Treo 680: The Perfect Holiday Gift For You & Everyone Else

Like me many Treonauts will have spent at least some portion of this first weekend of December already looking for holiday gifts and the new Treo 680 Unlocked (which began shipping in volume this past Friday) or even Cingular Treo 680 will feature on the most wanted list of gifts to receive and/or to give.

In my particular case it also happens that I have two important family birthdays in the coming weeks and the Treo 680 is therefore making it extremely easy to shorten my list of things to buy…  [I just hope that neither my father nor brother are reading this or I will kind of have spoiled the surprise….]

Given the fact that they both travel internationally frequently and want to be able to use any SIM card they want, my gift choice will be the Treo 680 GSM Unlocked (see What is An Unlocked Treo 680?).  I will get the Arctic (White) for my Dad since he’s more adventurous than my conservative brother who will get his in Graphite (Grey) but there is also a choice of Copper and Crimson below.

I am evidently delighted that the range of Treo 680 colours will likely appeal to an entirely new and possibly younger audience but at the same time I have to admit that I am somewhat puzzled by the availability of only one ‘conservative/executive’ colour.  I personally feel that given the enthusiasm shown by Treonauts for both a Black and Gunmetal Blue Treo 680 (see Cingular Treo 680: Available In Black & Silver?) Palm may have missed a very good opportunity to perhaps market a Limited Edition “Midnight” (Black) Treo 680 in much the same way that it previously did with its Treo 650 Black Tie Edition… 

In my opinion such a limited edition Treo 680 could easily have been sold bundled with some extra accessories for $499 ($100 more than the currently available ones) thus providing Palm with more revenue on the one hand and also having a smartphone with an even greater “snob appeal” – particularly in Europe where this is still an important purchasing factor. 

I hope that Palm will seriously consider releasing such a limited edition at some point in the future but in the meantime at least I know that I will be able to make two people very happy to have received the gift of a Treo 680.

If like me you are now looking to buy a Treo 680 for yourself or someone special this holiday season, Palm has a few special offers that are certainly worth looking at:

1. Buy a Treo 680 Smartphone And Get A FREE Mobile Music Pack
Music on the go never sounded so good. Because now when you buy a Treo 680 you get everything you need to carry and listen to...

• Palm 1GB Memory Card add memory to carry even more of your favorite songs, playlists, and podcasts.
• Palm Hybrid Headset Treo headset doubles as stereo headphones for your MP3 files (see my Treo 680 Accessory Guide post).
• Palm Treo 680 Music CD includes Pocket Tunes Deluxe and FREE 30-day trial to Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go.

This offer expires December 22, 2006, so order your Treo 680 smartphone with the Mobile Music Pack today.

2. Buy a Cingular Treo 680 Smartphone – Save $100
For a limited time, when you buy a Treo 680 smartphone you can save $100. You'll get a $50 instant rebate from Palm, plus a $50 mail-in rebate from Cingular Wireless when you sign up for a new service plan that includes unlimited data. But hurry this offer only lasts until December 30, 2006.

3. Get $125 cash back—when you trade-in your old Palm Treo 650 smartphone for a new Treo 680
Personally, unless you _really_ need the $125 cashback that Palm offers you I would either gift my old Treo 650 to someone special, keep it as a spare one or even sell it privately as it will likely fetch a lot more…

Finally, now that the Treo 680 is fully available and shipping in both the Unlocked and Cingular versions I am curious to find out just how many Treonauts have already taken the plunge and bought one for themselves or someone else.

Treonauts always give the greatest gifts…