Rumor: Treo 700w Coming to Sprint Soon?

Spin, spin, spin. The 700p was never expected this early so why is it "now mythical"? Sprint is still selling the 650 and astonishingly it's only $50 off the brand new Treo, so where do you get that they "don't want POS anymore."

Stick to the facts, Windoze Fanboy.

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

David, you're bending the truth again. There were at least three or four predicted release dates for the 700p prior to the end of January, some of them last December. Come on. Surur leads with his chin, trying to start an argument, and this is the best that you can offer?

Nah. That date was revised back in early November and I've never heard otherwise since. March-April is the release. Sorry if Surer was just confused, but I reported it here so I assumed everyone knew.

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

Beersie will be spinning here until the last pig dies. Poor bastard.

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

so no news is good news?

"PalmSource, an Access Company" no longer lives in the shadow of Palm and the US carriers, although it still has committments to Palm and plans to meet them.

Meanwhile, PalmOS died the day that PSRC decided to go to Linux, it just hasn't stopped breathing yet. Its offspring, Netfront plus PACE over Linux, is still in gestation and it's far too soon to tell how it's going to fare.

If you want to hear really good rumors about how that's going, you need to learn to read Chinese. (Which I can't, so I don't have any, sorry.)

May You Live in Interesting Times

The replacement for the Treo 650, also with an EVDO radio, will ship in fiscal fourth quarter ending May to Verizon Wireless and also probably to Sprint Nextel

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=8195

Fiscal fourth quarter for Palm would be in the March-June timeframe.

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

Liar! PalmOS will live on FOREVER in out hearts - and in those "Magnificent 11" PalmOS smartphones that came out in 2005:

Palm Treo Vapora
Sony Sublimatrix
Garmin Gasea
Tapwave Evapide
Samsung Myst
Symbol Steame
AlphaSmart Evanesce
Kyocera Volatizique
Fossil Fögge
HandEra Hazé
Oswin Flatulenca

There's no place like home... there's no place like home... there's no place like home... there's...

TVoR

(Ryan, this post somehow got moved to another thread. Freaky.)

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Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

There is *some* truth to that. But getting antsy doesn't mean we're about to switch to MS in droves. Most people's 650s are barely more than a year old. I realise that when you're talking phones, that's a long time - but even so, the 650 is still a *very* capable and robust device. Why ditch something you shelled out a fair bit of money for when the upgrade really isn't that compelling? (and despite the 700w's nice features like real multitasking, it isn't that compelling)

In short: I'll gladly wait another six months, especially if it means the 700p will be released bug-free and stable. (Stop laughing, Palm Cynics!)

Longer than that... then we can talk again. ;)

Cervezas:
"I love you, too, man."

Lol.

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

And lets not forget those 29 new licensees PalmSource's was sitting on in 2005, according to Nagel. These fictional hardware vendors will keep the PalmOS community satiated with loads of fantastic (literally) devices for many years to come.

-------------------------------
Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

Your killin' me man! LOL

Surur's original post may be right. Why would carriers really "need" Palm OS? If they can't answer that Q, then they'll reduce inventory to less units. If they see a value and opportunity then they'll offer it alongside.

Our fate in the hands US cell carriers ... I'm feeling a little sick.

http://www.churchoflivingfaith.com/images/treosith.jpg
... using the force may be our only hope!

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

Heh, I guess I missed that one. Thankfully. [shaking head]

Technically, PalmSource did add a dozen or so licensees in Dec 04 when they acquired CMS. Last I checked a few months ago there were 30 or so phones on the market using one or another of CMS's software platforms. All in Asia, of course. Now it looks like there are over 40: http://www.mobilesoft.com.cn/product/phone_show.htm

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

I'm just gonna let those facts speak for themselves.

For now....

Foo;
EVEN a warmed-over 650 would suffice for many POS users! Some of those initial 650 users are getting AWFULLY impatient right about now. I would've bought an "upgraded" (even if it was just EVDO & 64mb RAM & OS 5.5) POS Treo last week but ended up going with a RAZR + TX combo instead. Palm's headed towards the cliffs with no one at the helm. Right now the BEST possible thing short of an actual product announcement & release would be some high-res leaked stills/specs. Remember what that Russian mobile site got last year--the early & mostly accurate info on the Z22, TX & LD Showtime bundle/price drop? That sort of thing needs to happen again PRONTO!

Everyone else;
I've had more than one higher-up (store managers & beyond) at Verizon tell me that they have no love for POS and offered it only on the Kyocera & Treos b/c those were the only reasonable smartphones available at the time. The 700w arrival basically signals the end of POS at Verizon & Sprint...GSM seems like Palm's last (only?) bastion of hope unless Verizon 700w sales suddenly catch fire. I've heard that there's a lot of interest , curiosity, and traffic in Verizon stores but little actual purchasing going on due to the exorbitant pricing (many of the curious fondlers are in fact current 650 owners mired in the midst of a 2-year contract who refuse to pay $700 full retail for the 700w).

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

Fiscal fourth quarter for Palm would be in the March-June timeframe.

Ryan, Sagio Investments said the same thing back in November, but were more specific about it being early in that quarter "with high degree of conviction."

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

But bringing it out and delivering to the customer may be 2 different things. What if no major US network decides to carry a POS Treo, when the same company is offering them a competing OS? At the moment Cingular has 5 WM phones, Verizon 5, Sprint 4 and T-mobile 2. Why would they complicate their lived further by adding another OS? If the 4 networks refuse a new POS Treo, would Palm even complete development on it?

PS: I actually believe a POS Treo is on its way, due to the huge market of loyal POS users demanding it. But I must say things are looking quite bleak for them, with no leaks of the device at all, and the Treo 650 already 16 months old. The Treo 700w leaked 6 months before it was even announced. There has been no pictures of the 700p at all. And now even the old steadfast Sprint is getting a 700w before a 700p.

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

Beersie - I want to prepare you for something. I want to prepare you for the fact that if and when the 700p comes out, it may very well be the last PalmOS Treo (or smartphone) to ever be produced. We can only hope that MSFT, with PALM's help, polishes off the rough edges of WinMob for the 800w.

Just a guess... maybe because the Palm OS Treo 650 they already support has outsold all those WM phones by a wide margin?

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

Beersie - there are those who look to the past and those who look to the future. Beersie, look to the future.

1) Its superior screen.
2) Its better user interface.
3) The right features in the right place.

Techy people shouldn't fixate on the value of 'true' multi-tasking (if that's how you describe what WinMob delivers) for ordinary (non-technical) folks. Few even notice technology, until it gets in their way. Like when they open one app too many on WinMob - not realising how many tasks are crawling along in the background.

Face it - Palm OS5 is actually pretty good, even after all this time. How many people REALLY need simlutaneous Bluetooth and WiFi at this moment in time - and the massive associated battery drain that would result.

I'm all for calling a turkey and turkey (e.g. the LifeDrive) but the TX and Treo 650 are a different kettle altogether.

KultiVator

I'm sure their market analysts are able to see the 700w for what it is - a low-spec mass-market WinMob device for those who find comfort in owning product with a 'Designed For Microsoft WinMob' sticker on it. Such a user is probably not even aware that WinMob isn't the same as Windows on their work/home PC and wont feel constrained by the crappy screen resolution.

The 700w is about tapping a segment of the market that Palm has never been able to exploit. Let's hope that whilst pursuing this market might help generate funding for future projects, it doesn't distract Palm from keeping an eye on their POS interests.

KultiVator

So its certainly not unthinkable that the carriers may prefer WM to POS. On the other hand I've heard Verizon is having ActiveSync nightmares ;)

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

This is now my laptop's wallpaper, Pat. Thank you for this brilliant revelation. (Even though I actually attended that press conference where you took this "photo", I suspected someone was playing Jedi mind control games [yeah, works on weak minds...] on me and I wasn't seeing who those people on the stage really were. Pat, I feel like I've been used by these three evil creatures. Help me, Lord!

Youngling

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

Someone at Sprint also told me they were not planning to field any more PalmOS devices, but I thought that was pure B.S. Sprint's refusal of that amazing PalmOS Samsung smartphone last year makes me wonder though. Is PalmOS 5 considered too "hackable" for Sprint's tastes?

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

That seems rather unlikely given the fact that Windows Mobile devices, overall, far outsell PalmOS. Your claim is even less credible when you take into account carriers adding MORE Windows Mobile offerings to their product lineup, which seems to imply growing demand, not less.

And Ed Colligan himself, no less, credited Carrier demand as a driving factor in Palm's adoption of Windows Mobile:

http://www.pocketfactory.com/archives/2006/02/ed_colligan_tal.php">Linky

Quoted text for the ambition impaired:

"Colligan said the decision was made partly to give customers choice, partly because some of its carrier partners were asking for Microsoft-based devices,"

-------------------------------
Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

Ha ha ha! Serves them right! :-)

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

I was also told by some of those same individuals I mentioned above that the 700w is having ActiveSync nightmares. Wasn't the Verizon Treo 600 the only to ship without VersaMail standard in ROM or on the CD?

Another "drawback" of POS Treos is their inability to handle all of the GIN (Get It Now) downloables for $ and, yes, its "vulnerability" and the ease with which hacks/unofficial ROM updates/Shadowmite stuff gets spread around. Anyone notice how ALL of the new Verizon handsets have their miserable universal UI? It not only limits the functionality of their handsets (I cannot even change the backlight brightness on my Razr!) but makes for a miserble experience if you are used to the standard Motorola or Samsung UI. Nokia is bucking the trend for the time being but VZW is doing all they can to push Nokia's CDMA handsets out the door anyway.

To get back OT, THIS is precisely (the carriers killing POS) what I predicted a year ago in the mad rush for smartphones and the nearly overnight abandonment of Palm's traditional PDA lineup. Before Palm had to deal with fickle consumers. Now they are trying to deal with ULTRA-fickle carrier buyers. And once Palm has sold a Treo to the carriers, the carrer has to then sell that handset to the customer as wel as deal with any support issues.

The market has far too much momentum now to implode but I think we'll see the cellular handset market split between cheap-o $30 basic handsets, "luxury" handsets like the RAZR and smartphones occupying a higher-margin niche.

Palm could still do the unthinkable and give a fat middle finger to ALL of the carriers by seling unlocked Treos 700Ps on their webstore for, say, $300 or $350. THAT would send ripples throughout the industry! Make POS the "rebellious" OS of choice! Does anyone know if there are any "rogue" handset manufacturers in Asis or eastern Europe where they sell just the hardware and the customer brings their own SIM card?

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

I've read somewhere that Verizon was having so many Activesync support calls that that Sprint was reconsidering the Treo 700w. That was a few weeks ago however. It appears it did not scare them off after all.

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

Treo 800p Confirmation - March 15

As many of you know, I am a Treo 650 owner who has been very unhappy with Verizon's need to shove it to their customers with slower data capabilities and charging us $50 (with taxes) for the same Internet data plan as EVDO sans the speed. In the past I've had to argue with Verizon about wrongful charges, the phone not working properly with the Internet and other connectivity issues, not to leave out the months of insanity where Verizon reps couldn't understand that our "pay as you go" charges could not have been because the Treo automatically connects to the Internet every night at midnight so you have to buy an unlimited data plan or else you risk this problem.

Since I am also a decisionmaker in my company regarding mobile phones, I have a close connection with representatives on all levels of the organization. Yesterday I was at at a technology conference where Palm happened to be an exhibitor, showing off their latest to impress. Blackberry was there too. From a discussion with someone I know and have a relationship with, knowing full well that I am ready to yank our phones off out of Palm's realm, it was confirmed that the next Palm Treo will be the 800p and it will come out on March 15 for reasons he wouldn't disclose but that I could surmise. Another carrier rep whom I know confirmed the same.

The reasoning I was told behind skipping the 700 number series altogether is severalfold --

1) With the 700w gaining such popularity and the enthusiasm for the Palm OS and the old 650 which time has passed by, Palm felt that there needed to be more of an "upgrade" in the minds of consumers than a "later" release of another 700 model.

2) Current features in the 800p will include 128MB RAM, a WiFi option, SD card, BT 2, EVDO of course, enhanced 320x320 screen, slimmer form factor and antenna, will use the same accessories as the 650, 3.2 MP camera.

I was told that if I was curious, I should come down to the lobby bar and meet him and a select few other large firm representatives. You better believe I did. He was **extremely** hands off and wouldn't let us handle the phone but we did see a brief demo!!!! It IS thinner and slightly smaller than the current 650. It has these neat, illuminating ticky-tack keys which didn't seem to be a problem typing. Case is VERY slick and Palm seems to have adopted the Motorola Q type approach of a little more "sleek and cool" rather than just functional. I did NOT see any mention of "800p" anywhere on the phone but that's what we were told. He connected to a wireless WiFi connection effortlessly and also to EVDO. Saying it was fast is an understatement. I'm not sure if Blazer was improved since what he was using seemed to render the pages he showed us with not only more speed but also elegance.

He was a real Shakespeare buff too, this guy. I'm not sure what reader he was using (built in) but he showed us "Julius Caesar" and it looked great and rendering just beautiful. Screen incredibly bright. Sharper and less awkward 5 way button and not everything crammed in like the 650. I asked him about the RAM issue and he said that this additional amount was implemented since they were able to significantly enhance battery life with this model. It had been years since the Tungsten C. Also with other Windows Media devices coming with "128" based devices the Treo 800p would have stacked up very poorly with a "64" for storage. Estimated price will definitely be under $600 which is very exciting. He wouldn't give us any more information regarding carriers but said to be aware of March 15 as a key date.

I am SO glad that we can finally put these sightings and rumors to rest. This is VERY exciting news indeed.

http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=106038&page=1&pp=20

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...

Julius Caesar, indeed. "Beware the ides of March," Emperor Gates!

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

The lack of specificity of "products" is not inadvertant.

http://brighthand.com/article/First_Glimpse_of_the_Treo_800p

Surur

They said I only argued for the sake of arguing, but after an hour I convinced them they were wrong...