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Palm i705 Handheld Debuts: Only Secure, Integrated Wireless, Email Solution With Web Access
Posted by WDN, January 28, 2002
Executing on its commitment to deliver wireless solutions to mobile
professionals and businesses, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today launched the Palm(TM) i705 handheld. It is the only wireless solution in the
marketplace that delivers all of the following benefits:
always-on(1) "push" email from up to eight email accounts;
secure, end-to-end, behind-the-firewall email for corporate users;
web browsing via Google search or URL entry; plus
classic Palm Personal Information Management (PIM) features, such as
Date Book and Address Book, combined in a sleek silver one-piece
package.
In a separate news release, Palm today announced that AOL's popular AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) service and a host of other AOL services also
are on the new Palm i705 wireless handheld.
Palm also today announced an enterprise-class, end-to-end, behind-the-firewall, wireless messaging solution, based on the new Palm i705 handheld,
for large deployments. The Palm i705 Wireless Messaging Solution directly addresses the manageability, support and security concerns of IT managers
who are deploying handhelds to large numbers of mobile workers.
"The Palm i705 is a compelling offering that addresses the need for an always-on mobile information management and email solution that serves the
needs of mobile individuals as well as integrates into corporate infrastructure," said Kevin Burden, an analyst at IDC, the worldwide market research
firm based in Framingham, Mass. "We believe strong demand exists for an end-to-end wireless solution that enterprises can procure from a single
vendor."
Growing Mobile Work Force Demands Flexibility and Control
"People today are more mobile than ever, and the Palm i705 handheld was conceived, designed and made especially for mobile business users and
corporate IT -- a first for Palm," said Todd Bradley, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Palm's Solutions Group. "The freedom to
travel while remaining connected to email and messaging is a key competitive advantage for people and companies. Just as important is the ability to
manage and filter incoming information from multiple messaging accounts, and our i705 handheld delivers personal control like no other product on the
market today."
The Palm i705 handheld provides the following benefits:
the ability to consolidate incoming email from as many as eight
accounts;
notification of new email by LED, sound or vibration;
on-the-fly filtering of mail from different sources;
multiple forms of data entry, including an optional Palm Mini Keyboard,
introduced today, that slips over the bottom of the i705 and provides
for "thumb typing;" and
powerful complementary business software valued at more than $100.
Included inbox is DataViz' Documents To Go 4.0 Professional Edition,
providing unparalleled ability to read, create and edit Word and Excel
documents while preserving formatting. It also permits viewing of
PowerPoint presentations sized for the handheld's screen.
Two software programs are at the heart of the desktop-to-handheld collaboration. On the Palm i705 handheld, email management is made possible by
the Palm MultiMail(R) Deluxe application, which supports a business account, an included webmail account at Palm.com, and support for the most
widely used email accounts, such as Yahoo!, Earthlink, Mindspring, and other leading Internet email services.
On the desktop, MultiMail Deluxe Desktop Link -- a Microsoft Windows application that works with Microsoft Outlook and runs continuously in the
background -- securely encrypts and decrypts email, and redirects messages to users' Palm i705 handhelds.
Studies Confirm Mobility Trend
Studies show that U.S. workers are increasingly mobile and inclined to use email and Personal Information Management (PIM), namely calendar,
address, to-do, and note functions. For example,
-- IDC researchers expect the number of mobile and remote workers to
increase by nearly 20 percent by 2004, to 55 million, from today's 46
million.(2)
-- Jupiter Media Metrix indicates that the U.S. firms it surveyed that
plan to deploy mobile programs chose email and PIM as the top two
mobile applications, at 83 percent and 70 percent respectively.(3)
(Palm's purchase of ThinAirApps, Inc. in December 2001 helps Palm
address enterprise's needs by owning key intellectual property for
"pushing" information wirelessly.)
-- Yankee Group found that Palm handhelds are the preferred wireless
device for U.S. workers, after notebooks, in the next three years.(4)
Classic Palm Benefits, Rich Accessories, Wireless Service
As with other Palm branded handhelds, owners of Palm i705 handhelds have access to more than 13,000 software applications currently commercially
available (see Palm's Software Connection website at http://software.palm.com . Plus, it can be expanded easily and in two ways, just like other
calendar 2001 entries to the Palm family of handhelds. Internal expansion is provided by Palm's Expansion Card Slot, which can accommodate
memory, application and input/output devices via SD Cards and MultiMediaCard media. External expansion is delivered via the Palm Universal
Connector, which allows handhelds to be augmented with collapsible keyboards, digital cameras and other hardware.
The Palm i705 handheld is based on the Palm OS(R) v4.1 platform. It features 8MB RAM and 4MB Flash ROM, a 33MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ
processor, a rechargeable lithium polymer battery and HotSync(R) USB cradle. It weighs 5.9 ounces, including the battery, and measures 4.65 inches
x 3.06 inches x 0.61 inches.
The Palm.Net(R) service for the new handheld is provided via Cingular Wireless' nationwide Mobitex-based packet data network, which lets users
roam 260 U.S. metropolitan areas without additional charges. This service is widely used and recognized as being the most accessible service available.
Various plans are available, including unlimited use of all functions for as little as $35/month. Access to the Internet is made easier through the
completely redesigned MyPalm(TM) mobile portal, which offers a range of new services. One-touch access to the Internet, with no dial-up, is
provided by pressing one of four "quick access" buttons on the bottom of the Palm i705. (Various MyPalm portal applications and features are outlined
in the software section of this document.)
Pricing and Availability
Palm believes the Palm i705 handheld is the most competitively priced handheld in its class, considering purchase price, activation fee, and monthly
service rate. The product is available this week in U.S. retail stores for an estimated U.S. street price of $449; a Palm.Net service subscription is
required to activate the wireless functionality.
FranklinCovey, one of Palm's top resellers in the United States, is the first Palm OEM to sell the Palm i705 solution through its nationwide retail stores,
website and catalog. Based in Salt Lake City, FranklinCovey sells Palm handheld computers bundled with its planning and time-management software
and tools.
The Palm Mini Keyboard, 3.25 inches x 2.75 inches, is also available this week at retail stores and online at The Palm Store ( http://store.palm.com) for $59.95.
Multiple Palm.Net wireless service plans are available:
-- Associate -- $19.99/100kb per month
-- Executive Unlimited -- $39.99/month, unlimited usage
-- Executive Unlimited Annual -- $34.99/month, unlimited usage (allows
users to save money with a one-year commitment)
There are never any roaming charges -- the same rates apply in all coverage areas, and there are no extra charges for peak-hour usage. All plans
require a one-time setup charge of $9.99.
Software
In addition to the award-winning PIM applications and the industry's leading handheld OS platform, Palm is supplying free business software with the
Palm i705:
-- DataViz' Documents To Go 4.0 Professional Edition -- lets users read,
create and edit Microsoft Word and Excel documents, and read and share
Microsoft PowerPoint documents;
-- MGI PhotoSuite Mobile Edition v2.23 -- lets users view images and video
clips; and
-- Palm Reader(TM) -- the leading eBook reader for Palm Powered(TM)
devices; lets users read eBooks and view text files.
In addition, the all-new version of the MyPalm wireless portal provides a set of mobile services for the Palm i705 handheld that is updated
automatically through the HotSync operation:
-- Full web browsing -- Users can access any URL and conduct web searches
powered by Google.
-- Directory -- Users can navigate through nearly 50 of the best sites and
services on the web, optimized for wireless access (including AOL,
Fidelity, E*Trade, BusinessWeek, ABC News, CNN, USA Today, Travelocity,
OAG, Fodors, Weather.com, ESPN, CBS Sportsline, Moviefone, eBay and The
Palm Store).
-- Customizable MyPage -- Users can set up a personal page of weather,
stock quotes, news, email and more.
About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers, according to IDC (December
2000). Based on the Palm OS platform, Palm's handheld solutions allow people to carry and access their most critical information wherever they go.
Palm(TM) handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and educational institutions by offering the foundation for thousands of application
solutions. Palm stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol PALM. More information is available at http://www.palm.com.
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