Comments on: Free WiFi Card With Tungsten T5 Purchase

P1 needs to permanently drop the T5 price upon release of the LD and issue a mighty bugfix/ROM update so at the T5 can be put out to pasture with a modicrum of respectability.

There needs to be a competitive $300igh Tungsten or Zire 73-type model for the people who don't want to splash out $500 for the LD or simply don't want/trust the HD. A patched T5 could conceivably do that since the Zire 73 doesn't seem to be on the release schedule anytime soon.

I can't see this as helping the T5 sales very much. It looks to me like P1 just wants to get rid of as many of the T5s as possible."

Ok, doesn't getting 'rid of as many' T5s as possible help the sales of the T5?

I would guess that they aren't selling them at a loss either...

Don't even think about going there man! If everyone begins to list what the TT5 should have had on it, Ryan's bandwidth will max and the site will go down."

Too true, although hindsight is a wonderful thing we all have, foresight (or luck) is something successful individuals and companies have. It has become obvious to most people, though I know many people on this board may disagree, that palm-source/one just don't have it. They are reactionary and have no vision for the future. They have missed the boat on so many things that I really haven't got time list/bore people with them.

I am a kind man and will give PalmOne a small piece of my extensive foresight.

For the Treo line - Phones in the future will not have really big sticky out aerials (NO WAIT - Nokia knew this years ago)

For you PDA line - As well as normal pda-esque functions people want multimedia sometimes, and maybe wifi and bluetooth (NO WAIT - Pocket PC have had this for ages because it was an obvious development)

I take it back, foresight who needs it. If you can't even spot obvious trends then you are screwed, and foresight is just a word in the dictionary.

Fishtastic

I recall that there was a similar press release when WinCE was released - that was supposed to rule the world. Then came PPC (several incarnations) - that was supposed to rule the world too. Then came WinMob (are we up to 5.0 already?) - ditto. Each time forums like PIC were filled with people telling us that Palm/PalmSource/p1 were DOOMED. Well, it hasn't quite worked out that way.

The problem is that each update of WinCE/PPC/WinMob/whatever has involved little more than a few tweaks and some new icons/eyecandy. But on each occassion there was a lot of hype about revolutionary innovation, doing more on your handheld, etc, etc. The sad reality is that M$ has always put more effort into marketing than into developing its code.

The big break for M$ had nothing to do with the operating system. Rather it was Compaq who, bucking the trend, came up with the original iPAQ - which was designed to be as close as possible to a palmpilot (without getting sued) with a little extract oomph in the hardhard department. In other words, the iPAQ line was a success in spite of its poor-excuse-for an operating system. Other manufacturers have been copying the iPAQ formula ever since.

It is interesting to note that the launch of WinMob 5.0 has not been accompanied by ecstatic adulation from the M$ boosters (as usual). Could it be that they have woken up to how few real improvements there are in this release? Or is it that the M$ crowd are running scarred of the rumoured Life Drive? Time will tell.

I had the X50v and sold it on e-bay yesterday. There isn't a lot of enthusiasm for WM05 for the very reasons listed above; it's just a minor tweak, and not really revolutionary. I've ended up back with my old, and reliable m515. For people who really want their hanhelds to do 'everything', the new LD by P1, or even some of the top-end ppc models might be okay for them, but I don't use even 1/10th of the features they offer. I just need my pda for PIM, and to view / work on Exel & Word files. PERIOD.

All good things...

Hey, I'm not saying Palm is BETTER than ppc, in fact, far from it; the hareware specs are awesome, However, I couldn't really see tying up $400+ in a handheld (including 1gb CF card, case, etc...) when I won't use most of its features, and I had one that still was working okay for me anyway. Yes, I LOVED having the X50v, and the 'wow' factor it produced when other saw it, but my more 'what's practical for me' side took over and I just felt it was more than I really needed. IMO. Glad you like your Axim. :)

All good things...

By the way, svrontis, you should read Foo Fighter's comments here:

http://palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=7823

Similarly, I believe the T5 w/ Wi-Fi card has also dropped by a further $CDN50.00 - making it $CDN150 less expensive than when the T5 alone came out. As it is, I could go to small retailer here and get a T5 alone for $CDN200.00 less than its introductory price - and I would still find it too expensive what what it offers and the troubles it promises.

The drawback with the Wi-Fi card is (aside from the likelihood of snapping off the protruding part of the card) is that you can't access/save to SD card with the Wi-Fi installed. Not very bright - but then, that's not been Pa1mOne's forte of late, anyway.