.KEYWORD i705
.FLYINGHEAD FIRST LOOK
.TITLE Palm i705: a fresh new way to bring wireless connectivity to the enterprise
.FEATURE
.SPOTLIGHT FIGALT cover.gif
.SUMMARY Palm has updated its Palm VII series wireless handhelds by introducing the sleak, attractive, and thoughtfully designed Palm i705. Contributing Editor Steve Niles takes a first look at this exciting new handheld and will introduce you to all the new features and functionality.
.AUTHOR Steve Niles
Palm has updated its Palm VII series wireless handhelds by introducing the sleek, attractive, and thoughtfully designed Palm i705.
Although you can wirelessly access email and the Internet with nearly any Palm OS handheld by using a wireless modem add-on, what sets the Palm VII series, and now the Palm i705, apart is the fact that it has wireless capability built right in, making it far more convenient. This new, modernized i705 model has a number of new features designed to extend your wireless experience even further.
Before we get into the new features, however, the question that you’re surely asking is "What does the Palm i705 look like?" As you can see from the picture in Figure A, the device has taken some design cues from the popular Palm m500 series with a slimmed down, more curvy appearance.
.FIGPAIR A The Palm i705 features a more slimmed down, curvy form factor than its predecessors.
Fans of the Palm VII series will notice one other big change to the form factor. Gone is the flip-up antenna. The white, curved plastic piece on the top of the device is a built-in antenna, and unlike the previous models, this design allows for always-on wireless network support. This fact leads directly to one of the more useful new features built into this device. Even if the handheld is switched off, you can be notified of an incoming email message. The notification can come in one of three ways: via a flashing red LED, a programmable sound, or vibration (a feature first introduced in the Palm m500 series).
.H1 Dual expansion
The Palm i705 also has other features you’ve come to expect from the new generation of Palm handhelds. It of course utilizes Palm’s dual expansion architecture, with both an SD (Secure Digital) and MultiMediaCard slot and the now standard Universal Connector.
Since the built-in antenna takes up the top portion of the handheld, the SD card expansion slot has been positioned on the lower right-hand side of the device, as shown in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B The SD and MultiMediaCard expansion slot is positioned on the side of the device.
Having the added flexibility of the SD and MultiMediaCard expansion slot is extremely valuable in the enterprise market. Numerous content cards are available, such as the PalmPak Dictionary/Thesaurus Card, which is ideal if you do a lot of writing on your Palm handheld, whether you’re writing email or company documents. The 16MB Expansion Card also brings a lot of advantages, as you can just pop it into the expansion slot and extend the memory of your handheld. You can use it for storing software, ebooks, pictures, video files, documents, or whatever else you can think of.
Things will get really interesting, though, when companies begin developing proprietary software and placing it on SD cards. You can use your personal digital assistant to store all of your personal data, and when you need to, you can pop in your company’s proprietary SD card to access your corporate data without taking up valuable space on your device. This may even turn into a security feature for companies, as they can require sensitive information to be stored on an SD card that you’d then check at the door before leaving the office at night.
The Universal Connector is the new standard across all current and future releases from Palm, Inc. The Universal Connector is located on the base of the handheld and is used to connect it to the HotSync cradle for synchronization with a PC. The connector can also be used to hook the handheld up to various useful accessories such as the Palm Portable Keyboard. The Universal Connector bodes well for the future of enterprise installation, as one day all devices throughout the office could have a standard HotSync connection.
.H1 Wireless connectivity
With a device like the Palm i705, however, it’s the wireless connectivity that everyone wants to talk about. Once you open up your brand new Palm i705 and sign up for the required Palm.Net service, you’ll be able to take secure wireless email and Internet connectivity with you almost anywhere you go. Keep in mind service is not available in all areas, so check on that before you buy.
You can feel confident sending and automatically receiving your business and personal email with Palm.Net’s end-to-end security. The device supports Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP4, and SMTP email. For Internet access, you can use the MyPalm Portal, enter any URL you’d like, or make use of any Web clipping application. You’ll notice a change to the built-in hardware buttons at the bottom of the handheld’s face. The two buttons on the right-hand side used to automatically open the To Do List and Note Pad applications. Now, however, they will instantly connect you to the MyPalm Portal and MultiMail Deluxe respectively.
You can find more information on MultiMail in the April 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/tocs/issue200104.html. You can also read Claire Pieterek’s review of MultiMail Pro 3 in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/multimail001.html.
Another benefit of wireless connectivity is instant messaging. You can communicate with your colleagues in real-time using handy applications like AOL’s Instant Messenger.
Besides email and instant-messaging, wireless connectivity with your Palm i705 can allow you to access the Internet to receive stock quotes, weather information, and industry specific resources such as ePocrates (a healthcare database at http://www.epocrates.com) and Westlaw Wireless (an online business and legal research tool at http://www.westlaw.com). We reviewed ePocrates in the March 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200103/spotlight0301001.html, and we reviewed Westlaw Wireless in the February 2001 issue at http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200102/westlaw001.html.
.H1 A star is born
Another change that’s brand new with the Palm i705 is the My Favorites application button. Located on what is known as the silkscreen area, to the right of the Graffiti input area, is a new application button with a star icon. Formerly the home of the Calculator button, you can now program this space to open whatever application is most important to you. If your favorite application still happens to be the Calculator, you can easily set the star button to open the Calculator, so rest easy. For those more adventurous, you can program the star button to open anything you’d like. The sky’s the limit.
.H1 Specifications
Understanding that many of you are interested in the technical details of a new handheld beyond the cosmetic changes, I’ll run down the new specifications for the Palm i705. The handheld utilizes a Motorola Dragonball VZ 33 Processor and runs version 4.1 of the Palm OS. It has 8MB of RAM and 4MB of ROM. The dimensions of the Palm i705 measure 3.06 in. x 4.65 in x .61 in., and it weighs 5.9 ounces. It’s powered by a rechargeable lithium polymer battery, which should typically provide one week of power with normal use. Of course, you can recharge it by placing the unit on the HotSync cradle. The screen display uses a transreflective monochrome LCD with backlight and has a 160 x 160 pixel monochrome display. It has an estimated "street" price of $449.
Out of the box, the Palm i705 includes a USB cradle and your favorite applications such as Address Book, Date Book, Clock, To Do List, Memo Pad, Note Pad, Mail, and Calculator. It’s got some other goodies as well, including MultiMail Deluxe, AvantGo, Palm Reader, MGI PhotoSuite, DataViz Documents To Go, and MyPalm Portal. The handheld also ships with software from Chapura (at http://www.chapura.com) that will allow you to synchronize the Palm i705 with Microsoft Outlook.
.H1 Document reader
It’s probably useful to single out DataViz, Inc.’s Documents To Go Professional Edition software (at http://www.dataviz.com) from the pack. It’s one of the most truly universal enterprise applications you’ll come across, as it allows you to view and edit Word, Excel, and other files right on your Palm handheld. Wouldn’t you find that useful in any line of work? With recent updates to the software, you can even view and share PowerPoint files.
Palm obviously recognized the benefits enterprise users have found in Documents To Go Professional Edition, because the software is now being bundled not only with the Palm i705, but with the Palm m500 series handhelds as well. If you buy the device, the software’s yours, meaning you’ll be able to access all your important files, such as sales forecasts, expense reports, and contracts, wherever you go.
.H1 Accessories
A full range of accessories (sold separately) is available for the Palm i705. Of course, there’s the wide array of SD cards, including the PalmPak Travel Card: Rand McNally Road Atlas, PalmPak Language Translator Card, PalmPak Travel Cards, and the PalmPak eBook Series featuring the topics Personal Finance, Mystery, and Sci-Fi.
.H2 Palm Mini Keyboard
Of all the accessories, though, the Palm Mini Keyboard is the most unique to the Palm i705. The slim, ergonomic keyboard slides over the base of your Palm i705, covering right up to the top edge of the silkscreen area, as shown in Figure C.
.FIGPAIR C The Palm Mini Keyboard lets your thumbs do the typing.
The keyboard uses the standard QWERTY layout. It’s designed so that you can hold the device by the keyboard and type with your thumbs. If you’re frequently frustrated by Grafitti and don’t have the time or space to unfold the Palm Portable Keyboard, this could be a great addition to your handheld. It even has recessed application buttons at the bottom, so you don’t miss out on them.
.H2 Palm i705 Slim Leather Case
There are also a number of cases available as well. The Palm i705 Slim Leather Case is made from premium leather and is designed to complement the clean, sleek design of the Palm i705 handheld, as you can see in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D The Palm i705 Slim Leather Case complements the design of the handheld.
The case has plenty of storage with three slots for business and credit cards. It also has an inside pocket for cash or notes, storage for expansion cards, and a sturdy loop closure to keep it all together.
.H2 Palm i705 Leather Belt Clip Case
The Palm i705 Leather Belt Clip Case is a one-piece carrying case made from premium black leather. It’s designed to protect your Palm i705 handheld on the go. It features a slot for cash or credit cards and space to store expansion cards. There’s an opening at the bottom that lets you synchronize your handheld without removing it from the case. The case is pictured in Figure E.
.FIGPAIR E The Palm i705 Leather Belt Clip Case protects your handheld on the go.
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.H1 Conclusion
The Palm VII has long been a popular enterprise tool, and the Palm i705 is an excellent update of the product line, bringing mobile workers powerful new functionality. Meanwhile, from a purely visual standpoint, the sleek, silver curves make for a far more attractive model than its predecessors. With the wireless Web and email at your fingertips, you’ll be ready for whatever business challenges you may face.
Be sure to check out the other articles in this issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition for more on the new i705.
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on MultiMail in the April 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/tocs/issue200104.html.
For Claire Pieterek’s review of MultiMail Pro 3 in the July 1999 issue of PalmPower, visit http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199907/multimail001.html.
For more information on ePocrates, visit http://www.epocrates.com.
For more information on Westlaw Wireless, visit http://www.westlaw.com.
For the review of ePocrates in the March 2001 issue of PalmPower’s Enterprise Edition, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200103/spotlight0301001.html.
For the review of Westlaw Wireless in the February 2001 issue, visit http://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issues/issue200102/westlaw001.html.
For more information on DataViz, Inc.’s Documents To Go Professional Edition software, visit http://www.dataviz.com.
For more information on Palm computers, visit http://www.palm.com.
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.BIO
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