PalmOne i705 Wireless Handheld

by Palm

Product Details

Product Manual [2.74mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00005V63T
• Item model number: P80503US
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,278 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 28, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Get a complete communication, organization, and productivity package with the Palm i705 handheld. Send and automatically receive your business and personal e-mail with end-to-end security via the wireless connection (Palm.Net service required). Easily view, edit, and create Word- and Excel-compatible files, and view and share PowerPoint files. And keep your busy life in check with Palm's classic, intuitive organization applications.

The Palm i705 handheld features a built-in antenna--that doesn't need to be raised--with always-on network support within coverage area. Choose how you will be instantly notified of incoming e-mail messages--even if the handheld is turned off--with Palm's customized instant notification. View Web sites using the MyPalm portal and send and receive instant messages with AOL's Instant Messenger.

Get more options than ever with Palm's built-in dual expansion. Back up your data and add additional memory and applications with the Palm expansion card slot, which supports the postage stamp-size MultiMediaCard (MMC) and Secure Digital (SD) expansion cards. Add hardware peripheral, such as a keyboard, GPS device, or cradle, with the Palm universal connector located at the base of the handheld.

Synchronize your Palm i705 data with your PC via a fast USB connection. The Palm i705 is compatible with Windows PCs running Windows 98, 2000, Me, and XP and Apple Macintoshes running OS 8.6 to 9.x. It is also compatible with Windows PCs running Windows 95 and NT 4.0, but you will need the optional serial HotSync cradle to connect to the PC. Use the included Palm Desktop software or Microsoft Outlook with the included Chapura connection software.

The Palm i705 features 8 MB RAM and 4 MB ROM, a rechargeable lithium-polymer battery (charged via the included USB HotSync cradle), a fast Motorola Dragonball VZ 33 processor, and Palm OS v4.1. It has a 160 x 160 transreflective monochrome LCD with backlight and an infrared (IR) port for beaming data to other Palm OS handheld users. Preloaded applications include Address Book, Date Book, To Do List, Memo Pad, Note Pad, MultiMail Deluxe, AvantGo, Palm Reader, MGI PhotoSuite, and DataViz Documents to Go.

Wireless e-mail and Internet access requires a Palm.Net wireless service account, sold separately. Service not available in all areas. See details on coverage areas and pricing.

What's in the box

• Palm i705 handheld
• USB HotSync cradle with built-in battery charger
• Getting started manual
• CD-ROM with Palm Desktop software and bonus software
• Complete documentation
• Protective flip cover

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

77 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A big leap forward, but you might wait for the next step, January 30, 2002

By 

Tony Ursillo (Norwood, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PalmOne i705 Wireless Handheld (Office Product)

This is an early look at the i705, which I have only used for a short time so far (I have been fortunate to receive a loaner, but haven't purchased one yet). If you need a primer on why a basic Palm is useful, check out reviews of some low-end models (I own and reviewed the Vx). The i705's form factor is good - certainly less bulky than its predecessor VII and just a tad thicker than the sleek V model or m500. It feels fine in my hands. The built in wireless antenna is not obtrusive in the least and frankly, adds some style to what has been a fairly mundane look for most Palm devices. You still subscribe to the Palm.net service on which the ill-fated Palm VII operated. But it runs on the same network (Mobitex) as RIM's Blackberry, so reliability/consistency of access should be as high as that device. So far, access has been fairly quick and readily accessible. You can set the wireless capability to either an "always on" setting or one in which it will only receive/download emails during a desired time period (though you can set a new email alert to run 24/7). It also natively supports AOL Instant Messenger, which is nice - I've IM'd a few times and it works, though it's not as quick as your desktop. Battery life is good, even with the device set to its "always on" mode - others who have had the device longer indicate that it's still good for a week with pretty heavy usage and longer if you turn it off overnight. The expansion slot is long overdue. Many enhanced applications are conveniently preloaded - my personal favorites include AvantGo and DataViz, though the Palm Reader should be increasingly valuable over time. I'm wondering if the 8 meg memory will be enough over time, given the multiple data-heavy applications this device is designed to address. However, I've only filled about 1 meg in my Vx with about 18 months worth of usage. So, 8 megs, plus extra strorage capacity through the expansion slot, would seem to be sufficient. I've tried the keyboard - takes some getting used to, but should be faster than graffiti for instant messaging/email. Pricing of the service is very attractive. It's priced per kilobyte. I'd blow off the low-end plan ($$$.../mo. for 100kb). That's only going to get you maybe 40 text emails. Go with the $$$.../mo unlimited kb plan, prepaid for a year, once you're sure you'll keep it.

The one nagging issue for me with all Palm devices is the rigid interaction with the stylus. It has always been awkward to draw the stylus out of its holster (you have to use your thumbnail) and if you don't click it in all the way when you're done, it's still loose enough that it will fall out. Of course, it has never been comfortable to use either. The Handspring Visor's stylus glides in and out effortlessly and the slightly fatter head makes control of it much easier. Too bad Palm is still making otherwise functional devices with this deficiency.

So, the good news is that with this device, Palm has finally gotten over the hump of just being a scheduler/organizer. I think this device may finally allow Palm to become more standardized in corporations and it will definitely be attractive to high-end consumers. Unfortunately, the power applications for this device are yet to come. You cannot download email attachments yet (that will come in the May/June time frame). It will also not be voice-enabled (GPRS) until the Fall, so the Handspring Treo, despite its bulkiness, is about the best combined solution right now. And Palm seems non-committal on when it will offer a color version, which I think is a near-necessity if you're going to surf the Web or read Excel, PowerPoint and Acrobat attachments. In the end, it's a great improvement over what Palm offers today. But I think it would make sense to wait until some of the features mentioned above become available.

80 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Good as Wireless Gets....For Now, March 3, 2002

By 

Bartleby (US of A) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PalmOne i705 Wireless Handheld (Office Product)

As a blackberry user for over a year and a half and a hard-core Palm junkie, I was eager to have a shot at carrying an all-in-one device rather than two devices which don't talk to each other. Plus, for the same price, the Palm.net service offers more (web clipping and web browsing without usage quota) than just always-on email.

I have been very pleased with the device itself in the month plus I've used it. It has the merely adequate grayscale palm display we're all used to by now, but rewards you with phenomenal battery life (20 minutes on the cradle a day keep it charged, even with wireless usage) and an eminently light and pocketable form factor. It is really quite amazing what they fit into such a slim little package, with an SD/MMC slot to boot!

If you haven't used a wireless device like a blackberry, you really don't know what you're missing. Instead of having to take time out of your routine to check your email a dozen times to see if an important message came through, you just go about your business until you either get beeped, buzzed, or flashed (your choice of nothing or any combo of the three). During a heated game of scrabble, just fire up the 705 with the Merriam Webster PQA (a sort of web shortcut to their site which avoids slow graphics/ads....see palm.com for details) and use their dictionary, which is far larger than what will fit on any PDA, to solve the dispute. Wondering what the population of Brazil is? Go to brittanica.com with their PQA and have the answer in 30 seconds. It makes firing a computer up seem like a waste of time.

The main shortcomings of the device center around the screen, but the battery life vs. full-time sidelit screen (like the Clie 760c) debate has been beaten to death. But the bottom line is that until the battery and screen technology progresses further (the organic LEDs, perhaps?), you're not going to have a wireless PDA and a dynamite screen in this kind of form factor. And I really don't think that I could go back to a Clie after getting used to full-time wireless access.

The other issue is that of the network the device uses. While the Mobitex network doesn't set any speed records, it is a) fairly responsive, b) rock-solid reliable (Sept. 11 didn't cause so much of a hiccough in the NYC area network), c) has better coverage than GPRS or 3G will have for quite a while to come. And since Voicestream's throughput-based data fees are not attractive (what's the fun of a wireless toy if you've got to watch the clock?) to the average user, Mobitex wins in my mind.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth the price only if you need wireless web or e-mail, February 8, 2002

By 

Sam Bethune (Lincoln, Nebraska USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PalmOne i705 Wireless Handheld (Office Product)

I have been very happy with my i705 and agree for the most part with the other reviewers. The form factor is quite fine, and the device seems to be (so far) very dependable. If you need wireless web or e-mail capability, the i705 is a bargain at its price.

The biggest single problem with the i705, in my opinion, is the rather pricey PalmNet service that you must subscribe to if you wish to take advantage of its wireless capabilities. Palm's "associate plan" is for all practical purposes a joke and if you get more than ten e-mails per month it's not worth the money. Unlimited service costs considerably more and if you're a heavy e-mail user, it might be worth the cost. Personally, I think it is not.

The i705 is a quality product and in my opinion is infinitely more dependable than the M500 I owned before it, but unless you really need wireless capability, live in an area covered by PalmNet, and don't mind being gouged by their obscenely high subscription rates, I'd pass on this one.