The Palm Multi-Connector (also Athena Connector ) is a power, audio and data interface connector designed by Palm, Inc.
9-581: The connector is used by: LifeDrive , Tungsten E2, Tungsten T5, Treo 650 , Treo 680 , Treo 700p , Treo 750 , Treo 755p , Palm TX , Palm Centro . Palm, Inc. has changed the connectors it uses over time: The Connector can be used to charge the device, transfer data to a computer, HotSync , and play audio. It is the new standard to replace the previous Palm Universal Connector , which performed similar functions but did not have an audio output capability. This port has also been used to connect to an external microphone or to GPS units The connector
18-536: Is a Palm OS -based handheld personal digital assistant device that was produced by PalmOne, a former incarnation of Palm, Inc. The device was PalmOne's first and only foray into the "Mobile Manager" device category. As its name suggests, Palm intended the LifeDrive to be capable of providing all the capabilities and data storage space that a user could possibly need during the course of the day, including contacts, calendar, music, images, video, and applications. At
27-500: Is divided in two sections: the longer one has thirteen pins numbered from right to left (5 to 17); the shorter one has three pins, on the left (3), top (2) and right (1). The cable shield connectors (4,18) are located on each side of the thirteen pins. Pins 10 and 11 have TTL levels and cannot be directly connected to the RS-232 port. The Multi-Connector has received criticism from users who were familiar with previous connectors such as
36-551: The Universal Connector. Users have been frustrated with the requirement to replace their Universal Connector cables, cradles, keyboards, sleds, and attachments as they have become incompatible. Another criticism is that the connector is fiddly, harder to remove and feels fragile. All that is needed to charge the Treo is to connect +5 V to VDOCK and 0 V (negative) to VDOCK_RTN. LifeDrive The LifeDrive
45-520: The first Palm device with a hard drive, the LifeDrive introduced other features that were new to Palm devices, such as a three-position power switch (on, off, keylock), and a dedicated screen rotation button. The new power switch became a feature of the Treo smartphone line; the screen rotation button also appeared on the TX , but was later phased out among Palm devices, with dedicated accelerometers taking over
54-481: The first Palm handheld to feature both. The device came pre-loaded with eReader, Documents To Go , and WiFile software. The hard disk used in the LifeDrive was selected by Palm for its fast spinup speed, but delays in application launching were inevitably longer than with flash-based handhelds. Many speed concerns were addressed with a user-applicable ROM update , which was released by Palm in December 2005. One of
63-492: The first troubles for the Life Drive was when it was taken off of United Kingdom shelves because the device fell short of EU regulations on the use of hazardous materials. Finally, due to its high price, slower performance than other handhelds, and advances in flash memory which led to reduced prices and greater capacities, the LifeDrive did not fare well in the market, and was discontinued on January 31, 2007. Besides being
72-519: The task of properly orienting the screen. The ROM update for the LifeDrive is available at palm.com . It is possible to replace the stock 4 GB Microdrive with a 4GB Compact Flash card, improving battery life and operating speed due to the lower power consumption of flash memory and relative speed increased compared to hard disks. Left side: Voice Memo, Screen rotation Front: Home, Media, Files, Star, 5-way navigator Palm TX The Palm TX (written as "Palm T|X" in official documentation )
81-439: The time of release, the 4- gigabyte capacity that was chosen for this task could not be achieved using the flash memory used by most PDAs, while keeping the cost of the device low enough for consumer purchase. For this reason, a 4 GB microdrive hard disk drive was selected for the task. It featured a separate data partition that could be used as a portable disk drive. The LifeDrive featured Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity,
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