PalmOne last week launched what it says is the first in a new class of mobile devices.
PalmOnes new LifeDrive Mobile Manager is a bit like a mobile suitcase. The LifeDrive is the first PDA on the U.S. market with a 4GB hard drive and is also PalmOnes first mobile device with built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b and Bluetooth 1.1 support, so users can transfer and share digital content.
The device includes file management capabilities that allow users to drag and drop files and folders from their PCs to their handhelds, and the LifeDrive supports Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files and can run Adobe Acrobat Reader.
The LifeDrive allows wireless e-mail access from IMAP, POP or Exchange e-mail accounts, but PalmOne acknowledges that the device, which lacks a built-in keyboard, is geared more for viewing e-mails than sending them.
The LifeDrive is fueled by an Intel 416MHz XScale processor and runs on PalmSources Palm OS Garnet. The LifeDrive is available now and costs $499.