Comments on: Handspring Starts Taking Treo 600 Orders

* Nextel
* Verizon

:-(

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My blog: www.pocketfactory.com

1) This amount of thought that went into creating the interface of this device is impressive. You can do almost all tasks with one thumb.

2) The screen is great. I think most of the people complaining about the screen and asking for a 320 x 320 screen probably haven't actually used the Treo 600.

3) Sprint stores are clueless. The salespeople know very little about the phone and don't think twice about lying. When I initially called a few Sprint stores, one claimed the phone costs $700. Several claimed the phone isn't available without a contract (they are apparently under pressure to reserve the initial supply for new contracts).

4) Current supplies of the phone are very limited. My impression is that production was lower than expected and stores have each been allocated only two or three phones. Most stores didn't even have display models.

5) Only complaints: I would have preferred an internal antenna (for pocketability); the back of the phone is too smooth; the phone is about an ounce heavier than I would have liked - using a high quality plastic case might have saved a bit more weight.

6) Sprint's plan options are expensive. The cheapest was 300 daytime minutes for $35/month. Adding unlimited data costs another $30/month. 500 daytime minutes was $45/month. My corporate rate didn't bring it down as much as I'd hoped. The phone lists for $600, with $100 and $150 discounts for one and two year contracts, respectively - no matter what the salespeople may say.

7) An employee's Treo 600 gave decent voice quality.

8) I couldn't tell where the phone was manufactured. Initial Internet posts showed phones made in Mexico, but the label was missing on the one I used. Odd.

9) I didn't come across any older applications that didn'twork on the Treo 600.

All things considered, I'm impressed with the production model. I was tempted to buy one yesterday, but I think I'll wait until I have a chance to see what AT&T has to offer (next month?). Their version is supposed to be lighter + have better battery life than Sprint. Hopefully the plans will also be more competitive.

Sometimes the truth just isn't pretty™