Handspring Brings GPRS Upgrade to T-Mobile Treo's

Posted By: Ryan Tuesday, November 26, 2002 10:17:32 AM

Handspring, today released its GPRS software upgrade for Treo customers using T-Mobile wireless service in the United States. This user-installable software upgrade brings a new level of performance and simplicity to the Treo 180 and 270. The software enhances applications like email and web with faster, persistent connections to high-speed data networks.

The upgrade also includes improvements to the phone and SMS applications as well as an easy installation and wireless data set-up process. Customers can access the download via the web www.t-mobile.com/treoupgrade or www.handspring.com. Current Treo 180, 180g and 270 owners can download this software at no additional cost.

“High-speed data services dramatically improve applications like email and web browsing on a mobile device,” Said Joe Sipher, vice president of worldwide marketing. “We are delighted to be providing our GPRS upgrade to T-Mobile customers nationwide so they can experience all the benefits of the Treo communicator.”

In addition to enabling the Treo 180 and 270 to take advantage of high-speed data networks, Handspring’s GPRS upgrade includes a number of software enhancements. With the upgrade, Treo automatically becomes configured for data access – there is no need for manual configurations or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In the SMS application web pages can be launched, phone numbers dialed, and emails addressed by simply tapping the corresponding information (URL, phone number or email address) that arrives in a text message. There is also a new Mute button as well as helpful keyboard hints built into the phone application.

Customers upgrading their Treo to take advantage of the Handspring GPRS upgrade may need to contact their service representative and add T-Mobile Internet service to their account. For additional information see www.t-mobile.com/treoupgrade.

Treo Mail in Europe
In a related announcement today, Handspring also announced commercial availability of its Treo Mail service for customers throughout Europe. Treo Mail supports both Outlook/Exchange and Lotus Notes R5 corporate email as well as POP3 Internet email accounts. Other features include direct access to URLs, email addresses and phone numbers from within an email. The new Treo Mail client has also been localized for French and German.

Treo Mail 1.5 is designed specifically for Treo communicators and will work on both worldwide GSM networks as well as GPRS and CDMA 1xRTT networks. It is compatible with all Treo communicators and is optimized to work seamlessly with Treo's application suite and hardware features like Treo's keyboard and rocker switch.

Treo Mail can be downloaded at www.handspring.co.uk, www.handspring.de and www.handspring.fr . It comes in two versions – the Internet Edition, which accesses POP3 Internet email accounts, and the Corporate Desktop Edition, for Microsoft Outlook/Exchange, Lotus Notes R5 or POP 3 email accounts behind a corporate firewall. Following the trial period, Treo Mail customers can pay on an annual subscription basis, U.S. $49.99 for the Internet Edition and $U.S. 99.99 for the Corporate Desktop Edition. Treo Mail can operate on both circuit-switched data plans as well as GPRS.

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Finally...

hkklife @ 11/26/2002 11:29:00 AM #

Handspring finally seems to be getting themselves on track software-wise with the Treo line. Now all we can do is hope that they can hang in there $-wise (or get bought/merge etc) until they can get their 2nd gen hardware out. I'd personally like to see another model using Grafitti but I doubt that will ever happen.

What about Cingular?

smhaney @ 11/26/2002 12:28:05 PM #

Anybody out there have any G2 on when Cingular is going to get this? I know Handspring is rolling it out only as each carrier approves it, but you'd think Cingular would have done this already. Also, didn't Cingular promise this upgrade on the Treo by end of year? Thx.

Finally

quake97 @ 11/26/2002 2:08:41 PM #

Only after a what, eight month delay, we have the GPRS update. I could not get it to work on T-Mobile, such a mess. I got it to work easily on AT&T though. Check out the threads on treocentral.com for details on setting it up with your service. I believe its only supported on T-Mobile, but I can say it works with AT&T GSM/GPRS too.

Joe

RE: Finally

icarlin @ 11/26/2002 4:46:35 PM #

the T-Mobile GPRS upgrade loads easily. One thing I found afterwards is that network prefs have to be set to TMobile VPN and not just TMobile internet. Once this is set, trying the Web browser function will turn on the gprs connection (which stays on even when out of that application).

Speed is not as great as I had hoped for..only a bit better than through my ATTGlobal isp via the wireless modem function (pre gprs days).

but at least it's here

RE: Finally

Gepeto- @ 11/27/2002 8:10:37 AM #

I have GPRS On Microcell in Canada, and I usually get around 19kbps, with pings of minimum 1000ms. It's useless :( I thought it was faster....

RE: Finally

Maniac @ 11/27/2002 12:55:06 PM #

Microcell is useless, you mean? :) I'm using Fido/Microcell's service too... And I know exactly how you fell. :)

RE: Finally

aciampoli @ 12/2/2002 11:23:00 PM #

I was wondering how you gprs on your treo270 if your on Fido. Hanspring tells me that I apply any gprs upgrade not yet approved by my carrier they will void my warranty. Witch upgrade did you use the T-Mobile one??

Adriano

Works Great

fool faughter @ 11/27/2002 9:16:36 AM #

The GPRS installation worked easily with Handsprings instructions. T-Mobile took only 5 min to enable my GPRS service. The persistent connection is wonderful. I wonder how long before T-Moble sells the handsets as well.

Why link to T-Mobile ?

fool faughter @ 11/27/2002 9:23:31 AM #

I wonder why the download link is to T-Mobile and not just to handspring. Something else in the works ?

Too little, (maybe) too late.

Maniac @ 11/27/2002 12:36:04 PM #

IMHO Handspring releasing Tero WITHOUT GPRS was already pretty dumb. And ended up dumber by not fixing it fast enough or properly enough.

Ah well, next company, please.

RE: Too little, (maybe) too late.

Token User @ 11/27/2002 12:39:29 PM #

The Treo was released with GPRS - it just needed to be enabled. If you want to blame anyone, talk to the carriers ... they need to approve the GPRS on their networks before it can be released. Don't flame Handspring, try talking to AT&T or Cingular.

~ "Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed." - DV ~

RE: Too little, (maybe) too late.

l.M. Anonymous @ 11/27/2002 12:49:08 PM #

I don't think the carriers are really to blame for this. From what I remember, Handspring hadn't developed a GPRS patch yet, so the carriers hadn't even seen one to approve when the Treo came out. Handspring probably took forever to get it to them, and then blamed the carriers for the delay.

Other Carriers will Follow

fool faughter @ 11/27/2002 12:49:14 PM #

Treo users are unofficially using Treo GPRS on AT&T and Cingular, T-Mobile has already blessed it. I expect we will see the other less mature GSM GPRS carriers support it as well "officially".

RE: Too little, (maybe) too late.

Maniac @ 11/27/2002 12:52:35 PM #

IMHO, they are still to blame. Approved or not, they can have a piece of paper in the package to explain it. And have the hardware AND software fully capable of supporting it at the time of shipping. Instead, they choose to ship a crippled device.

RE: Too little, (maybe) too late.

fool faughter @ 11/27/2002 2:41:25 PM #

HS shipped a device that was forward capable even thought the WW carriers were not ready. The hardware was GPRS ready to go. I've upgraded the software and it works perfectly. The U.S. is always slower with GSM/GPRS enablement compared to other countries that have been using this technology longer.

RE: Too little, (maybe) too late.

Maniac @ 11/28/2002 3:55:07 PM #

Hardware ready to go isn't to Handspring's credit... the chipset maker is the rightful owner of that claim. All Handspring had to do was to mate that hardware to PalmOS with their own software. And they didn't have it until LONG after Tero was out.

The $$ Behind Getting 300 E-mails Per Day

DP @ 11/27/2002 7:12:55 PM #

What I'd like to know is: who is going to pay the rates that T-Mobile is charging foe GPRS? It seems to me that unless you have so little data to download that GPRS isn't really necessary and dial-up would suffice, with no "all-you-can-eat plan the insane pricing that T-Mobile is asking makes GPRS ruinously expensive for the very people who would most need to use it.

Am I wrong, or does a Sidekick -- on the very same network, but with unlimited data make infinitely more sense from a data/cost perspective than does a Treo?

RE: The $$ Behind Getting 300 E-mails Per Day

fool faughter @ 11/27/2002 7:38:39 PM #

You are right. It is spendy, although data goes a bit further than you think. I expect they will come up with some price plans that make sense to be competitive. In the mean time, I will try 10 meg for 2 months in a row without a commitment to see how I like it. If I don't like it I will dump it. In that way when the promotions DO come out, I will be in a position to decide if I want to get locked into a year of it or not. After useing for a few days, it would be VERY hard to give up.

RE: The $$ Behind Getting 300 E-mails Per Day

fool faughter @ 11/27/2002 7:38:39 PM #

RE: The $$ Behind Getting 300 E-mails Per Day

Fly-By-Night @ 11/28/2002 10:41:54 AM #

Hopefully the email software should just download the headers, so you can delete the 33% of your emails that are spam without using up too much of your precious data allowance.

I use Orange GPRS and email (not on a Treo) in the UK. To avoid getting too much spam, I use a different email address to the one I post on the Internet or register with. So far so good, I only read the emails I want to 'out and about', and the less important ones from my PC. This way my usage is about 1-1.5Mb per month.

WAP is also very cheap. Web surfing on the other hand is luxury only for the deep pocketed...

FBN