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You mean like this?

Ok, it's only GPRS speed, but it does fit in a CF socket. And you have to get your own data plan.

1) The main factor for making something "seem small" is to make it thin. The 15" Powerbook is actually quite large, but because it's thin it seems small. This thing is 3/4" thick.

2) Brighthand seemed to indicate that it would make a good portable storage device for your digital camera. I don't get that either. The casual photographer who might want to offload vacation pictures isn't likely to buy a $500 device to do so. You can buy a lot of huge SD cards for $500. The professional photographer, who WOULD find this device useful, all use cameras that use CompactFlash. If this USB-thing Brighthand mentions actually works, then maybe--but the idea of having a seperate device is to pull out the card, put it in the device, replace the card with another card, and keep shooting. Also less than 4GB isn't much when you're dealing with 4-7MB RAW files (which I guarantee the LifeDrive app won't be able to read, although it may be able to pull out the JPEG preview). This may be quite the swell device for a Brighthand reviewer, but that's a terribly small niche market.

3) What is the deal with WiFi on PDAs? People are obsessive about this, just as they all clamor for megapixel cameras on their cell phones. WiFi is a power hog. If I wanted to use WiFi on a Palm, I'd go for one of the Enfora portfolios where I don't have to use my Palm's battery. Battery life is king on a PDA. At some point you would do better to simply go with a 12" Powerbook or iBook, and a 3/4" thick device with WiFi but no keyboard is probably that point. (And getting a megapixel camera on your phone is stupid so long as the image is taken through a shitty, fixed focus plastic lens. You get more blurry pixels--that's a Big Win there, chief.)

4) Too expensive. I understand that in order to offer all these goodies, you have to charge for them, but if you drop this thing on the ground, or into the toilet, you've just ruined a $500 device. Everybody's tolerance is different, but for me, $200-ish dollars is that cutoff where I feel like I can replace 2 or 3 devices a year and not feel royally screwed. If I have a $500 device, I'm less likely to take it somewhere out of fear of busting it.

5) Related to 4), but unrelated to the LifeDrive; professional reviewers suck for this reason: they didn't have to buy the damn thing with their money, so they aren't interacting with the device like other people would. If a professional reviewer accidentally sits on the fucking thing, they just phone up Palm and say, "Oopsie, send me another please." They also tend to parrot specs and press release material, and are pathologically uncritical. I've hardly ever seen a review where the reviewer revisits the device after using it for a few months--mostly because after the initial review, the reviewer has moved on to using whatever the next latest-and-greatest toy is, because, you know, everybody has endless time and money to constantly upgrade. Jesus Christ, I'm still using a IIIxe because it works, it's reliable, and I'm not swimming in free time and cash. (The best reviewer in the world is probably Dan even though he does have goodies provided to him on occasion.)

6) No poofters.

There is one more option for wireless- one of those Enfora cases. You can use it for getting online via wifi or cell.

Actually check out https://www.enfora.com/shop/detail.aspx?ID=36, it uses the USB port instead of the SD. I am thinking about picking up one once it comes back in stock.. A little more expensive but it also comes with a little more.

Although I've not used it yet, I'm more inclined to try Enfora's product first. It's a nice case + a battery of its own so you won't kill the Palm's battery by running WiFi. Also, it works with any of the recent palms that have the universal connector, it's not limited to the T3 and the Zire seventy-whatever. Home page: http://www.enfora.com.

Although I've not used it yet, I'm more inclined to try Enfora's product first. It's a nice case + a battery of its own so you won't kill the Palm's battery by running WiFi. Also, it works with any of the recent palms that have the universal connector, it's not limited to the T3 and the Zire seventy-whatever. Home page: http://www.enfora.com.

Just my $.02.

It's really tempting, although the ironic thing is that my refurbed m125 cost half the price of this case/802.11b docking system. Yeah, WiFi would suck copious amounts of battery life from my poor m125...it eats batteries as it is for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I wonder if a Bluetooth SDIO card has a similarly voracious appetite...my soon-come Ericsson cell phone has not only Bluetooth but a built-in cell modem.