On the other hand, if the Kyocera QCP 6035 smartphone is saddled with any monikers, they are sure to include words like "beautiful," "styled," and "sleek" (and, yes, "pricey").

With 8MB of RAM, version 3.5 of the Palm OS, and support for Palm Web clipping applications, the Kyocera QCP 6035 is everything that the pdQ wasn't. Thin, lightweight, and pleasantly styled, it's easy to carry around, hold, and use. The QCP 6035 is slim enough to carry in a back or shirt pocket. The jog-dial is easily manipulated by your thumb while the flip is closed. You can see what the device looks like when the flip is closed in Figure C.

FIGURE C


When the flip is closed, you can use the normal phone keypad. Roll over picture for a larger image.

The jog-dial makes getting to contacts, messages, and the built-in voice recorder (which, unfortunately, doesn't hold enough voice) extremely easy. The jog-dial is a vast improvement over the front two buttons on the pdQ smartphone, which were impossible to use one-handed. And if you've got a few people in the room who all need to be on the call, a single button engages the built-in speakerphone.

Much like the pdQ smartphone, the QCP 6035 comes with a host of applications designed specifically for the phone elements. One of those applications, the Dialer, allows you to make calls while the flip is open. This is very convenient when you need to talk and check your schedule at the same time. All you need is a hands-free headset. There's also a detailed Call History (of both incoming and outgoing calls) as well as a Modem Emulator, if you want to plug the device into your computer and use it like an external modem. Of course, the cable to do that costs a bit of money. There's also Speed Dialer and the sometimes-it-works-but-the-technology-isn't-perfected-yet Voice Dialer.

Perhaps the most awesome improvement of the QCP 6035 over its predecessor, though, is the support of the Palm VII Web clipping applications via the embedded wireless modem.

Using the free Mobile Office service offered by Verizon, connection to the wireless network takes only a few seconds--versus connecting wirelessly to an ISP (Internet Service Provider) like Earthlink which can take up to 25 seconds--and is billed as regular airtime. Once connected, all the familiar Palm VII applications can be launched and enjoyed. For example, there's ThinAirApps ThinEmail (at http://www.thinairapps.com), which allows wireless connection to Hotmail. In addition, the wireless modem also allows access to POP (Post Office Protocol) mail (via the ROM-based Eudora mail program) and the Internet (via Eudora Web).

Don't get me wrong, though, the QCP 6035 isn't perfect. The screen is very small, the smallest of any Palm OS based device on the market, including the Palm m100. The RAM and OS are still non-upgradeable, although Kyocera could put out a ROM upgrade for the OS. And, if you break it, you lose a handful of devices rather than just one.

Still, this latest smartphone is a brilliant adaptation of many of the most innovative technologies for mobile professionals: a pager, SMS (Short Message Service), Palm VII, and a tri-mode (analog, digital PCS, and digital CDMA) cell phone, meaning you get more complete coverage. Of course, there's always the Visor and its Phone Module that will get you the same results as the Kyocera QCP 6035. However, I believe that if you're buying a phone, you should get a phone form-factor with PDA functionality, not a PDA form-factor with phone functionality.