Comments on: Treo 700wx Released on Sprint

memory/storage 2 128MB 128MB 128MB 32MB
processor 312MHz Intel® 312MHz Intel® 312MH Intel® 312MHz Intel®

...

2 Actual memory/storage capacity available to user is 128MB (60MB user accessible), 128MB (60MB user accessible), 128MB (60MB user accessible), and 32MB (23 MB User accessible) respectively

Or maybe it would actually boost their sales and thus, their profits. But maybe that's a chance they're too afraid to take..

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

If we are going to offer customers the choice to store their we-com data on their mobile device, securely, a removable micro drive made with watch precision quality would be a good choice.

Cost is an issue, like the lady with the manicured nails, at times cost is dependent on purpose.

E-T

e-tellurian

Completing the e-com circle with a people driven we-com solution
WiFi & BT? No strings attached
we_tellurian@canada.com

The memory makes a huge difference in speed it seems. The only other change I noticed from the 700w is it has small icons to activate speakerphone and mute on the call dialogue.

I still had the thing crash on me twice due to program errors (once in IE another time in the mail program) and I haven't installed any 3rd party stuff.

Palm needs to seriously hire a few more techs and get to work patching the entire lineup. Every current Treo has at least a handful of bugs that range from aggravating to nearly show-stopping. The TX & T|E2 still need some attention but that's likely to never occur.

If Palm has this much trouble supporting FrankenGarnet and WinMob (and working closely with M$ at that!) how on Earth will they manage their own homebrewed Linux solution? Wait a minute, maybe they won't...

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

In the fall of 2006 the Treo 700P was released. It has 60mb available program memory, a 312mhz CPU, a tiny 320*320 screen, cellular EVDO radio + Bluetooth 1.2, and a 1800mAh battery. It has a microphone, charge LED, and vibrating alarm.

The T|C cost $400 at launch. The 700P costs $600 unsubsidized/full retail from Verizon. We're not seeing actual advancements from Palm as much as we are seeing continuous retreads and rehasings of old PDA technology across the Treo line with questionable moves like lesser capacity batteries, mini-SD slots, and the removal of the IR port along the way.

Palm could SO easily hit a huge home run with something like an EVDO'd version of Pat's 800g (with the requisite licensed fro Xerox Graffiti 1 plugin of course) using components they've been using for years on their PDAs.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

Have you ever used a 700P personally? It's right behind the LifeDrive in LLL-AAAA-GGG. It's almost bad enough to be a deal breaker, especially when switching from PDA apps to the phone mode (not turning the radio on & off but just pushing the phone hard button to make a call).

If the 700P isn't patched SOON I may give up the smartphone experiment and go back to a TX + RAZR combo. That particular combo should give me another 18 to 24 months and then I'll be able to see what ALP & WinMob are up to and make the major transition.

NOTHING will ever beat the blinding speed of the T|C. It was so fast it was like it anticipated my thoughts. App switching and loading was instantaneous on the dear old C. The T3 wasn't bad either.

I've spent some time with a 700W (Verizon) and I can honestly say that a "fresh" 700P is much, much snappier than the W. But add a handful of apps and a few messages to the 700P (basically, get its free memory below 60mb or so) and the 700W seems faster as long it's not multitasking. So the 700w is slower on average but the 700P gets really laggy (even laggier than a multitasking 700W) once you start doing anything with it short of using it as a basic phone.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

Hmm..., obviously I don't understand how the memory is being used by the OS. I can understand things really slowing down in a multi-tasking environment based on how many apps are open, but I don't get why that would be the case with the how POS uses memory. Oh well, I never claimed to be a computer geek.

Maybe I should give up on all of these "improvements" and just go back to my IIIxe.

I'm still waiting for the mythical color HandEra.

Soon we will all ditch palm once and for all and go buy nokias and motorolas.

It will be a cold day in hell before I combine Palm's shitty hardware with Microsoft's shitty OS.

Palm can die a fiery death if they don't give me a device based on a new PalmOS with 3g, wifi, etc. If someone else does this, I'll be happy to buy from them, but

I WILL NEVER BUY A WINMOB TREO! EVER!

doubtful. these are garbage. stop being so stubborn with your anti-MSFT zeal and hate. they are not the enemy. your spite only ends up hurting you as you waste time, money, and resources on closed, proprietary hardware/software one vendor solutions from the above. risk your data being stranded on that proprietary island?

Personally, I think Linux will eventually win out because it's free. Which variant of it, though, is anyone's guess...

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

i hope that the canadians, germans, and french be the LAST in line for all new technology.

The equation is such:

if (palm os = gone)
then
ditch(Palm)

I notice their announcement in the forums of the 700wx still has not attracted a simgle comment. {In a ghostly voice} Its as if nothing has even happened.....
http://www.1src.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=147

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml

If you going, then I have no further reason to remain. Where will we get our tech support and hardware hacks from? Now Palm OS is dead. :-D

Pat Horne

Now VampireBoy, go out and buy a new WinMob Treo smartphone asap. You don't want your data to be stranded on a dying/dead platform.

Why Palm hasn't even attempted to go after it in a serious fashion (no, Lifedrive doesn't count) baffles me. For instance, something similar to the Z22 form factor with a gig or two of onboard flash, some redesigned hard buttons to reflect a media focus, a 3.5mm jack and some decent transfer software could be quite a nice little mp3 player and not all that expensive. Not saying that's the best idea in the world, but I wonder if Palm have even considered anything like it.

Of course, it's hardly a problem for me since I kinda like customising the apps and so forth on my Treo. I like to tinker.

Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650

Just think of the DVD "choices" we need to make soon.....

Absolutely it is. But check back a few months later with the ones who have made the move from Palm OS to WM. I did and I get a very different story. I've talked to four different developers who all said the same thing: .NET Compact Framework is brilliant for developers because of the great tools, but the ported applications sucked for users. They were too slow and for applications of any sophistication were too memory hungry to be stable. In other words, they were big problems for support. One company I know spent months doing a Palm OS to .NET CF port only to end up shipping the "Windows Mobile" version of their app bundled with StyleTap. Performance was much better.

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog

"more from the Merrill report:

August Trends

-We are expecting an in-line August quarter from Palm, with strong sell though of the 700p Treo offset by continued sluggish sales of the 700w.

-Our sales and EPS estimates of $386mn/19c are mostly in-line with consensus at $383mn/19c.

November Quarter Outlook

-November tends to be Palm's strongest seasonal quarter, and we expect a robust outlook from management. Our November quarter sales and EPS (ex stock comp expense) estimates of 498mn/$.29 are mostly in-line with consensus of $197mn/$.30.

-We expect Palm to benefit from: 1) launch of the new 700wx Treo at Sprint; 2) upcoming launch of the 750v at Vodafone and Cingular; and 3) potential news/flow of a new low-priced Treo at Cingular. We think the low priced Treo is especially being neglected by the street although it can help Palm proactively segment the market with low-end functionality (comparable to Moto Q) and high-end functionality (touch screen etc.) available on its regular 700 series Treos. The low-end Treo could also help Palm migrate its shrinking PDA user base to higher functionality smartphones. Checks suggest that Inventec Appliance will be Palm's Taiwanese contract manufacturer for the low-end Treo (based on the Palm OS) which could be launched in next 1-2 months.

-As we wrote recently, Palm is underutilizing its considerable cash balance and the board should consider an aggressive share repurchase program, in our opinion. Palm stock is down 43% from its recent highs while the company holds over $5 in cash/share, or 35% of current market value. Even if we set aside about $200mn for working capital and $75mn for in-house operating system development, Palm still has at least $250mn in cash which could be used to buyback about 17% of its outstanding shares. Increasing leverage could support as larger buyback and could be sustained with Palm's strong and consistent cash flow generation ($119mn in free cash flow, up 22% YoY, in recent FY06).

-Another critical, albeit more modest (<$100mn), use of cash could be for Palm to develop its own next-gen operating system (OS) for the consumer-focused Treo smartphone. We believe its relationship with its current OS vendor, Access, is not fruitful and has led to delays that could impact Palm's long-term competitiveness. If, like Apple, Palm intends to differentiate through software and ease of use, ownership of its OS is crucial, in our opinion. (Note that Palm's OS relationship with Microsoft is focused on the separate enterprise segment of the smartphone "market.).

"November tends to be..." - uh huh, when PALM was in the Christmas sales PDA business.

Low-priced TREO? When? In 2008? Lower than the E62 and as good? Launched in the next 1-2 months!? Even the most rumor-filled PALM-supporter baord hasn't tried THAT yet!

Be Careful Out There!

That's a non sequitur. Whether or not Palm will use ALP (and I agree that it looks like more of a long shot with each passing month) anyone interested in Palm OS should be interested in understanding the merits of ALP. Nothing against Palm, but I think a lot of folks would be at least as interested in what a vendor like HTC or Samsung would deliver as an ALP licensee as compared to Palm.

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog

Like I said - is what ANY (young?) analyst says worth the paper it's written on?

Be Careful Out There!

ESPECIALLY when an "analyst firm" pumps up a stock and the stock trades MILLIONS of shares and rises rapidly based on nothing mroe than that.

And then gets halted afterhours with the worst possible news.

Game over.

TVoR

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml

Well, lets see how much this thing costs. Also, whether or not it comes in a CDMA flavor--if it doesn't, the Q still has a sizable NA market.

With UMTS, you can stream the video data feed in the background while on the voice call. You have the camera - and voila!

Had Palm not foolishly played the "OS spin off" shell game they wouldn't be in this position.

Furthermore, PalmSource didn't screw Palm to the wall--Palm screwed themselves to the wall beginning, oh, 2000 or so, when Yankowski and co. began dropping hints about separating the hardware & software divisions (see the article Gekko posted the other day).

I personally think Palm's going to cut the PDA line down to two models and go completely WinMob after the POS GSM Treo. They'll add a few new features here and remove a few existing features there (IR port? SD slot?) in order to try and remain "fresh" until someone swoops in and picks them up for cheap.

I still think it would make sense for someone like Cisco or Nortel to acquire Palm. The "trusted" Treo name could then be used on a slew of consumerized & enterprise-focused VOIP handsets (with solid PDA functionality thrown in to boot!) to mount the first serious assault on the cellular telcos.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

Palm's insane decision to completely abandon the PDA market is going to haunt them big time in the next year. A solid line of decently spec'd, midrange tablet-style PDAs like Voice suggested would help Palm weather the storm with the fickle carriers and increasing competition until they could find a buyer for the company. All of those legions of T3 and T|Es are finally ready for replacement one way or another. There are NO compelling alternatives from the WinMob side of the $100-$300 PDA market (those new iPaqs look interesting though) and Palm could have a field day with a small, tightly focused line of solid PDAs, topping out at the "magic" $299 price point.

Here's another company I'd like to see buy Palm:
Sandisk. They're making a strong showing at chasing the iPod and I'd personally buy a Sansa right now over a Nano all day long. Graft the classic Palm PIM apps onto a large flash media player with Sandisk's strong build quality and aggressive pricing and you have an iPod killer.

It's too late for Palm to chase the media player bandwagon but not too late for Palm to be bought and have the best of the Zennish elements shoehorned into a media player. Buying Palm would also give Sandisk a great weapon to combat the Apple phone, whenever it reaches market.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

hkklife:
Palm could have focused on 3 PDA pricepoints ($99, $199, $299) and had the whole standalone PDA market to themselves.

$299 - TH55-type device with Bluetooth (with all profiles), Wi-Fi, microphone, 128 MB RealRAM™, backup software, file manager, VoIP software, 1.3 or 2 MP digital camera/camcorder, vibrating alarm, metal case, charging light, DVD ripping software, MP3 ripping software, email, MS Office-compatible apps. Integrated cellphone radio would probably be too much to expect from Palm, but a similar $499 model with cellphone capability could easily be developed by an ODM.

$199 - TX-type device with 64 MB RealRAM™.

$99 - Basic PDA with Treo 700p screen (or cheaper), 32 MB RealRAM™, SD slot, D-pad, optimized for playing MP3.

The Treo lineup is VERY vulnerable now that Palm's competition is starting to wake up. All it would take is for Nokia or Motorola, etc to offer carriers a smartphone that could be advertised "free with contract" and Palm's Treo cash cow will dry up - literally overnight. Failure to get new devices ratified by carriers in a timely manner has also proved disastrous for Palm. At least when Palm relied mainly on sales of traditional PDAs to end users the company could predict (and control) their quarterly sales figures with reasonable accuracy.

Palm's only realistic way of surviving long term is to get bought out before the end of 2006. The longer they wait the lower the value of the company. I expect stock price will drop 25 to 30% from August to October, 2006. If the sale does not happen in the next few months Palm should throw all its energy behind customizing/"Zenifying"/stabilizing Windows Mobile and integrating a StyleTap Platform-type emulator into a (tabbed) launcher. Palm could also then release a final series of PalmOS devices as previously suggested using RealRAM™ (to avoid NVRAM headaches) and finally dump native PalmOS devices once those final PalmOS devices stop selling well. (Or perhaps keep the $99 dollar device around until the PalmSource license expires.

There are a handful of companies that could beneft from owning Palm. The problem is Palm's market cap is still too high compared to the intrinsic value of the company. Fortunately, Palm's stock price is about to plummet. If you see Palm suddenly then buying back a ton of (recently devalued) Palm shares, followed immediately by Palm being sold to ****** you'll know why...

TVoR

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...
Hey!! I made associate writer at PDA247. Come see my nattering over there!!
www.clieuk.co.uk/wm.shtml