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Sprint PCS vision was the first to offer unlimited data, but now TMobile has joined in, offering unlimited GPRS for $20/month. See story on TreoCentral.

Since I was paying $20 a month for 10 megs, and I use the GPRS on my Treo 180g as a modem for my laptop, I was quite happy to see the change. But you have to call and ask for it.

"Handspring did not include Bluetooth into this device, but because of the SDIO slot it is an option in the future. Handspring told us that they are working with 3rd party companies to extend all the powers of the Treo to the Bluetooth card. This includes not only data synchronization like most cards, but the ability to use Bluetooth headsets, or act as a Bluetooth modem for a PC or Mac. Adding a Bluetooth SD card to the Treo 600 family will cost around $100 to $150. The current Palm branded card does not work with OS 5."

There are a few available now that work with the current Treos (and should work with the 600) from Micro Innovations, Targus, Belkin ... See TreoCentral

Treo 600 Revealed

...can be found here at TreoCentral

L

There are some pics of the device over at treocentral.

Check out the Handspring Treo 300. It runs Palm OS, so you can install whatever you want on it... and it's not as silly-looking as the Sidekick. ;)

Check out the Handspring Treo 300 with Top Gun SSH. Works like a charm, and the Treo is small. :)

The Handspring Treo 300 ($199 at Amazon.com) can do SSH via Top Gun SSH. It also has the benefit of using the Sprint PCS network, which is much larger than the T-Mobile network and runs at 128K instead of 19.2K. (The difference is huge.)

The really cool thing about the Treo is that you can hook it up via a USB cable to your laptop and get Internet access anywhere you have a Sprint PCS connection. This means that you can be on the Internet pretty much anywhere without worrying about wireless hotspots. (Treo Central has more information on this.)

I'd pick the Treo 300 over the Sidekick any time. It's cheaper, works on a network that has much greater coverage, and can run any applications that run on Palm OS. With the laptop connector, it's a no-brainer.

Handspring for a while now has been exclusively focused on the Treo line of Smart Phones. The Visor line has long since finished production.

The first generation Treos came out last year, the second generation Treo 600 is due out in the American fall.

Handspring also has made deals with carriers such as Sprint, T-mobile and others to carry their handsets. Something that Palm hasn't done and would have a long way to catch up.

Palm's only mobile/cell phone capable model the Tungsten W can't even take a phone call without plugging in a headset, what a blockhead design!

This allows Palm to have a strong products for the smartphone area to compete with MS SmartPhone's and Sony Ericsson's models.

Check out new specs on 2nd generation Treo on Treocentral

Cheers

VikingBrad

Details on the new Treo - the Treo 600 - are starting to leak out, and it looks like a pretty major improvement. The photo from the merger even gave us a decent Hi-res photo of the new Treo. I think it looks pretty cool, but the obvious lacking feature is a higher-resolution screen. I wonder if the coolness factor of the Treo 600 helped encourage Palm to make the merger?

Details on the new Treo - the Treo 600 - are starting to leak out, and it looks like a pretty major improvement. The photo from the merger even gave us a decent Hi-res photo of the new Treo. I think it looks pretty cool, but the obvious lacking feature is a higher-resolution screen. I wonder if the coolness factor of the Treo 600 helped encourage Palm to make the merger?

mystery investor loans palm $50 million:
http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=27 29

sony invests $20 million in palmsource:
http://www.brighthand.com/article/Sony_Invests_in_ PalmSource

now, palm is going to buy handspring for $169 million:
http://www.treocentral.com/content/Stories/230-1.h tm

wild.

another fun fact, more people own sony aibo robot dogs than handspring treos.

cheers,
pt

Some reviews have said that on a MS Smartphone you can't even dial a contact from withint Outlook, wtf!

The next generation of Treo, the Treo 600, looks very sweet

Cheers VikingBrad

I have a Handspring Treo that I really get a kick out of. It works as a regular (although larger) flip phone when I need a phone, and as a PDA when I need a PDA. Today I was waiting at the salon to get my hair done, and while I was waiting, I was surfing Google and trying to find a good software package for one of my clients.

The Treo has AIM/Yahoo/MSN support thanks to VeriChat, which I highly recommend. I also use Top Gun SSH to SSH into my servers from anywhere.

Treo Central is the hookup for new software, and is also a good site for ringtones (if you're into them -- I like the wide selection of ringtones that come by default.)

Also, PalmNet lets you connect your Treo to your laptop and get 10K/sec Internet access wherever you can find a Sprint PCS connection.

All in all, if you need more than just a phone, the Treo is a winner. If you want just a phone, get just a phone... but even my boyfriend, who has one of those LG phones that you get for free with Verizon, gets jealous of me surfing around the Internet, playing games, and chatting when we're waiting in line for something.

The Treo is $149 right now. If you are a current Sprint PCS customer and you sign another 1-year Advantage agreement, you may be able to receive a service credit. I got a $200 credit [4 1/2 months free] just for signing up for another year, but I had to negotiate heavily.

Hope this helps...

I have a Handspring Treo that I really get a kick out of. It works as a regular (although larger) flip phone when I need a phone, and as a PDA when I need a PDA. Today I was waiting at the salon to get my hair done, and while I was waiting, I was surfing Google and trying to find a good software package for one of my clients.

The Treo has AIM/Yahoo/MSN support thanks to VeriChat, which I highly recommend. I also use Top Gun SSH to SSH into my servers from anywhere.

Treo Central is the hookup for new software, and is also a good site for ringtones (if you're into them -- I like the wide selection of ringtones that come by default.)

Also, PalmNet lets you connect your Treo to your laptop and get 10K/sec Internet access wherever you can find a Sprint PCS connection.

All in all, if you need more than just a phone, the Treo is a winner. If you want just a phone, get just a phone... but even my boyfriend, who has one of those LG phones that you get for free with Verizon, gets jealous of me surfing around the Internet, playing games, and chatting when we're waiting in line for something.

The Treo is $149 right now. If you are a current Sprint PCS customer and you sign another 1-year Advantage agreement, you may be able to receive a service credit. I got a $200 credit [4 1/2 months free] just for signing up for another year, but I had to negotiate heavily.

Hope this helps...

Also announced today was the Stowaway XT - AKA Palm Ultra Thin. If you're familier with PDAs you probably know of the Stowaway- the cool foldable keybaord for PDAs. Well they made a new one, just half as small. Seriously. Same full size keyboard- a preview of it is available here

T-Mobile imposes several limitations when you activate the Sidekick plan. In particular, they do something mysterious to your account that makes GPRS data non-functional if you use the SIM card in other data devices (like the Handspring Treo). I got this firsthand from a T-Mobile rep, and it's confirmed here. I use several phones, including a GPRS-updated Treo 180, and switch among them to suit my needs, so this puts a damper on my enthusiasm... as do the limited voice minutes in the plan.

saw this posted over at the treocentral forums...its from Salomon Smith Barney discussing the 3G launch.

"We have been tracking the signs for Sprint's upcoming "3G" launch, regarding
the brand, launch date, price, and handset selection. Our checks have
indicated that Sprint's new brand for its "3G" wireless data service is PCS
Vision, which will be billed on bits and bytes, rather than minutes.

On timing, we believe there is substantial confusion over the "official" launch
date. Based on our channel checks, "3G" capable phones may go on sale in the
indirect channels in stores such as Best Buy and Circuit City, beginning on
August 8. The "official" launch in Sprint's direct stores may not occur until,
at least, August 12, and may extend to August 19.

On price, we find that Sprint PCS will build upon its national pricing
schematic with its introduction of data, rather than become more aggressive for
national voice minute pricing. We would emphasize the data pricing described
in this report are indications and are still subject to change ahead of the
launch. We have received indications that Sprint will maintain its current
pricing for national voice minutes, which is constructive for the industry.
However, the decision may limit the company's ability to improve its share
relative to the aggressive pricing tactics of its competitors. We find the
data pricing indications to still be somewhat expensive with a minimum
increment of around $10/month on the existing national plans for 2 MB and
likely around $0.02/Kilobyte thereafter. All-in, pricing is not substantially
cheaper than current data plans in the market.

On the handset front, we believe Sprint will launch with several new color
phones by Samsung, Sanyo, and LG as well as with a PC Card, likely from
Novatel. Price points for the handsets should range between $179.99 and
$279.99."

"* Branding -- We expect Sprint PCS to launch a new brand name for its "3G"
service, "PCS Vision." The service will offer applications such as MMS
(multi-media messaging), games, downloadable ring-tones and screen savers,
and ISP-like access for laptops/PDAs.

* Timing -- We find a substantial level of noise within the channels, regarding
the launch date of Sprint's "3G" service. Based on our channel checks, we
believe "3G" capable phones may go on sale in the indirect channels in store
such as Best Buy and Circuit City, beginning on August 8. New displays may
not be constructed until the weekend. The "official" launch may not occur
until, at least, August 12, and may extend to August 19. Our conclusion is
that August 8 will begin somewhat of a soft launch, with the promotional
campaign set for, at least, 1-2 weeks later. We find few employees have been
trained on the service, based on our discussions. Some employees expected to
be trained within the next week. Also, several company stores expected to
receive their full "3G" displays from Sprint within the next 7-10 days. We
do not believe the direct PCS stores are stocking material levels of
inventory of the new phones, yet.

* Pricing -- We have learned that Sprint PCS is currently planning to maintain
its national voice pricing and charge a premium for data access by the
megabyte and kilobyte. Our data points on pricing are preliminary and are
subject to change ahead of the launch. We believe Sprint will begin offering
data packages at an access level of $49.99 with data plans going up to
$119.99. The company will offer these plans on several new color-screen
phones with data capabilities as well as a PC-card modem at launch. Services
will initially focus around multi-media messaging (including digital
pictures), gaming, and laptop connectivity.

Figure 1 highlights the preliminary pricing indications we have received from
our research. Sprint has essentially added a $10 charge for 2 MB of data to
its popular national price points at $39.99 and $49.99. For 8 MB of data,
Sprint has typically added $20-$25 to each of the access charges. We expect
the additional charge per KB to be around $0.02 if customers break their
buckets.

FIGURE 1. PRELIMINARY INDICATIONS ON 3G PRICING

Monthly Charge
$49.99 $59.99 $74.99 $84.99 $89.99 $99.99 $119.99
Peak Min. 350 500 750 750 1,000 1,000 1,300
Off-Peak Min. 3,650 4,500 5,750 5,750 7,000 7,000 8,700
MB Data 2 2 2 8 2 8 8
Source: SSB research and estimates.

To put the pricing into perspective, we return to our VEP, voice-equivalent
pricing model, that is far from perfect, but allows us to compare the price
for data services on an apples-to-apples basis with voice. The methodology
uses average throughput of the data network to convert data traffic into
voice minutes. This can give us a back of the envelope measurement to
compare with voice capacity and pricing. We calculate a voice equivalent
price (VEP) per minute for a given data plan as follows:

where VEM, or voice equivalent minutes, is defined by the following formula:

Using average throughput of 30 kbps (our average 1X experience on Verizon's
Express Network), we find Sprint is pricing these buckets at a healthy
implied voice equivalent price of $0.70 - $1.13/minute

FIGURE 2. VOICE-EQUIVALENT PRICE POINTS

VEP
Throughput 2 MB 8 MB
20 kb/sec $0.75 $0.47
30 kb/sec $1.13 $0.70
40 kb/sec $1.50 $0.94
Source: SSB Estimates.

The sensitivity analysis above shows that Sprint has flexibility to increase
the size of the data buckets, especially if the loaded 3G network offers
faster average throughput speeds. As the speed of the network improves,
Sprint is able to achieve better voice equivalent pricing per minute. Data
margins will be sensitive to the cost for content and subscriber acquisition
and education.

Sprint is clearly trying to hold the line on its national voice pricing,
which is constructive for the industry and the company's subscriber
economics. However, its national competitors have not broadly shared
Sprint's strategy. Thus, pricing is a double-edged sword for PCS as the
company is trying to improve subscriber economics at low access plans, but
may limit its marketshare in the process. We do appreciate Sprint's effort
to differentiate on its service offering, rather than on price, and view it
as a constructive signal that Sprint is focused on its subscriber
profitability. On the data pricing front, we believe Sprint's data pricing,
like its competitors, runs the risk of revenue cannibalization for customers
that use too much or too little data. We still believe material data revenue
is, at least, 12 months away given the pricing plans and level of customer
education required. We highlight the pricing of its competitors' 2.5G data
services below."

"* Handset Selection -- We are enthusiastic for the launch of Sprint's new line-
up of handsets that should begin with at least two color-screen phones at or
below $200 and a PC-card for laptops/PDAs. We expect Sprint's phones to
include the color Samsung N400 which should retail for $199.99 and likely a
color-screen Sanyo 4900 for $179.99. These phones should be 1X voice and
data capable. Sprint should also offer the Samsung A500 for around $279.99.
We also expect LG to launch a color-screen flip phone at or near the launch
date, but we could not ascertain the SRP (suggested retail price) from our
channel checks. We expect Sprint to deploy several PC-card modems that will
range in features and price. We expect PC-card modems to range from $249.99
- $399.99 at retail. The company should also shortly launch the Audiovox
Thera, an integrated phone/PDA using Pocket PC, as well as the color
Handspring Treo."

This article on TreoCentral is even more interesting.. They did a review with pictures of the Treo 300.. That's the Sprint CDMA Model.. Wish they had some more info on when it will be available, since this is the one that I'm waiting for..

Whoops, Slashdot got Slashdotted! Here's a reprint:

"TreoCentral has just posted an intriguing article about how the Handspring Treo has Flash ROM - something that Handspring claims it doesn't. They've worked with Brayder Technology to create applications to utilize this newly discovered feature. It brings up the question, Why do developers lie about features in a device - especially if they are features that are wanted? Does anyone know any other examples?" Strange -- hardware manufacturers don't often underestimate their products' capabilities, do they?

Whoops, Slashdot got Slashdotted! Here's a reprint:

"TreoCentral has just posted an intriguing article about how the Handspring Treo has Flash ROM - something that Handspring claims it doesn't. They've worked with Brayder Technology to create applications to utilize this newly discovered feature. It brings up the question, Why do developers lie about features in a device - especially if they are features that are wanted? Does anyone know any other examples?" Strange -- hardware manufacturers don't often underestimate their products' capabilities, do they?