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Setting The Treo Record Straight

The announcement of the Treo 500 in Europe last week as well as the launch of the Treo 750 running WM6 in Canada yesterday have made me stop to think about all the criticism that has been aimed at Palm and the Treo in recent months. 

While much of this criticism – particularly the one aimed at Palm’s sluggish innovation – is well founded I nonetheless feel that the one imposed on our Treo as a device has been more than somewhat unfair and I’d like to take this opportunity to try to set the record straight as well as to help people better understand the overall current smartphone landscape.

Let me start by outlining the six types of smartphone hardware designs that currently exist so as to give you a better sense of where the Treo sits:

  1. Large touchscreen + full QWERTY keyboard
    • Treo 680, 750, 755p, 700w|wx, 650
    • iMate JAQ3, iMate JAQ, HP iPAQ hw6920/25
  2. Large touchscreen + sliding/flipping QWERTY keyboard
    • HTC P4300, Samsung SCH-i730, T-Mobile Wing, Nokia E90/E70, Sidekick, SonyEricsson P990i
  3. Large non-touchscreen + full QWERTY keyboard
    • Treo 500 (image below right)
    • Moto Q, Samsung Blackjack, T-Mobile Dash, BlackBerry Curve/8800, Nokia E61/E62
  4. Small touchscreen + mini QWERTY keyboard
    • Palm Centro (image below left)
  5. Small non-touchscreen + mini or T9 keyboard
    • BlackBerry Pearl, HP iPAQ 510, Nokia E50/E60/E65
  6. Touchscreen only (no physical keyboard)
    • Apple iPhone, HTC Touch, LG KE850

Palm Centro and Treo 500

Although there are many factors that can influence the choice of a smartphone there is no doubt that when specifically comparing a Treo against competing devices that also have a large touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard neither iMate’s nor HP’s Windows Mobile offerings come close to matching the elegance of the Treo 750 or the PalmOS Treo 680 and 755p

People have repeatedly complained about the relatively bulky Treo form factor but in this respect there is a surprising little fact that you should know about your Treo that nobody has bothered to ever mention before.  Namely:

The Treo 680, 750 and 755p are still the smallest and lightest smartphones featuring both a large high resolution touchscreen and full QWERTY keyboard on the market today!!! 
[The Treo weighs 5.4 ounces while competing devices in this category are between 5.6 and 6.33 ounces.]

Why does the above fact matter?  Because although some people like to complain about the Treo’s perceived “aged” design almost everybody will nonetheless agree that the combination of a touchscreen, large full keyboard as well a set of dedicated hard buttons combined with a powerful OS means that our Treo delivers the simplest, fastest and most intuitive smartphone experience

It is therefore important to understand that the main hardware compromise that one must be willing to accept (for now at least) with a Treo is that having the benefit of a large touchscreen and full keyboard inevitably means that it will be slightly heavier and bulkier than competing devices that have either no touchscreen or no keyboard (such as the Dash or iPhone).  Most Treonauts understand this perfectly well and have been more than willing to make this compromise.

Let me nonetheless take a closer look at the other five smartphone categories and devices available below:

  • Large touchscreen + sliding QWERTY keyboard
    • None of the offerings in this category are of any interest to me as I concluded some time ago that sliding keyboard devices are just too large, heavy and cumbersome for my use.  Having said this both the Sidekick and Nokia E90 have their fair share of converts.
  • Large non-touchscreen + full QWERTY keyboard
    • Because the lack of a touchscreen allows devices in this category to be considerably lighter and slimmer (from 3.5 to 4.76 ounces and 0.45” thick) than high-end Treo smartphones they have gained in popularity thanks to the Moto Q/Q9, Samsung Blackjack, T-Mobile Dash, BlackBerry Curve/8800 and Nokia E61/E62 all making interesting offerings include some with built-in GPS and WiFi.  BlackBerry in particular has risen from being one of the ugliest smartphones around to one of its most elegant.  Additionally, I have been very impressed with Palm’s new Treo 500 and I have no doubt that it will do very well competitively in this category – particularly if as expected it is offered for free with a new two year contract in the US.
  • Small touchscreen + mini QWERTY keyboard
    • The forthcoming Palm Centro (possibly called Treo 550 or 555 upon release?) will surprisingly be the first smartphone in this category – one targeted at a younger audience.  It will provide people the opportunity to experience the simplicity of PalmOS packaged in an ultrasmall and ultralight form factor while still benefiting from a touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard.  If as expected the Centro shares the same build quality as the Treo 500 and is released for $99 I have no doubt that it will be extremely successful.
  • Small non-touchscreen + mini or T9 keyboard
    • The BlackBerry Pearl has undoubtedly defined this category with an ultralight, small, slim and very elegant offering.  It does not feature a full keyboard but instead uses a unique set of 20 keys to type.  Although targeted at a different audience the forthcoming Palm Centro will have the most similar form factor.
  • Touchscreen only (no physical keyboard)
    • The hottest gadget of the moment in this category is naturally the Apple iPhone – a device with one of the largest high resolution touchscreens and a stunning and fast user interface.  However, while many have been attracted by its beautiful design (and influenced by its powerful marketing engine) the fact is that any experienced smartphone owner will like me quickly realise that the lack of a physical keyboard and dedicated buttons is a great and tedious barrier to completing the most basic tasks – particularly those requiring any type of data input – and this remains one of the iPhone’s main drawbacks.

Additionally, it may also be worthwhile pointing out that there are five main types of smartphone operating systems (each of which has its own particular set of strengths and weaknesses):

  1. Palm OS: Treo 680, 755p, 700p, 650
  2. Blackberry: Pearl, Curve, 8800
  3. Windows Mobile: Treo 750, Treo 500, Dash, Blackjack, Moto Q/Q9
  4. Symbian: Nokia E series, Sony Ericsson P990i
  5. OS X: iPhone

In this respect, again, although my preferred PalmOS has remained relatively unchanged for years the fact is that it retains quite a bit of an edge over its competitors whether they want to admit it or not.

Having said all this, it’s only natural that we should all want and expect even more from Palm.  Our demands for a next generation high-end Treo 800 smartphone are actually pretty simple:

  • Make it look great - shave off some weight and make it slim, clean the lines, add an ultrasharp screen, make sure it’s solid, go for black (remember, we want people to go Wow! when they see it)
  • Deliver that new Palm Linux OS that you’ve been raving about with a superb new HotSync technology and Palm Desktop from which we can control and modify all aspects of our smartphone (including files).
  • Make sure that the next Treo has something unique to offer out-of-the-box in the areas of communication, productivity, information and entertainment and work closely with third-party developers to deliver it.
  • Pack the Treo 800 with all the features that we want: full 3G connectivity, built-in WiFi and GPS, Bluetooth v2.0, 2+ megapixel camera as well as fast USB 2.0 connectivity among others.
  • Provide a completely new set of Treo accessories to match the look and feel of your new smartphones just like Apple does so well.

Finally, now that Palm will have devices competing in three of the six smartphone hardware design categories I also expect to see the company’s product development team getting ready to fill the remaining three as well with a:

  • WM large touchscreen + full sliding keyboard
  • WM small non-touchscreen + mini or T9 keyboard
  • PalmOS and WM Touchscreen-only (no keyboard) like in the mockup below that I quickly conceived in Photoshop with a large rectangular and small square screen based on the design of the Treo 500 and Palm Centro.

Treo 980 Touchscreen

Separately, there’s another important area that we seem to have been forgetting of late.  Namely, the wireless carriers.  In the US the big question on my mind right now is WHERE IS VERIZON!? Both the excellent CDMA Treo 755p (for $199) have been available on Sprint for some time and the company is also expected to be the first to launch the forthcoming Palm Centro but Verizon Wireless for its part is still only selling the Treo 700p and Treo 700wx (both for $399)!?  Also, where is the CDMA Treo 750 gone?  There’s no doubt that Palm will not be able to sell more smartphones unless it manages to have the necessary carrier distribution and perhaps it’s time that Treonauts started writing or calling Verizon Wireless en masse to demand to know where their new Treo is…

There’s a lot of food for thought in this post and choosing the right smartphone for you can be a complex task.  However, with this short overview I hope that people will at least be able to more readily understand where the various Treo models sit within the overall smartphone ecosystem and realise that for all its faults our Treo remains an absolutely superb device.

Treonauts are always setting things straight


Posted by Andrew on September 20, 2007 at 11:26 AM

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Comments

26
by Aaron | Sep 21, 2007 3:56:04 AM

Just give me a freakin' web browser that works and a thin phone.

Palm has the usability figured out... they just haven't updated the software or form factor in, oh, 4 years or so.

The Centro is a step in the right direction -- I may even buy one when it comes out instead of moving to the Sprint Mogul.

But why is it that only Apple figured out how to put a halfway decent web browser in a phone??

27
by TreoMalaysia | Sep 21, 2007 5:56:53 AM

This has been mentioned once, but it is necessary to mention again. And again. And again.

WIFI

Treo satisfies all my other requirements for a PDA and Phone.

28
by jayhoward | Sep 21, 2007 6:05:13 AM

I don't mean disrespect by saying this, but this blog has begun to resemble a place to preach to the PALM faithful, rather than a serious forum on what PALM needs to do to stay in business, although some readers do touch on that in their comments. It's not unlike the APPLE faithful, and the scorn they heap on those who dare say APPLE isn't the best. Quite honestly, I am a long time Apple Computer and Palm user, and have for a long time found both superior to competitive products. However, I don't think there should be any sacred cows here. I went out and bought a Sony Vaio TZ90 because Apple continued to drag its feet on a sub-notebook. As to the current state of the TREO, the only word that comes to mind is pitiful. I have had my TREO 650 since it came out, and while the finish is chipping, nothing PALM has released since has inspired me to want to buy a newer model. Apple, for the most part, continues to innovate. When the 600 and the 650 were released, they were innovate products. But in the past two years the rest of the industry is moving forward while PALM and the TREO appear to be jogging in place. Any serious user of the TREO knows the phone has its strong points, but also numerous problems that need to be resolved, not least of which is the very long-in-the-tooth PALM OS. I don't know personally that I will wait until 2009 for the new Linux platform. While I am not buying an iPhone (at least not until it's 3G ready), I have my eyes open, and don't rule out replacing my TREO 650 for something new, and it won't be a CENTRO 500 or a 755p. I think PALM can only expect loyalty to keep people using its platform for so long, and at least for me I am now most definitely open to other options.

29
by Andrew | Sep 21, 2007 7:37:34 AM

jayhoward - I actually think that I was quite clear in this post in outlining some of the things that Palm neeeds to do to deliver the future Treo 800 that many are waiting for both from a hardware, software and OS perspective.

Furthermore, although you may not consider either the Treo 680, 755p or forthcoming Centro to be to your liking there is no doubt that they are all improvements over your current Treo 650 (principally from a form factor perspective).

AndyP and others - of course I am biased towards our Treo (this is Treonauts after all) but not to the extent that I cannot see nor write about the obvious issues that exist. Additionally, it's also true that I have had a personal preference for the PalmOS but I am nonetheless increasingly seeing the benefits of Windows Mobile and in this respect both the Treo 750 and Treo 500 are undoubtedly terrific smartphones.

Pilot17 - I have no idea what you're talking about. For the record the only comments that have ever been banned on this blog have been those that have either been abusive to myself or others as well as spammers. Before attacking my integrity perhaps you'd care to check your facts properly instead of inventing them.

Cheers, A.

30
by jayhoward | Sep 21, 2007 8:12:39 AM

Andrew - I am aware that you did mention some areas where PALM needs improvement, but overall the tone of the article, starting with the title, comes off as a defense PALM. As others have pointed out, and rightly so, it is your blog and people who don't like what you have to say are not mandated to read it. Perhaps part of the problem is that I make my living as a journalist, and I may be unfairly expecting journalist impartiality from a personal blog. Also, while some may see it as unfair, from a journalistic point of view we hope to make things that are not good better, rather than offering pats on the back for what is already good. The fact that I continue to use my TREO 650 is because it is a phone certainly has it's merits, but it hasn't kept up with its competitors. Yes, some of the updates released since I purchased my TREO 650 are better from a form factor point of view, I wouldn't deny that, but then again PALM is not giving away the phones. As I said "nothing has inspired me to want to buy a newer model," which means basically that an improvement in form and an even lesser improvement in function just doesn't make it worth spending the money. I think you might be surprised to find just how many people are holding onto their 650's for the same reason. Cheers, J.

31
by Jmore | Sep 21, 2007 11:09:49 AM

I gotta agree with jayhoward. I've held on to my Treo650 for almost 3 years just waiting for Palm to release a "worthy" successor. I would love for Palm to make some sort of announcement, and soon. I was so close to buying an iPhone...but waiting for a 16gb model so I can store my music, demo reels and portfolio with room to spare. Just say something Palm!

32
by write4food | Sep 21, 2007 5:08:19 PM

Agree with Jmore. When I came back to the States, after spending some time in Japan (cell phone mecca in the late 90's), I bought the Treo 650, because in my opinion, it was the best phone the States had to offer, than competed with what I was accusomted to in Japan.
Fast foward two and a half years, and here I am still fingering my 650. I actually walked to the At&t store twice, to purchace an Iphone. But I did not. However, the lack of a Verizon Treo, the lack of wifi in the updated Treos that's been released since my 650 purchase, all these factors seem to suggest that Palm doesn't want to make profit anymore.
I agree the design, in my opinion, is the best that's out right now. The spring board just seem too cumbersome, an the Iphone lack of a quetry board is a major set back. But despite those set backs, the ingine underhood is far more impressive than Palms lastest incarnation of a once uniqe product...
Still holinding Palm, but barely.

33
by jaquin | Sep 21, 2007 5:42:01 PM

I applaud you for trying to place Palms Treos within the matrix of the here and now for smartphones. I do agree with you that in many ways the Treo still outperforms many of the feature phones and smartphones of its competitors. Unfortunately we should be able to agree that the Treo is no longer the Belle of the ball. She has competition, lots of it. Cheaper, Thinner, Better Data Plans ....it dosnt mean the Palm has stepped backward, it is in fact the competition has stepped up. We users of the Treo feel the breath of competition on the nape of our necks, we fear being passed. And thats why we complain.
Question is, does Palm have the money, the management, the service and the guts to compete in this new marketplace.
I don't think so.
The management has done so many strange things...700p debacle being the most egregious example.
The service when something goes wrong is spotty, and the money is being eaten up by some of these newer phones.
We can argue about the merits of wifi on a phone,multitasking or stereo bluetooth...but those don't sell phones, to people who are not tech adepts.
So Andrew your placing palm within the competitive landscape is an exercise in logic, but logic dosn't sell phones does it.

34
by Marvin | Sep 21, 2007 5:49:05 PM

I am in the market for my first smartphone and I find your review quite interesting, very informative but somewhat disconcerting. Being a first time entrant into this realm, I have researched extensively, trying to find the "best", while hopefully remaining on Verizon. I find myself in a tug of war with opinions, facts, rumors, glitz, panache and basic functionality causing me to re-think my decsion almost daily. As AndyP notes, Verizon's inability to introduce or even suggest that a "new" 755P will appear soon is only pushing me further away, most notably to Blackberry (although here again, Verizon is a step back with no "Curve" in the current lineup.) At this juncture I would almost be willing to accept a smartphone that isn't the current home run king, as long as I knew it would be there everyday as a great singles hitter and help me meld my aging Palm PDA into a well performing product. Should I jump this ship, even before I get on it, and just get the Blackberry ?

35
by jayhoward | Sep 21, 2007 10:55:29 PM

Marvin - One thing you need to consider is that deciding on a phone platform, assuming you want to use it for more than phone calls, is that whether it be PALM, WM, Symbian or Linux, it is an investment in more than a phone. Specifically, it is an investment of money spent on software and accessories, and time spent making the platform an integrated and comfortable part of your business and personal routine. Once you have made that investment there is a desire, and rightfully so, to not switch platforms. If the investment factor wasn't there you can be sure no one like myself would still be holding a PALM TREO 650 at this juncture in time. When the TREO 600 first came out it was a revolutionary phone. When PALM added to the TREO 650 a high resolution screen, bluetooth and a number of other improvements, it was an essential upgrade. As far as I and many others are concerned, PALM has stalled since then. As much as we'd like to give PALM our money for "something better" it hasn't materialized. Anyway, I recommend you consider carefully not the phone first, but the platform first. For example, if you go with WM, you can still have a TREO, and change phones without problem in the future. What phones running WM that may be better than the TREO I won't go into now. However, if you go with a PALM TREO you are investing in a platform that the company has already said it wants to dump, and with good reason.

36
by jayhoward | Sep 21, 2007 10:57:35 PM

Marvin - just a correction - my last sentence means a PALM TREO running the PALM OS. Cheers, J.

37
by sims2k | Sep 21, 2007 11:21:53 PM

I too have been a long time Teo 650p user and I have been waiting for worthy successor to upgrade to in a month's time. I have invested much in Palm medical softwares to switch to any other platform. However...if Verizon does not offer anything like the 755p soon I might be tempted to switch carrier instead.

38
by btn | Sep 22, 2007 1:40:32 AM

I think I've mentioned here before that I'm a longtime Apple fan (and Palm user) so I totally empathize with Treonauts right now. Apple was fortunate to have Steve Jobs return to save the company by cutting through the B.S. and focusing on innovation. Palm took a step forward by killing the Foleo; hope hangs on...

My current thought is to buy a Centro without renewing my Sprint contract. It's effectively a smaller 755p, which makes it worth the upgrade from my 700p. That said, Palm and Sprint are losing my business next year if they're not shipping something better than the iPhone.

I would have switched to an iPhone already, but there's something wrong about paying Sprint $200 to terminate a contract. The lack of 3G on the iPhone is also just enough to discourage me despite my Treo's EV-DO being worthless sometimes due to its crappy software (e.g. Blazer).

I could probably live with the Treo's hardware if the software were awesome. (Sidekick slides by with its bulky design due in part to great software.) As others have mentioned, Palm needs to pull off an OS transition much like Apple's move from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X.

Palm: Quit messing around with Windows Mobile. Palm OS 6 should be the top priority. Hopefully, your Linux-based Palm OS hasn't internally become a Copeland-like debacle. (Does anyone know if there's anything out there Palm should buy?) Good luck, and thanks for the OOB Mac support all these years.

39
by Marvin | Sep 22, 2007 1:36:21 PM

Obviously, from my earlier post, I have been debating about getting a Treo and then, waiting for Verizon to release the newest model. I am beginning to wonder if my questions and hesitantcy are also on the minds of Verizon executives. Since July I have been hearing of the imminent release of the 755, but each month all I get are rumors of why the unit is delayed and when the next possible release date is "scheduled". Besides the software upgrade debacle, now being "on" again, there is no good news from Palm. Corporately they are suffering in an industry where others are breaking financial records quarterly while in the same month, one of their senior engineering execs leaves the company. I think Verizon is seeing the same marketplace that we are and Palm isn't exactly the shining light here. Have you looked in detail at the iPhone? Apple has created an incredible product and THIS is only their first release. Can you imagine the capabilities of the iPhone in 6 to 12 months? Look at the past YEARS of the Treo and do the same analysis. I don't see Verizon dropping the Treo, but with iPhone now out, I think Verizon is either demanding a vastly improved Treo (linux software?) or they may just as well stay in the 680 arena. Pricing pressure in the smartphone market doesn't leave a lot of room for non-performers and when Apple triples their iPhone sales with the $200 price reduction I am sure Verizon noticed.

40
by vip | Sep 23, 2007 1:57:33 AM

What turned me off with Palm is selling the WiFi SD card and then not having it work with the Treos? What's with that?

41
by jeff | Sep 23, 2007 5:07:54 AM

As a 6+ year user of Palm, I have to say I finally walked away two months ago to the sinister iPhone.

In all it's evil glory it does everything I need (except maybe mobiTV - which I was starting to like)

As others have said - the virtual keyboard was my main concern, and after literally a week or so, you let go and it really works well. I type just as fast on my iPhone as I ever did on my Treo.... really NO LYING... it works amazingly.

The Ipod portion runs circles around PocketTunes (and I LOVE PocketTunes).

The screen is so damned gorgeous and landscape is frosting you can't even imagine. Factor in a great interface and MULTITASKING!!!! and you wonder why you ever hung on so long to that darned Treo. Imagine actually leaving one program to go to another, and returning to the original program in the same place you left off!!!! - what a novel idea.

How about Conference calling with 5 people and being able to see everyone that is on the line, and being able to hang up on ONLY THE ONE(s) you need to???.... Anyone else run a business? - Try that on a Treo... SCARY.

Visual Voicemail is a godsend - that feature alone will keep me in an iPhone... as a business person, being able to receive voicemails as though they are emails (listening to the 6th message instead of the first - being able to re-listen to any portion of a message without having to play the whole thing - not having to delete a message because it's #7 in a string of 20 - thus allowing you to use the voicemail as a task manager - JUST LIKE EMAIL!!!)... I'm telling you once you use it, if you have to manage business, you will NEVER want the old voicemail cr*p again. You almost NEVER have to write anything down - just go back to Visual Voicemail, you don't have to listen (or skip) to all the messages - just the one you need. I seriously do not carry a pad and pen everywhere with me anymore!

I miss the HUNDREDS of application for my Treo (which must've taken years to develop) - but I don't miss my Treo. With any luck, Apple will open development up (some stuff is already trickling in - just like when Handspring introduced the Treo). They've had a smartphone for two months, so I'm giving them some time for applications. I gave Palm more than 6 years of loyalty thinking they would constantly be at the forefront - and now I'm giving my loyalty to Apple... I actually am excited about what my iPhone will look like in 6 years.

Palm I loved you - and I hope you find your way, but you lost me.... at least for a while.

Good Luck!

PS: I understand Andrew has an iPhone he uses - but most of us only use one phone. Until you give up your security blanket phone, you will never embrace your new one. I also think that www.iPhonenauts.com may already be taken.... so it's kind of in his best interest to keep Treonauts running... don't ya think?

42
by Andrew | Sep 23, 2007 7:51:23 AM

jeff - I actually own the domain iPhonauts.com so I wouldn't be so quick to jump the gun as you may yet see me writing some interesting things about the iPhone... It may not be my "preferred" smartphone but as I have stated many times in the past this does not preclude me from clearly seeing what the iPhone (and other devices) have to offer.

Separately, it is clear that as the leading "voice" in the Treo ecosystem some people will inevitably take pleasure in personally attacking me and my integrity whenever I utter anything remotely positive about our Treo - this is particularly true when they lack the arguments to intelligently counter my views...

Cheers, A.

43
by jeff | Sep 23, 2007 1:47:39 PM

Every business must look out for it's own interests... this is not a personal attack, just a fact of the business environment that everyone else needs to be aware of so they can make objective decisions about their own equipment needs.

There are millions of users in the Palm community who like to think of themselves as individuals that can make up their own minds about what suits their lifestyle.... They don't need to be led around. If anything, these millions of users have created a community that is truly the voice of the Palm ecosystem. Not just because of the sheer numbers, but because they influence many more people in their everyday examples than any one blog could do. That, and I would think Palm as the manufacturer would like to think they innovated by building the product, they have shown the value, they really "lead" how the Palm lifestyle can help peoples lives.

If palm dies - Treonauts dies... kinda makes you a follower.

44
by Sean | Sep 23, 2007 2:11:08 PM

"If palm dies - Treonauts dies... kinda makes you a follower."

And since you are using the Treonauts website, you are following Andrew.

I don't know how this got into personal attacks on anyone here, but this debate is dramatically falling on the wayside of schoolyard bullying.

Listen: Treo has some problems in being an innovator, others have caught up and surpassed it. They are still great phones, but there are other phones that are equal to or better. If the Palm kids can get their act together, we will see some pretty amazing new things in the future. We haven't seen that many clues that would lead us in that belief yet.

Basically that sums up the facts that are on the page here. Stop attacking people, stop accusing peoples' agendas, stop the garbage.

There is enough to talk about here without using Gooch-like tactics. In most debates, both sides are usually correct; it is just that neither understands the others' point of view.

45
by jeff | Sep 23, 2007 2:29:46 PM

Everyone should check out ALL the information on blogs, review sites, and even go into the stores before they make a decision to buy something you're going to be contracted with for 2 years.

What works for me doesn't work for everybody else. I used a Treo for 6+ years, and it was great for me - but not for many others. I switched, and now the same is true on a different device. But everyone should have an opportunity to hear someone else's experience with a particular device, not just a Tech Guru's insight from a review.

People on the street made the Treo successful - word of mouth from people you really trust and work or deal with everyday. I thought that's what a comment section on a tech Blog was helpful for. I'm not afraid to admit I 'follow' the advice and experience of others.... but I make up my own mind as to what works for me.

I hope Palm gets it together, and if/when they build a beautiful and functional device that is on the leading edge again, I will buy that product... I'm a Palm fan. They've just lost me for now.

[This comment has been edited.]

46
by karibos | Sep 23, 2007 4:20:53 PM

the mere fact that Palm needs a pep talk speaks volumes....

47
by whatnext | Sep 24, 2007 4:43:07 PM

Folks,

This is an interesting thread of discussion. Like most of you I have been an ardent fan of the Palm OS and Treo for the past decade. Am at the crossroads now on whether to wait for the next innovation from Palm or to jump over to the iPhone camp.

Have considered several merits of iPhone, however, I still can't believe that they don't have some of the basic business applications e.g. a daily view of the calendar that would show my tasks and calendar items, the very application to maintain my tasks and a good notepad for keeping my day to day notes. These seem to be basic items and have been around in a Palm for years.

Any thoughts on how others are addressing this?

48
by Colonel Kernel | Sep 25, 2007 1:48:58 AM

Andrew,
After looking at all the Centro and 500v images I think they're both basically the same size.

In fact, the Centro, with its taller screen should be that much taller, overall. They look nearly identical from the waist down, except for the Centro's lower right MENU key.

One of the PDAFrance images places it next to a Blackberry Pearl, showing it to be noticably taller and wider. Comparing the Pearl to the Treo's current dimensions tells me the Centro is not the diminutive elf that was first reported.

All of this is moot if you've also had an encounter with the Centro, as you did with the 500v.

49
by treogangsta | Sep 27, 2007 9:39:26 AM

"In this respect, again, although my preferred PalmOS has remained relatively unchanged for years the fact is that it retains quite a bit of an edge over its competitors whether they want to admit it or not." Thats a load of crap. Palm OS use to be the best, it's now at the bottom of the list. From Resco Explorer and butler to skinui and I8. In a way you could say i've bought a completly new os. Every thing on palm os is broken. From bluetooth to accessing apps on the card. They better come out with a new version or im going windows mobile 6

50
by Blake | Sep 27, 2007 11:42:08 AM

I agree treogangsta. By the time I had bought all the software for the phone to basically make it useable, I had spent more than the Treo itself.

Furthermore, the idea that:
"In this respect, again, although my preferred PalmOS has remained relatively unchanged for years the fact is that it retains quite a bit of an edge over its competitors whether they want to admit it or not."

I disagree. My wife has a Blackberry that can do anything a Treo can do. It has lots of third party software to choose from.

The comments to this entry are closed.

 
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