Comments on: Rumor: Details on the Color, CDMA Treo

More drivel from a pseudo-religious Sony fanatic. I suppose if Handspring doesn't release something that's a carbon-copy of Sony's stuff, then some people will inherently consider it inferior. Then again, if Handspring DID release a carbon-copy, they'd whine about how Sony did it first. You just can't win with some folks, which is why I simply pity them.

Perhaps "Beavis" should change his login name to "Butthead."

Don't get me wrong, I like Graffiti, but I had the patience to pick it up - the general consumer won't.

BTW I am one of those who switched from Graffiti to keyboard too...with no regrets. Now I am annoyed that I have to use graffiti to write on my Prism.

1) Verizon already offers true 3g Data Services over CDMA called 1xRTT. Think of the redline area on an RPM gauge, Verizon's service is at the very start of the redline and the 1xEVDO (your 2mbs) is towards the middle. Yes GPRS (which is data only, you still use GSM for voice), from the GSM world is 2.5g and that is because the bursted rates for Voicestream, etc is well below 144kbs!

2) People on the existing Palm.net service who are paying $39.95, should get unlimited. Mainly because they are getting information over an 8k analog control channel. The effective throughput to your Palm 7 or other device would be about 2k of throughput. WOW
So you are asking Sprint, Verizon and others to offer their HIGH speed data for the same price, forget it. It is sort of like this, when DSL came out, it wasn't the same price as Dial-up!

Q. What version of GPRS is the Treo communicator going to use?
A. The Treo communicator will support GPRS Class 2, which will provide two channels down and one channel up (otherwise know as "2+1").

That means that the Treo will only reach a theoretical top speed of 28.8 kbs

Considering that the "4+1" Motorola V66 phone I have theoretically does 56.6 kbs, yet only reaches about 40 kbs, the treo will probably hit a top speed of ONLY 20 kbs.

The m130's backlight has two settings, High and Low. Holding down the Power button toggles between these. The only time the backlight is off is when the handheld itself is off. There is no slider at all.

The m515 actually has three setting. High, Low, and Off, controlled with a slider bar.

According to the source, the Treo's screen can only be toggled between High and Low. It can't be turned off unless the Treo is off.

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News Editor

The screen on M130 is very good, I mean, for typical
PIM, (not for game), did you see a true M130 by yourself?

the quality screen of NR70(V) have exceeded all of the existing palm OS (and most probably, ppcs') handhelds' screen, N760, T615, m515, Prism included, for all of the parameters......no matter saturation, brightness, sharpness, resolution, viewability under sunlight...........

a combination of prism's solid and saturated colour, n760's brightness, hi-res and viewability under sunlight......it's terrific...

Alan
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Read your manuals before you ask!!

I wasn't aware that the m130 had multiple brightness settings, but it DEFINITELY has a slider that controls contrast.

I've yet to see ANY slider on the m515. You have to tap one of three boxes with a stylus (off, low, high).

And if anyone cares, despite what anyone says, I prefer the images on the screen of an m130 to the m515 any day of the week. The only bummer is the shadowing that happens when you switch screens/applications/whatever.

The ho-hum comment come from the fact that other device in similar category have already done what it says is the selling point.

-Samsung (color screen, small size)
-iPAQ sleeve (GPRS triband)

furthermore, by the time it come out, other device that offers better features will also be on the market.

-XDA (similar size, full feture PDA and internet capabilities plus expansion)
-Sony/Erricson p800 (full feature PDA, plus camera, big color screen)
-Microsoft smartphone (much smaller with full feature internet capabilities)

that's why the treo is a ho-hum,

It does not offer anything that the competition do better.

Also - what Microsoft smartphones are you talking about? Everyone I've heard of is huge or vaporware - and talk about bad battery life, any PocketPC device please?

Samsung is not as small and the phone/pda/web/email features are not NEARLY as integrated, easy to use, or well done, and the IPAQ + sleeve is HUGE - I would never carry that hulking thing around.

If you've never used a Treo, you just won't get it - it's not just another PDA/Phone combo. Yes, that would be ho-hum. But Treo is the best phone I've ever used (nothing is as easy to dial - just tap 2-3 letters of the person's name on the keyboard and I'm there + ringer switch - why hasn't any phone maker thought of that before?), best PDA (love the keyboard, 16MB, and I find I use the PDA more than ever now that I always carry it with me - and when the color one comes out, look out!), plus I can get email via Treo mail AND browse any web site, all in a tiny package that I don't even notice is in my pocket.

web browser? you are at the mercy of H/S proxy server. And it is not possible to view an HTML page offline. (ie. attachment file, file stored in SD, or anything send without going through desktop/proxy server)

Color CDMA treo IS vaporware, about as vaporware as XDA, and MS smartphone. At least the XDA and the amartphone have been seen rather widely. Has anybody beside H/S engineer actually touch the color CDMA treo? if so, show picture please.

>> why would i ever need to browse an html page offline? or off an sd card? or whatever?

why do we even need a PDA? are you implying that Treo function is just glorified address book?

if Treo is sold as PDA, than customer expect PDA functionality. (ie. able to be used as PDA and not carry another PDA just to view HTML file, access picture from SD, or what not)

(I give you a good example, viewing email attachment offline, viewing downloaded page offline while in the subway, etc.)

>> how often will that need come up? blazer and the h/s proxy server do exactly what i need, and since treo is palm os, there are plenty of other browser solutions out there if blazer is not your cup of tea.

If we are talking about "who need anything" why even bother buy Treo? why not 6035? or samsung? much cheaper, very similar functionality. (etc.etc)

again, I believe the thread is trying to ask why CDMA color Treo is such a ho-hum product. Answer: It is nothing particularly good at anything. And other product offers better features, performance, price. Your argument is about as dubious as why would you want to rent a Hilton Room at $200? go to Motel six at $150, I like Motel six lounge.

I am not slamming the pda / bluetooth / crowd. If thats the way u want to go then fine (i also prefer this BUT im waiting for the day when this solution will actually become available to me in my area). But for the demographic that prefers an integrated solution - im sorry but you people have clearly never compared whats out there. And as for MS/Stinger/PocketPC or whatever - i am forced to develop for this 'pretty but stupid' OS and all i can say is that when i stop laughing maybe i'll get arounf to posting the details of why this sucks as a PDA OS - never mind in yr phone(for g-o-d-s-sake!)

The CDMA Treo is not an upgrade. It is an entirely separate device that will debut in June on Sprint's 3G network, around the same time as the GSM Treo 270.

"The current treo line is already in trouble. From phone market point of view, the 180 has a somewhat boring design compare to some of the latest phone offering. And on the package as a whole it only has slight enhancement over the much cheaper qualcom/Samsung. The Samsung even has a color screen."

Comparing the Treo to the phones available in the mobile phone market today is not an accurate comparison. A lot, if not the majority of them, have the Treo beaten simply because they don't have the design constraints of having to integrate a PDA with a larger screen into the device. HS did an excellent job with design of the Treo considering their constraints. That's not to say the Treo is perfect, far from it. With poor battery life, lack of a removeable battery, no use as a wireless modem with a laptop, and a monochrome screen for starters, the Treo leaves a lot to be desired. However, the relatively small size and integrated keyboard provide a firm foundation for the Treo to grow on and I think it has the most potential of any of the smartphones out there.

"at any rate, no matter how one spin it, the treo line doesn't have that " gotta have it" quality. At $599 planned offering, it is competing directly in top of the line phone market. So it better has something 'top of the line' to offer. Either in phone area or PDA area."

That's just it, its not the fact that the Treo that offers some awesome feature in the PDA or phone arena, but a well-integrated mix of the two that HS is banking on and that no separate PDA or phone offers its own. $400 - $500 would be a more realistic selling point for the 270 though and I do think it will hurt sales.

Q. What version of GPRS is the Treo communicator going to use?
A. The Treo communicator will support GPRS Class 2, which will provide two channels down and one channel up (otherwise know as "2+1").

That means that the Treo will only reach a theoretical top speed of 28.8 kbs

Considering that the "4+1" Motorola V66 phone I have theoretically does 56.6 kbs, yet only reaches about 40 kbs, the treo will probably hit a top speed of ONLY 20 kbs.