Further Evidence that i705 and T615 Are Coming Soon

Posted By: Ed Thursday, December 20, 2001 10:25:18 AM

More evidence has emerged that Palm is close to releasing the i705 wireless handheld and that Sony is likewise close to announcing a U.S. version of the T600, which will likely be named the T615.

The Sony N610C, which is quite similar to the T615, now shows up on the SonyStyle webstore as "Sold Out". In the past, this has happened right before Sony announced a replacement. Though Sony won't comment on whether it will release a version of the T600 in the U.S., it is widely expected to do so and that it will replace the N610C.

Also, the N610C no longer appears at the BestBuy webstore though it is still listed on several others.

A rumor has been circulating that Sony will announce the T615 on Christmas Day.

In a followup to last week's story on the Palm i705 being listed in Staples' inventory system, a scan of its price tag is now available. It doesn't list any new details, just that the i705 will sell for $450 and use SKU# 479208.

The price tag uses Staple's new format, which will go into use on January 7.

The Staples' employee who submitted the price tag also confirmed that there will be a mini-keyboard available for the i705.

The release date for the i705 is still not known. Palm originally intended to release the i705 before the end of this year but announced in September that it wouldn't make this deadline. At the time, a source at Palm said the device would only be delayed a few weeks, which seems to place it coming out sometime in January.

The Palm i705 has "always on" wireless access, which means it has the ability to check for e-mail even when the handheld itself is off. However, it lacks any voice capabilities. It has a monochrome screen and uses Palm's Universal Connector, which means it can use most peripherals designed for the m500 series and the m125.

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I just can't choose!

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 10:54:02 AM #
one potato, two potato, three potato, wireless. Four potato, five potato, six potato, color.

RE: I just can't choose!
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 11:23:04 AM #
I called someone that works at palm and it looks like the i705 will be released on January 28. There will be some kind of email pre-release to those who have the email service that palm offers during the first week of next month.

Costco And You

Coyote67 @ 12/20/2001 10:56:55 AM #
Glanced at the 610c at Costco yesterday going for 340. Isn't that a bit high?

---------------------------------------
When you have a Clie shoved up your mouth, you can only talk in vowels.
RE: Costco And You
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 11:06:11 AM #
Seems like a sweet deal to me.

And BTW: with the new T615, you will be able to talk much better with a clie shoved up your mouth. :)

Drive a little & save a lot
MadMax @ 12/20/2001 12:00:55 PM #
Sony Outlet store Tracy,Ca (50 miles east of SF) N710 $249.95. Add that to the $49.95 Sony charges for the OS 4.1 upgrade and it's still under $300 with MP3!

btw 4sale M505 w/modem & lots of acc...

RE: Costco And You
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:38:26 PM #
I saw the N610C in a bundle pack last week at Costco for 329.99 - the Clie plus a slim leather case. Of course, this was right next to the Palm IIIc for 199.00, so this seemed to be pretty clearly an inventory blowout.

Let's just hope the T615 is everything we hope for - super-slim with a GREAT color screen, not the merely OK color screen of the m505, and not the LOUSY screen equivalent to the T415, which IMHO has to be the most disappointing PDA of the year.

hope it won't too disappoint you
Haj @ 12/20/2001 12:48:58 PM #
http://www.spug.org/reviews/rt600.htm

i guess his expectation was a bit too high, tho. i'm one can live with m505.

RE: Costco And You
popko @ 12/20/2001 5:15:08 PM #
Hey MadMax, does the Sony store, Tracy, has a website?

RE: Costco And You
MadMax @ 12/20/2001 10:44:38 PM #
Here's the outlet page at Sony, including the one in Tracy. Keep in mind they do not give prices over the phone. But will give you inventory quantities, and they do have 710C in stock for $249.95
Here is a list of their locations. Shhh, Keep it a secret though ;)
www.sel.sony.com/SEL/consumer/outlets/locations.html


RE: Costco And You
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/23/2001 6:53:42 AM #
Thanks for reminding me about the SPUG review. The T600 screen seems to have the same shortcomings as the m505 screen. Palm was crucified over the m505 screen quality. I wonder how the T615 will be received.

Sold out at Circuit City also

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:18:06 PM #
The N610 is also sold out at Circuit City.

CompUSA too
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:22:57 PM #
The CompUSA web site still lists the N610, but will not let you order, and shows availability as N/A.

Staples out too
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:33:35 PM #
Staples lists the N610 and lets your put it in your cart, but if you try to order you get this message:

Sorry, the following item(s) you have placed in your Cart are currently out of stock.

I don't know how soon the T615 is coming, but the N610 is clearly being phased out.

Best Buy

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:19:56 PM #
Actually, it is still listed on the BestBuy web store, but with this comment:

Sorry, no longer taking orders for this item. Not available for store pickup.

RE: Best Buy
Ed @ 12/20/2001 12:38:49 PM #
I looked around on their site and couldn't find it at all. Could you post a link?

Thanks.

---
News Editor

RE: Best Buy
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:42:03 PM #
http://www.bestbuy.com/detail.asp?e=11076425&m=488&cat=526&scat=527

Canadian Clie market agrees with this evidence

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:21:03 PM #
Sony has slowly released their Clie PDA's here in Canada. They came out in the following order: N760, S320, and then T415.

Could the decision not to release the N610 in Canada, at a point where Sony may be discontinuing the model in the United States, also be an indicator of the T615's near arrival?

T615 screen has poor color?

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:52:55 PM #
Has anyone else seen evidence that the color on the T615 is a lot worse than on the N760 and N610?

There were sample photos on a clie group on yahoogroups that sure make it look that way.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 12:56:05 PM #
I don't know about screen quality "T615" (who know?). But I have played with T600C for some time and I can confidently say that the screen quality of T600C is higher than N760C. The color is more sharp and the brightness is about the same.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 1:29:51 PM #
Ive seen screen comparison reviews and it appears that the white is brighter on the T600, thus sharpening the darker colors. However, ive also heard that because the the brighter white, some color hues are washed out. For instance, the red appears brownish. Ive also heard that the T600 has poor battery life.

I will stick with my N760. There isn't a great deal of difference in size nor screen thus I cannot justify the change.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 2:01:29 PM #
I saw the T600 at a T-Zone store here in Tokyo and it looked pretty good. I'll have to go back for a "more detailed" look, but my impression was that it was better looking than the m505 and the Sony N series (but still not nearly as bright as my Prism). The coolest thing about it in my opinion is that you're able to setup the launcher to show the icons at true 320x320 instead of making each of the pixels 2x2 like on the previous Sony models. It looked amazing. Also very thin. I wasn't too pleased with the up/down buttons though. I suppose you could get used to it, but it really took a lot of effort to move that little "switch" up and down.

It's a fine sceen. But is backlit all the time.
Rudenko @ 12/20/2001 2:18:35 PM #
I have N760C and T600C next to each other and both look decent. T600C looks sharper but has a slightly smaller sceen size.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 2:22:08 PM #
Certainly the photos that we have all seen (like on the spug review) suggest that the T600 screen is brighter than the N series screens. That, according to spug, is because the T uses a transflective screen - something in between the backlit IIIc/Prism screens, which are bright and have good color saturation but are awful hard to see outside, and the N series/m505 frontlit (okay, sidelit) screens, which appear foggy/dim and have low color saturation but are easily read outdoors. To me, at least, that's pretty big news - I thought the T was going to use the N series screen. After using the N760 side by side with my Prism for a week, I decided that I just couldn't live with the Clie screen. So this is good news - maybe there is an upgrade for me in the near future after all!

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 2:39:48 PM #
>... it was better looking than the m505 ...

m505 is NOT a REAL COLOR pda , its screen is too poor to even show you a good 256 color picture.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
Davy @ 12/20/2001 3:36:41 PM #
m505 is NOT a REAL COLOR pda , its screen is too poor to even show you a good 256 color picture.

That's funny, because the m505 is the top-selling "color" PDA.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 3:42:18 PM #
That just shows that a terrible screen won't stop sales. The T615 will be a hit. No matter how bad it is, it can't be worse than the M505.

And the flame war starts, I'll set this straight:
I returned my M505. Small size wasn't worth the poor display to me! And no, I'm not a Sony bigot. I don't even have a Sony. I'm still using my IIIc. But right now the Sony does look like the best option from where I stand.


RE: T615 screen has poor color?
Altema @ 12/20/2001 8:05:28 PM #
You probably had one of the dim ones. I also went from a IIIc, which was beautiful, to the M505. The first one had a bad screen and a couple other defects, but number two was a charmer with a sharp image and brighter than normal front light. I was at the DPUG meeting last week with it, and the member next to me commented on how clear the screen was on that particular unit. Although I prefered the IIIc screen, it was not possible to expand it, and I found myself deleting stuff just to try new apps. The 505 worked well enough for me to buy another for my wife. Her device was even better, and is as bright as my laptop on its middle brightness setting. If you want to see a really bright screen, check out the new Samsung (?) color phone. My neighbor brought his over and I loaded it up for him. It would be a close contest between the phone and the IIIc brightness, but the phone screen had the smearing problems of the earlier passive-matrix laptop screens. No expandability though (that I'm aware of at least), and it still was an 8 bit screen, which you really don't notice except on photographs.

RE: T615 screen has poor color?
Altema @ 12/20/2001 8:25:47 PM #
PS: as far as the T615 screen is concerned, I'll reserve judgement until I see one in person, and hope it is not slow like it's mono cousin with the dark screen.

Dell still sells the 610C for $399

Mor @ 12/20/2001 3:31:34 PM #
Of course, they are giving you 10% off ($40) plus you can use a $25 off coupon on top. Roughly, it would cost $334 a few days before Christmas. I have 60 days for price match through my American Express Blue card. You guys think the price of the remaining inventory of N610C will drop when the T600C gets released (on Xmas Day?)

RE: Dell still sells the 610C for $399
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 4:35:24 PM #
eCost is selling the N610C/S (Silver) for $299 with around 250 units in stock.

What Network Will i705 Operate On?

jimrker @ 12/20/2001 3:48:22 PM #
Does anyone know the details on the network the device will run on? Is it still Mobitex/Cingular? Will it still be web-clipping or TCP/IP?

Thanks.

Jim Kershaw

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 3:57:07 PM #
It is going to use Cingular's networks, I know this because I also work at an office supply store and there is an entry for the i705 in the system also.

The release date is expected to be between the second week of jan and first week of feb-leaning more towards mid jan.

It is also RUMORED that the service plans will start at just $10/month and move up to an unlimited plan at $35/month. This would probably make the i705 more worth it's $450 price tag.

Also, there is no indication whatsoever that it is a monochrome device...but it doesn't say it's a color screen either....this again makes the i705 worth it's price tag.

I can't directly tell you which store i work for because palm has requested complete secrecy in its release...but i can and will provide this website with all the information I can possibly get as soon as i get it.

-IASEDA

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 6:39:22 PM #
Jeez, you divulge all that detail - but won't go so far as to tell us who you are little man... meaning you only honour Palm's request for your company to keep quiet when it suits you. Nice. I hope they sue your company, track you down and nail your sorry arse to the wall.

Have a nice day.

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
Coyote67 @ 12/20/2001 8:51:01 PM #
Badoom Chiiiinng

---------------------------------------
When you have a Clie shoved up your mouth, you can only talk in vowels.
RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 9:11:56 PM #
Hey, its a message from one of the three people in the world who disapprove of sharing information.

Don't listen to him, IASEDA! The rest of us are interested.

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 9:57:21 PM #
To the guy that wants my arse nailed to the wall:
First off, I didn't divulge EVERYTHING...I know a whole lot more about this device than I am reporting...and Palm (and Sony for that matter) as REQUESTED every company, not just the one I work for, to keep ALL (past and future incl.) new releases a secret. As far as I know there is no contract for keeping this quiet, so Palm would have no grounds for a lawsuit and they couldn't even breath down my neck if they wanted to. I am just an employee who found some information that BOTH Palm and my company made public. If palm wanted this to be a secret then they wouldn't have supplied the companies the information that we have.

To the guy that said "the rest of us are interested" and everyone else:
Palm is said to have plans for an official announcement VERY close to January 2, 2002 about this device. note that this does not mean they will be releasing the device around that date

-IASEDA


RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/20/2001 11:46:50 PM #
Perhaps IASEDA has a rumor as to when the T615 goes on sale in the US?

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 12:47:52 AM #
I know for a fact that Palm provides all it's resellers etc with NDA's relating to unannounced products. Your company signed one. Mine has too. It covers all employees of your company, including you. You have breached that NDA thereby putting your company in line for legal action from Palm. The fact that you didn't divulge everything means nothing. You breached the NDA. The fact you're unaware of the NDA means nothing. Your company should have gone to better lengths to keep the information away from big-mouths like yourself. Your arse is looking like a big target right now.

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 2:02:08 PM #
anyone ever realize that everytime there is a new PDA released, someone one the inside always releases more information and the company will never sue because it just drives up the hype for the device, thereby increasing sales.

It happened with the m505 and it looks like its gonna happen with the i705.

Don't worry IASADE, Palm needs a hype like this to boost them back up, especially after this thing with Xerox (which btw is a totally bogus ruling).

WE NEED MORE INFO ABOUT THE NEW PALM AND SONY DEVICES!!! IF ANYONE OUT THERE KNOWS ABOUT THEM, PLEASE DIVULGE ;-)

RE: What Network Will i705 Operate On?
I.M. Anonymous @ 12/21/2001 3:50:40 PM #
Well, just visit
http://palmwireless.cjb.net

I've never worked for anyone who requires an NDA, so I can talk about what I have found.

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