Contact Info:
Kyocera
URL: www.kyocera.com

Verizon
URL: www.Verizon.com

PalmInfoCenter.com Bottom Line:

The Price:
  • $500 with a one-year service plan
The Pros:
  • Mobile phone and Palm in one
  • Free Internet Access (in some areas)
  • Jog dial

The Cons:
  • No USB
  • Small screen

PalmInfoCenter.com Ratings*:
Design:
Cost/benefit:
Coolness:
Overall:

*Maximum Rating is FIVE (5) InfoPalms



 Kyocera QCP 6035 Smartphone
By a Guest Reviewer
3/16/2001

I picked up one of the Kyocera 6035 Smartphones last Tuesday at my local Verizon store and I love it. The integration and synergy of the phone, Palm, and modem is the key advantage. Technology is supposed to make our lives better and simpler. Having one device is definitely better.

Hardware
The Palm portion of the phone seems to be the hardware equivalent of the Palm m105. The smaller screen requires getting used to. I'm transitioning from a Palm Vx. The flip feels pretty solid and the keys are a good size and well spaced. The jog dial is a big plus and easier to manipulate than the Clié due to the fact that the device isn't as wide. Battery time is excellent for this type of device, though it is hard to quantify and depends greatly upon how you use the device. It has 8MB of memory.

Speakerphone is loud and clear. It also has a voice memo feature. This is great for adding to your ToDo list when manual entry is not convenient.

Software
The smartphone apps are great; they truly allow you to take full advantage of all the smartphone's features.

  • Call History - all calls made are itemized and can generate expense items, great for billing clients.
  • Data/Fax - use the built-in wireless modem in conjunction with a computer for sending and receiving faxes. Unfortunately a data cable is not available yet so you must use either the cradle or possibly IR.
  • Dialer - virtual equivalent of the smartphone's physical keypad
  • Messages - SMS messaging app, more usable than typical cel phone
  • Speed Dial - set up 199 speed dial numbers from your address book
  • Voice Dial - built into the smartphone, don't need to pay for it as an additional service
Kyocera did not ship any PQAs with the phone. It does include Expense unlike the m105. The memo pad is text based not the doodle pad that comes with the m105. They do include Eudora and EudoraWeb but no WAP browser comes standard.

I performed a hard reset of the device at which point it loaded the PalmOS 3.5.1, the smartphone apps, and returned the default Verizon settings to the device.

The 6035 isn't perfect. There is no USB cable for the cradle. Arrrrgggh! The stylus sits in the cradle pointing away from you. Not very intuitive. The stylus is nice and long but too light for my tastes. I had a stylus/pen combo on my Palm Vx. I wish a similar replacement was available for the 6035.

The IR beaming area on the top of the smartphone is also the backlight and sleep button. This was a great design decision and contributes to the device's simplicity.

Wireless Access
After setting it up and realizing how limited the Web services that they offer as a 3 month trial are, I called Verizon to find out about paying more for an unlimited Internet plan. After being juggled around from one sales rep to another, I was told much to my shock that the phone comes with unlimited Internet access and that they would activate it right away. 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. I'm really loving this smartphone.

Quite frankly I was so stunned/happy when the sales rep told me unlimited Internet access came with the phone that I didn't ask many questions. The sales rep said I could make unlimited data calls and that it would not deduct from my calling plan minutes. They also gave me a POP3 email account @airbridge.net. The phone does place a call via the built-in wireless modem and connects to Verizon's network via PPP. You can not receive voice calls while online but you are alerted of new voicemail and text messages. The phone is tri-mode: digital cellular, digital PCS and analog. The wireless modem uses CDMA not CDPD which is what Novatel uses for their wireless modems(I believe). I am particularly enjoying being on AOL Instant Messenger while on the train ride home.

I am getting consistent 14.4K connections. I use the Internet access while I'm on the train to and from Manhattan. The reception may be slightly better than other phones I've used but it is definitely not any worse. Still too soon to tell for sure.

Desktop Application
I am a Apple PowerBook user and was disappointed to find that the Kyocera Desktop application was PC only. I installed the Kyocera Desktop software on my PowerBook inside VirtualPC running Windows98. The Kyocera Desktop application is just a rebranded version of Palm Desktop 3.5.x, not 4. I did not find any features that were added to the desktop software. Mac users should not be dissuaded from getting a 6035 smartphone due to lack of desktop software. The only thing you will need from the install CDs are the manuals which come in PDF format.

I was able to sync my Vx and then transfer my data to the smartphone via a second sync without any difficulty. I used a Keyspan USB adapter to connect the cradle to my PowerBook. I haven't tried a IR sync which I would do frequently with my Palm Vx when traveling.

Conclusion
While the price tag is hefty, you are truly getting something that is greater than the sum of its parts. I am an early adopter and got it the first day it was available. Being a technophile, I got a one year contract since Motorola and Nokia will be coming out with smart phones next year. :) If you need to carry a cel phone and a web-enabled Palm device then you should consider a smartphone. Another key factor in being able to recommend this device is that the combination of the two devices does not diminish from the usability of either one

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Big, lousy design

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 10:01:09 AM #
It's bigger than Visorphone. and what that numeric pad are for? Hello?

RE: Big, lousy design
PFloyd @ 3/16/2001 10:10:16 AM #
Sure. It's a bigger than my StarTac too. But smaller than my Palm (or a M105) and my StarTac combined. More importantly the single device does more, and more easily, than the two devices. From a Handspring point of view the Kyocera is like a Prism Deluxe and a VisorPhone but with more features and possibly better integration. I'd like to know if the Kyocera has accessable Flash.
Have you seen the picture of a VisorPhone on an Edge? That looks lousy.
The numeric pad is for entering numbers manualy. ;-)

{Sign up now for the George Dubya skool of Internet commentary. Use of punctuation, and spelling-wise, optional.}

RE: Big, lousy design
Ed @ 3/16/2001 10:23:43 AM #
Yeah, if you forget to attach the Visor to it. Otherwise not.

The Visor Deluxe is 4.8" x 3.0" x 0.7" and weighs 5.4 oz before you attach the VisorPhone to it. I can't make an exact measurement but the Visor phone sticks about an inch out of the top of the Visor and adds about a half inch to the depth. The VisorPhone weighs 2.9 oz so together they weight 8.3 oz. The Visor Deluxe costs $200 and the VisorPhone $300.

The 6035 is 5.59" x 2.60" x 0.86" and weighs 7.35 ounces. So it seems to me the 6035 is about the same height, thinner, less deep, weighs less, and costs the same as the Visor Deluxe/VisorPhone combo.

Also, I like the keypad. I never touch the screen of my Palm with my finger; there's too much risk of the screen getting scratched and oily fingerprints are a given.

---
Plenipotentiary
Palm Infocenter

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 5:59:20 PM #
Here is the comparison to make: I lined up my StarTac, my palm V and Omnisky modem. I compared it to the Smart Phone, which does everything that these three peices of equipment do. The StarTac, palm V and Omnisky modem is the big, lousy design. They take up more space, cost more, are much less convenient and I am saving the $45.00 monthly charge for Omnisky. Knowledge is power!

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 6:06:08 PM #
Yeah. I can really picture myself in a business suit amongst business folks, and then breaking out a Visor to make a phone call. Talk about feeling like a doofus.

The Kyocera smart phone fits right in. This time, they got it right.

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 7:07:30 PM #
Don't forget, the Visorphone supports GSM networks ONLY. So if you're in Europe or Asia - Great. However, here in the States, I'd rather have a more compatible (Tri-mode) Kyocera smartphone.

- Du

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 8:59:08 PM #
How about the Samsung due this summer? It looks nice to me. No real details though. www.samsung.com/usa/

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 9:52:12 PM #
I have been using the Kyocera Smartphone since Monday of this week. Anyone who thinks that this phone is either big or lousy is an idiot. The sum of the parts is definitely greater...Whether or not Samsung (who I think is an excellent company) develops another integrated palm/phone, I doubt anyone would be unhappy with the decision to buy this device. Also, why would anyone think that paying $499 for the combination of a Palm Vx and a trimode phone with an integrated speakerphone, voice recognition, voice memo and outstanding reception as well as all of the integration between the Palm and phone is expensive is beyond me. If you think that $499 is too much for the Kyocera Smartphone, then you need to stop flipping burgers at McDonalds.

RE: Big, lousy design
bcombee @ 3/17/2001 3:03:53 AM #
The current VisorPhone only does GSM 1900, which is useless outside the US. Handspring has said they would have a dual-band or tri-band VisorPhone later this year which would be able to road internationally (other countries use GSM on 900 and 1800 MHz bands)

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/18/2001 12:28:10 AM #
Someone wrote:
The current VisorPhone only does GSM 1900, which is useless outside the US.
Handspring has said they would have a dual-band or tri-band VisorPhone later this year which would be able to road internationally (other countries use GSM on 900 and 1800 MHz bands)
---------
In North America GSM is only good in some large cities. If you travel at all you need analog access and Handspring does not offer it so as far as I am concerned it's useless.

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/11/2001 10:09:16 AM #
Talk about a great deal, I just found out that you can get YadaYada service for the Smartphone for free. They are giving away their applications, which are way better than OmniSky's, at http://www.yadayada.com/smartphone/index.jhtml for the device. Check it out!

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/26/2001 2:31:11 PM #
I read a review of the Samsung phone at TechTV (http://www.techtv.com/products/consumerelectronics/story/0,23008,3319048,00.html) and here's the cons of the Samsung phone:

"The prototype we looked at did have some issues that need to be worked out. We found the display to be dull and washed out, so it didn't show colors as well as you would expect. The display also showed dark vertical bands, which can be reduced by adjusting the brightness. Even at maximum brightness, the bands were visible, but not as pronounced. We also noticed that the stylus sleeve didn't hold the stylus very well. We lost the stylus within minutes of receiving the phone because it was too loose. Again, we expect Samsung will address these problems in production units."

Hmmm... I wonder if I should return my Kyocera... nah!!!

Another reason why I chose the Kyocera over the Samsung was because if I'm in a dark alley or something and I need to answer the phone, I'd rather use a Kyocera because it looks like a regular phone when the lid is closed,... whereas the Samsung's revealing, backlit Palm screen says "steal me" all over it... (I live in LA)
Sad but true: it's the type of world we live in.



RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/16/2001 11:40:24 AM #
Well...having the keypad does avoid certain draw backs like...ummm...well...crashing your car as you look at and aim for the non tactile on screen buttons for one!

I have had both the Samsung and the kyo and for me the choice is simple. The Samsung simply misses the mark. And the voice dial is not an error free solution.

Peace,

RE: Big, lousy design
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/19/2002 11:45:16 AM #
If you want to see some big lousy design, you should have watched me before buying this phone. I'd be shoving my shouldler into the side of my head to hold a little tiny cellphone next to my ear. At the same time, I'd be looking up info on my Palm M105 to read to someone on the phone.

With this phone, I put it on the speakerphone mode, and hold it in my left hand, and do the stylus with my right hand. My neck and shoulder are much more relaxed than they used to be.

A few quick questions for the reviewer...

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 11:18:03 AM #
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


RE: Yes, I used the Mac version of PalmDesktop
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 12:43:31 PM #
Once I found out that the Kyocera Desktop application was just a rebranded Palm Desktop, I switched to using the Mac version of PalmDesktop.
It worked without any problems at all.

I don't remember how the Clie backlighting looks but as I said it seems to be the hardware equivalent of the m105.

RE: A few quick questions for the reviewer...
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 1:18:10 PM #
Hi,
Great news on the Mac desktop software...

When you turn the backlight on, do the letters on the screen glow, or does the background glow leaving the letters black?
Thanks,
George

RE: A few quick questions for the reviewer...
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 2:37:34 PM #
The letters glow, not the background.

RE: A few quick questions for the reviewer...
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 5:53:47 PM #
It lights up like a Palm V, except a little brighter. I use this phone with Mac desktop software on the Mac. Excellent.

RE: A few quick questions for the reviewer...
I.M. Anonymous @ 7/14/2001 6:15:05 PM #
I'd like to know if anyone has been able to sync the QCP 6035 with a titanium G4 or a Mac with USB port

More questions

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 2:07:26 PM #
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

RE: More questions
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 3:05:36 PM #
I live in Michigan (not in the North East Corridor that the reviewer mentioned) and the web access goes against my minutes. Aparently if you live between Boston and Washington D.C. it does not go against your minutes. I DO NOT need to sign up for verison's web access. According to my sales rep that $7/month web access is only for web enabled phones (using WAP). With the Kyocera smartphone you only need a voice plan to access the internet. I LOVE IT!

btw. It takes me about 10/15 seconds to establish a connection

RE: More questions
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 3:51:46 PM #
Ditto the DC area. Data calls go against your regular monthly plan, but there is no more $7 surcharge with the 6035



RE: More questions
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 5:55:44 PM #
here's the story. You get a phone that you can access any web page for only the cost of the minutes and do so wirelessly. You don't ever want to do major surfing on this type of unit; it's just nice to know that you can if you ever needed it. And the email is just what you would expect.

RE: More questions
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 6:03:54 PM #
Remember this - You do not need to use Verizon's portal service to access the web. So it only costs you the minutes.

RE: More questions
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 9:24:59 PM #
OK. Please clarify. You don't need to spend the $7/month fee because this is only for WAP, correct? You do still need to have your own ISP though, right? I ask this because I have a cable modem, so this would mean that I would still need to pay extra for an ISP. Speaking of which, what's a good ISP (low cost, good connections, etc.) for this purpose? Thanks,

Scott

Responses to several issues
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/25/2001 5:11:35 PM #
From my understanding, the $6.95/month is for WAP access, which isn't what you use (or want) for the Smartphone. Real internet access uses airtime minutes. You don't need to use another ISP -- Verizon is the ISP, and they provide email services, etc.

The Mobile IP service is CDPD (i.e. just like OmniSky), for a flat rate. Unfortunately, this isn't the data service used by the SmartPhone. As far as I can tell, the SmartPhone establishes a PPP-like connection to Verizon as an ISP. I don't know that it's PPP, specifically, but you very clearly establish a data connection which persists (and you can't receive or make voice calls) until you disconnect. This is very different from the CDPD connections OmniSky uses, which appear to disconnect and reconnect for each web hit (which is slower, but frees up the connection for some other user, I'd guess). You get charged for all of the time during which you have a connection. This is a bit dangerous, since it's not all that obvious that you have a data connection. You can establish a data connection, then switch to a Palm app, for example, and still get charged for being connected until you either remember to disconnect or the connection times out. You can set Eudora (the mail client) to automatically disconnect when done, which helps.

The Verizon salesperson I worked with was amazingly knowledgeable about the Smartphone. I suspect that it was because the store was in Wall Street, but she even knew a lot of interesting history about the deal between Qualcomm and Kyocera that produced the phone.

As for how the device acts when the flip is up or down, it's actually pretty cool. The phone has two modes that you switch between.

1) When the flip is up the device acts like a phone. You use rubber buttons to dial, and only the upper half of the display is visible, and you don't use the touch screen. You basically interact with it like a cell phone -- select menu items with the wheel, enter letters by pressing digits repeatedly, send and hang up buttons, and so on. There are four buttons on the bottom of the flip that coorespond to the regular palm buttons (in fact, they are rubber buttons that just stick through and press the Palm buttons) that are: find, silence, messages, and speakerphone.

2) When the flip is down, it's a Palm with some phone integration (e.g. tap a phone number in the address book to dial it).

RE: More questions
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/10/2001 7:55:47 PM #
In the Mid-West area (Southeastern WI), you do NOT need to sign up for the "Mobile Web" package ($7/month). Data calls DO count against your airtime, and if you use Verizon's direct Internet connection (#777), not only do you get a faster connect time (3-5 seconds), but it is much faster. You CAN use your own ISP if you want, as well as dial into a corporate LAN (to sync with your desktop, if you have the ability), however it will take about 15 seconds to negotiate the connection.


Great Phone, love the web-clipping apps!



RE: More questions
I.M. Anonymous @ 5/11/2001 10:11:36 AM #
Talk about a great deal, I just found out that you can get YadaYada service for the Smartphone for free. They are giving away their applications, which are way better than OmniSky's, at http://www.yadayada.com/smartphone/index.jhtml for the device. Check it out!

pqa's on the Smartphone

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 3:01:20 PM #
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

I have successfully used the following...
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 6:52:43 PM #
AIM
E*TRADE
MapQuest
BigCharts
Yahoo Mail


RE: pqa's on the Smartphone
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/17/2001 12:12:57 AM #
Do you still need to maintain a Palm.net account for the .pqa's, or is it running off your Verizon service?

RE: pqa's on the Smartphone
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/17/2001 12:14:53 AM #
What kind of "setup's"/Prefs did you have to use in order for the pqa's to work thru Verizon???

RE: pqa's on the Smartphone
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/6/2001 2:27:58 AM #
Hey,

Every PQA I have installed has worked. No special setup was required ... the verizon comes pre-setup
with the internet settings.

David

Internet is not free forever...

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 3:26:50 PM #
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).

Kyocera QCP 6035: Not Accurate Info. in Review

I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 3:49:30 PM #
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

RE: Kyocera QCP 6035: Not Accurate Info. in Review
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 5:51:02 PM #
Verizon's web service is merely a portal that you pay for, sort of like value added service. You do not have to use this service. I use the phone to access ANY website I want to. - No graphics, just text, though.

RE: Kyocera QCP 6035: Not Accurate Info. in Review
I.M. Anonymous @ 3/16/2001 10:22:50 PM #
In order to surf the web, Verizon has to activate that service on your phone. I don't see how you can surf without being activated by Verizon?

RE: Kyocera QCP 6035: Not Accurate Info. in Review
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/6/2001 2:30:33 AM #

The default browser on the Kyocera Smartphone only allows text browsing. but you can install
a graphics browser if you'd like. That is the cool part about the phone you can install pretty much
any Palm software and it works ... I have installed over 70 palm apps!

David

RE: Kyocera QCP 6035: Not Accurate Info. in Review
I.M. Anonymous @ 4/10/2001 8:03:01 PM #
Verizon does NOT have to activate anything. The smartphone acts essentially as a Palm with a wireless modem, not only can you use Verizon's "built-in" (#777 in my area)Internet connection with no additional fees (other than air-time), they actually "PUSH" it. If they didn't offer it, you could just as easily dial into your own ISP (as I did for a couple of days recently due to Verizon having Network issues), however this requires Verizon to not only support the additional network infrastructure, they also need to support modem banks as well as local phone connections.
With the Verizon service they maintain a simple backbone connection to the 'net

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