palmOne's LifeDrive Mobile Manager appears on Amazon

A page for the LifeDrive Mobile Manager, palmOne's unannounced new 4GB multimedia-centric handheld with a built-in 4GB Microdrive, has just turned up on Amazon.com, our new favorite source of leaked product info (right after the FCC, that is). Yeah, we know that the obviously simulated screen images aren't exactly encouraging, but it's not like Amazon to post up tons and tons of phony product shots, either. They're listing the LifeDrive as having a 416MHz Xscale processor, 320x480 resolution LCD, and "LifeDrive smart file managment", nothing about RAM, WiFi, Bluetooth, etc. Also, no price is mentioned and the release date of May 3rd has already come and gone, so we're guessing somebody accidentally (or maybe "accidentally") let this loose.

[Thanks, Mark]

UPDATE: Someone pointed out in the comments that if you add the LifeDrive to your wishlist it shows up for $499.88.
UPDATE 2: They now have May 18th listed as the launch date. [Thanks, Ray]
UPDATE 3: It's also looking like it will have Bluetooth and WiFi. Uh huh!

[Blake Bowen @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

YEEEEEEEEHHHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

[Mark @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

While Apple rumors are great, nothing really gets my heart going like a good Palm one! I can't wait until this thing comes out.

[KRHAiNOS @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I don't see OS6.x Cobalt, I see PalmOS 5.x :(

[wung @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

price is listed on Amazon.com as $499.88 ... just add it to your wishlist and it'll appear.

[Joshua Ochs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Anyone else find it odd that the icon for PocketTunes (a third party app) is shown prominently in all screen shots? I wonder if RealPlayer was dumped...

[010111 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

$499 isn't bad at all actually. if it had a 1.3MP camera and/or a GSM phone... it would be perfect. as is ... it's pretty surprising for Palm to be slightly ahead of the curve for once with the inclusion of the 4GB drive. (yeah. i know about the Sharp...)

i seriously thought the leaked shots from before and the specs were completely made up like on some Palm fan site... nice to see they were totally 100% accurate for once.

[dibbs, in search of self @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

just add mobile phone, high capacity mp3 player and decent mobile internet capabilities and you have the must-have gadget of the decade. (i think im forgetting a few things on the list tho)

[scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

actually...i'm not so sure. did you notice that, in the listing, it states that "This page was created by a seller." That isn't something that appears on official Amazon listings. The question is...which seller? Until that is known, I would argue that the validity is unknown.

[icebin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

OHOH so good!

[bryan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

very cool. finally palmone shows some signs of life. I think this is the coolest, most innovative model they've come up with since the tungsten C, or maybe even the original PalmPilot.(crediting the treos to handspring) #5 is right, if it had a good camera with video, it would be perfect. VoIP or direct streaming from rhapsody would also make it an automatic purchase for me. But without that stuff.......how can i possibly make a decision with the treo 650 for verizon and this coming out at almost the exact same time?

[petro @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I agree with #8. Also, PalmOne officially announced that the "Life Drive" is *not* the name of the forth coming PDA, but the name of the 4gb hard drive that will be in said PDA. The PDA will have a different name when released, so all those pictures are fakes.

[alex @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

actually, brighthand confirmed that the name is in fact LifeDrive: http://www.brighthand.com/article/LifeDrive_Not_TungstenX

[Mark @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#11:
I wouldn't say they're 'fakes', for one thing concept images that industrial design firms create aren't fake, only mock-ups. Also, though the name is wrong, that doesn't mean they're instantly fake, either. Nothing is definite yet, but then again how many people thought all the E2 images were fakes?


I see some accessories listed too, set for May 18th as well, no images unfortunately.

[bryan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

when you google the model # for the case (3219WW ) you get this page- its in spanish http://www.elipsis.com.mx/catalog/index.php/manufacturers_id/77 --check it out

[Dullicky @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I like this that was near the bottom of the page....
Amazon.com Sales Rank: None
ASIN: B0009JMT38
Item model number: 1044NA
Dimensions: 6.50 inches x 6.50 inches x 4.00 inches
Date first available at Amazon: May 18, 2005
Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
This page was created by a seller.

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Taking # 14's find one step further. Do a search for "Life Drive" at that same page and get the same accessories and model #'s.

http://tinyurl.com/cf6zt

[petro @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#12 and #13 - I stand corrected. I was going by an earlier article... viva la life drive!

[Thought @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I agree with #10: a device with broadband wireless access of some form, coupled with a music service like Rhapsody, makes this a great product.

The product has to have WiFi in order to be competitive on the market. Even then, with 3G starting to hit the US, it will only be a matter of time until WiFi seems obsolete in comparison.

[Scott-O-Rama @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#15 - I noticed that too. What exactly does it mean when they say "This page was created by a seller."

Does that mean someone other than Amazon posted this?

[Adam Wyss @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I don't know if any of you noticed yet or not, but in one of the screen shots, there is a menu option for WiFi, meaning, this may have WiFi built in, and i'm gonna go out on a limb and guess its got bluetooth too.

[petro @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Here's more:

"The No. 1 handheld maker will introduce LifeDrive Mobile Manager on May 18, according to sources familiar with the company's plans. The $499 device will come with a 4GB Hitachi Microdrive and two flavors of wireless networking--Bluetooth and 802.11b Wi-Fi.
...

LifeDrive handhelds will be powered by a 416MHz Intel XScale PXA270 processor and come with a 320-by-480-pixel color screen. It will not use handheld OS developer PalmSource's latest operating system, Cobalt, which is aimed at wireless devices. Instead, it will feature Garnet. Garnet includes support for wireless connections such as Bluetooth."

http://tinyurl.com/c2oll

[Doug @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

"Dimensions: 6.50 inches x 6.50 inches x 4.00 inches"

So who ever posted this is saying it is 4 inches thick?! I would hate to put that in my pocket.

[DK @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Those are almost certainly the dimensions of the box, not the handheld itself.

[Kendall @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I think this looks pretty promissing, I wish the hard drive was bigger so I could replace my ipod and just bring this and my phone around

[G3D @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

It's a shame they didn't use the T3's slider design. You get the same screen size but save about an inch in length when it's closed 4.25" as opposed to 5.25" when open. That definately makes a difference when it comes to convenient mobility.

Of course, my Wifi card sticks out about an inch from the SD slot so who am I to talk. :)

[MikeJett @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

adding more weight to the reality of this item are the following links:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00083MW2S/ref=pd_dpacc_1/104-5104832-8034352?v=glance&s=electronics&n=172282
for an aluminum hard case

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00083MW2S/ref=pd_dpacc_1/104-5104832-8034352?v=glance&s=electronics&n=172282
for a leather case

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00083N8DK/ref=pd_dpacc_3/104-5104832-8034352?v=glance&s=electronics&n=172282
for a three pack of stylus (styli?)

these three pages seem legit and not posted "by a user" as the main product page is .... i guess we'll see tomorrow if there will be an official announcement from Palmone .... makes me want to get a palm pilot .... i hate my gadget addiction, i really do ....

[TheZodiac @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

"UPDATE 3: It�s also looking like it will have Bluetooth and WiFi. Uh huh!"

"That, with the 4GB micro drive, the unit will have a total battery life of 45 mins. Edging out the PSP for shittiest implementation of advanced power polymers in the history of gadgets."

[Blue Balloon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

hmm.. I didn't see bluetooth in there. :-

[Galley @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#5, Yes, I have read that PocketTunes is the default audio player on the LifeDrive.

[Tony @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

28: Look at the last two pics -- Bluetooth logo on the status bar.

[acidreflux @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

First, size does matter, contrary to what people say.

Second, the fact that the navigator is so BIG, I can forsee someone will get their thumb stuck in the navigator, like the guy on "Clerks" with the Pringles can.

[Deco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Look what I found here: http://www.computerwelt.at/detailArticle.asp?a=92762&n=1

"Das alte PalmOne-Betriebssystem Garnet wird durch Cobalt ersetzt, ein neues PalmOne-System, welches Bluetooth-Verbindungen unterst?."

"The old PalmOne OS Garnet will be replaced by Cobalt, a new PalmOne OS which supports Bluetooth connections."

Found additional information somewhere else?

[Pat Horne @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Lifedrive WILL have the awesome MMPlayer and will most likely dump the Realplayer toy. Also, have read where ironically it WILL connect to RealRhapsody via wireless and do the MP3 thingy.

This is sweet.

[Lance Wehrung @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

The LifeDrive will use Pocket Tunes instead of RealPlayer. As for video, I highly recommend The Core Pocket Media Player. More links to information about the LifeDrive here:
http://www.palmfocus.com/devicedetails.asp?deviceid=22

[Steve Sande @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#33 - Excuse me? Garnet (5.x) supports Bluetooth already. My Tungsten T3 is proof of that...

[~Angel~ @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Bluetooth and wifi? Finally Palm is getting on the ball!

[Sietse @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#32: I wish they had a higher resolution for these gadgets already.. 800 x 600 or 1024 would be sweeeeeeeeeeet ..

Come on, get real. Why would you need a resolution that is higher than what you have on your desktop?

320x480 is about the same as a typical 17" flatpanel. Few complaints there.

800x600 is huge overkill, unless you always look at your PDA through a magnifying glass?

[Fermi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

This IS the lifedrive. The people who had the conference call with palmone told me this in march: There will be two new pdas from palmone. One in April and one in May
-----

The one in april turned out to be the e2. The one in may has got to be the lifedrive. What else?

[Fermi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

This device will have a long battery life. Initial reports even say that it could be up to 2300 mHz

[Deco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I don't think this thing - I read its about the same size of a T|5 - is going to have a long battery life. I can't even believe there's enough space for the hard drive AND the battery that will have an lifetime more than 30min ;)

[Marv @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#40

Have you seen an iPod mini?

[Fermi @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#40, It will have space. The lifedrive is 0.8 inches thick while the t5 is 0.5 inches thick. The hardrive will be the size of an SD card, trust me.

[noob @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

this thing looks awesome.

from what i understand, May 18th will be P1's official announcement.

[Gilroy Haran @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

I don't want one of theese, I NEED ONE! along with an SD400 series camera from canon and a bluetooth cell Moto v551, you would be the networked mobile GOD. Fill the camera with pics, dump to lifedrive, send via phone, repeat.

two downsides, a belt that would rival Batman(c), and i'm broke $1400 plus the belt

[Tim Rand @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

If its as slim as my Palm Vx, then I'll get one. These new big PDAs are just too much to put in a shirt pocket.

[Deco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Why does my search on amazon.com for "lifedrive" comes up with no results? The page is already set, isn't it?

[AdamaDBrown @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Actually, a microdrive is six times the size of an SD card, plus room for the interface and controllers.

[Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#47, indeed search by name fails. Search for ASIN: B0009JMT38 Voila.

[Deco @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

#49 The question is "why"! Is this page just a sitehack or whats the reason we can't search for it? And how the first information about this thing comes to the the very first customer?

[Dominic @ Dec 19th 2005 12:13AM]

Hi guys. I am new, but I just wanted to point out, that in some photos, the bluetooth and wifi icons are gone (on the sidebar) and also the screen orientation button. Plus you could probably change the name of companion to some other name, so that is most likely from the Zire72. And Office Docs? I do not think so. They are called Documents. Furthermore one of the sidebar icons is dark blue, on the time which means a popup should show the time and date.