review of Palm i705

[amphibian]

http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/17662.html

Palm i705: Answer to an Unasked Question

By Ben Wilson
www.NewsFactor.com,
May 8, 2002

The geek factor of pulling the $450 Palm i705 out of one's pocket instead of a cell phone may be irresistible to some, but Palm's vision has not yet come to fruition.

Palm's (Nasdaq: PALM) new i705 -- the company's first wireless offering since the ill-fated VIIx -- offers always-on e-mail, instant messaging and limited Web browsing in a sleek silver case. But network reliability problems, incomplete software support on the Mac and an aging operating system may hamper the device's move into BlackBerry territory.

The i705's sturdy antenna is a huge improvement over the extendable plastic arm featured on the VIIx. The small white extension includes an LED indicator that blinks when new mail is received and barely impinges on the PDA's sleek form factor. A bar graph in the upper right corner of the screen displays signal strength.

Unfortunately, the antenna's reception is far from consistent. In major metropolitan areas, the i705 generally receives a strong signal and can surf the wireless Web at a reasonable pace. In a secluded section of town or under thick concrete, however, wireless activity all but ceases.

When traveling with the i705, users are likely to experience bursts of wireless access followed by long blackout periods. And when signal strength is low, e-mail checking and Web Clipping (Palm's name for a set of PDA-targeted Internet services) slow to a crawl.

Many Modes

Users of the Palm i705 will be delighted by the number of communication modes available on the device.

A scaled-down version of AOL Instant Messenger is one of the bundled applications included with the i705. While IM regulars will find that smiley faces and buddy icons are missing, Palm's implementation is at least somewhat practical, allowing constant communication with friends and coworkers.

E-mail works equally well, as users can set up their i705 either to receive e-mail forwarded from an existing account or to use the assigned Palm.net address. The i705 will even vibrate (if that option is selected) when new e-mail or instant messaging data is received.

In addition, the device can log on to America Online and receive e-mail or browse through portal information.

Synching Ship

After months of customer requests, Palm has released a Mac OS X-compliant version of its desktop synchronization software. The software works well, flawlessly backing up data and synchronizing with some applications. Synchronization has also become a blazingly fast process on the latest Power Mac G4s.

Support for key applications like Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) Entourage, however, is noticeably lacking. Although a handful of shareware tools have been released in an effort to resolve the issue, contact information and e-mail often arrive in garbled form or not at all.

Will Work for Keyboard

Users who deal with heavy e-mail volume or who converse frequently via AOL Instant Messenger would do well to invest in a US$60 "thumb" keyboard that can be attached to the i705 for rapid text input.

Graffiti, Palm's handwriting recognition system, is fine for entering a contact or for taking short notes, but it can become extremely frustrating when trying to dash off an e-mail or reply to an instant message.

Hold on to Your Cell

The geek factor of pulling the $450 Palm i705 out of your pocket instead of a cell phone may be irresistible to some, but Palm's vision has not yet come to fruition in the i705.

Plan prices range from $40 per month for unlimited use to $20 for a ridiculously low 100 KB of data transfer per month.

Many mobile phones now offer instant messaging and short e-mail capabilities, while portable computers offer a full Web browsing experience.

The i705 is caught somewhere in the middle, lacking the voice capabilities of Handspring's (Nasdaq: HAND) Treo . While it certainly possesses the 'Wow' factor, it may not be quite ready for use as an everyday replacement for other devices.

And if there is one thing the tech world does not need, it is yet another device that does not fill a specific niche.

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