PalmOne Intros New Mobile Manager

PalmOne's recent introduction of the LifeDriveTM has sparked debate about the convergence of the cell phone and personal digital assistant. While not a cell phone, the device offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi built in, so that anyone near a hotspot can connect to the network, and presumably, utilizing VoIP, initiate or receive calls.

The device has some nice features, including portrait and landscape modes with a hi-resolution 320x480 display, POP3 - IMAP - Exchange mail, MS Office docs, MP3 player, photo viewer, a 4GB mini-drive, 416 MHz Intel processor, SD card slot, USB 2.0, stereo outputs, and more.

Users have complained that the device requires frequent recharging, so subsequent versions will likely address power management, if it is to achieve wide market acceptance. The real question becomes one of user choices...carry a no-frills cell phone with Bluetooth and a device such as the LifeDrive, or opt for a smartphone with a smaller display and limited storage. At $499(USD) MSRP, the price is on the high side for a device trying to fill the gap between a notebook and a regular PDA.