Save $100 on Treo 300 or $50 on Treo 180

A giant sale on eBay maybe?

Odd, the most recent Sony model you can trade in is the T615C. I guess not many people would trade a $400 T665C for $100 off a Treo but they should at least give people the option.

I wanna trad-in my Clie NR70 for a .... Treo 300 .... hmm .. why it doesn't make any sense ....

they can always donate it and get a tax break

I don't think the treo is very good.

Dude, what's with the hatred of Handspring? They're still the #2 handheld maker worldwide, and that's JUST on the Visor line. The Treos aren't counted as handhelds by the think tanks.

This is not new. Handspring has done this sort of upgrade offer many times. It's an easier alternative to the "I'll throw my old one on eBay once I get the new one" upgrade method that a lot of people do. Handspring is just helping people along with that, without the hassle of bidding. What's wrong with that?

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Handspring doesn't have edge anymore. (no pun intended) Palm controls the OS destiny while Sony has bigger hardware manufacturing prowess.

Handspring days are over. they will be a subunit of a phone company soon, if not becomning an obscure specialy market device maker like blackberry.

>> "Handspring has pretty good marketing and sales management. I sent
>> someone to Staples to buy an M130 for her brother and they Staples sold
>> her on a TREO 90. She really did not know the difference. Staples is
>> getting educated on how to intro Handspring."

> "How is this an example of Handspring's supposed "good" marketing?"

Yes - Handspring was the first to get out to the stores with displays that segregated their stuff from other vendors and educated shoppers on the PDA. Handspring convinced Office Max to feature their products in glass display. Handspring put people out into the stores before Palm. Handspring was the first to offer Staples and Office Max employees a free refurbished Visor if they sold 10. Handspring generated goodwill in these sales people, many of which are under age 22. I talked to the manager of the Staples on a regular basis re PDA sales. I see all their (the PDA Mfgs) attempts at retail marketing. The largest failure in this field (marketing PDAs) has been Microsoft and their vendors. Handspring has been funded from the start (at IPO) by Qualcomm. So it shouldn't surprise you that they also where the first to bring the phone and PDA together - both GSM and CDMA.

> "I think perhaps it is YOU who really knows nothing about marketing and
> sales, not to mention logic."

Yea, right. I have more experience in marketing and sales in my right toe.

> "You are right that Sprint is behind this $100 promotion--they're doing a
> $100 promotion for ALL their products (though not a
> they've been doing this periodically for years! I fail to see how you can
> then cite this as an example of marketing genius at Handspring."

This is Handsprings idea. They started it with the Edge trade-in. No one has done it since. Sprint has never advertised a trade-in program - this is Sprint's first.

> "The only decent marketing coming out of that company was when it introduced the
>Visor line--this continued until the introduction of the Visor Prism.
> Eventually, though, the marketing of the Springboard standard fizzled.
> There was the Edge debacle followed by the introduction of product lines
> that added NOTHING new to the PDA spectrum. Add to that the
> abandonment of the product line that started the initial HS marketing
> blitz--the Springboard--and you've got, well, nothing.

> Face it, a tiny thumb keyboard is hardly something to hang your marketing
> hat on, regardless of the example you cited (which, again, you admit was
> based on IGNORANCE). All the other stuff in the Treo is useless because
> the Treo is:
> 1) too small to be a decent PDA, and
> 2) too big to be viable as a wireless phone."

This is your problem - and the reason you cannot seperate product developement from marketing and sales functions. They are three seperate and distinct functions of a business. Yes, they talk during the development process. Most companies do nothing unique. I give you Sprint for an example. They, along with all their wireless counterparts, have not generated a new idea in marketing in 10 years - same old discounts. That's only one of their problems.

> "Take a look around any mall, or the folks going to work in downtown
> anywhere. What do they carry? Most are using either Nokia, Motorola, or
> Ericcson phones, unless they're Sprint customers, in which case they're
> using Samsungs. If they're carrying PDAs, they've probably got Palm V/Vx's
> or m5xx's, or iPaqs, or Sonys. They might have a Visor gathering dust
> because those da** Springboards cost too much and they got fed up with
> it. See any Treos?

> I didn't think so. So don't talk to me about the marketing genius at
> Handspring."

5 years ago, most PDA users would never believe that middle school students would be carrying a PDA, along with at least 5 other demographics population segments. These were primarily for business people, and typically engineers/technical. Now 72 year old women are buying them as presents for their 70 year old brothers. That came about because of Marketing. Not product development. You're such a genius.

Wow... I too am astounded by the lack of understanding of the entire marketing process exhibited here. There are a lot of very intelligent device enthusiasts here, but as a 20 year vet of the Silicon Valley consumer marketing scene many of the posts here baffle me.

Handspring is actually very smart to bail on PDAs. Have you people seen the margins on these things now a days? Listen to a Palm earnings call and cringe. What was once 40% margins is now 15%. Sounds a lot like the PC market revisited. Only a monster like Sony can thrive there. Handspring currently has a category leading device and margins over 40% with Treo. Now they just grow the market... Looks to me like they saw the market shift long before anyone else did.

And why don't you see anything other than Palms and Nokias on the street? BECAUSE THE TREO WAS BORN IN FEBRUARY!! It's going to take some market building. Be realistic people. Six years ago you could have said "but all I see on the street are Franklins and Day Timers... Where's the market for a PDA?"

Personally I admire the Handspring team and their obvious savvy. I've met many people from there at industry events and it is clear there are a lot of sharp minds over there. Will they ever be a billion $ company? Too many things make that kind of prediction hazy. But those of you that flippantly predict their demise need to go back to your jobs pushing burgers, because your ignorance shows.

It seems the price war is about to enter full gear. Pretty soon those PDA phones will be free or near free with a year of contract.

If we have learned anything from the wireless telecoms and cell phone mfgs., it is this - either make money or expect business failure. PDAs and phones will NEVER be free - especially converged units. You will always pay top dollar for the latest model, and the companies will always try to convince you you're getting something free when you sign up for that service contract. Free lunches never existed. They won't start with PDAs and cell phones.