Review: Kyocera Smartphone (QCP 6035)

Developer: Kyocera (product page)

Price: $500 (with service plan from wireless provider)

Requirements: None

Recommended: For HotSyncing, a Mac with a serial port or USB adapter.

Trial: None

“Whoa…That Thing Is Cool!”

Practically everybody falls in love with the Kyocera Smartphone, merely at first glance. With an estimated 11 million users of Palm handheld devices out there, it’s hardly surprising that the Smartphone is so appealing to the geek in all of us. It’s a bit bulky, but practically no one can resist the sex appeal of a flip phone that magically transforms into a Palm handheld instantaneously in one suave gesture. Well, at least no geek worth the propeller on his cap.

It’s almost a foregone conclusion that every Palm user also owns a cell phone. Even my mother has a cell phone. Let’s face it: everybody has a cell phone. Consequently there is a large population out there that is walking around with two pocket-sized gizmos, both of which overlap in many ways they might not have previously considered: until now.

Yeah, and It’s Useful Too

The Kyocera Smartphone seems like such an obvious idea at first; perhaps that’s why it’s so instantly appealing as a concept. My Palm V stores my contact list, complete with e-mail addresses. My Nokia 6160 cell phone (which is now my mother’s) stored the same data, except that it was limited to names and numbers. Even so there was redundancy of data, and a need to update the data set on more than one device.

My Palm also stores a variety of information which proves useful when I need to make a phone call on the go. My date book, databases of various information, memos, to-do lists, and restaurant database for a variety of cities (TealMeal!) are all good examples. Of course I also store information on my Palm which is useful when I need to make an Internet connection on a stranger’s computer: bookmarks, e-mail addresses, user names and passwords, etc.

So you get the picture. I’m anal by nature, I like to have all of my data with me on the go, and I feel naked without my geek toys. But now, thanks to the Kyocera Smartphone, I can consolidate my Palm and cell phone into one, wonderful geek toy to end all geek toys.

How Does It Work?

The Smartphone is exactly that: an intelligent phone. With the flap closed it performs as one would expect, which is to say virtually the same way any other cell phone does. It has some nice extras you might not find on your average Ericsson or Nokia: the speaker phone is built in and accessible at the touch of a button; a volume dial for the speaker phone or the standard earpiece is found on the side of the phone, and this wheel-button doubles as a scrolling device for navigating menus.

There is a beautiful bright backlight, which may be turned on by pressing a button atop the phone, next to the antenna. It isn’t always terribly helpful in low light environments because of its green tint, but in absolutely dark environments the backlight works exceptionally well and makes using your cell phone in a parked car at night, for example, much easier.

In short, any stranger off of the street could pick up the Smartphone and operate it successfully when in phone mode. The interface is very intuitive, and the big screen provides much more information and user feedback than your average cell phone. There are numerous ring types from which to pick, as well as a vibrate mode. Navigating the menus is easy with the scroll-wheel and the phone is highly configurable.

Beyond the, Er, Call of Duty

You might wonder what happens when you open the flip phone; that’s when the fun begins. I should explain first of all that the phone operates in Palm mode as well, so you can actually tap into a program called “Dialer” and you’ll see an on-screen replica of the phone’s physical key layout. This is an important consideration: when in Palm mode the cell phone remains fully functional as a telephone.

The contact list in the Palm is fully linked to the phone itself, so if you scroll through your contact list and you tap on the phone number of a given individual, the Smartphone will telephone that person using the Dialer. The contact list and the phone book are one and the same, so when in phone mode adding a new number places it in your contact list, and if you wish to look up a number, the phone searches/browses your contact list.

There are too many cute little links from the phone to Palm for me to elaborate on. You can configure the phone to ring differently for contacts in each category for example, and you can access your phone messages in Palm mode. My point is that the link between the phone and Palm is so seamless that you almost forget there are two different modes. If you think you should be able to do something on your Palm that triggers an action on the phone, it’ll no doubt be possible.

What Else Does $500 Buy?

Okay, admittedly the quaintness of having a synchronized contact list with click-dial isn’t going to make too many folks plop down a cool $500 for the Smartphone, especially with the prices of many other very sophisticated phones falling fast. The Kyocera does however have a lot more to offer; I’ve saved the best for last, naturally.

Remember, the Kyocera still functions as a phone when in Palm mode, and there are a good number of Palm applications out there designed for navigating the Internet. Eudora offers a mail client for the Palm, as well as EudoraWeb, their Web browser. AvantGo is a sophisticated online and offline browser. All three come pre-stored in the non-volatile RAM of the Smartphone but you can find practically any client for the Palm, including a variety of Telnet apps, on sites such as Palmgear.

The beauty of the Smartphone is that it will establish a wireless Internet connection for you, and then plug apps such as Eudora or AvantGo into the Internet seamlessly.

The Smartphone is also compatible with .pqa files designed for the Palm VII. These little Palm applets are streamlined front ends (graphic-free forms, etc.) which enable you to quickly access search engines such as smartpages.com without sifting through lots of content that was formatted with both bigger screens and faster connections in mind.

Every client I’ve tried works, including Telnet. Speeds aren’t blistering but for checking e-mail the connection is just fine. Because it’s a digital connection, and the Smartphone knows how to handle noise and interference, there are no problems with maintaining a connection—unless of course you suddenly enter an elevator or a similar area with no service. Speeds may fluctuate as a function of reception in a given area, but the Smartphone makes browsing the Internet from a mobile device absolutely painless and simple.

When you attempt a connection using AvantGo or Eudora, the Smartphone automatically initiates a connection, much like the Macintosh does with Remote Access via PPP. A progress dialog presents itself informing you to the status of the connection. And at any time while in Palm mode (whether connected to the net, or simply playing Pocketchess) you can depress the volume/scroll wheel-dial on the side of the phone. Doing so will make a little status strip appear momentarily where the menu bar of the Palm OS normally stands. From this display you can see the phone’s reception, battery status, connection status, and other information.

When in the contact display, clicking on an individual’s e-mail address will open a new properly addressed e-mail in Eudora. Of course, because the folks who designed the Smartphone thought of everything, there is a little panel in the Preferences entitled Registry, which lets you configure which applications respond to which queries. So, for example, you could install another mail client and reroute mailto: requests to that application instead of Eudora. The same applies to a variety of other prefixes such as http:, ftp:, and others. In truth I am very impressed by how thorough the incorporation of wireless Internet is on the Smartphone.

The Smartphone works so well with the Internet it seems too good to be true. I check my e-mail on the go all the time now, and it’s surprisingly fast. Browsing the Web is admittedly a bit sluggish, but AvantGo scales images down to fit the screen, and the grayscale dithering is remarkably good. Some sites that are overly dependent on JavaScript or Flash or other technologies will not work well, but for the most part sites function as they should.

AvantGo also allows you to set up channels for frequently visited sites, and upon HotSync your desktop computer will download a copy of the site’s data and transfer it to your Palm. This is perfect for downloading the latest news from CNN.com, for example, so that you can read it on your Palm at a later date. It speeds accessing such data considerably, though it does occupy space in the Palm’s RAM. However, considering that it’s a lot easier to rack up minutes on the Net than it is when making a phone call, AvantGo’s channels make a lot of sense. On a related note, make sure you purchase a calling plan with a sufficient number of free monthly minutes if you choose to purchase a Smartphone. You’d be surprised how quickly the minutes add up!

Which brings me nicely into my discussion of a slick feature. The Smartphone has a Palm app entitled Call History which will show you a list of calls placed, received, missed and so on. You may specify how long it stores the information, and clear it on demand. Perhaps the coolest part of the Call History app is its ability to automatically generate records in the Expense app on your Palm so that you may budget your phone bill. It can generate records for only calls in a certain category, or all calls, and can price them out by minute at a rate you define. Snazzy indeed.

Other Groovy Features

The Smartphone has a lot of brilliant features. My favorite is its data/fax mode. The Kyocera Smartphone can serve as a cellular fax/data modem for your laptop. Using a HotSync cable or the cradle, connect the Smartphone to your computer just as you would when performing a HotSync. Then on the Smartphone, in Palm mode, tap on the Data/Fax app. The Smartphone is now in modem mode and will answer to AT commands from any communication program that can talk to the Communications Toolbox on the Mac (i.e., which can recognize the HotSync USB port and is not limited to the Modem or Printer ports).

I used Z-Term to dial some numbers with the Smartphone and it worked! It responded to a variety of AT commands as well. Using the Remote Access control panel I connected to my local ISP using the Smartphone and the generic Hayes modem profile in the Modem Control Panel. The Smartphone will also accept incoming calls when in data mode if you configure it properly, and it will allow your computer to receive faxes or incoming data calls as a result. Are you impressed yet? No? How about voice dialing.

When in Palm mode you can use the Voice Dial app to train the Smartphone to use speaker-dependent speech recognition so that when you are in phone mode and press the Talk button, it will prompt you to speak a name. When you speak a name it recognizes the call will be placed. It even works in when in speaker phone mode. I have programmed many contacts with voice recognition, even ones with similar names, and I am pleased to report that the feature works remarkably well. I have not yet had an opportunity to test it with loud background noise, but in ordinary ambient noise conditions the voice dial feature is quite slick.

Computability Concerns

The Smartphone claims to emulate a Palm III. It runs the latest revision of the Palm OS, and so far has run every Palm app I have thrown at it, from games to communication utilities to hacks. The screen is a touch smaller, which may be an issue for some users whose eyesight is not perfect; for me it is inconsequential, but regardless there are three font sizes to choose from in Palm mode, which should resolve the situation.

The Smartphone HotSyncs fine with my Mac, using the Palm USB Kit, and also Hotsyncs under Virtual PC as well. PalmBuddy, an indispensible utility, works fine too. Some users, however, have reported difficulties HotSyncing or getting the Smartphone to respond at all using the Palm USB adapter. Kyocera instead recommends using the KeySpan Serial Adapter (not the Keyspan PDA Adapter!) and claims this works 100% of the time on all systems. So if you don’t already own a USB-to-serial adapter, you should probably go with the Keyspan to be safe. If, on the other hand, you already have the Palm USB adapter it’s worth giving that a shot, because it seems to work for some users like myself, but not for others.

There’s good news for those of you who connect keyboards to your Palm devices; the Smartphone is compatible with these peripherals as well. Its HotSync jack is different from any of the Palm devices out there, which presents a problem for devices with their own cradles built in. My solution, which also worked for my original first revision Pilot 5000, was to use a Newton Keyboard and a serial adapter, along with a HotSync cable or cradle. This trick works like a charm on the Smartphone. Using the Kyocera HotSync cable (or the cradle) and the Newton keyboard, along with the serial port adapter, and KeyZ for the Palm I was able to successfully use a keyboard with my Smartphone. One can imagine how much faster responding to e-mail is with a keyboard instead of Graffiti!

Complaints?

There is one thing about the Smartphone that proves obnoxious; the battery simply doesn’t last long enough. Talk time poses no problem in itself, but since the Palm continues to draw power even when the phone is turned off the battery runs out of juice very quickly. Worse still, when the battery dies the Palm loses all its data (with the exception of the native ROM apps, etc.) which is really a pain. Either the folks at Kyocera need to up the battery capacity, or they need to rig up some sort of backup battery for the Palm itself so that even if you can’t use the phone, you don’t lose your data. My solution is to bring the charger with me everywhere. It’s a pain, but from my few experiences with the Smartphone on trips, you cannot afford to be without the charger even for a couple of days.

So Go Get One Already

I could go on, and on—and on—but I’ve already gone on quite long enough. The Smartphone is an exceptionally well designed product. From concept to execution it’s clever, intuitive, useful, and just plain fun. The price tag may seem steep but combine the price of a Palm and a cell phone, which in isolation provide a mere fraction of the utility, and you’re already well on your way to buying a new Smartphone.

I have very little negative to write on the subject of the Smartphone. Kyocera has really done a fabulous job combining a Palm and cell phone both from a hardware and software standpoint. They have thought of everything, and there are practically no hangups (no pun intended) entailed in using the product. I consider it money very well spent, and it has made my life considerably easier.

There is a lot of technology out there these days that complicates one’s life. I am pleased to write that the Smartphone is one of those rare gadgets that actually simplifies life by consolidating technology, and in doing so it yields a wealth of functionality and automation.

Reader Comments (49)

Ed Grant · August 8, 2001 - 18:02 EST #1: So, if you are "on the phone" and you need to tell someone your schedule for tomorrow, seems like this simple task would be hard with one unit and easy with two.

Mark · August 8, 2001 - 18:33 EST #2: According to the manual, and my experience, the Palm portion of the Kyocera has a seperate battery that keeps the Palm memory intact when the phone battery dies. It is said to do so for 24 hours or so, and has saved me from losing data. This is clearly not good enough for travel purposes, but it does prevent data loss from a battery dying part way through a normal day. The regular battery is good for 3-5 days, toward the high end if you program the Palm to power down the phone section during sleeping hours (as I do, 11pm-8am). I really appreciate the hints on a USB-serial adapter that works. My Kyocera/Palm USB adapter/Powerbook Firewire combo syncs 0% of the time. Kyocera did not have a suggestion or work around when I called them a few months ago.

Mark · August 8, 2001 - 18:49 EST #3: Talking on the phone while using the Palm portion (to look up a phone number or make an appointment) is easier than with two units. You push one front button on the Kyocera, and it goes into "speakerphone" mode. Now you can open the flip, and use the Address/datebook, and talk directly to the Kyocera, and hear directly fron the kyocera. I claim it is better because you do not have to super crook your neck to hold a (usually tiny) cell phone, while you use your hands to hold a Palm and a stylus to write/control the Palm. To be fair, the speaker on the Kyocera is not real strong, so noisy environments can be difficult. I have used the speakerphone mode to have teleconferences with three people listening to the Kyocera. This is practical as long as you can find a moderately quiet location, the hallway of a convention does not usually qualify (unless it is empty).

Doug · October 13, 2001 - 16:07 EST #4: I think that in general I have found the product to be quite useful. I am a 4th generation Palm user and the integration is good. I have solved the battery problems by carrying a spare. One of the absolutely great facts is that it is a wonderful phone. I live in the hills in No. Ca. and have never gotten phone reception with either Nokia or Motorola. The 6035 works pretty well. When it does go to analog, however, the battery drains immediately. Here are the problems. The worst is the display. Since Kyocera is a display mfg. I would have thought that they would have produced a pretty good product but after using a Palm Vx, this is like going back to the orginal Palm or worse. They put the reset button under a little door on the back of the phone which means that you have to completely undress the unit of it's leather cover to reset. The voice recognition is acceptable but not as good as the Samsung product. All in all, the poor display has me waiting to see what the Samsung I300 will be like.

Kent Mercurio · November 3, 2001 - 01:27 EST #5

Best things about this product, IMHO:

Phone/Palm integration is excellent.
It has run all the apps that I've thrown at it.
It can do so many things that simply come in handy all the time.

Worst things about this product:

Palm USB Adapter worked the 1st couple of times for me and now does not work at all.
No "Profiles" for phone settings which Nokia phones have.
Display is hard to see in poor lighting due to weak lighting scheme. (The hacks I've tried didn't work to reverse it.)
Jog dial/TouchScreen is not as accurate as I would expect.

Bottom Line:
I have no regrets buying this phone since I got it for $299 total on eBay, brand new. It has so many features that the negatives really are outweighed by its positives. I'm a QA Tester by day and I've used all the Palms out there--this one is a keeper. Go get one!

anonymous · November 14, 2001 - 18:03 EST #6: I'm looking for information on a keyboard that is compatible with the Kyocera Smartphone. Has anyone had any luck? If so, what would you recommend?

Eric Blair (ATPM Staff) · November 14, 2001 - 21:31 EST #7: Depending on the physical size of the SmartPhone, you might be able to fit one of the standard Palm keyboards onto the base. Does the HotSync port look the same as any of the Palms? Obvioiusly, it would only work in Palm Mode and, in the case of the SmartPhone, I think the flip cover would come down over the keyboard. The best option might be if there's some keyboard that connects via a cable instead of directly. --Eric

Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · November 15, 2001 - 00:33 EST #8: What you need to do is get a Newton Keyboard (or something equivalent) and a serial adapter and then use that to connect it to the Kyocera HotSync cable. Then use a Palm application like KeyZ and you're all set. This is what I do but I am not sure how to go about getting a Newton keyboard anymore. It used to be easy but now...who knows!?!? Best, --Evan

anonymous · January 11, 2002 - 19:54 EST #9: Here's a release about Kyocera's new keyboard.

Tim Santoro · March 15, 2002 - 15:32 EST #10: Has anyone found a reliable way to connect the Smartphone to a Macintosh to HotSynch with the Palm Desktop Software? I purchased the Palm USB Connection Kit, I'm running all the latest Palm software, and I'm running MacOS 9.2. Can someone help me, please?

Tony · March 25, 2002 - 14:40 EST #11: I just got me one of these Kyocera Smartphones, and I have to say, they are awesome. But there is one down about this phone. It doesn't come with a NotePad application where you can actually write on the screen and leave a quick note, just like having a notepad with you. It does come with a MemoPad, but with the MemoPad, I can't write on the screen and leave a quick note. I have to graffiti or use the keyboard. I asked the guy at the PCS center if it was possible to download a NotePad application into the Palm. He said it wasn't possible! Now, I'm pretty sure he didn't know much, but was he right? I'm thinking that it is possible to download a NotePad application into the phone, and it'll function properly. Is it possible to put a functioning NotePad application into the Palm?

Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · March 25, 2002 - 14:43 EST #12: The answer to your question is, in short: yes. Just go to PalmGear or one of the many popular Palm software sites and download a paint program (TealPaint is the one I use) Then when you want to jot down a note without using Graffiti or the Keyboard, you can just paint the note using the Pencil or Paintbrush.

Fred · April 4, 2002 - 18:29 EST #13: The phone is now $99 at Verizon. I think I am interested, but I have a problem. I want to get one for my wife but I will also continue to use my Palm IIIc (cannot go back from color). Any suggestions as to how I can have both syncing with my PC considering I will now have two cradles?

Chuck · April 8, 2002 - 19:18 EST #14: Fred,

I don't know if this would help. Currently I am using Franklin Planner Software v8.0.2. According to their tech support forum, you can sync two Palms by having them sync to different named databases within the same FPS program. I don't know how common this is within other PIM programs. Check out the Franklin Covey web site.

Chuck

Mario Raneses · July 2, 2002 - 17:33 EST #15: My memo button brings up the expense list. Does anyone know how to connect the memo button to the memo list?

Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · July 2, 2002 - 21:04 EST #16: Mario - in the PalmOS preferences is a category called "Buttons." From there, you should be able to reassign any/all of the buttons to perform any function you like.

C. Wells · July 16, 2002 - 00:22 EST #17: Has anyone been able to code (or find) a hack to increase the volume level of the phone ringer? I find the highest level of the ringer is still too low when driving a car.

I went as far as purchasing the hands free car kit ($60) thinking that Kyocera would have the phone ring through the kit's speaker. It doesn't. Although every other sound plays via the kit speaker, the ringer does not.

Mario · July 16, 2002 - 01:41 EST #18: I use Hotmail for e-mail. Does anyone know how to hook up Hotmail with Eudora or do you have to go through Outlook first, then Eudora, then the Kyocera?

Jeff Carl · July 18, 2002 - 09:37 EST #19: Has anyone been able to sync with their Smartphone under OS X? My PMG4 is unable to see the phone (with Palm serial-USB adapter) under OS X. I had some problems under OS 9, but at least it worked sometimes.

Ben · August 14, 2002 - 15:48 EST #20: The only e-mail you can check with the Eudora application on the phone is e-mail that supports POP3. To my knowledge, Hotmail doesn't support it at all, and if it does, you probably have to pay for it. Yahoo mail used to support it for free and that was what I used. Just recently, they started charging to support POP3. I haven't done it yet, but I think it's only a couple dollars a month.

Paul Banks · September 4, 2002 - 07:48 EST #21: In order to connect to your Hotmail account, use the Palm Webquery application called ThinAirMail. You can find it on any Palm software Website (including Palm.net). ThinAirMail is programmed to work with Hotmail settings as well as POP3 accounts.

Josh Lane · September 18, 2002 - 20:41 EST #22: I have the Kyocera 6035. I'm having problems using the voice memo feature. When I use it, I get a fatal alert "voicememodb.c,line115.incoorect database version" and have to re-digitize the Palm. Is this a conflict with the OS or the phone itself?

Any suggestions are welcomed.

Nick · January 1, 2003 - 10:50 EST #23: How do you go about setting up the phone so it reads java script?

Barry McMahon · January 11, 2003 - 12:37 EST #24: Great article, Evan.

I have the 6035 and agree--the battery is the big negative, but I have learned to work around that one. The one item I am dealing with now is converting some of my Mac stuff to a Windows 2000 environment and finding that the data/fax is not behaving. In talking with the modem via hyperterminal, I found that the modem was only able to respond to just a limited number of AT commands. Therefore, it is not compatible with many net connectivity apps like Earthlink. So, I'm trying to track down a knowledge base to determine if the modem is bad/failing or if it just comes that way.

Kyocera's phone support seems very limited and is now through a 900 charged number. The phone is good, but it needs some support information.

Thanks,

Barry

Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · January 12, 2003 - 10:18 EST #25: Barry - thanks for the kind words.

You are right that the Smartphone's modem string set is fairly limited. But I have found that, on the Mac, if you use the "Hayes Generic" script in the Modem control panel, the Smartphone seems to work fine. This is the script I have used in the past to connect to my ISP using the Smartphone as a modem connected via the USB port. It really worked quite nicely. If you can find a similarly generic Hayes script for your PC, it ought to do the trick. All you really need the modem to respond to is ATZ (reset), ATDT (dial with touchtones), and some basic configuration commands which will set speed, error correction, etc. You could always go into the Mac modem script and peek to see what's there, and then make yourself one on the PC by yanking those commands out with a text editor.

Barb Vanderspool · February 3, 2003 - 23:44 EST #26: Is anyone having trouble with the flip pad? I am on my second phone and am still experiencing the same trouble. I have trouble getting the flip to work for the phone functions and often have trouble answering or dialing on the phone.

Ed · February 22, 2003 - 17:32 EST #27: I am having a problem with duplicate entries in my Kyocera calender and datebook. Any suggestions?

John Tan · May 12, 2003 - 11:50 EST #28: Using this phone, do we have to subscribe for fax data facilities with the service provider?

Evan Trent (ATPM Staff) · June 20, 2003 - 12:15 EST #29: No you do not need to do that. The fax modem capability is built in to the Smartphone. All you need to do is plug the phone into your Mac and put the phone in "Fax/Data" mode. Then, you can send faxes using a program like FaxSTF, etc.

David Phillip Oster · October 17, 2003 - 00:17 EST #30: I've had no trouble hot syncing to OS X using a Keyspan USA19 adapter. (I couldn't get the USA28 to work, though). I get about 2 weeks of battery life before I need to recharge, which drops to 8 hours if the phone can't receive Sprint PCS and has to go to analog.

anonymous · November 2, 2003 - 10:08 EST #31: Does the phone work well? I have one being mailed to me this week and I wondered if it has a good ringer. Thank you.

anonymous · November 16, 2003 - 09:50 EST #32: I want to hear comments on the supposedly new and improved SmartPhone that been offered since November 2003. My wireless phone vendor is offering to give me a credit to "upgrade" to the new phone, but I heard that there might be problems. I love the original, but should I trade up if the price is right?

Lee Bennett (ATPM Staff) · November 24, 2003 - 22:56 EST #33: If you're talking about the Kyocera 7135--I have no direct experience with it, but I trust mobiletracker.net and ZDNet. Mobiletracker referenced a Wall Street Journal article that listed this phone under its "Gadgets Not to Get Yet" heading. ZDNet rated it 7.4 out of 10.

anonymous · December 10, 2003 - 17:29 EST #34: I love this phone, I was just shopping about for a new one beacause it is getting a dead spot in the screen. I have used and abused this phone(my second after the first was stolen).

Favortie features: speaker phone so my daughter can join in on family game night from boarding school, hot sync so I can save my numbers should my phone die or be stolen.

I use about 6% of its features and still would not go back to a standard cell phone. I hear that it is programable, but that means nothing to me. If some one offered a class in using it more effectively I would definately take it. I would like to be able to check my email on it but I also have Hotmail. It is kind of like my mind/body/spirit, it is loaded with features that I can not figure out how to operate and yet I'm pretty tickled with it anyway. When I get my next one I will use the tutorial package and implement it more fully. I just gotta say, "I love this phone".

Amelia Straton · January 5, 2004 - 22:01 EST #35: I looked at the mobiletracker blurb referenced above and it painted the 6035 and 7135 as too bulky and heavy, while I do not have a subscription to the WSJ, the mobiletracker notice did not state 7135 is better or worse than 6035. The only thing that will keep me from staying with Kyocera and this dynamic set of features would be someone offering the same features (voice activated palm phone with reasonably sized numeric key pad) for cheaper. I find the size to be a benefit when I'm trying to find or dial my phone.

Josey Wales · January 6, 2004 - 20:27 EST #36: I am currently looking for re-manufactured K 6035 phones. Need a name and number

Paul · January 14, 2004 - 16:03 EST #37: I love my phone also, but I have problems with the volume, both ringer and regular phone mode do not seem loud enough.

Sangeeth · January 20, 2004 - 09:32 EST #38: I have a Kyocera 7135 and I want to use AT commands on Desktop and send messages from the Phone. Can anyone suggest me or show me the way to Kyocera 7135 compatible AT Commands.

Jason · May 12, 2004 - 11:57 EST #39: I have used Eudora on my desktop and 6035 for the past few years. I now am using Outlook on my desktop and now want to syncronize my Outlook Contacts, Calendar, and e-mail (if possible) with my 6035 in addition to / instead of with the Palm desktop.

I have not been able to get the Chapura Outlook conduit to work. Does anyone have any advice / do I need to get one of the paid products from Chapura or another provider?

Mike Weavers · July 16, 2004 - 16:20 EST #40: I have had the 7135 since July of 2004 and love what the phone does to consolidate my need for a palm os and a phone. My only problem has been the reliability of the phone itself. Kyocera claims there is no comon element yet I am on my 4th one and they all act the same when they are ready to fail, i.e. the phone keeps going in and out of search mode in a well covered area and the (0) numeral key starts to stick. Has anyone else had these problems?

Graham P · July 21, 2004 - 03:42 EST #41: My 6035 will not close off after Service Connection in Eudora,both Hotmail and Bigpond(Aussie Provider).I have ticked disconnect under Options.Only way to stop conection from running is to hold down the phone disconnect red switch. If you forget under the system here it is big dollars. Have been told it is a software problem. Has anyone had this problem? Any suggestions please.

Austin Boutilier · August 30, 2004 - 01:18 EST #42: My 6035 has worked verry well a little tricky to set up

Eloise Kinder · February 11, 2005 - 11:27 EST #43: Dear Sir/Madam:

I have a contract Nokia 3120B cellular phone plan with Cingular Wireless Co. Cingular Wireless says that they do not "have"/"support"? the Kyocera Wireless phone. But of course they want me to buy a phone from their company. I really like the Kyocera phone. I will probably buy one of the Palm Treo phones if I find that the Kyocera is not compatible with the Cingular set-up. But I thought that the the Kyocera is in the same "family" as the Palm phones?? Can I take my sim card from my Nokia and insert into the Kyocera, and the Kyocera operate effectively. I am really interested in the Kyocera. Please advise. I really appreciate your help in this matter.

anonymous · April 5, 2005 - 03:58 EST #44: You can only use the Kyocera with Sprint or Verizon if you are in the US, and not with Cingular. They use different phone network technology.

alexious muvengi · April 25, 2005 - 09:49 EST #45: l am failling to see how to insert my sim card in my kyocera QCP- 6035 smartphone l am in Zimbabwe.Is there any special means l have to employ

Arthur Hu · September 3, 2005 - 16:48 EST #46: The 6035 does not accept expansion cards, you may be able to install a documents application that lets you keep documents in memrory though.

Mine has scratches on it, trying to figure out how to switch the Verizon phone that I picked up for not much money to my Sprint service.

Bruno Ferrari · September 24, 2006 - 23:26 EST #47: S.O.S.
Can anyone help me to unlock the Kyocera QCP 6035 Smartphone??
I want to change service provider and I must bring the phone to them Unlocked. S.O.S.
Any help shall very welcome

Sheldon Quincer · November 16, 2006 - 17:53 EST #48: Putting my QCP 6035 back into service w/Verizon. However, (1) would like to know the easiest way to make my device work w/WiFi networks w/o Verizon. (2) What's the best browser to install for HTML surfing (3) Can BlueTooth be configured on the QCP 6035 like it was for the Tungsten W, any and all replies to this missive will be greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance for your kind replies.

jaki azmi · December 21, 2006 - 02:46 EST #49: I'm Jaki from indonesia, can you help me please to find a pasword to system lockout to acces my handheld computer my Kyocera QCP 6035. thanks

ATPM - About This Particular Macintosh

ATPM 7.08
August 2001

Columns

Segments

Extras

Reviews

Download ATPM 7.08

Review: Kyocera Smartphone (QCP 6035)

“Whoa…That Thing Is Cool!”

Yeah, and It’s Useful Too

How Does It Work?

Beyond the, Er, Call of Duty

What Else Does $500 Buy?

Other Groovy Features

Computability Concerns

Complaints?

So Go Get One Already

Reader Comments (49)

Add A Comment

ATPM - About This Particular Macintosh

ATPM 7.08August 2001

Columns

Segments

Extras

Reviews

Download ATPM 7.08

Review: Kyocera Smartphone (QCP 6035)

“Whoa…That Thing Is Cool!”

Yeah, and It’s Useful Too

How Does It Work?

Beyond the, Er, Call of Duty

What Else Does $500 Buy?

Other Groovy Features

Computability Concerns

Complaints?

So Go Get One Already

Reader Comments (49)

Add A Comment

ATPM 7.08
August 2001