Palm Releases Integrated Wireless Device And E-Mail Solution

Palm

Palm's solutions group said the new i705 will be priced at $449 and available in volume this week. The device, based on a 33MHz Dragonball processor, 8 Mbtyes of RAM and 4 Mbytes of ROM, and an SD slot, will provide always-on access to e-mail and instant messaging, according to Palm. Wireless access will be provided via the Cingular Wireless MobiText network that operates at about 8.6 Kbps, the company said.

Palm also plans to roll out an enterprise e-mail solution along with the device. The company's wireless messaging solution, expected to be available in beta during the first quarter, will work from behind the firewall and will encrypt all e-mails before they are sent to the i705, Palm said. Users will have the ability to set agents that will filter the types of e-mails that will be forwarded to the i705.

Palm's solution is completely manageable by either an IT staff or a solution provider, according to the company. Palm will provide an SD card that can be used to provision devices within the enterprise, and wireless accounts will be completely manageable by a third-party once an corporate account is set up.

Additionally, Palm officials said flexible billing plans for wireless device are available. Companies can choose to accept one bill, have employees billed directly or a combination of the two. Pricing for the enterprise offering is $39.99 per person for unlimited use.

Pricing for the e-mail server is $2,499 per 25 clients; additional clients are $49.

A consumer-version of the program will also be available, Palm said.

Solution provider reaction to the device was mixed.

Sarcom, a Lewis Center, Ohio-based solution provider, is enthusiastic about the i705. The company plans to roll out the unit to its sales staff, said Mike Freeman, Sarcom vice president of mobile. He is unconcerned about the relatively slow wireless service and the fact that e-mails forwarded to the i705 must be small, about 4 Kb in size. Those kind of restrictions aren't a problem, he said, as long as the back-end solutions are architected with handhelds in mind.

Sarcom expects the i705 rollout to be a living demonstration for potential clients.

"We're seeing incredible interest across medical, manufacturing and hospitality," Freeman said. "I haven't seen a customer set that is not excited about bringing back-end forward on a handheld."

But not all solution providers are as enthusiastic about the new device.

Peter Nelson, president of Advanced Computer Resources, a Nashua, N.H.-based solution provider, said not all Palm partners have had access to information about forthcoming devices. ACR hasn't been able to obtain product specs, despite requests to Palm, before the device will be shipped, he said. Additionally, Nelson said he'd like to see a stronger focus toward back-end database access.