too - so all my MacOffice stuff is available on the LD. All this is seamless.

For stuff that isn't sync'd through Hotsync, you can use drive mode and the LD and SD card appear as removable drives on the Desktop.

Palm has a specific set of webpages just for Mac owners, http://www.palm.com/us/macintosh/ and many of the third party app developers have Mac/Palm versions - Splash is one that comes to mind. And Sailing Clicker rocks.

Versa mail has presets for .Mac mail so getting my email while out and about is no problem. Last night I connected my LD to the iMac and up popped iPhoto. It had detected some photos I transferred from my digital camera to the LD using Companion and aked me if I wanted to load them into iPhoto. I was impressed - I was expecting to have to use Drive Mode - this behaviour isn't documented anywhere that I have found - but its very cool.

The only niggle I have at the moment is that I can't get BT to work correctly between iMac and LD. BT sync is on hold at the moment. To be honest I haven't investigated thoroughly yet - and BT is working with my cell phone so I figure it's a set up issue.

I have had a few resets - especially in the beginning - but ensuring that I only have quality Palm programs has solved most of those - the ones that remain are due to unusual multi-tasking (drive mode and auto backup to the SD card not advised) - and updating the 30 day evaluation of Express - which I may not bother hunting down as I'm not planning on keeping it after the eval period.

You will not be able to use Addit on the LD - as that is Windows only on the PC end. But honestly, no great loss.

And finally - no problems connecting the LD to my airport express network - so I have access to IMDB on the LD while watching movies on TV!

BTW if you want to watch movies on the LD - get Handbrake for your Mac - it's great - and TCPMP to play them on the LD - Vogg Orbis video files are significantly smaller than AVI's created on Windows machines.

No idea what your experience would be with Windows Mobile - but in my experience Palm and Mac go well together. Good luck with your decision.

--greg

[JvT5]

thanks for your thoughts. I bought the LD It looks gorgeous with its shiny metal case. It also has been stable so far...no crashes yet (crossing my fingers) I also updated it with the LD v2.0

Bluetooth and Wifi has been working flawlessly; Blazer internet is faster than what I expected; and video playback is great. I think I made a right decision this time.

Honestly, I was having second thoughts of purchasing the LD when I was in circuit city. I've read so many bad reviews about it in forums especially lag time and system crashes. But now that I'm using it, I say that the lag time is minimal, in fact, almost negligible... just similar to my previous devices (palm 3c, palm m515, toshiba e) I'm thinking that maybe I just got a good unit or something. I don't know what's the big deal on waiting 1-2 sec to open an application. Basic applications like calendar, notepad, etc open instantly. Games have a wait time of 1-3 secs...I downloaded the full version of Village Sim and I've been hooked to it for the past couple of days (I think it's the best handheld game ever). Anyway, what I'm saying is, for those of you who are turned off by the LD because of the bad reviews, I do suggest that you try it first before dismissing it out completely. It is not the best device but it is certainly a great device.

Palm T/X is a good device too but I just feel that the LD is more attractive and cheaper (feature-wise) here's why:

Given that the software/programs/features are almost the same with both devices, I'll just list what are different:


The LD costs $150 more than T/X

here are the differences:

T/X LD (approx price diff)
128MB storage 4GB ~$115 for just 2GB SD
312MHz 416MHz ~let's just say $50
plastic casing aluminum
+voice recorder


The storage capacity alone offsets the cost of the LD vs T/X ( a single 4GB SD card costs $699 right now) so I computed based on two 2GB SD ($115/pc)

the processor, voice recorder, and casing are bonuses.

[SoSII]

just to say that the processor in the tx and ld is identical...the tx is underclocked to save battery life!!

[Single650]

You made a good decision > I am using an old Ipaq as my LD is at Palm having the ribbon cable sorted (I hope). PPC operating system is really clunky after using Palm OS. The whole feel of Palm is nicer. If you use a Mac you will know the difference its like using Windows after Mac OS