Comments on: Best Buy Palm PDA Sale This Week

In an ironic twist that serves as a grim reminder that Palm's last non-smartphone releases came two years ago, the Best Buy retail circular for October 14th-21st is prominently displaying "sale" pricing for the Palm TX and Z22.

This week's sale brings the TX down to its "standard" price of $299.99, with a $15 instant discount bringing the TX's price down from its normal price of $314.99. Additionally, Best Buy is offering a $20 gift card with purchase of the TX. While this Best Buy sale this time around doesn't quite match the previous sale last month, this might be one of the final opportunities to pick up a brand-new Palm handheld from a reputable brick and mortar retailer with a reasonable return policy and extended service plan.

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$300 was a good price 5 years ago

adamsmark @ 10/15/2007 12:42:01 PM #

There was a time I could bear a $400 price tag for a PDA. That threshold dropped precipitously a few years ago. Now, even $300 seems too much. Let's face it, unless newer PDAs do a lot more, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for a TX.

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RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

jca666us @ 10/15/2007 2:54:03 PM #

Agreed, who would buy this when an ipod touch is also $299!

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

mikecane @ 10/15/2007 6:09:37 PM #

The new VGA-screen iPaq is also $300. It would seem to be worth it. (If you can get past WinMob; I can't.)

But like the rest of you, I can't help feeling cheated after the iPod Touch and iPhone both offering *GBs* of storage at PDA prices.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

VampireLestat @ 10/15/2007 9:10:06 PM #

I wonder if the price drop means Palm is planning to release a refreshed TX.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

Gekko @ 10/15/2007 9:16:49 PM #

>I wonder if the price drop means Palm is planning to release a refreshed TX.

only in your wet dreams, VampireBoy.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

BaalthazaaR @ 10/15/2007 9:18:22 PM #

Or just trying to cut costs on storing obsolete two year old inventory that isn't moving.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

yugadp @ 10/15/2007 9:18:53 PM #

Actually, mikecane, the new VGA iPaq is $449.99 according to HP's website. The $299.99 one is only QVGA.
That's wishful thinking, VampireLestat. But while we're fantasizing about new Palm OS PDAs, what if Palm is planning a refreshed TX running PLinux. Afterall, the almighty Colligan said that they had it running on some devices at Palm (though that probably only means that it's in alpha). Unless I'm mistaken (and I often am), the estimate of late 2008 for PLinux only specified that release time being for SMARTPHONES, not PDAs.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

BaalthazaaR @ 10/15/2007 9:24:24 PM #

what if Palm is planning a refreshed TX running PLinux. Afterall, the almighty Colligan said that they had it running on some devices at Palm

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RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

twrock @ 10/16/2007 12:51:24 AM #

...who would buy this when an ipod touch is also $299!

Honestly, I would. the iPod Touch is sweet hardware, but lacks software functionality that I need on a PDA. YMMV, but an iPod touch isn't going to cut it for this user.

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RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

hkklife @ 10/16/2007 10:42:52 AM #

If you consider how much you end up paying over the lifetime of any Treo/Centro over the course of a 2yr contract, it's actual price becomes MUCH higher.

PDAs at the pricepoints of $100, $200, and $300 are fine, IF Palm were to keep rolling out annual improvements. If Palm's going to just make incremental improvements then $75, $150, $225 would be better price points.

Another thought I keep having: many of the smartphone users I know probably use their devices 10:1 for data "stuff" over voice/talking. And we've all seen executive types juggling a BlackBerry or Treo in addition to a small cell phone for any number of reasons. And like it or not, everyone LOVES the iPhone's screen res. and real estate.

I've basically noticed that there are 3 kinds of mobile phone users: "talkers", whose needs are served by any decent dumbphone, "texters/emails" who need a mini thumbboard and have a plethora of devices to choose from, and then what I call the "viewers" who basically value screen size/resolution above all else. Palm was on the right track with their large-screened PDAs but it took the iPhone + Safari to really inject life into this type of mobile device. But side from a few HTC models and the iPhone there are hardly any compelling offerings as far as large-screened cellular devices.

I personally think Palm could really strike a nice little niche and still avoid direct iPhone comparisons with something like a TX that omits voice in favor of a data-only EVDO radio. Throw in a few GB of flash onboard for good measure, of course. Partner with Sprint for a special $15/month unlimited plan (tethering would be more, of course) and a decently upgraded version of Blazer and/or Opera Mini & Chatter/VersaMail and you'd have a pretty compelling non-Treo device for the iPod Touch/Mike Cane/me crowd who still cares about legacy POS apps, games, and basically having a more versatile device than the closed Apple ecosystem will allow. Then of course sell the same device at retail without the cellular radio with the traditional BT/wi-fi. Palm could of course play it up as a more capable and "open" device than iPhone but, since it's not actually a phone, avoid direct iPhone comparisons.

Palm could market it as a "Wireless Mobile Manager" or "Wireless Media Companion" exclusively for the CDMA crowd. IMO all of the wi-fi enabled PMP devices (Zune, iPod Touch, Archos) are too limited. But all of the large-screened cellular devices end up missing the mark because they have to worry about how to integrate a phone/dialpad and keep the device comfortable when held against one's ear etc etc etc. This would let Palm get another year out of Garnet, have a very compelling Treo/Centro alternative that's a LOT easier to develop than the Fooleo was, AND, in a 2nd generation, would make the perfect testbed for PLinux.

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

mikecane @ 10/16/2007 3:06:10 PM #

>>>Actually, mikecane, the new VGA iPaq is $449.99 according to HP's website.

^%$#@!! Reports I read said $399. And I was sure I'd confirmed that at hp's site too. Bah! Thanks for the correction. Too bad about that price. Deal Or No Deal = No Deal.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

AdamaDBrown @ 10/17/2007 7:38:25 PM #

The VGA iPaq 210 is, in fact, $399. If you Google for "iPaq 210," their online store is the #2 result, listing the $399 price. Don't believe the ship date, though, it's just today's date plus 2. Nobody's sure when they're going to ship (and it's getting a lot of people angry) although it may be around the 22nd.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

yugadp @ 10/17/2007 10:25:35 PM #

Weird. If you go to HP's site and navigate to the section for handhelds, the iPaq 211 is listed as $449.99 (that's in the Home and Home Office section for handhelds).

http://www.shopping.hp.com/store/product/product_detail/FB041AA%2523ABA/1?jumpid=in_r329_personalization/browse1/landing_PDP

The $399 210 is under the small and medium business section.

http://h71016.www7.hp.com/dstore/MiddleFrame.asp?page=config&ProductLineId=510&FamilyId=2651&BaseId=23581

The 210 and 211 are the same device. I wonder if HP will offer different prices depending on where in their online store you get it (maybe different accessories come with each one) or (and more likely) if it's just website typographical errors. I wonder which price is correct...

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RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

AdamaDBrown @ 10/18/2007 3:52:11 AM #

There's been speculation caused by the HP website that there's actually two versions, one being a little more expensive and having a built-in fingerprint scanner for biometric security. I find it puzzling that the description which mentions biometrics is still on the HP site, given that no other specs or PR material mentions it, but they've already made plenty of typos, so that's what I'm ascribing this to as well.

Another possibility is that the Home/Home Office version comes with a cradle. But then, I suspect it's just HP buggering things up. They have really good new products for the first time in awhile, so they had to completely screw up SOMETHING, otherwise they wouldn't be HP. Sigh.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

mikecane @ 10/18/2007 10:54:50 AM #

$399 is more like it. But it's still WinMob. No deal.

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RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

hkklife @ 10/18/2007 11:29:13 AM #

Adama;
Are you going to try to review any of the new HPs for Brighthand?

Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

AdamaDBrown @ 10/18/2007 3:29:23 PM #

Absolutely, as soon as we can get our hands on some units. I'm going to be getting the 210; I don't know about the disposition of any of the other units. I'm very much looking forward to putting it through its paces. I know I come off sometimes as an HP cynic, but they look like they've put together nice hardware here.

RE: $300 was a good price 5 years ago

AdamaDBrown @ 10/18/2007 3:36:12 PM #

To clarify: I'm going to be doing the 210 at a minimum, possibly others. Like I said, it hasn't been decided, and probably won't be until we see what we're going to be able to get.