Rumor: Photos of the i705 Leak Out

Posted By: Ed Thursday, January 24, 2002 11:14:57 AM

Palm is rumored to be announcing the i705, its new wireless handheld, on Monday. With the product release so near, its almost inevitable that pictures and information on the new device start to appear.

The i705 will have a large ad in the upcoming February 3 sales flyer for Staples. It lists the i705 for sale at $450. The color picture clearly shows a monochrome screen. The ad also says it will have 8 MB of RAM and a built-in SD expansion card slot.

As the i705 is mainly intended to allow the user to send and receive email while on the go, a keyboard will be a necessity for many who aren't fond of using Graffiti for entering large amounts of text.

The Staples' ad also has a picture of the mini clip-on keyboard that Palm is putting out with the i705. The price is given at $60. Incidentally, Staples will be offering the keyboard free with the purchase of a i705.

The i705 first appeared in Staples' inventory system in early December.

In another example of how difficult it is to keep a new product secret, a reader has sent in pictures taken of a bike courier carrying the i705. PalmJunkie2000 has pictures on his site that show both the packaging and the handheld itself. Apparently the box wasn't sealed and the two of them took the i705 out and looked at it.

Update: PalmJunkie2000's site has been overwhelmed by all the people downloading the pictures and is no longer available. A mirror site with all of them is available.

Update 2: According to Mike Cane, a regular at PIC, the CompUSA on 5th Ave and 37th St in New York City has the Palm i705 in stock and on sale now. They have 20 units in for $450. According to him, it looks just like the leaked pictures.

According to other rumors, the i705 will have always on email and instant messaging. This means it has the ability to check for e-mail even when the handheld itself is off. However, it lacks any voice capabilities. It uses Palm's Universal Connector, which means it can use most peripherals designed for the m500 series and the m125.

Palm is already allowing people who have shown an interest in the i705 sign up to be the first to get it from the Palm Store.

Before you start examining the Staples' images too closely, I'll say the small versions have been edited by me to make them look better for this article. The large one is just as I got it. Also, the source for the Staples flyer is a Staples employee who is a regular source of info on that comapny. - Ed

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Whatever.....

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 11:35:14 AM #
I tried hard to get excited on this one, but somehow I just can't....

RE: Whatever.....
TypeMRT @ 1/24/2002 11:40:47 AM #
I hate to say it, but I second that. The only hope is that Sony doesn't come out with a device that has built-in wireless soon.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 12:04:34 PM #
Me too.. I have to keep telling myself "This is GREAT, this is unbelievable"....

RE: Whatever.....
Foo Fighter @ 1/24/2002 12:21:31 PM #
Count me in as bored stiff. Another ho hum Palm release.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 12:29:57 PM #
I've pre-ordered mine. Don't whine if you trolls miss out and have to wait weeks for yours (you know you want one! no one else has a wireless device!!!!)

RE: Whatever.....
Foo Fighter @ 1/24/2002 12:33:46 PM #
The above poster said: "you know you want one! no one else has a wireless device!!!!"

Really? So I quess receiving e-mail on my cell phone is just my imagination. Or that RIM's Blackberry isn't really wireless? There's nothing new about the i700 series that I can't get with other products.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 1:38:41 PM #
you're right ... receiving this page on a cell phone is a pain in the ***. i've tried numerous "Web-enabled" cell phones and they all make me run and hide. you get maybe 4 lines per screen and the fonts suck. i'm not a big fan of the m705 ... i think there's been too much hype and i'd much rather see it in color with 16 megs of RAM, but this device is a first for the PDA world. Sure, the Blackberry's been doing it for a while ... at least with respect to e-mail. But the Palm m700 series offers a decent screen size, a small form factor PLUS lots of supported applications, web browsing and instant messaging. I'd say that kind of "connectivity" is hard to come by these days ... even with your cell phone and Blackberry.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 2:26:44 PM #
It's not nearly as boring and uninspiring as most of you would suggest. At the same time, it's not as exciting as Palm would hope. It's middle-of-the-road, IMHO. It'll have some cool features, but it will lack some features many of us PDA-loving goobers (myself included) would hope for. The general public will likely think otherwise--many "regular" consumers, IMHO, will really like it.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 2:37:27 PM #
One thing that the i705 does that RIM does not do is allow mail attachments with multimail and then through to docs to go for editing word and excel docs. Now that is really neat!

RE: Whatever.....
kittie @ 1/24/2002 3:29:56 PM #
i dunno... i've seen it, (i work for palm) and i actually want one... maybe it's because i'm a chat junkie, and i really like the fact that this will be always-on... and the chat!
oh... but i don't know if i'm allowed to say anything 'bout it... job requirements and all. i just think it's funny that you guys got the info on it before they even let their own sales reps know about it! meh! ^_^

-+- Palm is great! Assimilate or Die! ^_^ -+-
RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 4:14:13 PM #
YAWN!!!!!

Nothing at all. And of course, Palm doesn't even inform those who work for them I work at the Post Office and I have to hear about stamp rate increases from my wife and on TV.

If only Palm would try.

RE: Whatever.....
terpfan91 @ 1/24/2002 4:34:06 PM #
Sure there are people who are going to love this, but how many? Folks (like me) who mostly like the palm as an organizer will probably opt for the Sony Clie T615 (16MB mem, color, etc.) and will either go without wireless services or continue to get narrowband e-mail on their cell phones. Folks who really like mobility services will probably want voice and stick with their Kyocera or wait for the Treo (should it ever appear). Undoubtedly there are people in the middle who will love the i705 -- but my guess is that there are fewer of these people than Palm would like to think.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 4:48:54 PM #
"I've pre-ordered mine. Don't whine if you trolls miss out and have to wait weeks for yours (you know you want one! no one else has a wireless device!!!!)"

Right. And I'm sure that pre-ordering them from Palm will insure your are the first to get one like when the m505 came out. Pre-ordered mine, and then cancelled when I saw them appearing on the Staples and Fry's shelves before Palm was even close to shipping my "pre-ordered" m505...

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 7:34:19 PM #
I really don't get why alot of you think this won't do well. The majority of Palm users that come here and spout about what Palm should do (16 mb, color, hi-res screens, etc) are die-hards. You represent less than 1% of all Palm users. Do you guys honestly think Palm listens to what you say? They know they'll never make you happy. If they made exactly what you wanted you would still be right back here whining about something else they left off of it.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 7:59:41 PM #
Im disappointed in Palm and Im very happy that I dont own any Palm stock *phew*

I wonder if they read this? Yawn.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 9:15:16 PM #
> You represent less than 1% of all Palm users.

Yep, I'll second that. The loudest people here insist everyone should be buying Sony N610s or T615s. I have to wonder if Sony is paying them. They certainly have plenty of money to blow, and lots of time to waste here. The 5 Palm devices I know of people buying in the last month were two S320's, an m125 and two m505's. Those were fairly geek-type people buying them too.

Missing the point
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 11:53:22 PM #
This really a lackluster product and perhaps with the right advertising, it will succeed with the aid of consumer ignorance. However, as people become more and more aware of what makes a PDA good (just like it took years for consumers to realize what made a computer good outside of pure MHz), more people will begin to stop buying Palm devices and buy Sony because Sonys are just a better value. The fact that Sony is the only one innovating (jog dial, high powered IR port, high-res screen) just adds insult to injury. People will start realizing what's going on, despite the fact that they may never see what's being written on this board or the fact that those making these comments constitute less than 1% of Palm users. When I got my Sony Clie T415, I did some research and in the first five minutes, I'd already ruled out Palm (still using serial ports on the lower models? what a joke) and concentrated on Handspring and Sony. I don't doubt for a second that anyone with half a brain will do a little bit of research before shelling out $450 for a handheld.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/25/2002 1:13:09 AM #
> The fact that Sony is the only one innovating (jog dial,
> high powered IR port, high-res screen)

You do realize that these are hardly innovations (all are available on numerous other PDAs), and that the m50x series has a more powerful IR port than any of Sony's offerings don't you? Does Sony have one PDA with built in wireless? Does anybody else? I would say that is far more "innovative" than features that have been available in PDAs for years.

> When I got my Sony Clie T415 [ ... ]

Ugh! If you bought a T415, you have zero clue as to what is available in Palm OS devices. If you read any review or held it next to any other handheld (that has ever existed), it has absolutely the worst screen on any PDA, worst ever as far as I know. You know that Sony has already dropped support for it, don't you?

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/25/2002 4:50:59 AM #
You guys are a little harsh...

I think that an 8Mb expandable unit is a great idea. Now I personally have an m505 and have been disappointed in the screen and am looking forward to a Clie 615 BUT...consider who will use such a wireless device. Doctors, Traders, infact anyone needing (really needing as opposed to it being nice to check email all the time) to have access to a wireless network will be stoked with this.

I reckon its an amazing achievement. Don't see anything similar from Sony here...Hang in there Palm.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/25/2002 5:26:25 AM #
People just face it,

Palm had given us another YAWN product.

Really think about it. So it's nice that it has always on email, and you can do instant messaging.

WOW!

There you go.. Yawn, I mean Palm has gotten my praise, but couldn't they of done a bit more? I mean 16 megs could put this further in the enterprise market and a color screen, would of been worth trashing the M505, and a high screen reslution display would of even taken market share away from Sony and given it back to Palm.

I just don't see this device as a "Must Have" device.
So someone please wake us uall up when Palm really has something to "show off" to the world.

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/25/2002 8:03:43 AM #
"but how many?"
I personally think alot of people will like the i705 because it has changed alot. I'm not talking about the casing and all, there is new features such as the always on wireless that VIIx users looked for in the past. And to think this is much lighter than the VIIx with a new OS. I think some VIIx users and RIM users might take the risk. But then again, that's what i think...
http://pdan.has.it

RE: Whatever.....
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/25/2002 9:39:54 AM #
Boring.....I could care less. At this price only high end users will buy it and high end users aren't interested. By the way who is the idiot that calls people trolls whenever they say they don't like something Palm does? Thats so stupid.

Biking

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 11:39:40 AM #
Hm what a trustworthy bike courier. Leaving fingerprints and scratches on the screen of some poor person's "new" 705. :)

The staples ad shows a star where the calculator button usually is. Since I've been living under a rock for a while I never saw that before.

It looks okay.

Star Icon
Ed @ 1/24/2002 11:45:21 AM #
> The staples ad shows a star where the calculator button usually is. Since
> I've been living under a rock for a while I never saw that before.

I've still got a copy of the manual that was posted by the FCC back when the i705 was approved. The manual also shows the star replacing the calculator button and calls it the Favorite icon.

Here's what the manual says:

    The Buttons Preferences screen enables you to assign a frequently used application to the Favorite icon, and to associate different applications with the buttons on the front of the handheld. Note Pad is assigned to the Favorite icon the by default. But if you use Memo Pad more frequently, you can assign Memo Pad to the icon so that you don’t have to scroll through the Applications Launcher whenever you want to use Memo Pad.

---
News Editor
RE: Biking
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 11:49:08 AM #
It is a new "favorite button."

MyPalm button
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 2:52:27 PM #
Also note the MyPalm icon on the launcher. The former ToDo List button appears to have the same icon.

You've Got to Admit the Weight on this is Nice

kevdo @ 1/24/2002 11:48:58 AM #
While I wish Palm would have released this with 16 MB instead of 8 MB, the fact that this is so small and light is a really, really good thing. (the RAM issue is somewhat lessened by being grayscale -- since grayscale/B&W versions of programs, games especially, often eat up less RAM than their color counterparts.)

I like that Palm knows they need to have a keyboard with this unit -- I just wish they would put out a model with built in keyboard ala the Treo.

-Kevin Crossman

RE: You've Got to Admit the Weight on this is Nice
bcombee @ 1/24/2002 2:32:04 PM #
If they had done the engineering work recently, it probably would have had 16MB. However, the engineering work was all done last spring before any competitive 16MB devices were out, and any wireless device has to go through FCC type approval. Upping the memory might have added a few months to the release cycle since it would have to get new FCC approval.

CodeWarrior for Palm OS technical lead
RE: You've Got to Admit the Weight on this is Nice
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 8:47:44 PM #
Why would making the memory require FCC approval if it has nothing to do with the signal that is being transmitted? Just wondering.

Just called Staples

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 12:08:51 PM #
I just called my local Staples - they have none in stock and are not expecting shipments to sometime in June.

RE: Just called Staples
Foo Fighter @ 1/24/2002 12:22:58 PM #
What!?!?! That's impossible? Why would Palm announce a product that won't ship until June?

RE: Just called Staples
Ed @ 1/24/2002 12:27:37 PM #
Please notice that the date for this flyer is February 3, which is over a week from now. Palm itself hasn't announced an availability date for the i705. Of course you can't call Staples and order one.

Don't you think it is at all interesting that you can call Staples and they have a model called the i705 in their system? Does that help convince you it's real?

Also, Palm is taking reservations for a wireless handheld right now which it says will be out soon. June isn't soon so I wouldn't put too much credence on the date in Staples system.

---
News Editor

RE: Just called Staples
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 12:27:55 PM #
first of all, this is still a "rumor". Second, remember m500/505?

RE: Just called Staples
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 2:02:51 PM #
Who cares when Staples get there's.

RE: Just called Staples
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 2:55:01 PM #
Any guess on whether Palm has learned its lesson about preorders? Will people who reserve REALLY get theirs first?

Not, of course, that I want one of these dinosaurs. :>

RE: Just called Staples
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 8:04:03 PM #
Call staples? You think any of those idiots have even a vague idea what the new Palm is?

You might as well expect your order at McDonalds to be right after you pull away from the drive thru... [what the hell is this McFish crap in here!]

RE: Just called Staples
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 8:24:42 PM #
LOL!!! A rumor?! Wow, that person must be REALLY skilled with Photoshop to place an i705 into a persons hands, and do the box, and everything. You are really smart. ;)

RE: Just called Staples
Foo Fighter @ 1/24/2002 11:38:14 PM #
This is the funniest damn thing I have ever witnessed. The i705 is popping up in stores all over the place, and there are still dumb asses who think it's a fake! What more proof do you want?

More photos of the courier!

huggy @ 1/24/2002 12:25:56 PM #
I've been looking the junkie pics and I couldn't help paying more attention to the bike courier than the i705... what a **** is that! the only things this unit has that the VII didn't have is a bit more memory and an expansions card!

-------------- huggy ---------------
RE: More photos of the courier!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/24/2002 1:16:40 PM #
It is smaller, syncs via USB, and in my understanding has considerably better and cheaper wireless services than the VII ever did.

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