Treo 650 'Official' Release!?
I have to admit that I am somewhat at a loss to figure out what is going on. InternetNews.com has just posted an article that basically makes the release of the Treo 650 'official' as it is Greg Shirai, director of product marketing for palmOne who is spilling the beans... It's obvious that this was an interview conducted some time last week and prepared for release today. A mistake by InternetNews, an unintended leak or a calculated move by palmOne's PR department?
The whole thing comes as a bit of a shocker as it was very much our impression that palmOne were planning to remain completely mute on the subject of the Treo 650 until its real official release believed to be scheduled for next Monday 25 October (although the InternetNews article may be an indication that this will be done today instead!?). In the article Shirai basically confirms everything that we already knew about the Treo 650:
- Better Camera (1.3MP) + 2x Digital Zoom
- High-res screen
- Bluetooth
- Removable battery
- Keyboard improvements
- Flash memory to ensure that data won't be lost
- Connector changed to match that of the Tungsten line
- New VersaMail to support MS Exchange Server 2003 out of the box
- Blackberry Connect (still not complete but to be added ASAP)
Furthermore, although PalmOne hasn't disclosed which telcos will offer the 650, it will be released in two flavors: a CDMA/1XRTT dual-band radio that can be used over the Verizon and Sprint networks, and a quad-band GSM with EDGE support (is this the EDGE confirmation that we've all been waiting for?), the GPRS protocols used by AT&T, Cingular and T-Mobile.
Finally, Shirai said that carriers should announce the availability of the 650 in the next few weeks, with the product actually available before the holiday shopping season.
Read full article at InternetNews and as always you can see our in-depth reporting of the Treo 650 here.
Additionally, a short article in Forbes also mentions that J.P. Morgan "expects palmOne to introduce the Treo 650 on or about Oct. 25" as earlier predicted on Treonauts.
Comments
I'd be stoked for EDGE support!! Seems silly to release a new smartphone now without it... especially if the CDMA side gets the next generation speed.
I'll tell you what they need to do; add some rubber bumbers on the edges that are a few mm thick so that when I drop it, I don't cringe...
So how much is this thing gonna cost? The 600 costs $500 at Cingular.com, so what's this gonna be? $700??
I might be looking to upgrade my T637 for the holidays, if the price is right. $500 already seems a bit steep, so I'm gonna assume this baby's prolly gonna be more, and the 600 will be reduced a bit.
MAKE A 3G VERSION MAKE A 3G VERSION MAKE A 3G VERSION MAKE A 3G VERSION.
Fast internet is what people want. Not crappy videophone.
When will they ever learn? 3G won't take off until there's decent internet-enabled 3G devices.
the article in Internetnews is gone. but if you go to the link (newslinx) in the header. you will see there was an article announcing the Treo650. also the treo 650 page is blank. Something is up they were there yesterday.
I noticed (on 11/14) the Treo 650 cited as a hot new gadget in the November issue of Men's Health.
A salesguy at the Newark (NJ) Airport PalmOne store in Terminal A told me yesterday that he's been told to expect shipments of the 650 "this week or next." He volunteered that it would be an unlocked GSM phone.
Didn't say how many...
Will the new Treo 650 be available on Verizon as well? I hope so as it seems to be a big jump forward over the 600!
So I already have the 600....What am I supposed to do, drop another 5 bills on the 650???? so as exciting as the 650 is, it means nothing to me, unless their gonna let me do a 1 for 1 swap...if that was the case, I'd be totally stoked, if not...it dont mean shit to me until i got an extra nickel layin around....
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