Comments on: Kyocera QCP 6035 Smartphone Review

It's bigger than Visorphone. and what that numeric pad are for? Hello?

Hi,
Just a few questions :-)
Is the backlight the "old style" like the sony clie is (background is lit rather than the text)?

Have you tried syncing it with the Palm Mac desktop software instead of using Virtual PC?

Thanks,
George

Can you tell me more about the monthly rate that you pay? I'm a little skeptical that getting this phone with even the minimum monthly rate would come with unlimited internet access. That would seem too good to be true. Traditionally, Verizon has offered web access for an additional $7/month and that plan uses your minutes. They recently announced a new system which allows for unlimited internet access for Palm and PPC devices for $25/month. If you're telling me that you're just paying for a voice plan and are getting unlimited internet access on top of that for free, I'll probably have to go out and get one of these.

Speaking of internet access, how long does it take to connect?

Thanks for the review.

Scott

I also got a smartphone this past week - love it overall but the small screen size, particularly in dim light, definitely takes getting used to...

Have you loaded any Palm VII pqa web clipping apps yet and tried them? So far, I have not been able to get them to connect - always get a "serial" error...

Thanks

According to the Verizon Wireless web site, they are offering a promotional one time only service credit of $25.00 for the internet service. After that you have to pay.

The site also gives the following disclaimer:

"The $25 service credit promotional offer is not available in the following states: ME, VT, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY and the following area codes in NJ (201, 973, 908 and 732).

I called Verizon today regarding the info. you posted in the review.

1) Verizon only gives 1 month free access until April 1, then they charge $6.95/month for monthly service!

2) I was also told that any calls made (even data calls) are considered a phone call and deduct minutes from your wireless plan. Unlimited brousing is a not available yet, unless you have unlimited wireless minutes!

DrB

OK, I just spoke with someone at Verizon's Mobile IP division. According to him, their division only handles CPDP services, of which the 6035 is not. So, this phone should fall under the voice plans. This would mean that minutes used would come out of your voice minutes. My guess would be that you should have to pay the $7/month fee, but others have posted here that you don't need to. Why not?

Off-topic (somewhat): If Verizon's Mobile IP service is available in your area and you've been interested in the Omnisky service, you should definitely look into this. It doesn't sound as though they have any specialized portal (ala Omnisky) but you get a static IP address and unlimited usage for $24.95/month with a one-year contract. They sell the Novatel Palm V modem is $254.99. Oh, they also hit you with a $25 setup fee. Still, a pretty good deal. Compare that with $199 for Omnisky's modem ($299 - $100 rebate) and $39.95/month.

Scott

One thing that's been bothering me since I first saw pics of this new phone: how does it feel to write graffiti on it? Isn't it awkward to hold it in one hand with the phone pad flipped down, while trying to position your other hand correctly over the graffiti input area? Have you noticed any discomfort when you try to use graffiti? or any change in how fast you can enter info? (or if you use other input methods such as Fitaly or FitalyStamp, any comments on that?)

Oh and one more thing: what do the traditional PalmOS datebook, address, etc. buttons do when the screen is half-covered by the phone pad? do you just scroll around with the jog dial until the info you want comes up into the top part of the screen?

Thanks!

Im a palm user who switched from iii to m100 and who after 8 months gotten used to the m100 screen formfactor, my iii screen feels widescreen but i know as a fact that the m100 screen works
, the reason for starting to work with the m100 is that i get economy in bying 3/year and the one i got still works eventhou it's taken punishment like an x-wing fighter. It would be interestin with a pda/phone that could pull some G. and still work. thank you kyocera' and Nokia im going to buy your pda/phone if yuo make it a palm os

The reviewer commented on the lightweight stylus supplied with the Kyocera. You can use the heftier Palm V stylus (metal shaft) with the Kyocera. It fits and clicks into the Kyocera's slot nicely, though it's a little harder to get out, since it doesn't have the raised tab on the top.

A few questions:

What is the size of the screen?

What are the number of pixels across and down?

For refrence what is the size of the screen (and
actual text characters) in relation to the m100 or Vx?

Would the 6035 make a ok doc reader?

How powerful is the irda transceiver?

Have you tried it with omniremote?

Has there been any mention of future support for a SD slot?

Remove flip - is it possible? There is an application emulates numpad, maybe better simply to remove this annoying flip? Who need the flip on _Palm_? Voice dialing, big phonebook, what else do you need to make a call? If you need to enter a new number, you can use stylus, don't you think so?

I currently own a palm Vx and a Startac Digital phone (Both in perfect
working order), I got wind of the new smartphones and fell in love with the
Kyocera QCP 6035 http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/kysmart/kysmart_series.htm
, I have read some very basic reviews at
http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=1707 and have actually gone
down to the verizon stores to check out the Kyocera QCP 6035, this phone
seemed to be everything that I wanted. I then read something that said that
Kyocera has an enhanced version of the phone in the works, I also got a
chance to see a picture of the Samsung SPH-1300
http://www.samsungusa.com/cgi-bin/nabc/main/samsungusa.jsp which will be
available in the summer and has a color screen (this unit does not have a
keypad which I think is a bad idea). Now I am wondering which features are
planned for the future Kyocera (color screen?, 320x320 resolution like the
new Sony Clié?, sleeker design?) and have been hesitant to buy one of the
first generation units.

Does anyone have any information on the planned features for future
smartphones or any opinion on rather it is worth buying one of these units
now or is it better to wait for things to settle down a bit.

Greetings --

I've gotten used to using a Palm IIIC with a Palm keyboard to write memos, correspondence, etc. Will any of the Palm keyboards work with the Kyocera 6035??

TIA.

Why would I buy a Kyocera if I already own a Palm V? I can just purchase the Ohfish (http://www.ohfish.com) for $380 dollars and use it as a phone and use my existing email as well.

If I don't want to carry my phone, I can leave my sled at home.

The reviewer said "That's right, unlimited data calls within the North East corridor(Boston to Washington) and it doesn't deduct from my nationwide calling plan minutes."

Has anyone else see this? I'm in Boston, and they are telling me the data services deduct from regular minutes. This is a huge issue for me. I would gladly drive a couple of hours to find this unlimited plan.

Can someone help? Where did the reviewer buy this phone, or what number was called for this info.

Being one of those geeks who go out and buy the new tech toys, I couldn't pass up the 6035. There was 3 things I needed:

1) I needed reliable service in my calling area
2) I needed to do instant messaging, email and some web browsing (I use pqa's)
3) I wanted to replace my Handspring Prism/Omnisky and my Nokia 8290 (horrible reception BTW).
4) I didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for service

I got 3 out of 4. The price of the service is what kills me. Price being that your minutes are taken out from your voice pool. Boy is that annoying. Also this device does not automatically check your e-mail from my knowledge. Someone correct me please! Unlimited plans are not even being discussed at Verizon. Oh well...

Otherwise, the voice quality of the phone is EXCELLENT.

The data connection takes about 30 seconds to establish and isn't always successful. I am comparing this to Omnisky.

PQA's that require SSL is not supported from what I know. I am going to check with Kyocera support.

The voice dialing, phonebook integration, call log, and jog dial are EXCELLENT.

The jog dial could be larger tho. It was a big hard for me with my small fingers to jog. The shape of the phone makes it difficult for one handed operation.

The display is clear and viewable in direct sunlight.

The lack of expandability kills it for some people. I try not to use too many accessories and only carry things that I use everyday. It would be nice to have a memory expansion for this device though, ie: Smart Media, compact flash... 8 Megs is ample but what if i start using more and more voice notes and the like?

I've had the Palm Pro, VDX, PRISM, PALM VIIx, PALM III, and PALM M100. The smaller screen and monochrome make it extremely boring. But as a business tool it is extremely useful. Load it up with pqa's. THis is definitely a step in the right direction into convergance of personal data products (phones, pdas, watches, etc).

Is it worth 500? Yes if you make a lot of calls and carry your palm device around a lot. Most phones average 100$ and a decent 8 meg palm device is $200. Add into that a wireless modem at 100$ after all the rebates and you have 400$. 100$ more for integration isn't so bad. Count in the service for your phone and wireless service (50$ phone, 30$ service for wireless omnisky). Its all about how much you use your device.

There were a few quirks (such as Verizon barely knowing ANYTHING about this phone) but this is the first device in a long time that has done something new rather than add color and more megabytes to a Palm device (springport excluded).

I had a similar experience with SprintPCS and my AirCard 510. I was told I had unlimited Internet Access by a sales rep. Unfortunately, when I received my bill, and questioned them on the subject, I discovered that Unlimited Internet access, did not apply to the air-time, just the Internet access. Air time was on top of Internet access. Just wondered how your first bill came out?

I just bought the Sprint version of the Kyocera Smartphone on an eBay auction for $399 and it's great. Though the screen is narrower than the Visor I'm used to, it seems sharper and very easy to read. I've been using the Sprint Wireless Web and Avantgo and it works perfectly - even pulls up graphics on websites pretty clearly.
The phone is a bit larger than the Samsung flip phone I'm used to but it's a lot better than carrying around a visor and a cell phone. Not to mention, trying to use the wireless web on a three line cell phone is just plain silly - with the Kyocera you can actually read a webpage or e-mail.

Question - has anyone found a nice case for this phone?

I also just bought one of these phones, and I like it quite a bit. A few things that I'd love to see:

1) I had the nice pen/stylus for my Palm V with the spring-loaded tip. I want one that fits this phone!

2) One thing that's not clear from many reviews I've read: the SMS service on this phone is ONE WAY (receive-only). This is really rather sad, given that you actually have a nice text-entry method with Graffiti. But, truthfully, I don't use SMS much so no biggie.

3) I'm a little disappointed that there isn't better support in the phone for doing things like re-configuring the ring/vibrate tones. My Nokia 6190 (which this phone replaced, requiring a switch of phone companies) had "profiles". You could have an "outdoor" profile with a LOUD ringer plus the vibrate, a "meeting" profile with a quiet beep, etc. This should be something that could be done in software, but I downloaded the SDK and they haven't exposed the necessary functions in the API. :-(

4) Because the phone's display (when closed) is the upper part of the Palm screen, they turn the screen in the phone off to conserve power. This is actually probably the most annoying thing of all -- on my 6190 I could glance at the phone and see if I had messages. On this phone, I have to poke the button on top to "wake it up" to see if I have missed calls or messages.

5) When used with the internal date book application, reminders pop up on the phone's screen with the flip closed. VERY cool. But, if you use the excellent third-party calendar "DateBk3", you have to open the flip to see the reminder. I know there' s a new DateBk out, but I doubt that it's any different in this regard.

6) Above all -- I need a better case for this phone. The one at the Verizon store is sort of a "holster", and you have to remove the phone from the case to make a call or use the Palm. I'd really like to see one with a clear plastic front that would allow me to make and receive calls without removing the phone from the case. I wouldn't mind removing it to use the Palm as long as it was easy.

In summary, I'm quite pleased. My palm devices were never as useful as I wanted, because I often wouldn't carry them along. Having the Palm in the phone means I take the Palm everywhere, *and* have EVERY PHONE NUMBER in my contact list easily available for cell dialing (and the phone looks up incoming calls in the address book and displays the name of the caller -- nifty!). I think it's a fine device and I look forward to seeing the great accessories and software that will doubtless follow.

I'm with you! I got one in the first week I could, and have not regretted it a bit! I got rid of a beltfull of gadgets, and am very happy with my one do-it-all super-gadget.

I am very interested in buying the Kyocera 6035. I lilve in Southern California. The same phone is sold by Verizon and Sprint. Does anyone have any experience with either of these services in the Southern California area? Which is better from sound quality versus web access standpoint and also with regard to the calling plans (features vs. minutes vs. quality of reception vs. cost)?

Thank you.

Hello,

I do not find anything in this discussion about dual wireless services, such as using Verizon and CellularOne on single Kyocera 6035 unit. I use Cellularone for analog coverage as this time (using Nokia 282 phone). After reading the comments, I would want to switch to Kyocera unit, and then combine two services on the same unit (to avoid roaming charges).

Any comments on this one?

Thanks,

Robert

First... Thanks to everyone who posted their comments.
I really would like to purchase one of these phones, but I want to make sure that I know what I am getting into. I am primarily interested in combining my mobile with the contact mgt and scheduling (calendar) features. Can't say that I am much interested in surfing the web from my phone, although it might be nice to hit something like mapquest if I get lost while driving in an unfamiliar area.

I have never had anything with the Palm OS so this is my first foray into that realm.

I use Outlook for mail, appts, and contact info on my desktop. Can anyone comment on how well the calendar and contact lists on the phone work with Outlook? Do the built in apps handle these well? Should I or do I need to install additional software?

I am a firm believer in paying attention to the road while driving but sometimes you just have to be on the phone. Hence, I will be picking up the hands-free kit for the car or the earphone. Can anyone comment on the use of the handsfree kit versus the separate earphone. I like the idea of being able to take the earphone with me when not in the car.

I have noticed some negative comments about some of the leather cases. Does the phone come with a belt clip or someother way to clip it to your waist? Has anyone found a good leather case and or usable clip?

Thanks in advance.

1. Sprint reception on this phone is terrible. I Live in NY City and would have to be on top of the Empire State to get a continous service. I went through 2 of these phones and had to go to the Sprint Servive center, where it failed their test. I you need it for a business it's embarassing with the number of missed calls

2. Palm function works well although the design of the phone sucks. Big, bulky and LCD is design to catch face oils??

I would wait until someother palm cells come out

MikeB

I've had a 6035 for about a month now and love it! I've downloaded quite a few apps for I.T. stuff and I'm extremely pleased how things work. Considering I've never had a Palm device, I'm not doing too bad working with this.

I *did* want a descent case to hold it, so I purchased the case that is available from Kyocera. Unfortunately, I have found that I "carry" the 6035 more than I put it in the case. I'm about to velcro something to the back of it so I can clip it on my belt.

I bought a standard Plantronix earpiece that has a small microphone attached and found that clarity is spectacular! I think it's alot better than the "stick it in your ear" pieces.

Overall, I think that this phone is wonderful. It replaces my old cell and the Motorola TimePort that I used to carry around on my utility belt.

The SmartPhone is not actually a new technology. It was released about 1 1/2 years ago as the Qualcomm QCP Smartphone, for which Sprint PCS wanted $899. However, Qualcomm sold off all of their phone-manufacturing to Kyocera, which is doing more to market it and charging significantly less. Still, it does not quite match the VisorPhone in terms of size and ease, and does limit what one can do with the Palm, as it is smaller and has less software.

Also an early adopter. Also thrilled with what I've got. I've been saddled with a phone, a palm, a laptopp, etc. This is the best solution I've come across. Is it the final answer?...absolutely not. But we'll all be dead before that is delivered. Meanwhile, this is the best solution I've used. I'm hooked!

Is it using DragonBall EZ or VZ?

Love the phone, but it is not simple. Have been trying to utilize the budnled Eduora Mail package to hot sync to mOutlook at Work
No Luck. In doing so, I installed the latest Eudora Internet Package. Now my Access to the
verizon INternet site is crewed up. Hotsyncing directly with my dial in account takes about 10 minutes of time. Far too long to get a few E Mail messages.
It was a lot of phone brosing the Web while on the waiting to tee off at the golf course.
If anyone knows how to reconfigure the Eudora Web Browser to connect to the Verison site again, please post.

Dave

Thank you for the very informative review of the Smartphone. I purchased one. Any idea how I can get a WAP browser?

Thanks, Scott Lindsoe
slindsoe@falcontech.org

Hello all,

Has anyone successfully used the Kyocera QCP Smartphone as a wireless modem via an IR connection? I've been able to get it to work perfectly using the cradle, but I'd love to get it work through it IR port. Success stories, pointers, advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Anthony

I'd surely like to hear the opinions of others who may have looked into this matter already.

According to United Airlines Customer Relations, the official policy appears to be that we cannot use our QCP-6035 phone while in-flight even with the phone section powered off. Having used my Palm Vx while in-flight, I thought there might be an issue with the QCP-6035. Below is a quote from the UAL Customer Relations folks.

"Here is the official answer. I am familiar with this phone, and unfortunately, there is no way to keep it from radiating (transmitting) while in the Palm OS PDA mode only. Because of potential interference issues, only devices that do not radiate can be used inflight. Thus, this cell/pda cannot be used once the door is closed without strict permission of the Captain."

Don't shoot their messenger, they are only relaying their policy. I have queried Kyocera, but no response yet.

If you bought this phone because you wanted to do everything you wanted to, well, you won't be able to play Subhunt on that long flight across the country.

Von

Ok, I bought the phone considering your reviews and the fact that I needed a new Palm and a cell. Makes sense to me, this converged PDA. Anyway, now I can't get it to sync with my Mac Titanium laptop running 9.1. I have a palm serial port USB adpater but I think the sync problem is because the Palm software on the Mac is 2.6.1. What version of Palm software do I need to run on the Mac to get it to sync. Any ideas out there?
Mucho thanks!

Mike

If anyone knows any resources for this, please advise!

Is there a keyboard that works with teh Kyocera 6035? I also have a 6035 and think it's a
great phone/PDA but often find myself on the road needing to type lengthy responses.

Thanks!

My experience with the Kyocera 6035 Smartphone was disappointing. I really wanted this combo phone and Palm PDA. I bought one from a Sprint PCS store on 2001-Sep-24, charged it up overnight, and started using the phone, putting off learning its Palm features as I have never had a PDA.
The next day I could not turn it off. I would hold the END button down as instructed, but the normal screen kept reappearing. The only way to shut it down was to take out its battery. I took it back to Sprint and, of course, by the time I got there, the OFF button would work. They advised me to keep it for a few more days, since I had 14 days for a full refund. So I returned home with it and, of course, later that day the OFF button failed to work again. I theorized that when at room temperature it fails, but when warmed up in my chest pocket it works to shut down the phone.
So on 2001-Sep26, I took the phone back without putting it in my pocket, demonstrated the defective OFF switch, and they gladly exchanged it for a brand new replacement 6035. I got in the car with the new phone, mounted it in a hands-free holder, and started setting it up, turning on the SPEAKERPHONE and KEYGUARD (which is essential with its exposed keys).
A half mile away, I tried to turn off the KEYGUARD by pressing the OFF/ON button. The command came on to hit keys 1, 2, and 3 in sequence or to press the light button. Guess what? None of these steps would work to turn off the keyguard mode. So I turned the car around and went straight back to Sprint PCS for a full refund.
Two brand-new phones in a row with a defective ON/OFF/KEYGUARD buttons or circuitry are to me a serious sign that Kyocera does not have their quality control up to snuff. I'm praying Motorola or someone else comes out with a Palm-driven PDA & phone, as I really want a PDA, but I don't want to lug around two separate items.

I have had my QCP 6035 since July 2001 and like the product very much, have not seen anything I'd
rather have at any price. There are some real issues (problems) with the product, but I expect
them to be resolved sooner than later. I am posting that Kyocera & Chapura may see them and expedit
the resolution.

1. Fix the known & acknowledged sync problem between Chapura and Kyocera, there is a problem with the
contact database and your outlook. Five times, I have had to reload the entire phone (destructive) write operation
to the pda losing any changes. Very annoying and serious.
2. Speed dial must be programmed MANUALLY on the phone. Inexcusable! No way to set up and asve
speed dials. Reload due to problem 1 WIPES OUT all programmed speed dials. I have programmed
my speed dials 5 times from scratch. FIX this Now!
3. Manually configured speed dials are not backed up and very easy to lose.
4. The screen is hard to read in PDA mode and backlight is extremely poor. I cannot wait for the
color version with a bright, crisp screen like my Jornada 545 has. (one of the 545's only virtues.)
5. Access to the speed dial list is clumbsy and is VERY DIFFICULT to do with one hand. Need a button
on the front flip down. I'd suggest reprogramming the search button on the flip down with speed dial
access.
6. Fix Chapura conduit so that I can restrict or eliminate old calendar items.
7. Add a filter on the conduit to restrict/eliminate by some criteria.
8. Get duplications of Contact items.

Battery life is very good, the hands free kit works fantastic, but you need to provide a holster to
mount the phone on the dash.

I love this phone, excellent, have dropped it several times with no problems. seems very rugged and the
size is no issue to me. Price, less than my Jornada.

Things I'd like to see:
1-Color screen -- I'll even take the hit for the bigger battery I assume would be required.
2-A Solitare that works exactly like the Microsoft version on my Jornada.
3-USB connected vs COM connection.
4-more memory
5-Put approved software additions on the Kyocera web page. Not everything for a palm works.
6-Brighter, easier to read monocrome screen. Very hard to read in some light.
7-Rude and crude spreadsheet.

This is the first Palm product, learning how to use the phone & PDA took several days.

I have not tried the email or the web stuff.

There it is, an honest, straight review of the finest phone I have ever owned. My cell phone
usage went up 40% as a result of the quality and usability of this phone. My previous phones were
Audiovox 9000, 2 different models of Qualcomm and a series of Motorola's.

Joe

In Southern California, Office Depot has these babies (QCP 6035 - Sprint) on clearance for $179. If price was keeping you out of the market, welcome to the fold.

Unfortunately, the Kyocera QCP 6035 and the Samsung SPH-1300 have a modem that is non-upgradable with the new standard for data transmission to be in place in the first quarter of '2002.

It should allow data transmission to increase by 10 times, therefore at the speed of 144 kb instead of 14.4, the actual speed of these smartphones.

Both companies acknoledged that their devices will need to be upgraded, but no one could say when it will be available.

Claude Beauregard
Montreal, Canada
chb27@yahoo.com

How do I set up AOL Instant Messenger on this phone? Is it really free?

I have had the 6035 for about 4 months. The phone is truly fantastic. It is a phone with power (better reception, audio - especially if you use the antenna extender available at any STAPLES). It's PALM capabilities (while I admit the screen is small) are much more than I expected. It's fully functional and my previous PALM info loaded right-up without incident (from a M150 yet). I don't understand all of the complaints. Yeah, it's big, you're going to need to deal with this in the starter stages of a great piece of technology like this. It's a PALM, a wireless modem for your laptop, a super phone, with loads of features including, but not limited to free voice recognition, PALM and provider sync on the name, address database, tri-band technology and all I know is that not only do I love the phone, but I'm the envy of every person sitting around me and everyone in my office when I use it. I have downloaded avant-go, Palmspring SCRABBLE, Bridge, Hearts, Wine and a ton of software on the thing which makes it great company while commuting anywhere. C'mon you jerks that insulted this phone, for 2002 technology it's an incredible buy - the price tag isn't high enough as far as I am concerned. I have not regretted buying this phone for one single, solitary second, and I highly recommend it to everyone with the $$$ and the need for its features.

Rich Titsch
Princeton, NJ

circuit city. san fran bay area.

$150 with about $125 rebates...

get it while it's still hot.

btw, i heard from kyocera 2002 is the last year for the 6035. get the $55 option from CC to get a new phone...

The speed dial numbers in Outlook never get downloaded into the Kyocera 6035. I have contacted Kyocera, however, they basically did not address my problem. So, bottom line, if you manually program them into the phone they always get wiped out when you sync.

I have been seriously considering a Kyocera (Qualcomm) QCP-6035 for my wife. CAN IT HANDLES WORD AND ExCEL? I understand there is a program for the Palm software, but I do not know if this phone can do it?

ANYONE KNOW??

InsuranceGuy

I am selling my 6035 because I cannot sync it with Mac OS 10.3. It never really worked well on a Mac platform. Our last computer was an iMac with system 9 on it. One problem design that I have noticed in the last year and a half is that I often hung up on the people I was trying to hear because the disconnect button would line up with my cheek bone. I hope this was resolved in their newer version. I do not recommend the 6035 for Mac users.

I just this phone like 2 weeks ago, i'm intent to study the phone,but unfortunate that in my country this type doesn't very much popular, so not many people understand how to you use it properly, like i have no idea to send text message, i could i any way receive them,but couldn't send any.
I already asked for solution to my cell provider, but cause the product not very well known so they making excuses...they say they don't understand, i hope one of the member have any solution for me,you can send me by my email, or just post it on this web, many thanks

AndaAHD
anda@media18.pav18.com
+628119694489