Palm I705 Release Rivals BlackBerry
Newest PDA sports different design, wireless support for enterprise e-mail.</Yardena Arar, PCWorld.com
Palm's latest salvo in the wireless handheld wars takes aim squarely at RIM's popular Blackberry devices. The sleek $449 Palm I705, formally launched Monday, is designed to make remote management of your e-mail easier than ever--even without your IT department's help.
The I705, now shipping, is both smaller and lighter than Palm's previous wireless device, the Palm VII. In fact, at 4.7 by 3.1 by.6 inches and 5.9 ounces, the I705 is not dramatically larger, thicker, or heavier than the current top-of-the-line nonwireless Palm M500. Instead of the flip-up antenna of the Palm VII series, it has a wave-shaped fixed white plastic bar on top with a small LED that lights up when you have a message. You can also choose to have the device vibrate and/or emit a sound.
Like other recent Palms, the I705 has a slot for Secure Digital cards or MultiMediaCards, but it's located on the bottom right side instead of the top. The device comes with 8MB of memory and has a 160-by-160 resolution monochrome screen.
Although the two buttons underneath the left side of the display still bring up the date book and address book, the two buttons on the right have been remapped. The one nearest the center brings up your personalized MyPalm Portal for launching wireless apps, and the one on the far right summons the device's e-mail app, MultiMail Deluxe.
Mail From Anywhere
You can use MultiMail Deluxe with up to eight e-mail accounts, including the account you get with the required Palm.net wireless service. It also supports any POP3 or IMAP account, or--with the installation of Palm's free Desktop Link software--a corporate Microsoft Exchange account. Like RIM's desktop software, Desktop Link makes it possible to access Exchange e-mail without the help of your IT department, so long as you keep your PC on and connected to the Internet when you're gone.
The device comes with apps for accessing AOL and AOL Instant Messaging, and you can download additional Palm Web clipping apps via MyPalm.
Individual subscriptions to the Palm.net service, which runs over Cingular's network, cost $20 per month for up to 100kb of traffic, $40 per month for unlimited usage, or $35 a month for those who commit to a year's worth of unlimited usage.
For IT managers who want more control over employees' wireless access to e-mail, Palm plans to introduce a Wireless Messaging Server later this year. The $2499 server will support up to 25 users and either Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes e-mail. Additional users can be added for $49 each, and Palm will maintain and support the installation for a 17 percent surcharge. Enterprises must also pay $40 per user per month for Palm.net service, with volume discounts available.
Rivalry Heats
The I705 enters an increasingly crowded and diverse field of wireless handheld devices. In addition to RIM's offerings, Handspring's recently introduced Treo combines a personal digital assistant and a phone. Plus, several cell phone vendors are now offering phones with PDA features.
IDC analyst Kevin Burden says that while the I705 does not leapfrog over the competition, it "puts Palm on par with some of the other wireless devices out there."
Palm is smart to make the I705 enterprise-friendly, Burden says, since businesses that depend on timely receipt of e-mail are more likely to pony up the monthly Palm.net fees than are consumers who may already have a cell phone account and might be reluctant to foot the bill for yet another wireless service.
"RIM has some real competition now with the I705," Burden says. "IT managers that are looking to give wireless e-mail to their users now have a choice."
The I705 offers the enhanced software keyboard common to all Palm OS 4.0 devices, but you can also opt for the new $59 Blackberry-style Palm Mini Keyboard that slides onto the bottom of the device and includes buttons that mirror the ones it covers up. For those who prefer a more conventional touch-typing keyboard, the device's HotSync connector accepts the folding, $99 Palm Portable Keyboard.