Replacement CompactFlash Card Greatly Improves the LifeDrive

The Palm LifeDrive was discontinued early this year, but a new upgrade service can breathe new life into this handheld.

Used PDA Parts is offering a replacement CompactFlash card for the miniature hard drive in this model. It's the same storage capacity as the original one, but because this is solid-state Flash memory not a spinning drive, it has many advantages.

For one, the new drive doesn't have to wait for a platter to spin up, so it's much faster. It essentially eliminates the infamous "LifeDrive lag".

It also requires far less power. For example, when idle, the Flash-based drive uses 91% less current (85 mA vs. 1.2 mA).

In addition, it's also more rugged than the original and quieter, too.

For all it's advantages, this replacement drive can't offer more storage capacity, as 4 GB is the largest drive this handheld supports.

Purchasing and Installation

Used PDA Parts is selling the 4 GB replacement drive for $95. This requires the user to install the drive themselves. However, it has been pre-formatted for the LifeDrive, so it's basically "plug and play".

For an additional $10 and the cost of shipping, the LifeDrive can be shipped to the company and the new drive installed by an expert. The turn around time for this service is usually about 7 days if the device is shipped by priority mail.

To order this product, visit the Used PDA Parts web site.

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