CDMA Treo 300 To Be Available Thursday (Updated)

Sprint will launch its CDMA 2000 1xRTT network this Thursday and the Treo 300 smartphone, which will use the new wireless network, will be released at the same time, according to InfoWorld. The Treo 300 uses the same 12-bit color screen as the Treo 270 and 90. The 3G network will allow the smartphone to connect to the Internet at between 50 Kbps and 70 Kbps. The service will be available in every city with more than 100 thousand people. The Treo 300 will be available only through Sprint. The price is not yet known.

Update: According to a source familiar with Handspring's plans, InfoWorld is incorrect and the Treo 300 will not be released on Thursday. The source could not say when it will be available.

Also not yet known is what Sprint will charge for wireless access. It is known that users will be charged for wireless networking by the amount of data used, not by the amount of time spent online.

This is not an official announcement of the product by Handspring, who decined to comment on this story.

Aside from using the new wireless network and the color screen, the the Treo 300 is quite similar to the Treo 270. It will run Palm OS 3.5.2H on a 33 MHz Dragonball VZ processor. It will have 16 MB of RAM and a built-in keyboard. There won't be a version with a Graffiti area.

The InfoWorld article says the Handspring device will be called the Treo 370, though previous information available on the device, including Handspring's FCC filing, calls it the Treo 300.

The other Treo smartphones use GSM, which is popular outside of the United States. CDMA is the predominant standard in the U.S. The Treo 180, 180g, and 270 can be upgraded to GPRS, which will greatly increase their network access speed, though this upgrade is not yet available.

Update 2: Cnet has confirmed that Sprint will roll-out its 3G wireless network on Thursday, though it says nothing about the Treo 300.

Related Information:

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SMS?

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 12:15:09 PM #
Does Sprint do SMS like VS? I have a 270 but cannot live without SMS so decided not to wait for 300. If Sprint is good on this, perhaps to jump ship next year.
RE: SMS?
sub_tex @ 8/6/2002 12:33:27 PM #
You have to pay extra per month for it, but yeah you can get messaging on a Sprint Phone. Just no free 50/month like VS offers.

RE: SMS?
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 3:21:28 PM #
SMS is available with any carrier running CDMA/TDMA/GSM. It just may not be free.
RE: SMS?
alex_mathews @ 8/6/2002 4:02:31 PM #
That depends on whether you mean true SMS or not. Sprint does not currently support this, and I don't know when and if they ever will. Currently if you want to send a message from a Sprint handset, you need to connect to the wireless web and then send a message through their WAP interface. Therefore eating up data minutes to send a message.

True SMS doesn't require making a web connection, and Verizon does support this with CDMA. Though I don't know if they'll be getting the Treo 300. I'm pretty sure they will get the Kyocera 7135 Smartphone in the 4th quarter of this year, which will support SMS natively in the phone.

RE: SMS?
jaggrey @ 8/8/2002 12:54:25 AM #
Sprint supports the method you're talking of with their 3G phones.

University of Miami
2001 National Champions

GPRS Upgrade ???

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 12:24:13 PM #
I can't believe there there is still NO GPRS upgrade for the GSM line of Treos. Handspring has really screwed GSM users.

Unfortunetely there is really no other option for a GSM Palm phone.

That is until Sony puts out one.

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 12:28:11 PM #
Which carrier has upgraded to GPRS in the U.S.? The upgrade is without value if there is not carrier with a network to support it.
RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 12:40:01 PM #
> Which carrier has upgraded to GPRS in the U.S.? The upgrade is without value if there is not carrier with a network to support it.

Are you kidding? They both have (Voicestream and AT&T) for many months. GPRS BlackBerries are available from their websites.

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 12:53:59 PM #
Is it possible to have one thread on this site that does not paint Sony as being the savior of every aspect of handheld computing?
RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
big_raji @ 8/6/2002 12:54:01 PM #
GPRS has been available from Rogers AT&T in Canada since December 2001... Well before the GSM Treo 180 came out.

I've been using GPRS on my Clie via IR to my GSM cellular phone since January.

Much better solution than the Treo would've been. Their "E-Mail" capability that seems to have impressed my friends is merely SMS messaging, using an sms-email gateway.

Heck, my Nokia 5165 did that 3 years ago.

---
For all the people that have suffered through my "What's Wrong With This Picture" Signature:
http://www.americanheart.org

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 1:13:44 PM #
Voicestream has nationwide GPRS coverage since December 2001. I use it on my Motorola V66. I just wish I could have one less gadget on my belt.

Even if Handspring came out with the GPRs upgrade, i am not sure that I would buy the phone. I just seems too big.

We need something like the Kyocera that's coming out but for GSM - GPRS !!!

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
quake97 @ 8/6/2002 1:24:31 PM #
Maybe Handspring will release the GPRS update when they release the Treo 300/370? I'm gonna cross my fingers. :)

Joe

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 2:15:01 PM #
We need to keep in mind what both Handspring and the press have said already... That the rollout of the GPRS upgrade is being determined by carriers accepting the upgraded devices onto their networks, not by Handspring's willingness. We are likely to see a carrier by carrier rollout of the upgrade, not an all at once release. Understand the process before you start bashing randomly out of ignorance.
RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
big_raji @ 8/6/2002 2:38:07 PM #
> We need to keep in mind what both Handspring and the
> press have said already... That the rollout of the
> GPRS upgrade is being determined by carriers
> accepting the upgraded devices onto their networks,
> not by Handspring's willingness. We are likely to see
> a carrier by carrier rollout of the upgrade, not an
> all at once release. Understand the process before
> you start bashing randomly out of ignorance.

Hmm, who's bashing randomly out of ignorance? In fact, I barely remember anyone bashing in this thread. The closest statement to a bash was probably "Handspring has really screwed GSM users"

If Handspring promised a GPRS patch in a certain period of time, and didn't deliver, it's Handspring's fault. It doesn't matter if the carrier is delaying the process. People bought Treos based on Handspring's promises.

So what if you happen to understand the process? Most Treo owners don't care about the process, nor should they care. This delay isn't some random act of God that Handspring could never have had a chance to avoid without sacrificing the life of the CEO's firstborn child.

---
For all the people that have suffered through my "What's Wrong With This Picture" Signature:
http://www.americanheart.org

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 3:04:25 PM #
"If Handspring promised a GPRS patch in a certain period of time, and didn't deliver, it's Handspring's fault."

Handspring did not "promise" an upgrade in a certain amount of time. They said that if there was sufficient demand and their carriers were willing, they would roll with the upgrade.

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
drw @ 8/6/2002 7:58:45 PM #
"can't believe there there is still NO GPRS upgrade for the GSM line of Treos. Handspring has really screwed GSM users."

They rushed a product to market to get a little market share before finished products started showing up. I posted last night in an O2 XDA thread on treocentral or pdabuzz (or was it smartphonesource) that treo users are probably pissed to see Voicestream (now T-mobile) release a GPRS ready pocketpc phone edition smartphone. The XDA looks like a contender (as opposed to the Thera). If Verizon carried it, I'd be examining it more closely.

"Unfortunetely there is really no other option for a GSM Palm phone. That is until Sony puts out one. "

Sony-Ericsson is going the Symbian route. The only reason they chose PalmOS over PocketPC for their handhelds is that they are a competitor with MSFT in many arenas.

"Handspring did not "promise" an upgrade in a certain amount of time. They said that if there was sufficient demand and their carriers were willing, they would roll with the upgrade."

They did too promise an upgrade by the end of the year. So they have until 11:59PM December 31st to release it.

Re: naming issue 300/370

They're trying to complete the circle: 90, 180, 270.. the next in this progression should have been 360, however the numbers are getting too big too fast. GSM devices should have been named with a "g" suffix and CDMA devices a "c" suffix with no suffix meaning it's not wireless. This naming method would have allowed for further progress, however it would have limited them to providing similar features in a ###(g)(c) devices of the same ###.

---
David

RE: GPRS Upgrade ???
useybird @ 8/6/2002 10:27:07 PM #
It's too bad that cingular has to lie and say that GSM service is now available. I asked my local dealer yesterday when GSM was coming out and they said it already has, when I have a TDMA Nokia 3360 that is not GSM that will probably not even work when GSM really does come out. The reason I bought this phone was because I thought I could wirelessly surf the web through IR when It's not even possible. I bought my phone in June and It's already obsolete.

----------------------------------------

As heard on "Cheers":
All:NORM!
Woody:What's up Mr. Peterson?
Norm:The warranty on my liver!

What are you saying about Cingular???
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/7/2002 11:53:59 PM #
Cingular has had GSM WAAAAAY before June. I'm talking more than a year now. Why didn't you buy a GSM phone if you want to use their GSM towers?

It's the same thing with AT&T.....at least in Michigan. You can buy a GSM (with GPRS)Sony-Erricson phone, log onto the internet, and pipe it to your Palm via Bluetooth. Or simply surf the web with the phone.

Or, if you want to go with their TDMA towers, which have considerably more coverage (for now), then you buy a TDMA phone.

I'd like to help you, but your post is a little confusing.

Prices

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 1:17:42 PM #
Anybody have any idea about pricing? If the Sprint Treo offers better data service, it might be worth more; but I also heard that it's a slightly larger device, which might make it worth less (cause bigger ain't better). And what about prices for the 3G data services -- if Sprint offers "buckets," who in the world will know what size bucket of data to buy if no one has experience using data???

About the Article Update

Ed @ 8/6/2002 2:04:02 PM #
Obviously, I can't tell you much about the source who said the Treo 300 won't be out later this week. All I can say is this person has been a valuable source about Handspring in the past and their info has generally proved to be correct.

---
News Editor
RE: About the Article Update
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 2:18:41 PM #
OK, so you can't tell us who the source is, but what did he say about when the Sprint Treo actually WILL be available???

RE: About the Article Update
mattgrab @ 8/6/2002 2:25:52 PM #
Along the same lines, is the article still correct that Sprint will announce 3G on Thursday?

RE: About the Article Update
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 2:28:02 PM #
The article is not necessarily incorrect. It states that Handspring will "announce" the Treo, not release it. This could mean that they'll officially unveil the product but it won't be available for purchase yet.
RE: About the Article Update
Ed @ 8/6/2002 2:56:23 PM #
The source doesn't know the exact release day, they only know it isn't this soon. Maybe you are correct and it will be announced on Thursday but not released.

The source doesn't know anything about Sprint so they're no help there.

---
News Editor

RE: About the Article Update
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 2:58:23 PM #
Yeah, just look at their website.....if they haven't even released the 270, then what makes people think they'll release the 300 this week?
RE: About the Article Update
Ed @ 8/6/2002 3:03:16 PM #
The 270 has been out for some time. However, Handspring discovered it had been using a flawed component in the backlight on some units of this model and has temporarily stopped selling them while it checks its entire stock for the problem.

You can read more about this here:
www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=3881

The Treo 300 is supposed to use the same screen as the 270 and 90. If so, it possibly suffers from the same backlight problem. Handspring may still be in the process of fixing these models, which may account for the Treo 300 not being released soon. That's just speculation, though.

---
News Editor

RE: About the Article Update
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 6:35:14 PM #
In Handspring's FAQs about the backlit problem, they claim to have caught the problem before they started manufacturing Treo 300s and thus, according to HS, the Treo 300 will not suffer from the backlit problem that the 270 does.
RE: About the Article Update
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/7/2002 10:51:00 AM #
Dear News Editor,

I called my local Sprint store & spoke with the manager. He claims he has 3 Treo 300 in stock but is unable to sell them til Thursday. He stated that Thursday is Definitely the day the Treo 300 would go on sale. Is there any chance you can call a local Sprint store in your area to see if this can be validated. Also... another person at Treocentral.com who works at Best Buy stated that Best Buy would be selling the phone starting Sunday (Aug 11).

Sprint WILL launch 3G Thursday...

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 3:02:48 PM #

3G Fake

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 3:41:35 PM #
3G NOTHING. Who are they kidding. It is amazing how all it takes is a press release to fool everyone. Even industry people.

Sprints network is 2.5G just like Verizon.

UMTS CDMA2000 3G calls for much faster transfer speeds.

RE: 3G Fake
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 3:45:12 PM #
Yeah Ed,

You know better. 3G is still far away.

RE: 3G Fake
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 3:49:58 PM #
3G Data Rates

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has laid down some indicative minimum requirements for the data speeds that the IMT-2000 standards must support. These requirements are defined according to the degree of mobility involved when the 3G call is being made. As such, the data rate that will available over 3G will depend upon the environment the call is being made in:

High Mobility

144 kbps for rural outdoor mobile use. This data rate is available for environments in which the 3G user is traveling more than 120 kilometers per hour in outdoor environments. Let us hope that the 3G user is in a train and not driving along and trying to use their 3G terminal at such speeds.

Full Mobility

384 kbps for pedestrian users traveling less than 120 kilometers per hour in urban outdoor environments.

Limited Mobility

At least 2 Mbps with low mobility (less than 10 kilometers per hour) in stationary indoor and short range outdoor environments These kinds of maximum data rates that are often talked about when illustrating the potential for 3G technology will only therefore be available in stationary indoor environments.

RE: 3G Fake
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 4:17:41 PM #
3G is a standard, not a performance measure or mandate. The CDMA technology that Sprint PCS & Verizon will be using are indeed 3G STANDARDS. The GPRS is not a 3G Standard, but EDGE, the successor to GPRS, is a 3G standard. This is why many call the step from GSM to GPRS 2.5G.

By the time the initial CDMA2000 and GSM-GPRS-EDGE are fully implemented they will deliver the clock speeds you quote in your post.

EAP

Thursday Availability of Treo300

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 5:13:53 PM #
I was in BestBuy last night, and the girl at the cell phone counter said they were going to start selling 3 new Sprint phones Thursday. She had 2 of them-- standard phones but with hi-res color displays, but said they didnt have the 3rd one yet. Maybe that's the Treo.
RE: Thursday Availability of Treo300
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 10:32:00 PM #
Sunday is the date of availability. The launch is Thursday, but the phones start selling on Sunday.

sheez - might as well buy a palm m515

I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 7:56:46 PM #
nuff said
RE: sheez - might as well buy a palm m515
drw @ 8/6/2002 8:25:14 PM #
I cancelled the insurance on my 6035 in anticipation of getting something new this fall, however I won't be the first in line. I'll be well behind the first wave of lemmings to hit "omaha beach" with their $500 targets on their backs to be taken out by buggy not ready for prime time also ran units.

---
David
RE: sheez - might as well buy a palm m515
I.M. Anonymous @ 8/6/2002 8:33:29 PM #
Do you feel the same way about OSLO????

Samsung i330 to be one of new Print PCS phones

mbaker @ 8/7/2002 5:31:06 PM #
I asked a knowledgable sales person what new phone will be available tomorrow. The response was the Samsung i330. For a review of the i330 features visit Samsung at http://makeashorterlink.com/?H11052771 or www.samsung.com
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