Comments on: Further Evidence that i705 and T615 Are Coming Soon

More evidence has emerged that Palm is close to releasing the i705 wireless handheld and that Sony is likewise close to announcing a U.S. version of the T600, which will likely be named the T615.

The Sony N610C, which is quite similar to the T615, now shows up on the SonyStyle webstore as "Sold Out". In the past, this has happened right before Sony announced a replacement. Though Sony won't comment on whether it will release a version of the T600 in the U.S., it is widely expected to do so and that it will replace the N610C.

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I just can't choose!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 10:54:02 AM #
one potato, two potato, three potato, wireless. Four potato, five potato, six potato, color.

RE: I just can't choose!
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 11:23:04 AM #
I called someone that works at palm and it looks like the i705 will be released on January 28. There will be some kind of email pre-release to those who have the email service that palm offers during the first week of next month.

Costco And You

Coyote67 @ 12/20/2001 10:56:55 AM #
Glanced at the 610c at Costco yesterday going for 340. Isn't that a bit high?

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When you have a Clie shoved up your mouth, you can only talk in vowels.
RE: Costco And You
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 11:06:11 AM #
Seems like a sweet deal to me.

And BTW: with the new T615, you will be able to talk much better with a clie shoved up your mouth. :)

Drive a little & save a lot
MadMax @ 12/20/2001 12:00:55 PM #
Sony Outlet store Tracy,Ca (50 miles east of SF) N710 $249.95. Add that to the $49.95 Sony charges for the OS 4.1 upgrade and it's still under $300 with MP3!

btw 4sale M505 w/modem & lots of acc...

RE: Costco And You
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:38:26 PM #
I saw the N610C in a bundle pack last week at Costco for 329.99 - the Clie plus a slim leather case. Of course, this was right next to the Palm IIIc for 199.00, so this seemed to be pretty clearly an inventory blowout.

Let's just hope the T615 is everything we hope for - super-slim with a GREAT color screen, not the merely OK color screen of the m505, and not the LOUSY screen equivalent to the T415, which IMHO has to be the most disappointing PDA of the year.

hope it won't too disappoint you
Haj @ 12/20/2001 12:48:58 PM #
http://www.spug.org/reviews/rt600.htm

i guess his expectation was a bit too high, tho. i'm one can live with m505.

RE: Costco And You
popko @ 12/20/2001 5:15:08 PM #
Hey MadMax, does the Sony store, Tracy, has a website?

RE: Costco And You
MadMax @ 12/20/2001 10:44:38 PM #
Here's the outlet page at Sony, including the one in Tracy. Keep in mind they do not give prices over the phone. But will give you inventory quantities, and they do have 710C in stock for $249.95
Here is a list of their locations. Shhh, Keep it a secret though ;)
www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/outlets/locations.html


RE: Costco And You
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/23/2001 6:53:42 AM #
Thanks for reminding me about the SPUG review. The T600 screen seems to have the same shortcomings as the m505 screen. Palm was crucified over the m505 screen quality. I wonder how the T615 will be received.

Sold out at Circuit City also

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:18:06 PM #
The N610 is also sold out at Circuit City.

CompUSA too
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:22:57 PM #
The CompUSA web site still lists the N610, but will not let you order, and shows availability as N/A.

Staples out too
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:33:35 PM #
Staples lists the N610 and lets your put it in your cart, but if you try to order you get this message:

Sorry, the following item(s) you have placed in your Cart are currently out of stock.

I don't know how soon the T615 is coming, but the N610 is clearly being phased out.

Best Buy

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:19:56 PM #
Actually, it is still listed on the BestBuy web store, but with this comment:

Sorry, no longer taking orders for this item. Not available for store pickup.

RE: Best Buy
Ed @ 12/20/2001 12:38:49 PM #
I looked around on their site and couldn't find it at all. Could you post a link?

Thanks.

---
News Editor

Canadian Clie market agrees with this evidence

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:21:03 PM #
Sony has slowly released their Clie PDA's here in Canada. They came out in the following order: N760, S320, and then T415.

Could the decision not to release the N610 in Canada, at a point where Sony may be discontinuing the model in the United States, also be an indicator of the T615's near arrival?

T615 screen has poor color?

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:52:55 PM #
Has anyone else seen evidence that the color on the T615 is a lot worse than on the N760 and N610?

There were sample photos on a clie group on yahoogroups that sure make it look that way.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:56:05 PM #
I don't know about screen quality "T615" (who know?). But I have played with T600C for some time and I can confidently say that the screen quality of T600C is higher than N760C. The color is more sharp and the brightness is about the same.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 1:29:51 PM #
Ive seen screen comparison reviews and it appears that the white is brighter on the T600, thus sharpening the darker colors. However, ive also heard that because the the brighter white, some color hues are washed out. For instance, the red appears brownish. Ive also heard that the T600 has poor battery life.

I will stick with my N760. There isn't a great deal of difference in size nor screen thus I cannot justify the change.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 2:01:29 PM #
I saw the T600 at a T-Zone store here in Tokyo and it looked pretty good. I'll have to go back for a "more detailed" look, but my impression was that it was better looking than the m505 and the Sony N series (but still not nearly as bright as my Prism). The coolest thing about it in my opinion is that you're able to setup the launcher to show the icons at true 320x320 instead of making each of the pixels 2x2 like on the previous Sony models. It looked amazing. Also very thin. I wasn't too pleased with the up/down buttons though. I suppose you could get used to it, but it really took a lot of effort to move that little "switch" up and down.

It's a fine sceen. But is backlit all the time.
Rudenko @ 12/20/2001 2:18:35 PM #
I have N760C and T600C next to each other and both look decent. T600C looks sharper but has a slightly smaller sceen size.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 2:22:08 PM #
Certainly the photos that we have all seen (like on the spug review) suggest that the T600 screen is brighter than the N series screens. That, according to spug, is because the T uses a transflective screen - something in between the backlit IIIc/Prism screens, which are bright and have good color saturation but are awful hard to see outside, and the N series/m505 frontlit (okay, sidelit) screens, which appear foggy/dim and have low color saturation but are easily read outdoors. To me, at least, that's pretty big news - I thought the T was going to use the N series screen. After using the N760 side by side with my Prism for a week, I decided that I just couldn't live with the Clie screen. So this is good news - maybe there is an upgrade for me in the near future after all!

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 2:39:48 PM #
>... it was better looking than the m505 ...

m505 is NOT a REAL COLOR pda , its screen is too poor to even show you a good 256 color picture.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
Davy @ 12/20/2001 3:36:41 PM #
m505 is NOT a REAL COLOR pda , its screen is too poor to even show you a good 256 color picture.

That's funny, because the m505 is the top-selling "color" PDA.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 3:42:18 PM #
That just shows that a terrible screen won't stop sales. The T615 will be a hit. No matter how bad it is, it can't be worse than the M505.

And the flame war starts, I'll set this straight:
I returned my M505. Small size wasn't worth the poor display to me! And no, I'm not a Sony bigot. I don't even have a Sony. I'm still using my IIIc. But right now the Sony does look like the best option from where I stand.


RE: T615 screen has poor color?
Altema @ 12/20/2001 8:05:28 PM #
You probably had one of the dim ones. I also went from a IIIc, which was beautiful, to the M505. The first one had a bad screen and a couple other defects, but number two was a charmer with a sharp image and brighter than normal front light. I was at the DPUG meeting last week with it, and the member next to me commented on how clear the screen was on that particular unit. Although I prefered the IIIc screen, it was not possible to expand it, and I found myself deleting stuff just to try new apps. The 505 worked well enough for me to buy another for my wife. Her device was even better, and is as bright as my laptop on its middle brightness setting. If you want to see a really bright screen, check out the new Samsung (?) color phone. My neighbor brought his over and I loaded it up for him. It would be a close contest between the phone and the IIIc brightness, but the phone screen had the smearing problems of the earlier passive-matrix laptop screens. No expandability though (that I'm aware of at least), and it still was an 8 bit screen, which you really don't notice except on photographs.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
Altema @ 12/20/2001 8:25:47 PM #
PS: as far as the T615 screen is concerned, I'll reserve judgement until I see one in person, and hope it is not slow like it's mono cousin with the dark screen.

Dell still sells the 610C for $399

Mor @ 12/20/2001 3:31:34 PM #
Of course, they are giving you 10% off ($40) plus you can use a $25 off coupon on top. Roughly, it would cost $334 a few days before Christmas. I have 60 days for price match through my American Express Blue card. You guys think the price of the remaining inventory of N610C will drop when the T600C gets released (on Xmas Day?)

RE: Dell still sells the 610C for $399
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:35:24 PM #
eCost is selling the N610C/S (Silver) for $299 with around 250 units in stock.

What Network Will i705 Operate On?

jimrker @ 12/20/2001 3:48:22 PM #
Does anyone know the details on the network the device will run on? Is it still Mobitex/Cingular? Will it still be web-clipping or TCP/IP?

Thanks.

Jim Kershaw

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 3:57:07 PM #
It is going to use Cingular's networks, I know this because I also work at an office supply store and there is an entry for the i705 in the system also.

The release date is expected to be between the second week of jan and first week of feb-leaning more towards mid jan.

It is also RUMORED that the service plans will start at just $10/month and move up to an unlimited plan at $35/month. This would probably make the i705 more worth it's $450 price tag.

Also, there is no indication whatsoever that it is a monochrome device...but it doesn't say it's a color screen either....this again makes the i705 worth it's price tag.

I can't directly tell you which store i work for because palm has requested complete secrecy in its release...but i can and will provide this website with all the information I can possibly get as soon as i get it.

-IASEDA

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 6:39:22 PM #
Jeez, you divulge all that detail - but won't go so far as to tell us who you are little man... meaning you only honour Palm's request for your company to keep quiet when it suits you. Nice. I hope they sue your company, track you down and nail your sorry arse to the wall.

Have a nice day.

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
Coyote67 @ 12/20/2001 8:51:01 PM #
Badoom Chiiiinng

---------------------------------------
When you have a Clie shoved up your mouth, you can only talk in vowels.
RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 9:11:56 PM #
Hey, its a message from one of the three people in the world who disapprove of sharing information.

Don't listen to him, IASEDA! The rest of us are interested.

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 9:57:21 PM #
To the guy that wants my arse nailed to the wall:
First off, I didn't divulge EVERYTHING...I know a whole lot more about this device than I am reporting...and Palm (and Sony for that matter) as REQUESTED every company, not just the one I work for, to keep ALL (past and future incl.) new releases a secret. As far as I know there is no contract for keeping this quiet, so Palm would have no grounds for a lawsuit and they couldn't even breath down my neck if they wanted to. I am just an employee who found some information that BOTH Palm and my company made public. If palm wanted this to be a secret then they wouldn't have supplied the companies the information that we have.

To the guy that said "the rest of us are interested" and everyone else:
Palm is said to have plans for an official announcement VERY close to January 2, 2002 about this device. note that this does not mean they will be releasing the device around that date

-IASEDA


RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 11:46:50 PM #
Perhaps IASEDA has a rumor as to when the T615 goes on sale in the US?

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 12:47:52 AM #
I know for a fact that Palm provides all it's resellers etc with NDA's relating to unannounced products. Your company signed one. Mine has too. It covers all employees of your company, including you. You have breached that NDA thereby putting your company in line for legal action from Palm. The fact that you didn't divulge everything means nothing. You breached the NDA. The fact you're unaware of the NDA means nothing. Your company should have gone to better lengths to keep the information away from big-mouths like yourself. Your arse is looking like a big target right now.

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 2:02:08 PM #
anyone ever realize that everytime there is a new PDA released, someone one the inside always releases more information and the company will never sue because it just drives up the hype for the device, thereby increasing sales.

It happened with the m505 and it looks like its gonna happen with the i705.

Don't worry IASADE, Palm needs a hype like this to boost them back up, especially after this thing with Xerox (which btw is a totally bogus ruling).

WE NEED MORE INFO ABOUT THE NEW PALM AND SONY DEVICES!!! IF ANYONE OUT THERE KNOWS ABOUT THEM, PLEASE DIVULGE ;-)

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 3:50:40 PM #
Well, just visit
http://palmwireless.cjb.net

I've never worked for anyone who requires an NDA, so I can talk about what I have found.

A T615 due in Feb 2002 not same as T600?

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:03:34 PM #
Don't know how much stock to put in it, but this article places a device called the T615 releasing in the US in Feb 2002. He says it isn't the same as the device released as the T600 in Japan.

http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=535

RE: A T615 due in Feb 2002 not same as T600?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:21:54 PM #
and he is right. the grafitti pad is different, as well as OS, etc. all the manuals are too.

RE: A T615 due in Feb 2002 not same as T600?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:33:58 PM #
I don't know if I want to wait until mid/late Feb when the N610 is $299 now. Any indication of price on the T615. Thin doesn't mean that much to me, but 16MB would be really handy.

T600 pricing
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 5:40:03 PM #
Can anybody translate the price of the T600 to US dollars? How does the price of the T600 in Japan relate to the price of the N600 in Japan at the time of the T600 release?

Any speculation or rumors on the T615 price?

RE: A T615 due in Feb 2002 not same as T600?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 8:43:14 PM #
Current RRP Prices(1 US$ = 130yen):

N600C: 39,800 yen (before T600C) - US$306.
N600C: 29,800 yen (after T600C) - US$230.
N750C: 49,800 yen - US$383.

T400 : 29,800 yen - US$230.
T600C: 39,800 yen - US$306.

Usually you can get better prices online and some big electrical stores offer rebates. Also bear in mind that the yen has dropped a lot in the last couple of weeks. It appears to be cheaper when yen prices are converted to US$. It was like 1 US$ = 125 yen a couple of weeks ago.

RE: A T615 due in Feb 2002 not same as T600?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 11:35:48 PM #
Sounds to me like that puts the T615 at around $400 US That is roughly what the N610 was before they started discounting it.

Not bad considering that the N610C/S is now selling for $350 at CompUSA, and $299 at eCost, and that the T615 has 16MB RAM, is slimmer and metal, and has a better speaker too.

Now if we could only get one. Too bad it won't be around until mid Feb.

Software is ready, Hardware is ready too!
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 3:23:20 AM #
T415 CLIE softwares can run smoothly in T600C, it comes with color also.

RMC, World Time Clock, CLIE Paint, etc.

RE: A T615 due in Feb 2002 not same as T600?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 8:48:09 AM #
I agree. I think the T615 will be $399.

RE: A T615 due in Feb 2002 not same as T600?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 7:48:14 PM #
Very close guess according to sme work I did with a Best Buy info terminal, the MSRP is $416.00. The SKU is 4471592, the UPC is 027242598423, in stock date is listed as 1/27/02, so a Christmas announcement would seem logical. The last update to the system was yesterday, the 20th. package weight: 2.00 lbs, length: 10.20 inches, height: 4.70 inches, width: 7.80 inches. None have been ordered for that store and none are located in the central warehouse.

Where is my m525???

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:25:48 PM #
16MB and Sharper/Crisper/Bright color will hold me over until OS5/ARM!!!!!!!

RE: Where is my m525???
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:52:30 PM #
Palm is dead.

RE: Where is my m525???
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:58:15 PM #
Long live Palm.

New model, new model, but... where's Bluetooth, Sony?

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 6:19:56 PM #
Always new models...

Sony has made at least 5 new models since I bought my 710C. Do they suppose I will buy one every month?

But...

The Bluetooth module, which is available since MONTHS in Japan is still not available in Europe and United States.

So, Sony, I DON'T want new models every months! I just want you to make AVAILABLE a Bluetooth extension for my ACTUAL model! Just export that dawn module!

Or will I have to buy an IPAQ, with an already integrated Bluetooth extension, to do this?

If so, you can make any model you want. You won't have my money, because I decide which functionnality I need. Not some kind of "marketing globaliser" from Sony who pretends to decide for me.

I hope you, at Sony, you will hear my message. Until I have to choose another company for my next PDA...

RE: New model, new model, but... where's Bluetooth, Sony?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 6:51:22 PM #
I'm going to pick up the Palm Bluetooth card as soon as it's available! Can't wait!

RE: New model, new model, but... where's Bluetooth, Sony?
mikeliu @ 12/20/2001 7:52:35 PM #
oh come off it already. You know as well as I that the amount of money spent on R&D of new models has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not the Japanese accessories are available in your market. The only reason you can't get the Bluetooth module is because Sony US decides not to distribute it. Meanwhile, Sony releasing new models hardly hurts you, I find it crazy that some people seem to actually think they've been somehow harmed, just because their PDA is not the newest brightest thing anymore.........

Just be glad you don't like in Canada, or even worse Australia. At least America gets most of the actual PDA's that Sony designs.....

RE: New model, new model, but... where's Bluetooth, Sony?
jeremyf @ 12/22/2001 4:08:48 AM #
Yawn bluetooth standards are changing all the time. The Bluetooth Ipaq was released a month or two after the same unit without bluetooth so they could get the "newer" version of bluetooth that is compatible with more, eg wireless lans etc.

Since you have to import just about anything that uses bluetooth in the US, just import the damn bluetooth memory stick. If you live in Europe, stop whining because you get everything else bluetooth before the rest of the world so import as well. Yawn

SONY should have a built-in MP3 T series 2 months later!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 3:26:05 AM #
T600C still had spaces to put those DSPs on. We cannot shut-off the screen in T600C/T4xx when we hear MP3.

RE: SONY should have a built-in MP3 T series 2 months later!
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 8:06:59 AM #
I dont think so. I believe that the N7xx series will be the last you see of MP3 on a Sony PDA. They need to sell those MS Walkmans.

RE: SONY should have a built-in MP3 T series 2 months later!
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/22/2001 9:55:05 AM #
LoL .... why !? ......
So will they stop making MD Walkman, CD Walkman just to boost the sale of MS Walkman ?? Hell no, they were making MS Walkman / network Walkman way b4 they got the MP3 Palm, if they decides to not make MP3 Palm so they can sell memstick walkman, that would be a decision b4 they made the MP3 N Series.

Or maybe yyou are yet another ANALyst !? .... hmmm ......

320 gone too?

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 6:43:06 PM #
I noticed that sonystyle also lists the S320 as "sold out". Has anyone heard if they are discontinuing it? I would think that that would be a dumb move, as then Sony would not have a handheld in the "low end" market.

RE: 320 gone too?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 7:55:00 PM #
The PEG-S320 is probably listed as sold out because, quite simply, it is. No stores in my area are able to keep them in stock, if 20 are available in the morning, then they are gone by noon, just the way it works.

Sony T615C available for $400 last week of January, 2002

TROLL @ 12/21/2001 8:23:13 PM #
The model is supposedly available in silver and black, but I haven't yet seen the black. Should be a killer handheld.


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