Palm Releases New Wireless Handheld

Hadlock writes: "Well, palm has finally released their second-generation wireless Palm product. You can check out all of Palm's info at their 701i page, located right here. The Palm comes in a white color, using standard m100/505 design cues, the only real innovation here being the dual-color LED that signals either a wireless signal, or 'You've got mail,' as there are some AOL tie-ins, Instant Messenger being preloaded on the 701i. Palm also releases their mini qwerty keyboard, retailing at $60 USD." AOL isn't the only tie-in: the release here also touts the ability to "create, edit or view" various Microsoft-format documents.

Comments

$449!

[Sc00ter]

To little, to late, and TO EXPENSIVE!

A friend of mine just recently showed me his Compaq iPaq handheld that he loaded debian on, much better. I thought it was way cool. Plus he has this wireless service from Verizon and it's only $25/month for unlimited! Of course it's pcmcia and he needed the pcmcia adapter for his iPaq, but still.. very very cool. And you can get the model he had for about what this thing costs, and it has color.

Can you roll over your Palm VII service?

[Nomad7674]

There is no information thereabouts on whether or not current Palm VII users (especially those committed for a year) can roll over their service to the Palm i705.

Though, personally, without a color screen and more RAM, I have no reason to pay $500 to upgrade.

Palm vs WinCE devices?

[rabtech]

Let's see.... with Palm I can get:

+ Less memory (usually 8 or 16 versus 64)
+ fewer applications
+ only one model that has color

Or I can buy an iPaq (like I did) and get 64MB of memory plus 32MB of ROM, a 16-bit color screen that is as big as the standard Palm screen PLUS their little writing area (which I can emulate for input if I don't wanna use the excellent handwriting recognition.)

Decisions, decisions...

Re:Palm vs WinCE devices?

[rabtech]

FUD is an acronym for "Fear Uncertainty and Doubt", not "an opinion with which I disagree."

I don't work for Microsoft, and never have. I certainly didn't get paid to post that, so I am wondering where you have the gall to call it 'marketing' -- it is my opinion, which I will express as often and as freely as I like.

Let's assume that a WinCE device requires twice as much memory as an equivalent Palm device, just for grins. That means a 16MB palm is similar to a 32MB WinCE device, right? Well then... where are the 32MB standard Palm devices? That's easy... they don't make them.

So this 8MB standard i70x palm they are releasing is akin to a 16MB WinCE device by your standards. My iPaq came with 64MB standard. I think you see where this is going...

The PalmOS UI sucks compared to the PocketPC 2002 setup, in my opinion. If Palm works better for you, GREAT. More power to ya. But for me? I prefer having the greater flexibility the iPaq and WinCE offer me. Especially in terms of input... sure, I can emulate the block mode that Palms use, complete with the two areas for letters/numbers at the bottom of the screen. The difference is that when I am not inputting anything into a text box, that GOES away giving me more screen realestate. Of course I usually use the transcriber mode where I can just jot stuff down on the screen anywhere and it will pickup my handwriting. Or I can call up a mini-keyboard to occupy the same space that Palm's input panel would use. The point is that it gives me more usable screen space and more flexibility.

Go ahead and try running a Game Gear emulator on the latest color palm, or playing back a full screen, full length DVD on it. You won't get nearly as far as my iPaq.

Oh, battery usage? with backlight off (as I am usually in rooms with decent light conditions), I get days. Using autobacklight, it adjusts itself to the ambient light. With that mode I can easily go a whole day with the thing on pretty much nonstop.

Palm's hardware sucks compared to the vast array of Pocket PC devices; there is little point in making excuses. Instead, Palm should be encouraged to release a wider variety of devices into the lower and higher end markets in order to drive greater competition with Pocket PC manufacturers.

Next Generation?

[Anonymous Coward]

What is so "Next Generation" about the i705? Is it the standard(non-compelling) 8MB of memory, or the "Sir-Computes-A-Lot" 33mhz processor that's supposed to be a significant jump over previous versions?

Miniature Keyboards...

[Anonymous Coward]

As much as I would like to applaud palm for actually providing a keyboard, I can't help but wonder if these will actually sell.

I myself consider a keyboard an essential part of a computer - which is why I haven't even considered buying a Palm until now. Given that many of their predecessors with miniature keyboards have not sold well (remember the Jornada? It's no longer offered), I hope that Palm has actually produced a useable keyboard. If so, I think this will be a breakthrough - not because of the computing power of the Palm itself, but because it will be perceived as more than just an executive toy. I, for one, would welcome a fully functional computer which I can carry anywhere.

Re:Coverage Maps Useless

[cpfeifer]

I used a CDPD modem with my PalmV for a little while, and while it was neat, there was a small problem with the modem's form factor. If you were less than gentle while you were using it, the modem would shift a little bit and easily get disconnected from the palm and disconnected from the network. Then you would typically have to power cycle the unit and wait for it to handshake with the network. Kind of a pain just to read email.

The new palm mentioned in this article uses the Mobitex network. This is an 'always on' radio network that is also used by the very popular Blackberry devices by Research in Motion. Mobitex coverage in the US looks pretty good, and there's even Mobitex networks in other countries throughout the world.

Why compare?

[Diabolical]

Why is it everyone seems to try and compare the palm devices with the iPaq... it's apple's and pears here...

The way i see it you purchase such a device because you need it's functionality. The palm can go WAY longer without recharging its battery while the iPaq needs to be recharged almost every day. The company for which i work has 2 standards on PDA. iPaq's for those that only need it for coolness factor (i.e. the management... ) and palm devices for those on the actual workfloor... the reason is very simple... the managment almost always leave the damn thing docked most of the day (excpet during meetings because they need to show of the damn things) while the people on the workfloor need to be able to rely on it's durability..

Off course.. an iPaq running linux would be cool enough to forget the low battery life.. ;-)

Very good step forward

[ciurana]

This i701 device looks like a great evolutionary step forward for Palm. The service options seem a bit overpriced but the device's form factor is about right. The older Palm VII was too large to lug around; might as well had taken the laptop.

A few other postings have comments on how much better the iPaq or some other Windows-based system is. I have the opportunity of getting my hands on both types of devices for *free* (as in beer) through the work I do and the Palm product still seems quite superior. Colour, the ability to playback MP3 files, and other bells and whistles make the Windows Pocket PCs much bulkier. Palm is still undisputably the vendor with the smallest form factor (Clié included). If I wear a suit, I can literally slip a Palm V/Vx/m50x in my shirt pocket without it bulking up. If I travel I can take the whole set up, including a modem and the portable keyboard, in a very small bag (sometimes I don't even take my laptop). Pocket PC devices are still bulkier and look like toys. Palms have a certain "business appearance" that appeals to business people. Walk into a company's board room with a Palm and nobody will raise an eyebrow. Do the same with a Pocket PC and you're looked at like you're a Martian.

One of the best features in this new Palm i701 seems to be the antenna. Remember that PDAs are about unobtrusiveness; the i701 addresses this fairly well. A colour screen would've been nice, but that would have a severe impact on the battery usage. I prefer longer air time and/or device battery life over pretty pictures. Besides, what graphical application demands a *small screen*?

A killer app that leverages the i701's form factor and Internet connectivity would be great. Think, think, think...

The Palm platform's software stability is significantly better than Windows CE's/Pocket PC. Development of Palm applications is much simpler than development for WinCE. In terms of usability, use both devices for a week and see which one you'll carry everywhere.

Remember that Palm devices are very good at being PDAs. Pocket PCs are very good at trying to pack the power of a PC in a small footprint. Like everything else, use the best tool for the job at hand.

Cheers!

E

Palm's color choice

[Refrag]

It appears that Palm designed the new PDA to match Apple's line of hardware.

Visor + Visorphone + service = $200 + $50/month

[DanEsparza]

I recently bought a Handspring Visor Neo and wanted to compare Palm's late (and feature lacking) entry into this market with my experience.

I've got:

• $199 - Handspring Visor (with 8 MB RAM)
• $0 - VisorPhone (gives voice and wireless internet features) - integrates seamlessly
• $50/month - 3000 minutes with a wireless provider.

With Palm's device, I can't have voice capabilities, the memory is the same, and it's MUCH more expensive.

My $.02