Email
The i705's is known mostly for always-on email feature. Palm has added fair functionality to this feature but there are some things left to be desired. First of all, the i705 ships with an application called Multimail. This application allows you to setup several mail accounts that you can check through the i705. (Beware that only the Palm.net mail account and what they call your "Business Account" will receive the instant notifications of arriving email.) Whether your device is actually on or not the green light at the top of the unit lets you know that it is in constant contact with the server and will notify you if you receive an email. When an email arrives, the green light turns to red, an audible sound is heard (this can be turned off) and you know you have email. While I found this application to be very useful it was a bit frustrating when I would receive an email, read it, but the red light on the top of the unit was still flashing, indicating that I still had new email. I later realized that after reading an email a blinking star appears in the top left corner of the screen. This star must be tapped in order to clear the email notification light. This seems like a big hassle and the i705 should be smart enough to know when you've read your email. I was so curious about this problem that I called Palm Tech Support and the guy I talked to had no clue about how to clear the indicator light.

Palm also allows you to install a MultiMail Desktop Link application onto your PC so you can keep your email synchronized with your Palm. I found this application to be cumbersome so I don't even use it. What I do is setup a Rule in Outlook 2000 that forwards any incoming email to my PC, to my Palm.net account. This way when I'm in the office I can leave the rule off and when I'm leaving the office a few clicks of my mouse and it's back on. I find this feature very useful as it keeps me in touch when I'm out. The only downside is a bunch of forwarded emails in the sent folder of your PC but that's easily fixable.

Palm has an add-on mini keyboard that clips onto the bottom of the i705. This keyboard attempts to replicate the RIM Blackberry form factory but it falls short. It's too bulky for me to use and it would only be useful if I were sending long emails from my Palm. I mainly use the i705 to receive email and if I need to respond, a short email will usually do.

Overall I really like the always-on email feature of the i705. Some have complained that it's not as good as the RIM Blackberry but in my mind it does the job adequately while still maintaining the features of a regular Palm. The Blackberry is probably better if you have serious email needs but if you're looking to do the occasional email without having to carry another device the i705 is a nice fit.

Internet Access
Much like the Palm VII, the i705 comes with the web clipping applications. What's different about the i705 is the "My Palm" application that allows you to access a variety of information on the web. You can get news, shop, chat and even go to a specific URL that you have in mind all from one central place. The browser is obviously very scaled down but if you need some info from a web page that does not provide a specific web clipping application, you can still get there with the i705. It even comes with a Google Search feature that allows you to search the popular search engine.