Comments on: Handspring NYC Treo 600 Launch Coverage

Handspring Treo 600 NYC Launch coverage ~ Click for Larger ImageI made my way up to New York City yesterday for the Treo 600 launch. Handspring held the event for members of the press and analysts in the heart of Manhattan's Financial district. Read on for the event coverage, new carrier information announced at the launch and my first impressions of the Treo 600.
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Just one more feature

edyaw @ 9/26/2003 3:42:10 PM #
Now, if they would just put a talking GPS into it, I'd give my iQue away and but the Treo.

RE: Just one more feature
ray00pal @ 9/26/2003 5:14:27 PM #
What is there problem? Why not have a 320x480 screen? This really pissed me off!

RE: Just one more feature
mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:23:48 PM #
The screen was questioned at the intro. Handspring had to decide *eighteen months ago* on the screen to include. As it is, it's a damned good screen -- best I've seen on any phone (and, yes, I've looked, even though I loathe cellphones). (I will get the Treo, BTW!) And don't forget that it's instantly compatible with Palm OS apps. Try that with Other Brands...

Colligan hopes to get on a regular 2x/year intro schedule, with new releases of hardware in the Spring and Fall. (I doubt, however, this will start with Spring of 2004, so don't pass up the Treo 600 based on his future plans...)

RE: Just one more feature
Myndwalker @ 9/26/2003 5:34:46 PM #
So it looks like the T3 this fall to be used via BT with my T68i until next fall when the decision will be the new Treo vs the new Palm. Good to have something to look forward to.

RE: Just one more feature
gfunkmagic @ 9/26/2003 8:24:07 PM #
Quote:
"Now, if they would just put a talking GPS into it, I'd give my iQue away and but the Treo."

Sprint is developing its location based services based on Snaptrack's AGPS technology which uses sattelite signals as an adjunct to tower triangulation. There are no definite dates for its launch, but rumors indicate sometime in late 2004 or 2005. Thus, have patience b/c it will eventually happen...

Visit http://goodthatway.com/
-better living through better technology.

The Screen
TTrules @ 9/28/2003 9:55:27 PM #
I love every part of the treo 600 except one thing: the screen! I've heard that it's bright, but it's still only 160x160. If they would improve the resolution, I would buy it.

RE: Just one more feature
sub_tex @ 9/28/2003 9:59:07 PM #
Mike said: "(I will get the Treo, BTW!) "

*insert pic of my eyes flying out of their sockets a-la Jim Carrey in "the Mask".*

This from the man who said he would never own a cell phone! Ha! I knew you would cave, Mike.

Kirvin and the WOYP gang would fill up the inboxes with this news.

-Aaron

RE: Just one more feature
LiveFaith @ 9/29/2003 9:36:45 AM #
ray00pal,
You really meant 32ox320, right. 320x480 would eat into the keyboard real estate or force a longer device. I would buy it w/ 320x320, b/c it's just awesome. But, that 160x160 makes me wait on the new Samsung. Tired of carrying 2 devices.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

Treo 600

Myndwalker @ 9/26/2003 3:47:32 PM #
I would HAVE to have one if it were hi-res. Until then, I'll keep my T68i.
RE: Treo 600
hotpaw4 @ 9/26/2003 4:42:31 PM #
90 dpi sounds fairly hires to me (without using a magnifying glass).
RE: Treo 600
orol @ 9/26/2003 5:15:24 PM #
well it's not much hires, I saw some real images and it looked horrible .. I couldn't go back to lowres ..
HS make it hires and you have my money (bluetooth would be nice too)

RE: Treo 600
mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:17:06 PM #
But can your T68i run Palm OS apps? Eh? Eh?

RE: Treo 600
Myndwalker @ 9/26/2003 5:26:27 PM #
My T68i does work via BlueTooth with my Tungsten T, which DOES run Palm apps. So there.

RE: Treo 600
mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:40:39 PM #
Good for you. As long as you still use Palm OS.

And not... you know...

Keep in mind what their target is
nrosser @ 9/26/2003 5:40:48 PM #
gotta remember that the target for this device isn't your T3 or T|T, or UX50, or NZ90, or your T68i BT combo - the target is the new Blackberry 7230, and the Sony P800 - those converged devices. Sure we'd all like Hi-Res, but this thing had to be made with some trade-offs to deliver what that CONVERGED market requires: Battery life. That's king in the cell phone world, and probably the one major flaw in the treo300 I have now. Also - don't dismiss this thing out of hand - reserve judgement until you SEE the screen. The one I saw in June had an AWEsome screen; granted, not 420x380 or whatever, but that's NOT where they're aiming this thing. Handspring's goal with this is to expand into the Blackberry world, the 7135 world, and this device is right on the mark for where they want it to be. They're going to have a hi-res ultimately, just give it time. Scope it out now and see what you think.

RE: Treo 600
narnia_77 @ 9/26/2003 5:55:45 PM #
I have to have hi-res on my stand-alone PDA. But for a phone, 160x160 is not that bad...

It's mine as soon as it comes out.

- - - - - - -
"There's always hope, because it's the one thing nobody's figured out how to kill yet." -- Galen, Crusade (B5)

RE: Treo 600
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 6:05:17 PM #
I would much prefer a 320x320 display as well, but 160x160 isn't so bad for a cell phone. Should be quite adequate for running all your favorite PalmOS PIM apps like Agendus or DateBK5. I long for a Treo 600.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Treo 600
Scott R @ 9/26/2003 6:30:52 PM #
No, apparently the target market here is anyone crazy enough to spend $500-600 on a phone. Price it at $200 after rebates and locking in to a one-year contract, and you've got a winner. $500-600 is insane. This gets me what over a free Nokia 3650? A thumbboard. OK. Is that worth paying $500-600 more for? I sure hope there are some steep rebates they're not telling us about yet.

Scott

http://TapLand.com
- Tapwave Zodiac News, Reviews, & Discussion -

RE: Treo 600
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 7:57:07 PM #
Quote: "$500-600 is insane."

For 90% of users, yes it is. That's one contributing factor in the painfully slow growth of Smartphones. Give this technology a chance to mature. We're all early adopters in this area. Or perhaps beta tester would be a more accurate description.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Treo 600
craigf @ 9/27/2003 10:55:06 AM #
Compared to my Kyocera 7135, the 600 is a *huge* step up. 160x160 is more than adequate for a converged device that you want to be able to keep in your pocket at all times. "Phone people" outnumber PDA people by around 20-to-1, and I think phone people will be very impressed and excited by the 600 regardless of what PDA people think.

RE: Treo 600
Gameboy70 @ 9/27/2003 11:23:58 AM #
"No, apparently the target market here is anyone crazy enough to spend $500-600 on a phone. Price it at $200 after rebates and locking in to a one-year contract, and you've got a winner. $500-600 is insane. This gets me what over a free Nokia 3650? A thumbboard. OK. Is that worth paying $500-600 more for?"

It depends on where you place your values. If you do send more text than the average cell phone user (e.g. through email), then T9 (even with predictive text entry) is slower and less intuitive than a keyboard.

Of course, as many of your posts here and on TC indicate, you have no love for Handspring's keyboards, so I would suggest that for you, that $500-600 more would be a waste of money -- and time spent complaining over.

Samsung SGH-i500 has hi-res screen
ConceptVBS @ 9/28/2003 11:16:51 AM #
If you want to hi-res Palm OS 5.2 smartphone, then look at the Samsung SGH-i500(GSM).

It has a confirmed true 324x352 16-bit LCD, removable batter, and a possible 1 mega pixel camera (this is still a rumor).

RE: Treo 600
blackashade @ 9/28/2003 2:54:04 PM #
Yuo was reading my mind when you mentioned the SGH I500
which has much more features then the treo 600 like higher res screen, 300 mhz processor same VGA camera as the treo. I also read at another web site that it has MP3 capabalities. I heard that palm os 5.2 it self has mp3 capabilities you just have to have them on a memory card. the only thing i see that handspring has it beat on is the key board. which I am a novice in graffiti but palm os 5.2 is graffitti 2 which I have no idea about the difference. I currently have a broken visor phone connected with t-mobile and they said that as long as the sgh I500 (which is only available in Europe)is unlocked all I have to do is slip my sim card in it and it should work.I already found a website selling unlocked phones. Both and comong out in a few weeks but I am leaning much more towards the sgh. the only thing I would like a big screen like the treo 600 but nothing is perfect.
Can any body tell me why should I consider the treo over the sgh. Those 2 phones are the only phones with palm os 5.2 so thats what most , if not all, discussions should be based on.

RE: Treo 600
TooMuch @ 9/28/2003 4:23:43 PM #
THUMBBOARD = one hand use.

signed,
5 yrs graffiti and 7 months thumbboard user

RE: Treo 600
LiveFaith @ 9/29/2003 9:43:13 AM #
Only 1 tiny glitch on the Samsung. It aint available.

"A bird in Handspring is better than 2 in the bush".

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

RE: Treo 600
mikecane @ 9/29/2003 12:15:55 PM #
Handspring has really customized the hell out of PalmOS for the Treo 600. You really can use it most of the time without taking the stylus out of its silo. I doubt the other phone has been tweaked like this.

RE: Treo 600
narnia_77 @ 9/29/2003 12:18:41 PM #
"apparently the target market here is anyone crazy enough to spend $500-600 on a phone."

Be glad some of us are "crazy enough" to buy this as it is. If these don't sell, I doubt HS/Palm will create another - with the coveted hi-res. I don't need the latest and greatest, so I'm not usually an early adopter, but this combo is mostly what I have waiting for. This time, I'll give up hi-res for the rest of it. For me, it's compromise now, or keep waiting... I'm tired of waiting. Unless there are some unknown problems with the Treo 600 (i.e. lousy reception for my area or just doesn't work as advertised), it's mine.
:)

"Samsung SGH-i500(GSM)"

My carrier is Sprint (CDMA) so this phone wouldn't work for me. [Unlike some others, I'm very happy with them.] To repeat others, the Samsung it not available, while the Treo 600 is practically out the door. I also like the idea of a small keyboard on my phone - I'm starting to use Sprint's VISION services a lot more and entering text on the number pad really sucks.

- - - - - - -
"There's always hope, because it's the one thing nobody's figured out how to kill yet." -- Galen, Crusade (B5)

Muerte a' Verizon!!!

Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 4:14:28 PM #
Where is Verizon? All the major carriers have signed on except for America's favorite stick in the mud, wagon wheel architecture wireless vendor. I suppose it will be a year before they commit to this phone, and by then the Treo 700 will be out.

Thanks, Verizon. Can you hear me now? No?!?

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Muerte a' Verizon!!!
Admin @ 9/26/2003 4:18:28 PM #
Foo, someone asked Colligan about this and he stated they are "talking" but nothing definitive.
RE: Muerte a' Verizon!!!
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 4:23:02 PM #
Yep, that sounds like Verizon. It won't go much farther than just "talk". Verizon is an insanely conservative company. New phones go through abnormally long periods of testing and are often reject based on trivial criteria. Have you seen what they are offering right now? What a joke. They don't even carry Nokia phones, just el cheapo pedestrian Audiovox and LG handsets. Trust me, Verizon customers won't see this phone anytime soon. Tragic.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Muerte a' Verizon!!!
mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:17:50 PM #
Verizon is also pushing Hot Spots -- at least in NYC, where several hundred public phone stalls (ah, for the days of booths!) will be WiFi APs that are free to use for Verizon DSL/dial-up customers.

See https://www.verizon.net/wifi/faqs/#faq8

They can get *that* right -- why not picking up the Treo 600?

RE: Muerte a' Verizon!!!
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 5:35:55 PM #
Yes, that is a great move by Verizon. Unfortunately that same pioneering spirit hasn't carried over in their selection of mobile phones. Verizon seems to favor the lowest common denominator in handsets. They never offered the original Treo. And right now the only "Smartphones" being offered are the clunky Kyocera Palm Phone, and the Samsung I700 & Audiovox Thera Pocket PC Phones (blech!). I pray Verizon will suppor the Treo 600 very soon, but I won't hold my breath. I doubt they will even carry MS Smartphones (which is probably a blessing in disguise).

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Muerte a' Verizon!!!
gfunkmagic @ 9/26/2003 8:13:14 PM #
Some posters at Treocentral who also attended the "Mission meeting" reported that the main reason Verizon was not included was b/c of heavy pressure exerted by Sprint which wants to exclusively carry the Treo600 for a limited period of time. It's speculated that Verizon may eventually carry the Treo600, but it will take a few months...

Visit http://goodthatway.com/
-better living through better technology.
RE: Muerte a' Verizon!!!
jyellis @ 9/27/2003 1:12:11 AM #
An online petition has begun to request Verizon to support the Treo 600. I don't know how much difference this can make, but it can't hurt. You can sign the petition here:

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?treo600

In addition, it would probably be far more persuasive if a few thousand people emailed Verizon executives requesting support. You can do that here:

https://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/contact/executiveEmail.jsp

With my contract last 'til next September. I surely hope they'll support the Treo 600 soon.


Don't think the petition will work
ConceptVBS @ 9/28/2003 11:25:47 AM #
Except for the 7135, there is no other Palm OS type phone in their line up. With the strategic agreement signed with Microsoft, I doubt you'll see the Treo 600 or any other NON-MICROSFT OS based smartphones in Verizon's product porfolio.

Junk

bleedingedge @ 9/26/2003 5:09:46 PM #
Thumb boards suck so much it is hard to believe.

RE: Junk
hotpaw4 @ 9/26/2003 5:16:05 PM #
That's an expected comment. Some studies have indicated that around half the current users think these tiny keyboards are horrible, and around half the population actually prefer them.
Have you used it?
nrosser @ 9/26/2003 5:35:45 PM #
B-edge -

I can accept your opinion, since it's just that - your own opinion. It's not a fact that thumbboards suck - just what you believe. BUT - have you used one? if so, then fine - cool. If not, then - you're just stating your belief, based on no facts.
I have used Palms since 95, and all the time Graffiti was my god. I got a Treo last year and have never looked back. I'll never go back to graffiti, but I don't think it 'sucks', and don't bash any who like it.
All things for all people man - we all like different things.

RE: Junk
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 5:59:47 PM #
Junk? I take it you don't use SMS messaging? You have no idea how much more convenient it is to use a QWERTY keyboard as apposed to pecking away on a number pad. Yes the keys are a bit tiny, but it's a hell of a lot better than pressing the number 4 key three time to make an "i".

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Junk
bleedingedge @ 9/27/2003 12:42:06 PM #
I do SMS with my m505 using graffitti. No problem. Even better, my T68i has autocompleting text so I'm not hitting keys as much as the system described above.

In regards to the comments about my opinions, it does deserve mention, but keep in mind I'm not retarded. I realize it is my opinion and I wrote it in a silly way because watching these manufacturers cater (mostly) to one version of text entry is more than a bit frustrating. I have tried the thumb boreds in the store. I leave asking myself why anyone would want to give up real estate to that goofy thing over screen space and streamlined construction. Personally, I think that the add-on full-sized keyboard I bought with my m505 is a perfect solution for when I need to enter mass quantities of text (rare).

Anyways, thanks for the finger-wagging lecture. I was naughty and I see that now. I feel shame.

RE: Junk
TooMuch @ 9/28/2003 4:27:30 PM #
b-edge,

graffiti sms requires two hands. bummer. does that suck?

RE: I see now
nrosser @ 9/29/2003 1:29:09 PM #
Bleed - I see now where you're coming from. You have two devices, and graffiti works for you. But you'd agree that for the one-device crowd (Treo, Blackberry, T|C, et al), the thumbboard makes sense. We WANT just one device - therefore, having the thumbboard works for us. I used to lug around a Stowaway with my Kyo6035, and that was a pain, to whip out and set up, etc. Sure I could use a Sony BT phone, and get some cool Sony or Palm device, and get a keyboard. But for my uses, one thing works better. Thus the thumbboard. (and I used Graffiti for many years).

RE: Junk
NPaladin2000 @ 10/4/2003 12:58:26 AM #
What I don't get is, why can't they implement both? One of Palm's brightest ideas was the sliding Tungstens, where if you pull down on the buttons then you get the grafitti area. So why can't Handspring do that, stashing a Graffiti area underneath a Treo's keyboard? Not only that but it could be used to extend the length of the phone, for those of us with rather large faces. :)

GSM version for US?

feranick @ 9/26/2003 5:19:27 PM #
Maybe this is a stupid question... Will it be possible to have a GSM version of the Treo for the US market?
Thanks
Nicola

RE: GSM version for US?
mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:21:04 PM #
Yes, why not?

It's quad-band GSM/GRPS. T-Mobile is GSM/GRPS in the US.

It's also dual-band CDMA/1xRTT. That's Sprint, I believe.

RE: GSM version for US?
hotpaw4 @ 9/26/2003 5:22:15 PM #
Aren't Cingular and T-Mobile GSM providers in the US?
RE: GSM version for US?
mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:22:28 PM #
Sorry for second post, but the point was also made at the launch that this is a phone you can take to Europe and use as well.

RE: GSM version for US?
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 5:32:32 PM #
Yes, AT&T, Cingular, and T-Mobile are GSM. Sprint and Verizon are CDMA networks. Ah..you gotta love the fragmented US wireless infrastructure.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: GSM version for US?
mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:41:49 PM #
>>>Ah..you gotta love the fragmented US wireless infrastructure.

Well, yes.

Before the Net, the Euros thought they would be the vanguards of the info age with their centralized PTTs mandating what "national online service" would be offered (Prestel, Bildschirmtext, Minitel; in UK, Germany, and France, respectively). The US, still diddling with NAPLPS and even Euro "standards" looked like the Third World.

My, haven't things changed!

As long as one cellphone can get through to another, why worry about the "fragmentation"? It'll all get sorted out.

And so much for the billionsssss of dollars, pounds, marks, lire, euros, etc, sunk down the toilet of 3G licenses that'll never be used...

RE: GSM version for US?
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 5:51:13 PM #
Why? Because the competing networks are incompatible with one another. I can't take a CDMA phone and use it with AT&T's GSM network, or vice versa. I'm not even sure I can use a Verizon CDMA phone on Sprint's CDMA network. Had GSM become the standard archtecture, this wouldn't be an issue. Never mind the fact that Japan is so far advanced in wireless it's scary! 8^(

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: GSM version for US?
gfunkmagic @ 9/26/2003 8:18:48 PM #
Quote:
"Why? Because the competing networks are incompatible with one another. I can't take a CDMA phone and use it with AT&T's GSM network, or vice versa. I'm not even sure I can use a Verizon CDMA phone on Sprint's CDMA network. Had GSM become the standard archtecture, this wouldn't be an issue..."

It will everntually be posibble to roam via competing networks once carriers begin using R-UIM. Qualcomm already has released Dual mode base chips to make this possible as well...

Furthermore, it is possible to use certain Sprint phones on Verizon as long as you have the MSL.

Visit http://goodthatway.com/
-better living through better technology.

RE: GSM version for US?
Edward Green @ 9/27/2003 6:37:24 AM #
I dont understand the US phone business. In europe I can take my phone to any country, it finds a prefered carrier (or my UK carrier if the have a network) and I can make calls (at a premium) and recieve calls (the only time when I get charged for an incoming call). I have used my phone in north africa too.

So when I flew to Italy for lunch the other month (which cost be $50) I picked up my phone and called my friends back in the uk to rub it in. :)

Edward Green
--
http://www.khite.co.uk

RE: GSM version for US?
sempai @ 9/27/2003 2:15:33 PM #
I live in the US, and took my mobile phone to the UK and Germany.

I didn't have any problems.

So right back at you.


slacker!

RE: GSM version for US?
Edward Green @ 9/27/2003 6:59:36 PM #
I wasn't having ago at the US. I was just saying I didn't understand how the phone system worked!

I know CDMA is a great standard with advantages over GSM, but I was just wondering how easy roaming was in the US.

I find that for most outgoing calls I might as well use my mobile rather than my land line due to inclsuive any call minutes on my contract. The only reason I have a land line is that credit companies and banks like you to have one. I wondered if the US was the same.

Edward Green
--
http://www.khite.co.uk

RE: GSM version for US?
dmenahem @ 9/27/2003 9:11:34 PM #
To answer your question about roaming, its the same in the US as in Europe (ie when I travel with my T-Mobile phone to the west coast, I roam on Cingular's GSM network but do not get charged). However, the level of coverage (at least as far as T-Mobile is concerned) is horrible, I had better reception in the Romanian country side last month than I currently have in my neighborhood, less than 2 miles from the White House! Or in New York or almost anywhere....unless I am right next to their cellular tower

Daniel

RE: GSM version for US?
Altema @ 9/27/2003 9:52:41 PM #
"Yes, AT&T, Cingular, and T-Mobile are GSM. Sprint and Verizon are CDMA networks."

Cingular still maintains their old CDMA and analog networks in addition to the new GSM/GPRS. I know they are phasing them out by upping the plan charges. The rates are really steep for anyone holding onto their analog phone. The networks are somewhat independent, which can be good in some situations. During the North America blackout, my GSM/GPRS phone worked most of the time, my wife's CDMA phone was dead for two days. She finally upgraded last week, only to regret it because Cingular's new network has been down for almost two days in the mid-West USA. GPRS died, then GSM went this morning... would have been nice if they had mentioned this when I spent 2 hours on the land line with tech support then drove to the store :<

Sigh


RE: GSM version for US?
new505user @ 9/28/2003 9:31:11 AM #
Cingular never had CDMA. Its legacy network is TDMA

RE: GSM version for US?
Altema @ 9/28/2003 2:01:37 PM #
My web-enabled Nokia 7160 was CDMA... used it for over a year despite it being a better wireless modem than phone. Cingular does not do WAP or data over TDMA.

RE: GSM version for US?
Altema @ 9/28/2003 2:14:13 PM #
PS: At least they required I pay extra for a CDMA phone in the mid-USA region. It may be different in your area.

RE: GSM version for US?
new505user @ 9/28/2003 11:31:34 PM #
The 7160 is TDMA:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3049598443&category=15936

RE: GSM version for US?
mikecane @ 9/29/2003 12:19:15 PM #
>>>The only reason I have a land line is that credit companies and banks like you to have one. I wondered if the US was the same.

One reason to have a landline in the US is that Phone-A-Friend Lifelines for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" are required to have landlines.

Also, cellphones -- particularly digital ones -- are not very good when calling into talk radio programs.

RE: GSM version for US?
lemketron @ 9/29/2003 3:57:06 PM #
With respect to ditching your landline service, I think it's still good to have a landline for calling 911. In California at least, calling 911 will connect you (eventually) to some remote call processing center for the CHP (Highway Patrol). You wait on hold for a while, and then you have to request to be transferred to your local police, fire, ambulance, etc. department. If there's a fire, or a matter of life or death, the extra delay can seem like forever.

If instead you call 911 from a landline phone, you are calling directly to the local city's 911 emergency services call center (IIRC) which is much faster in getting you the assistance you need.

PLUS, 911 from a landline automatically presents your street address when the call is made so they already know where you are (and will generally respond even if you say nothing at all). That's not (yet) available with 911, and even if/when it is, it will only give a GPS location -- not an exact street address and/or apartment number (which could be a BIG issue if you're in some sort of high-density multi-unit building and can't communicate your location).

With that in mind, I can't imagine NOT having a landline in a house with kids (and possibly someone else watching them when you're not home).

Metered phone service is typically available for something like $6/month or so. Even if you don't plan on using it, it's a small price to pay to keep a landline phone around (if only for 911 calls)...

Oh, and if you happen to have a centrally monitored fire/burglar alarm, then you usually have no choice but to keep a landline installed.
--Steve

RE: GSM version for US?
lemketron @ 9/29/2003 4:08:44 PM #
Clarification: I should've written "In California at least, calling 911 FROM A CELL PHONE will connect you (eventually) to some remote call processing center for the CHP (Highway Patrol)."

RE: GSM version for US?
benixau @ 2/18/2004 7:00:41 PM #
In australia all our networks are at least GSM 800/1800
It means that one phone only needs a new sim to work on another network. Not to mention that all three (pun not intended) major networks have near national coverage - makes me wonder how one could survive in the US.

BTW - we do have CDMA + 3G but CDMA is used by bushies and 3G has upto 80% call drop-out rates so neither is really taking off.

Great PIC link

mikecane @ 9/26/2003 5:39:31 PM #
If you missed this on the right sidebar, check it out now:

http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/printer/22369/

RE: Great PIC link
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 5:44:36 PM #
LOL! I can't think of any reason why consumers wouldn't like this Pocket PC phone. It's so big and beautiful. Nothing says "I'm a dork" like a gigantic PDA phone with lots of buttons and large protruding antenna. That draws chics like bees to honey. Or some other insect devouring fecal matter.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Great PIC link
Gameboy70 @ 9/27/2003 12:01:07 PM #
It's even more ridiculous if you've actually held one in your hand. You might as well be holding a laptop to your ear. A agree with every who's calling this monstrosity the Hibachi.

RE: Great PIC link
Foo Fighter @ 9/27/2003 7:20:17 PM #
Hey, Gameboy! Nice to see you here? Been a long time. ;-)

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Great PIC link
Altema @ 9/27/2003 10:07:16 PM #
Hey, you guys are missing the point: You could NEVER use the Treo 600 for snowboarding...

RE: Great PIC link
LiveFaith @ 9/29/2003 10:03:11 AM #
Cane,

Your dead wrong! This phone is the ultimate. As soon as Hitachi realeases that wheel cart for hauling it around like tose little carts carry luggage in airports, the she'll dominate.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

RE: Great PIC link
Gameboy70 @ 9/29/2003 2:10:33 PM #
Hey Foo! I've been the ambivalent owner of a Treo 300 for about a year now (it just died on me last week), and anxiously waiting for the non-clamshell Treo to come out. I checked out your blog -- very cool.

Awesome Treo 600 Review!!

ozz @ 9/26/2003 6:06:17 PM #
I read a review of the Treo 600 that is awesome! The reviewer is Jake Ehrlich. The review is a mindblower. It is not full of technical details but has enough info about its features that you will learn what most people would want to know about it. Jake's style of writing is fun and easy to read. It is a rather lengthy review and goes off on a tangent a bit (Star Wars) but that seems to make the whole review even more endearing and interesting to read. Take time to read the entire review. You won't regret it:

http://www.jakeehrlich.com/Review/Treo600LoveArticle/Treo600.htm

RE: Awesome Treo 600 Review!!
Scott R @ 9/26/2003 6:36:07 PM #
I think you're Jake-E-Jeans are too tight and have constricted the flow of blood to your brain. :)

Scott

http://TapLand.com
- Tapwave Zodiac News, Reviews, & Discussion -

RE: Awesome Treo 600 Review!!
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 7:55:08 PM #
I think he IS Jake.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Awesome Treo 600 Review!!
Foo Fighter @ 9/26/2003 7:55:43 PM #
By the way, love the Batman Treo ad. Priceless. Jeff Hawkins must have laughed his ass off when Jake showed him that.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Awesome Treo 600 Review!!
Altema @ 9/27/2003 10:10:22 PM #
Hey Foo, anywhere online I can see that ad? Have not yet seen it.

RE: Awesome Treo 600 Review!!
Foo Fighter @ 9/27/2003 11:40:31 PM #
Look at the bottom of this page: http://www.jakeehrlich.com/Review/BulletTrain/BulletTrain.htm

His concept user interface sucks too. I'm not sure why he thinks it's so brilliant.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Awesome Treo 600 Review!!
mikecane @ 9/29/2003 12:22:41 PM #
If Batman was real, his costume wouldn't have nipples!

RE: Awesome Treo 600 Review!!
TomHandy @ 9/29/2003 1:06:26 PM #
Good lord, this guy must be delusional....... and I might cut him more slack if he wasn't gushing over how brilliant he and his designs are. He may have some interesting ideas, but his notion that his design is "beautiful" or "simple" mystifies me.... especially his jabs at Palm (i.e. in his BulletTrain design, his statement of "so much for Palm's mantra of simplicity"..... when his own design looks much more unwieldy than anything Palm has ever done....... and the parts that are perhaps simple are merely simplistic..... "simple design" does not mean it is enough to just lay all of the buttons out in a horizontal line, and declare that superior to having buttons in other places).

His Phantom V design is completely bizarre to (he also wasn't clear on if there would be right and left-handed versions of it..... personally, I prefer to hold a Palm in my left hand, but his design seems predicated on holding the device in your right hand).

Yeesh.

-Tom

no bluetooth = near miss

awdr @ 9/26/2003 7:00:04 PM #
this would have been a really outstabding device if they would have included bluetooth!!

RE: no bluetooth = near miss
palmdoc88 @ 9/26/2003 7:25:47 PM #
And why bluetooth some may ask?
To me they missed the opportunity to incorporate Bluetooth with Headset profile support to enable use of cool wireless headsets like the SE HBH-60 with this PDA-phone.
I cannot go back to wires and my SE t610 and HBH-30 works very well in combination with my T|T....
My perfect PalmOS phone-pda is not here yet....

RE: no bluetooth = near miss
Palm_Otaku @ 9/26/2003 8:14:47 PM #
The treo600 is apparently compatible with the Bluetooth SDIO card, so that may be a preferred option for some people.

Built-in Bt would have been prefereable though :)

- D

RE: no bluetooth = near miss
palmdoc88 @ 9/26/2003 9:27:04 PM #
Yeah but the BT SDIO does not have a headset profile yet and will not support the HBH headsets :(

RE: no bluetooth = near miss
Marshall Flinkman @ 9/26/2003 10:03:22 PM #
I remember reading on Treocentral that they're working on a profile for it. I thought that the Bt card didn't have drivers for OS5 and that they're still working on those too, though...

More Mission Possible NYC pics!

gfunkmagic @ 9/26/2003 8:29:15 PM #
WeeBitObsessed over at Treocentral also posted a few pics from the meeting as well FYI:

http://discussion.treocentral.com/tcforum/-t36391/s.html

I especially like the one of the Bond girl! ;)

Visit http://goodthatway.com/
-better living through better technology.

Webcast on Zdnet

palmato @ 9/27/2003 2:35:30 PM #
Zdnet has a 5 min long webcast on the Treo 600. Find it at
http://zdnet.com.com/1601-2-5083082.html

They seem to like it, though lack of BT is pointed out as a weakness.

------------------------
Tired of PPC? Get a TT!

Not very fashionable

PDAJah @ 9/27/2003 2:51:12 PM #
Hmm... most modern cell phones don't have ariels. The Sony Ericsson P800 looks better without an ariel - the Treo 600 looks unattractive with its ariel.

Jah
RE: Not very fashionable
mikecane @ 9/27/2003 5:10:21 PM #
Fashion isn't everything.

Now, those other phones you're comparing it to, do they have an SD slot on the top? Stylus well?

Didn't think so...

RE: Not very fashionable
PDAJah @ 9/27/2003 5:15:04 PM #

The answer is yes they do. Se P800 uses Duo memory sticks and has a stylus. The new version , P810, will have a better sylus, 65K colours with 208*320 resolution and may also have T9.

Jah
RE: Not very fashionable
mikecane @ 9/27/2003 5:20:43 PM #
It was after I posted that I looked again at your message and saw it was about the 800.

First, that does *not* have a stylus well at the top -- nor is that mutant fake fingernail that comes off the side anything that can loosely be described as a stylus!

Second, as for the Duo slot, I guess it must be on the top. I did fondle this phone at J&R but can't recall where the slot is, nor does the website --

http://www.sonyericsson.com/P800/main.htm

-- show the top/bottom of the unit.

Sure, you can carp about some aspects of the Treo 600 design, but I think these are nits. The 800 hasn't the software base the 600 has -- and probably never will, either.

All that being said, do you have an 800 yourself?

RE: Not very fashionable
PDAJah @ 9/27/2003 6:20:54 PM #

Yes I do have a P800. I also have a Clie NR70 Plam and I have been able to find s/w that I used on my Palm for the P800. In fact, the Opera browser on the P800 is much better than any browser I have seen for the Palm (see news item saying wonderful things about Opera http://news.com.com/2100-1032-5082348.html). Also, the P810 has a Clie format sylus. The Duo memory slot is on the side of the P800.

Also I think the Treo 600 needs better resolution and BT (which the P800 does have).

Jah

RE: Not very fashionable
Edward Green @ 9/28/2003 5:23:24 AM #
The p800 is a real nice device and very cheap with a contract in europe. I think the treo 600 has it on size and in having a keyboard.

Edward Green
--
http://www.khite.co.uk
RE: Not very fashionable
Admin @ 9/28/2003 11:17:44 AM #
external antenna = much better RF reception.
I don't know specifics but many I talked to that have been using the Treo 600 for awhile commented that is has very good reception
RE: Not very fashionable
mikecane @ 9/29/2003 12:23:52 PM #
Hell, you don't have to sell me on Opera for PDAs! I saw it at work on the original Zaurus and it puts everything else to shame! Why did Sharp go with Netfront for the newer models? I am not fond of Netfront.

Opera for PalmOS!

Just one more carrier

vesther @ 9/27/2003 6:35:54 PM #
I just wished that this Treo 600 would also be provided under Verizon Wireless.... Darn.....

Also, I think that a Nextel Version of the Treo 600 would also be fine as well...give all those Mobile Professionals, Vend Machine Techs, and other Mechanics some added productivity on the go....

My Primary Handheld: Palm Tungsten C "Air Swallow"
My Secondary Handheld: Palm Tungsten T "Sea Chugger"

RE: Just one more carrier
Foo Fighter @ 9/27/2003 7:19:45 PM #
Don't get me started or I'll go into one my tangents. No one is more sick about this than I am. I happen to be a Verizon Wireless customer. God damn you Verizon!!!! Take your Audiovox and LG phones and SHOVE THEM!!! Muerte a Verizon! Muerte a Verizon!!!

*pant* *pant* *pant*. See what you started.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

RE: Just one more carrier
ozz @ 9/28/2003 12:17:54 AM #
ROFL @ Foo :-D
RE: Just one more carrier
fool faughter @ 9/28/2003 5:00:00 PM #
I don't understand why anyone would sign up initially with verizon. CDMA is not a world wide standard, and if you really wanted CDMA, sprint has a better U.S. footprint. Don't whine about not having the Treo 600 with verizon. The stupidity happened when you signed with that carrier.

RE: Just one more carrier
iJITSU @ 9/28/2003 8:56:51 PM #
According to Sprint and Verizon's own coverage maps, Verizon has a much larger coverage area than Sprint. Verizon is also the largest wireless carrier in the U.S. followed by Cingular. So when you have difficulty understanding why anyone would choose Verizon over Sprint, it could be that you are reasoning with faulty information.

RE: Just one more carrier
Foo Fighter @ 9/29/2003 12:22:29 AM #
Uh...fool (appropriate name) Verizon happens to be the largest wireless provider in the US, which offers far better coverage areas, not to mention far superior customer service. Sprint's CS ranks lowest in the industry. Thanks for your stupid (and pointless retort.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com
RE: Just one more carrier
Foo Fighter @ 9/29/2003 12:27:13 AM #
Quote: "CDMA is not a world wide standard, and if you really wanted CDMA, sprint has a better U.S. footprint."

No **** Sherlock. You figured that out all by yourself? The US and South Korea are the only two locations, world wide, that employ CDMA. And I didn't "choose" CDMA, it chose me. My location is not covered by any GSM carriers (my first choice). Not AT&T...Not T-Mobile...Not Cingular. So I had no alternative BUT to go with a CDMA based wireless provider.

-------------------------------
My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

Foo the Fool?
The Ugly Truth @ 9/29/2003 5:10:45 PM #
The US and South Korea are the only two locations, world wide, that employ CDMA.


Is Canada part of US or South Korea now? (I'm betting there was a Korean coup in The Great White North.)

Take off, eh! Hoser.



Sometimes the truth just isn't pretty™

phone arousal anyone

raf2 @ 9/28/2003 5:19:42 PM #
In the first picture in the above story, the phone number displayed on the Treo's screen is answered by a phone sex line recording.

Figured everyone could use a laugh; I just wonder if it was intentional by whoever made the poster! :)

Metro PCS?

jbeedham @ 10/2/2003 5:59:54 PM #
I have Metro PCS service out here in the northern cali/bay area/sacramento area for $35/unlimited local calls. Do you know if it would be possible to get one of those sim cards or whatever so I could use the TReo on my existin service. I hate to move to someone like Verizon or Sprint who have way expensive price plans.

-------------------------------------------------------
currently using Palm m125 and waiting for Garmin iQue.

Treo 600 International access

raysweeney @ 12/8/2003 12:12:19 PM #
If I purchase the Treo 600 here in the US would the voice and Internet features work in the Bahamas, Europe and the Caribbean?

If I purchase the Treo 600 here in the US would the voice and Internet features work in the Bahamas, Europe and the Caribbean?
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