Palm LifeDrive is so close to the first Smartphone. I used it to secretly monopolize the control of the airconditioner in my high school classroom with its internal IR bluster. Back then that's like magic. Even the teachers couldn't figure it out. Not to mention the games and movies I can enjoy on it. There is this Worms Rumble clone game. They replace worms with snails and It runs smooth and fun. My dad got it from Hong Kong. It is so advanced back then in my small town in China. Sadly my English is so poor I couldn't made full use of it.

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

I remember the Snails game! I’ll have to see if it’s on Palm DB. I really miss that feeling of a device feeling like magic.

Such a great video!! This really was an exciting era of technology with companies trying new things. You’ve cemented yourself as the expert in palm devices.

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Well I am working on a “complete” collection of them even though my wife points out “there all pretty much the same” alway been a fan of handhelds from this era!

Another great video! That's a chonky beast! I remember re-encoding videos for my HP iPAQ 3970 and watching them back on the train to and from work in London.

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeah it’s pretty thick. I don’t remember minding when I carried it around everywhere though. I watched so many films and tv shows on it!

One of the few channels which are easier to listen on 2x than on 1x.

@RetrogradeScene

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Quickly!

I still have my Palm T5. It was a fantastic machine for a very long time until I later got my Nokia N800 to replace it. I felt like the LifeDrive was too expensive and that SD cards would be sufficient. I was right and they also fell in price and grew in size, so it really worked out. All in all, both were great devices!

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

I’ll be honest I ended up relying more on the SD cards than the microdrive so I think your right! The N800 was a great looking device too.

The more I learn about Palm the more or fascinates me. If you follow the history of smartphones, and Palm in particular, closely you will realize that Apple actually didn't do that much to "revolutionize" the industry. Even the almost signature headphone jack at the bottom! They just took the best of touch-based methods of interaction with a phone and made it more easier, ditching the stylus, making UI elements bigger so they can be tapped with a finger and so on. Who knows how the smartphone world would’ve turned out if Apple released iPhone only a couple years later

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah that’s why I love this period of tech so much. It was alway exciting to see the next product released. Seeing what it stole and build on from the last. I was a big Palm fan and user, but I remember watching the Apple keynote when the iPhone was first shown and was blown away.

Fantastic video even in 2024! It would be great if you could do a follow up with more in depth use of web, KZread, etc (whatever applies). There just aren't enough videos like yours. I love my LifeDrive. It's my off grid backup. 😂🤣😎🤘

I was always going to upgrade my T:3 to a lifedrive, but unfortunately Palm went Bust and I regretfully gave it a miss. I just checked Ebay and the only one for sale was £299, so it looks like I'll never experience one. I guess they didn't sell very well. Great video! Subscribed

@RetrogradeScene

3 ай бұрын

Thanks!! Yeah it was an unfortunate great product with a short shelf life! I hope you find a good deal on one eventually!

One of the few palms i want that i dont have in my collection. Great vid thank you sir!!

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I hope you manage to track one down.

I loved this thing. I was lucky enough that I got one in high school in 2005 when it came out and people had no idea what bluetooth or WiFi even was. This was well ahead of its time. But my favourite palm device was the Pre. I still go on about how amazing that phone was. I mean, they were the ones who invented wireless charging! It's too bad the company went downhill.

@RetrogradeScene

8 ай бұрын

Yeah It’s amazing when you look at what features the pre had compared to its rivals. Although I was part of the problem as I had already jumped to iPhone by then.

Never heard of MicroDrives! I'm not entirely sure how I missed that one!

Great video!! I loved those iPod ad's well recreated!!!

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks it came out better than I was expecting!

I had a LifeDrive back in 2008, a relative repayed me a long overdue debt with it. Mine was bundled with an Ir foldable keyboard rather than a dock and headphones. I was new to the mobile ecosystem never even having a mobile phone prior to that, The inernet was a very different jungle then but I got it very well packed in little time; It had the core pocket media player for multimedia, Acrobat reader for pdf files, emulators for GB/GBC, NES, SNES, SGG, SMS, SMG, a .prc patch to run java applications (mostly games), the SDHC driver with a 4GB microSD card which was the biggest available at the time. I really became fond of it to the point of having it in my pocket at all times, even while commuting using it as a music player plugged to my massive wired headset..... It died out in 2010 due to the microdrive ending it´s life, here in Mexico replacing it was too expensive so I began using mobile phones, the first one being an outdated Nokia 5200 but things were never the same until I became acquainted with android smartphones like the ZTE blade V791, replacing several over the years until today that I use a Xiaomi Redmi Note 10s.....

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Hey sorry to hear your micro drive broke. It’s actually a lot harder to replace when it has died. I really should at least back mine up before the inevitable! I’ve had a few Ir keyboards, I wrote a fair bit of my thesis using one.

Great video, thank you for doing this

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I love making videos on Palm related things.

I would say the LifeDrive is the ultimate Palm OS PDA to get. It's one of the fastest (if not the fastest) Palm PDAs out there. It's running the latest version of Palm OS. And it's very serviceable and upgradable. The 4GB microdrive can be upgraded up to 256 GB (theoretically), and if that's not enough for you, then through PowerSDHC, you can shove up to 1TB via an SD card (theoretically). This PDA has the biggest battery out of all Palm-based PDAs out there. That's because it has to accommodate a hard drive with spinning platters. If you replace that with a CF card that has no moving parts, then the battery should last a lot longer than any other Palm-PDA out there. Also, the battery is not soldered, meaning you can easily replace the battery. I'm surprised that Palm didn't marry the microdrive to the PDA's motherboard. It's like they really want you to open it up and upgrade the darn thing. This PDA is my childhood dream. Would have come in handy for school. Not only I get to use it as a reminder/planner. I could also use the voice recorder function to record lectures in class. Then whenever I find myself working on my essay on school computers, I could save it on the LifeDrive, be able to edit it on the go (like during lunch time or while taking the ride home), then carry on using my computer at home. Besides those, I could do fun stuff with it like be able to watch TVs shows, play music, and play downloaded games. Especially SImCity. Sadly this device wasn't that popular to begin with, and when these finally got pulled off the shelves. The iPhone was just around the corner, so it was just a matter of time become the iPhone takes over and this becomes a thing in the past. Back then, I only had a Zire 21. Which was much more limited, with its monochrome screen, and only whooping 8 MB of storage. It didn't even have an memory card slot and a headphone jack, so sadly, no multimedia capability. I finally got a LifeDrive 10 years ago. Then I got dumb and sold it. Didn't find another one for a good price, until a couple of months ago. When I found one at a good price, I didn't give it a second thought and bought it. Now, this thing ain't going anywhere. I currently have a 32 GB CF card on mine. Great job on the video though. I came across this via Reddit.

@Sb129

2 жыл бұрын

The simple fact that you can replace the ROM (The CF card) makes this thing almost invincible in the long run.

Great video!!!

@RetrogradeScene

Жыл бұрын

Thanks!

It's a very nice looking device! I need to find one to add to my collection of PDAs.

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah it’s design definitely stands out compared to the other Palms of the era! It would be a great one to add to your collection

My Lifedrive died 3 months after purchase, it was a nightmare. Two things replaced it for me, for portable video, an iPod Video which came out in late 2005, and for web-browsing via wi-fi in those early times, a PSP.

The Palm LifeDrive looks awesome, I have to get one now. Great comparison of flash memory to Microdrives. Especially the price per Gb chart, well done. Really enjoyed this video, thanks.

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for letting me use your content! Now I just need to master the Arty shots like you!

I remember when they launched that thing and I wanted it so badly, Lol. I still was using a Tungsten | E and the specs comparatively were big. I do have one now and it was just as great as I had hoped back then. I replaced the HDD with a normal CF card and it is much more snappy now. If something works only sometimes or is buggy you may need to force it to stay within RAM with a third party application (UDMH I think) Personally I think this one is my favorite with the Zire 72s a very close 2nd. I am glad more people are starting to remember these things.

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

I’m hoping to pick up a second LifeDrive so I can install a CF card in. To keep my original one in its current state. Until the HDD inevitably fails! I love how many people also still love Palm devices, I’m definitely planning more videos on all things Palm. Even if it’s just a good excuse to keep adding to my collection. Thanks for watching

@Sb129

2 жыл бұрын

@@RetrogradeScene Yup, no prob, I know probably too much info on these things, a minor obsession of mine. Tracking down Palm software was like trying to locate old Vaio drivers.

Nice! Unfortunately, Veo 130s didn't work with a LifeDrive.

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Oh no! I’ve been on the look out for one but haven’t managed to get one yet so I’ve not been able to test it. Thanks for letting me know I won’t be surprised that I can’t get it to work now!

Thank you for the detailed explanation But you forgot something you didn't talk about What does Raste lock do?

@RetrogradeScene

Жыл бұрын

Thanks! Sorry but what do you mean by Raste lock?

Wow it is a good pda in the old days I ,m get it I am going to find that PDA in my Thrifting stores I will I will go thrifting in the weekend

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Good luck! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a Palm in any of our thrift store equivalents. I’ll be very jealous if you do. Keep an eye out for a TX as well.

Weren't the Palm apps like twenty bucks or something? I kind of recall that much of the Palm software was not cheap or free.

@RetrogradeScene

Ай бұрын

Definitely all the software that came on some form of physical media, cd or sd card was pricy. But there was a lot of free and shareware versions, and for the rest there was usually some way of getting a copy. At least I don’t ever remember paying for software, if I did it was more like a £1-£2 donation

@freeinghumanitynow

Ай бұрын

@@RetrogradeScene I see. I just vaguely recall seeing Palm software at the office supply stores back then. It was expensive to my young wallet. Lol. Fun fact: I had an aunt who was convinced all tech gadgets caused cancer. She would go on epic rants.

Can you make a tutorial on how to convert videos for palm devices using FFMPalm please, because I don't know how to use it when I press enter it closes immediately.

I have a working Tunsten T5 ... there is software that died with the Palm that I still use... why did / do Android tablets lack some Palm charm ??

@RetrogradeScene

Жыл бұрын

Yeah there was definitely something special about Palm!

Hallo i have the same ultra good machine i love that pocket pc from PALM

@RetrogradeScene

Жыл бұрын

It’s a great machine definitely still my favourite.

Whats that GooSync app doing?

@RetrogradeScene

Жыл бұрын

It was to synchronise my calendar with Google calendar.

@JulianWiersbitzki

Жыл бұрын

@@RetrogradeScene Is it still working? Have got a T3 lately and would like to use it again.

I was big fan of Palm. Today iOS , 80% features are copied from Palm

@RetrogradeScene

Жыл бұрын

Yeah they really lead the way with handheld development. It’s a shame there still not around.

no my favorite palm PDA was the palm pilot

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

It’s hard to vote down the one that started it all. I’m still after a better conditioned one for my collection!

@redditreads1878

2 жыл бұрын

​@@RetrogradeScene i got mine at a boot fair for 50 pence, it also came with a dock and pouch!

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Nice! I’ve picked up a few Pda’s at boot fairs. I’ll definitely be out looking again when the weather’s better.

This one want to charge Which charger does it support

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

It uses the Palm multi connector for power and data but there’s also a smaller version of the connector used for just charging. I’m not sure if there’s a name for it.

@arvindshrivastav2040

2 жыл бұрын

@@RetrogradeScene bro I have a palm phone, 2010 version this of (life drive palm one, 590A830)version in phone I want to switch on the phone how formed the phone onn

why dont you try RAGING THUNDER

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

Looks great I’ll give it a go thanks

Err,..what type of heavy metal does it have?

@RetrogradeScene

2 жыл бұрын

I’m not sure exactly I couldn’t find any references to what was the exact reason for the recall. The ban included lead, cadmium, mercury so my guess would be lead!

I used to lust after this device but happy I didn't bother getting one. A year after Palm went bust and now the device is just junk.

@RetrogradeScene

8 ай бұрын

Always the way with tech. I’ll be honest I probably used it for longer than most my iPhones. Also the battery is still better than most of them now!!

Hi, I bought one of these devices for $20 with accessories about five years ago. I was disappointed with it's performance and it died soon after.

@samanthavictor9645

8 ай бұрын

5 years ago?? Dude... That thing came out in 2005. So you were disappointed in tech that was really 13 years old and used?? I mean, the fact that it was still operational is a feat.