Verizon's Treo 650 Available Now for All!!!

I don’t know if it was extremely high consumer demand (more like frustration) that prompted Verizon to make its Treo 650 available 10 days before we were expecting it but for those who had been waiting this won’t make a difference one way or the other – the only thing that will matter to them is knowing that it’s finally available for them to buy online. 

As of this morning, Verizon’s Treo 650 has made an unexpected but much welcome appearance on palmOne’s website where it is now available for $399 with a two year agreement and an unlimited data plan is $45 per month (don’t go for the 5MB data option at $25 which is much too expensive for what it is).

Additionally, for those who have been thinking about which carrier to choose, PC Magazine recently reviewed Verizon’s Treo 650 and they were impressed rating it as “the best phone of the three Treo 650s, but data options are disappointing”:

Verizon's iteration of the palmOne Treo 650 is a great-sounding smartphone, but it fails to take advantage of the carrier's flagship high-speed data network.  Let's take a step back and review: The Treo 650 is the best PDA/phone on the market today, in terms of balancing handheld computer and phone functions.

The Verizon Treo has the same beautiful backlit 320-by-320 screen, as well as the same cramped-but-usable keyboard and zippy 312-MHz processor as its Sprint and Cingular siblings.

As a phone, the Verizon Treo's sound quality is impeccable, with a clear speakerphone 12 dB louder than that of the Sprint version. The folks at Verizon also added their own push e-mail solution, Intellisync Wireless Sync, which aggregates POP/IMAP, Microsoft Exchange, and Lotus Notes accounts into a BlackBerry-like push e-mail solution (a desktop redirector is used for Exchange and Notes). We installed this solution and it worked as advertised, though the frequent Internet access took its toll on the charge life of our battery (it should be noted that you can also use palmOne's VersaMail for more traditional, direct POP/IMAP access).

As has been discussed extensively in the comments here, the lack of EVDO will put a damper on some people’s enthusiasm for this latest model while many others will jump at the opportunity to finally have the Treo 650 with their preferred carrier.

At any rate, congratulations to all newly minted Verizon Treonauts!!!

UPDATE: I just received an email from palmOne with a special offer for people [ordering] upgrading their Verizon Treo 650 online:

As a special thank you for your continued support, we have a palmOne.com exclusive offer on our new Treo 650 smartphone. Order yours today with or without a Verizon Wireless service plan and you'll receive a FREE Bluetooth® headset with your order ($79.99 value). Plus, if you're one of the first 100 people to place your order, you'll also receive a FREE autographed copy of the ground breaking new book On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins, inventor of the PalmPilot, and Treo smartphone.

Plus, you'll get FREE express shipping on your entire order to help make sure you're one of the first on your block to receive your new device. Note: Due to high demand, devices are expected to ship within 2 - 3 weeks.

In the meantime, Verizon Wireless’ own website still doesn’t have the option of buying the Treo 650…

UPDATE 2: A bit on the late side but palmOne and Verizon today finally and officially announced the release of the Verizon Treo 650 for business customers…

UPDATE 3: I’m confused… Now Verizon have their own press release where they state that “consumers will be able to purchase the Treo 650 after May 23”…  In this light, I guess that ordering it now via palmOne makes a lot of sense.

Verizon Treo 650 [palmOne Store]
Verizon Treo 650 Upgrade Offer [palmOne Store]
Verizon Treo 650 Review [ABC News]
palmOne's Treo 650 Smartphone Now Available to Verizon Wireless Business Customers [palmOne Press Release]
Verizon Wireless Rolls Out New Data Pricing For Enterprise Customers [Verizon Press Release]

[Thanks TreoInsider & John KT]

Treonauts like to celebrate new arrivals…