Comments on: Verizon Completes Network Upgrade to EV-DO Rev. A

Cheapest (unlimited) data plan that I know of is Sprint's $20/month EV-DO. I know T-Mobile has super rates, but a weak national coverage map. I have Cingular ($40/mos unlimited), so I may be corrected.

Pat Horne

If you press the Power button down on the Treo 680, it disables the cell radio.

the Treo 680 is unlocked, doesnt even require a SIM card and can act as a plain Palm PDA. It has a very sensitive screen, very clear screen even outside, much better sound, vibrating alarm, retro light keyboard (very fun to use), camera and movies.
and IF you need a cell for emergencies, it can quickly be turned back on into a cellphone.

And its 399$USD same price as a high end handheld.

Here's the rub tho for PDA purpose.
#1 A screen size that makes the m100 look strong.
#2 324mhz is wimpy on the horsepower end
#3 No WiFi, even hacked
#4 0.3mp camera
#5 $400 for that which makes the ancient Zire 72 look dominant?

This is 2007, not 2001. The PDA specs are just plain weak. This is the reason many around here are so bewildered with Palm abandoning them to the choice of Treo or Treo. Both are compromises for the PDA power user.

Ohhh, how I would love a refreshed T3 with about a 1600mah cell, bright screen 2007 style, GSM/HSDPA, PalmLinux OS, WiFi. Heaven!

Pat Horne

The presence or absence of a cellular radio should not be the issue.
Cell radios dont take up much space.
The problem I had with the Treo was mainly that they force users to have SIM cards and a carrier plan in order to use anything on the device. Some TReos might actually be like that, but my Treo 680 is usable like a fully featured pda with all the goodies from the T5, T3, Zires all in one.

It only makes sense for PDA fans to buy a 680, and if someday they want to buy a sim card and activate cellular, then they can.

The 680 is extremely easy and fun to use. The camera at .3mp kinda sucks but it gets the job done. Palm crippled the TX and T5 to the point that it is embarrassing. The 680 is a super TX-Zire.

What makes it all different from other treos is that it is unlocked.
and THAT is key to me.

The Foleo trigger my Treo need, and once I got the 680, my whole perspective changed.

True handhelds fans would be satisfied if they bought a versatile 680.

Z33: SDHC slot, stereo headphone jack, full version of PTunes Deluxe built-in and/or Kinoma and/or reskinned CorePlayer. $100 or less pricetag. Super slim/sleek design, even at the expense of the hard button functionality. Position it as a PMP that "does more" than other similar devices on the market (Sansa, iPod Nano etc), even with the cost of a 4 or 8gb SDHC card factored in.

T|E3: Basically a Treo 680 without a cellular radio but with wi-fi and a standard stereo headphone slot. Maybe make it look more like a T|C to differentiate it from a Treo (larger 320x320 screen?). No Bluetooth and no internal flash storage volume to keep costs low. Price it at $150-$200ish. Bundle it with a solid set of VOIP software and target it at "renegade" mobile tech users (MikeCane types) who refuse to carry a cell phone and/or sign a wireless contract and/or those PDA stragglers who never could learn Graffiti 1/2.

TX2: Add an internal mic + charge LED and, ideally, a removable battery or at least an enormous internal battery. Throw in 2gb to 4gb of internal flash and a fullsize SDHC slot and tout it as an alternative to the pricey flash-based widescreen PMPs. Bundle some solid VOIP software in the box and target it as an iPhone competitor at 1/2 the price ($300), more functionality, removable media capability, and "thousands" of available programs.

Palm has the tech RIGHT NOW to address most of the iPhone's glaring hardware shortcomings (no removable media, fixed battery, no hard keyboard, wacky headphone jack, no 3rd party apps).

The biggest halo effect from the iPhone will be it FINALLY being the arse kick that the industry so desperately needs to stop clinging to lame 320x320, 320x240, and 240x240 screens.

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

I have a Tx and a recently purchased 680, I find they both have advantages and disadvantages. I will not go into them, except to say "I carry both", I use a pay as you go sim card and that works well for me right now. I was a Sprint customer for a few years and I have not been disappointed at all with T-Mobile and/or their selection of phones and compatibility with the Palms. SprintPCS was not good when it comes to BT phones The most recent models they have are not consistent in BT features, and they don't tell you about it. The GSM world has the CDMA guys skunked here. The only rub is that data plans are not available to PAG customers, unless you have a Sidekick?? (BTW The phones have Internet connections without the data plan), and it is in my mind a bit expensive, but nothing like what VL has described up there in Canada. So in those cases, I use the Tx and I have a subscription to T-mobile WIFI hotspots. I like keeping the two Calendars in sync with BT as well as other things.

I really don't think you can compare the two fairly, although there are features one has the other could use. I thought I would never consider a "converged device", but I now see the need to have a "GSM smartphone", as well as a PDA.