Customer Reviews

PalmOne i705 Wireless Handheld

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

As a New York Criminal and Divorce attorney, I swear the 1-705 is
guilty of being the best friend you can have out there in the field. The ability to read Excel & Word docs is a godsend, and between the power to remote access the internet, and the freebie downloads available for a palm, who needs a laptop? This beauty and a cell phone, and you've got all the equipment you need to be a successful road warrior. You are hereby summoned to appear with your i-705 and run your business on the run.

My professional life depends on communication and the ability to stay in touch with my personnel, clients, partners and prospective clients. Years ago the cell phone freed me from being tethered to a phone line and allowed me to conduct my business from just about anywhere, including my sailboat. In the past number of years, email has become as important, if not more so, than my phone communication, particularly since voice mail and staff can catch all my calls when I am out of the office. Email, however, has been a problem. I have computers at home and in my several offices but the ability to send and receive emails from anywhere has hampered my freedom. The Palm i705 is everything I hoped for and then some. I resisted using a palm for years, and only the concept of wireless email communication got me to jump in. The price could not be beat (less than $150 with rebate through Amazon) and the set up was a breeze! Other than one phone call to tech support (which was very helpful and responsive at 4 a.m.) I had no problems at all setting up the palm to do exactly as I needed it to do. My one call to tech support was to help me configure the palm to send and receive my emails via our firm's dedicated server/domain address. After several days, I can't believe I have lived without it. I spend most of my time in San Diego and New York and, so far, the reception in San Diego has been fabulous. Very pleased with having the palm.com email address as well. Two add ons that I highly recommend: Fatfingers, which creates a full screen touch pad for entering data, typing, etc. and holidates, to add national and religious holidays to the date book. Kind of surprising that the Palm does not automatically provide those holidsys but, without them, it makes it very difficult to set dates. Excellent product; excellent support and everything I hoped for in a handheld, wireless email/internet device.

I've had a Blackberry unit for over a year and dropped it in favor of the i705. While the Blackberry's MS Exchange and overall email integration is at the moment a little slicker, the vast amount of apps for the Palm and web access more than make up the difference. Think of it as a Blackberry handheld with a better display, the ability to read and write MS Word and Excel documents, play games and do more computer oriented things. For me as a combination business and personal user who lives out of the computer that makes it hands-down better choice than a cell-phone/Palm combo or a Blackberry. While the monthly unlimited service is expensive, its not any more so than the Blackberry's nation-wide plan. If all you want is email, get a Blackberry. If you need a real digital assistent with business email on-the-go then this is the only game in town.

Being a user of the VIIx, I anxiously awaited the arrival of the i705. I am not in any way disappointed.

The 705 has all of the usual stuff we have come to expect from Palm OS devices: easy to use, fairly good battery life, and loads of add-on software. The only real objection is that you really can't visit web pages with the Palm...you need to use the Web Clipping apps which are a good substitute IF the site/service you want provides a clipping app. The vast majority of them do, so don't worry. A color display would have also been nice, but the drain on the battery would have been too great.

The addition of the blink/buzz notification of incoming mail is useful and the SD slot is a godsend. The processor seems to be a bit more peppy than in the VII series as well.

No complaints about the wireless service. It works in every city I have been in and even works well in wine country in Northern California and other "rural" areas I've been to. You won't set any speed records but it is bearable.

Outlook users should take care to find software that lets the Palm sync with Outlook for tasks, contacts, and calendar BEFORE using the unit heavily. I can speak from experience that synching a Palm to Outlook after both of them have been used for contact tracking is a royal pain.

Overall, unless you have a deep-seated need to use Pocket PC 2002 the Palm remains the best bang for the buck for wireless handhelds and the best overall solution for a mobile professional. It may be the case that a Pocket PC comes closer to replacing a laptop, but the prices on decent units plus wireless modem plus wireless service puts them on par with a refurbished laptop. The Blackberry is nice, but limited.

At first I had a terrible experience with the Palm i705. When i got it home, it would not activate over the wireless network for the longest time. I even went outside and saw that it had a full 5 bars of signal strengh, but then it kept going down to zero and disconnecting. It finally activated and then I drove to many different areas of town (all showed as having excellent coverage on Palm's coverage area map) and the same thing happened-it would be a full 5 bars and then when I would to go online, the unit would cut down to zero and flash red (no signal). Very frustrating!

I returned the unit for another one and the new one works fine and as it should. As others have said the Blacberry devices is more suitable if you get a lot of emails since that's what's primarily geared and designed for. I agree, but ended up returning my Blackberry in favor of the Palm i705 for several reasons.

Firstly, the there is a lot of development on the Palm platform. A lot of people write cool and useful programs for the Palm that you can download and intall. Also, the contact management and calendaring are way better with Palm. Additionally, while the Blackberry can do web browsing, it's WML (WAP) only, whereas the Palm can actually browse with full graphics and simple HTML.

Another cool thing about the i705 is that it can run AOL Instant Messenger. Now I can chat with my friends in real time from virtually anywhere and I don't even have to be near a computer.

As far as email, the Palm i705 is sufficient. It can POP into my home ISPs mail server and retrieve email. I can either do this manually or I can set up a rule to have it done on a periodic schedule. I chose to do it manually since I don't need the Palm notifying me (beeping or vibrating) with every single email. With the Palm service, you also get a Palm email address. Anytihng sent to this address automatically goes to the i705 (you can mute notifications if you want). You can alter your reply-to address so that when you send an email from the i705, it comes from another address. This is handy since when I send a message, it comes from my normal email address, rather than the Palm one. The MultiMail email softare that comes with the device is very faulty, difficult to use and understand and basically really bad. Since there is so much development for the Palm, I recommend you use a third party application. Corsoft's Aileron 4.0 is a great email program and it works wonderfully reliably on the i705. Compared to Palm's MultiMail, Aileron is a joy. It's a shareware program ...

In all, after my initial shock at the sticker price and the defective unit, I am relatively happy with the i705 and the service. The unit feels a bit like a plastic toy, and I would have liked it if it were metal or a more rugged feeling plastic like the Blackberry. On the other hand, the i705 is light. It is slightly bigger than I would like (I prefer the m500 series size) but it's not that big considering the fact that it has a wireless radio built into it.

I don't miss a color screen at all. I had an m515 previously and I actually think the black and white screen on the i705 is easier to read text on (once you adjust the contrast). And, I think that a color screen combined with the radio features of this unit would be a serious battery drainer. As is, the i705 battery really lasts a long time, even with heavy online usage.

It's so nice to be able to be connected to the 'net and email from anywhere, without having to be tied to a home or office computer. Really quite freeing. I can be reading and responding to emails while in line at the Post Office or looking at the latest news at the DMV. This is the wave of the future and you can have it now, at a cost.

The i705's built-in web-browsing functionality leaves much to be desired. Again, there are several third party browsers available and Palm is supposedly working on their own browser which they will be releasing soon. I use a shareware browser called Vagabond, in combination with the MyPalm application that came on the Palm. Keep in mind that websites with heavy graphics are not made to be accessed via the Palm.

PS-the Palm Mini keyboard accessory for the i705 is not very good. It has a weird yucky feeling when you type on it. I much prefer the foldout Palm Portable Keyboard, which has a great feel to it and is a full sized keyboard when it folds out. I'd rather use the stylus than have to use the Mini keyboard.

I was very happy when I first bought this unit..i did everything i wanted! Then after about 2 weeks, i stopped getting email notification and now have to hit "get mail" everytime i wanted to check my email..so much for instant notification and "always on" email. After at LEAST four LONG calls to customer support and with them unable to explain the problem, they REFUSE to replace my unit, claiming that "notification is not guaranteed" which is supposedly in the fine print of the user agreement....The lack of customer service has been unbelievable...i am now exploring further action. Save yourselves the trouble...get the blackberry

Have had a baseline Palm for a while and eagerly awaited the 'mobile/connected' evolution. The i705 sounded perfect. After using it for a while I have come back down to earth and think it's close, but not yet.

Palm positives are: nice quality feel, Palm compatibility, comes with scratchpad software and documents to go.
Mobile positives are: always on, nice multimail client, AOL Instant Messenger

Palm negatives are: same old palm, low res screen, no color, low light, no jog dial, few new applications, same old buttons. Essentially [more expensive than] a basic palm with same features (except for mobile). The keyboard was kinda cool as an optional plug in but I see it more as helping someone decide which paradigm they want (pen or keyboard), and then buying a PDA with that integrated in, like a treo.
Mobile negative: Mainly cost and performance. You have to go to the [more expensive monthly] plan to avoid overcharges and that is about 2x what you should pay. Next problem is the performance. It's an older, slower technology. Even in my large city, it worked only OK for emails, but AIM was unusable as it is too sensitive to dropped packets apparently (seems so). And lastly of course, no voice phone ala treo (I know, not supposed to be). But if one was really connected, one uses it (like voice over MS Instant messenger). Last whine is that the email really won't work with corporate email. this is not a surprise, but limits the real usefullness of the device for professionals, until/unless their company agrees to support the thing.

Bottom line...an expensive offering that only melds a standard palm with a SMS-level email service for public internet. A great attempt and nice to try, but my [money] will go elswhere...