TREO 600 for $299!!!

[mattg1981]

no offence ... I dont like phones like these ... but a bump for yall anyways

 

[mensa]

I have owned 3 ipaq's, P800, P900, and now I have the treo 600 with tmobile. For an all in one device the Treo is the best solution for me. Having the kwerty keypad and a form factor that you can use as a phone and not look like you have your laptop strapped to your head is what I was looking for. Sure the OS is great on the pocket pc phones but you look like an absolut dork when you have them stuck to the side of your face. Have you ever tried dialing without a keypad on a phone....it sound easy but it isn't. The perfect device has not been made yet.

This is what would be perfect for my needs:
Size of Treo
Kwerty Keypad
Microsoft OS
Bluetooth
Wifi
Speakerphone
Edge
Quad Band

For now I will stick with the Treo 600.

Cheers,
S

 

[ClimberRich]

You are flat out wrong, the Treo is far more practical and easy to use than a Pocket PC

Originally posted by: bearxor

Originally posted by: salsa086
I'm pretty much a mobile device fanatic.. and our tech department supports hundreds of mobile investment brokers with all kinds of mobile devices.... I'll take a PocketPC over a treo any day.. the tmobile pocketPC phone and the ATT siemens sx56 have more power and capability than this phone... the gap between palmOS based phones and pocketPC phones will widen further especially once the MDAII hits the US (its currently available in europe and asia)...

MDA II
Specs

there is no comparison between pda phones: YOU ARE RIGHT, THE TREO IS MUCH BETTER!
current pocket pc phones come with 64 or 128 mb or memory, tmobile plans to release a 256mb version of the MDA II in the US... the treo has 32mb
the pocket pc is upgradeable to 512mb via Securedigital card... SO IS TREO
mp3 player treo: no pocket pc: yes YES - REAL PLAYER FOR FREE
Processor speed: treo: ? pocket pc: 200-400mhz 144MHZ for the Treo
MS Word/ Excel capable: treo: no pocket pc: yes Yes, via software.
Bluetooth: treo: no pocket pc: yes WHO CARES?
WIFI capable: treo: no pocket pc: yes YES
IR: treo: ? looks like no pocket pc: yes YES
internet explorer: treo: no pocket pc: yes WEB BROWSER - YES
128 bit encryption browser: treo: no pocket pc: yes
capable of playing full divx movies: treo: no pocket pc: yes WHY BOTHER?
mpeg1/2, avi, quicktime: treo: no pocket pc: yes
screeen size: treo: 160x160 pocket pc: 240 x 320 WHO CARES?
color: treo: 13,000 colors pocket pc: 16bit color (vga lcd)

AS TO SOFTWARE, PALM HAS THOUSANDS MORE THAT POCKET PC.

there are a ton more apps for the pocket pc and the developer tools ease the software creation process.. take a look at any mobile software distribution website... if you're into gaming on your pocket pc... there are SNES emulators and tons of actually decent games.. you can use a pocket pc as an all in one remote for your home theater... the new pocket pc 2003 has possibly the most powerful handwriting recognition engine on a pda..

say whay you want about microsoft (I'm a linux fan myself) their mobile OS kicks some serious ass...
if you're serious about a powerful pda... the choice is obvious

/me hugs his SPCS Toshiba 2032SP

LASTLY - The Treo is easy to use and intuitive. The pocket PC is not.

 

[rvr2k3]

I've used both PocketPC's, SMartPhones and Treos. The Treo blows the PC devices out of the water in terms of ease and convenience.

I had the MPx200 before this Treo and it had some very cool features like PocketTV. But the input method stunk. Looking up addresses took too long. I honestly tried to like the PocketPC and Smartphones, but they do not do simple functions easily, ie. calendar or address book. My Dell Axim took 10 seconds to look up an address.

The Treo 600 (Sprint) is the best purchase I've made since my DTivos. Plus I was able to sell my MPx200 on ebay and recoup the cost of the Treo, so it was essentially free since my MPx200 was free with contract.

 

[DavemanUT]

Originally posted by: mensa

This is what would be perfect for my needs:
Size of Treo
Kwerty Keypad
Microsoft OS
Bluetooth
Wifi
Speakerphone
Edge
Quad Band

For now I will stick with the Treo 600.

Cheers,
S

As a treo 600 owner, I agree about 75%. But you need to add one more thing to that list. BATTERY LIFE. Hello?!?! Do you know what kind of battery life you'd get if you were running all of those devices. If I charge my T600 all nite, It will make it through the day 95% of the time. But if it had the additional drain of WIFI, BT, a brighter, bigger, screen, I'd have it on the charger by noon!

Also, to the others who are talking about not liking Cingular. I couldn't agree more. I have a bunch of friends who have it in the past, and it just flat out sucks. Ive got Sprint, and it works great all throughout TN (with the exception of a few parts of I-40). But this phone is THE DEVICE to have right now when you take size, form factor, and price as your main considerations.

D.C.

 

[salsa086]

Looking up addresses took too long. I honestly tried to like the PocketPC and Smartphones, but they do not do simple functions easily, ie. calendar or address book. My Dell Axim took 10 seconds to look up an address.

If pressing a button with a calendar or address book symbol on it and using the 4 way button to scroll is too tough for you, you should have looked for some voice recognition software that is avaible for the pocket pc. You can look up addresses on most pocketpcs within a couple seconds.

regarding the size of the phone.. the treo only occupies 1 square inch less space.. its basically as bulky as a pocketpc.

Treo is far more practical and easy to use than a Pocket PC

Most of the time when I hear this, people don't like using the stylus, or aren't comfortable with using any of the 4 methods availabe for data input. Honestly, in its primary function as a phone, you can dial any of your top 20 most frequently called numbers within a couple seconds, using only one hand

are you guys just trying to justify your purchase in your heads? Honestly, I doubt many have actually tried, used, or supported as many mobile devices as I have

 

[iamme]

man, i really wanted this phone when it first came out.....tempting....

 

[ClimberRich]

Originally posted by: salsa086

Looking up addresses took too long. I honestly tried to like the PocketPC and Smartphones, but they do not do simple functions easily, ie. calendar or address book. My Dell Axim took 10 seconds to look up an address.

If pressing a button with a calendar or address book symbol on it and using the 4 way button to scroll is too tough for you, you should have looked for some voice recognition software that is avaible for the pocket pc. You can look up addresses on most pocketpcs within a couple seconds.

regarding the size of the phone.. the treo only occupies 1 square inch less space.. its basically as bulky as a pocketpc.

Treo is far more practical and easy to use than a Pocket PC

Most of the time when I hear this, people don't like using the stylus, or aren't comfortable with using any of the 4 methods availabe for data input. Honestly, in its primary function as a phone, you can dial any of your top 20 most frequently called numbers within a couple seconds, using only one hand

are you guys just trying to justify your purchase in your heads? Honestly, I doubt many have actually tried, used, or supported as many mobile devices as I have

You are missing the point. My goal for a smartphone is something that is intuitive and easy to use. Yes, if you like kludgy solutions, by all means go with a pocket pc. However, if you want something that is intuitive and easy to use, go with a Treo 600.

As to your statement, that you have used a ton of mobile devices, therefore listen to me, blah, blah, blah. How pathetic. I believe it was a non-engineer (Steve Jobs) who said we have to make an intuitive easy to use MP3 player. IT'S AMAZING HOW WELL IT SELLS BECAUSE IT IS SIMPLE TO USE AND INTUITIVE! I believe he also did something similar with the Macintosh computer.

Its all about ease of use. Sure there are some people that need to use an excel spreadsheet on a pocket pc, however, for the most of the rest of us the Treo is a better choice.

 

[salsa086]

what's pathetic is you don't realize it is intuitive and easy to use. Some just prefer using a keypad to enter their info. That's why there are two primary designs to satisfy each target consumer's preference. Many of us here at anandtech are power users... we want the fastest video card, the most powerful cpu, the most features from our PDA... if you just want to jot notes down, then get a regular phone and buy a 50 cent pocket memo pad.. or maybe you need one of
these?

 

[ClimberRich]

Originally posted by: salsa086
what's pathetic is you don't realize it is intuitive and easy to use. Some just prefer using a keypad to enter their info. That's why there are two primary designs to satisfy each target consumer's preference. Many of us here at anandtech are power users... we want the fastest video card, the most powerful cpu, the most features from our PDA... if you just want to jot notes down, then get a regular phone and buy a 50 cent pocket memo pad.. or maybe you need one of
these?

You are almost funny. Work on it.

I would venture to say that many (if not most) power users want their stuff to be powerful, reliable and easy to use. Some of us are willing to sacrifice some power/speed for reliability. BTW, some of the Pocket PC is intuitive, some is not. As a package, it isn't as simple to use as the Treo 600. While I still remember all the command line crap from the DOS/Unix days, I still prefer to use a GI OS BECAUSE ITS EASIER TO USE. Having lots of Windows features that aren't relevent to how most people use a smartphone isn't for me.

Don't forget that I did say that the Pocket PC is the right choice for some people. Clearly, you are one of those. For the rest of us, who prefer the most bang for the buck instead of the most bang, the TREO is a better choice.

I'll take a BMW or Mercedes sports car anyday over a Ferrari that will be constantly need tinkering and repairs. I'll bet you'd go for the Ferrari because its fast, looks really cool and who cares if its in the shop 25% of the time!

 

[mensa]

I have the GSM version on Tmobile right now but my wife's company is going to Sprint. Should I sell my GSM and switch over to the sprint treo? I know that battery life is better on GSM but the faster data of Sprint it tempting. What do you all think?

 

[ClimberRich]

Originally posted by: mensa
I have the GSM version on Tmobile right now but my wife's company is going to Sprint. Should I sell my GSM and switch over to the sprint treo? I know that battery life is better on GSM but the faster data of Sprint it tempting. What do you all think?

Do you travel internationally? If yes stay with GSM because the phone can be used worldwide.

How is reception on Sprint in your area? I live in Los Angels and my sprint reception sucks. When I switched to Tmobile my dead spots all but disappeared.

Lastly, will you save money by switching? If not then it may not be worth the bother.

 

[2czyz2]

Handspring chose (unfortunately IMO) to not include Graffiti as a built-in input option for any models after the Treo 180, but there are at least 3 ways to add it back in software.

1. Graffiti Anywhere (Freeware)
2. NewPen (Freeware)
3. Jot (does more than graffiti, but for $39!)

There used to be a product from CIC called RecoEcho that they sold for $10 -- Handspring also offered it as a free download for Treo 300 owners for a short period. I can't find any info on this product anymore.

I've been using NewPen for the last year, it works well.

 

[2czyz2]

I expect to see comparisons of the Treo hardware to the latest PocketPC smartphones that favor PocketPC, since they do have the upper hand in that respect, but I didn't expect to see a comparison this flawed. I'm guessing the poster has never used, played with, or read the specs of a Treo 600.

Many of these comparisons are just simply wrong, the situation isn't nearly as lopsided as it would seem from the inaccurate list below (especially if the wide variety of available software for the treo is considered).

Here are a few corrections:

the pocket pc is upgradeable to 512mb via Securedigital card...
as is the Treo 600. Next!

Processor speed: treo: TI 144Mhz, PocketPC: 200-400Mhz (Intel or Strongarm)

mp3 player treo: no* pocket pc: yes
a couple of mp3 players are available for the Treo, including Pocket Tunes ($12) and MMplayer ($14.95)

MS Word/ Excel capable: treo: no pocket pc: yes
Depends how you define capable, I guess. Dataviz's Documents to Go supposedly works OK for editing and creating word and excel docs, and is supposed to somehow support powerpoint and PDF as well (I'd assume no PDF creation).

Bluetooth: treo: no pocket pc: yes
probably available or available soon as an SD card, but I'm too lazy to look for it on the net. It'd have been nice if this had been included with the Treo.

WIFI capable: treo: no pocket pc: yes
Available as an SD card with memory for the Treo according to this press release, but it'd be better if it'd been included in the first place.

IR: treo: ? looks like no pocket pc: yes
Wrong, the Treo has IR. Next!

internet explorer: treo: no pocket pc: yes
Technically correct (since Blazer is not IE), but the Treo ships with a web browser called 'Blazer' which does the job just fine.

128 bit encryption browser: treo: no pocket pc: yes
Wrong, Blazer supports 128-bit SSL encryption, as well as javascript, downloading attachments, etc. here's some info

capable of playing full divx movies: treo: no pocket pc: yes
Wrong (depending on what "full" means, of course). MMPlayer can currently play/view DivX files on the Treo, as well as PCM, Adaptive PCM, MP3, MPG1, DivX, MJPEG, GIF, JPEG, and a couple of others.

mpeg1/2, avi, quicktime: treo: no pocket pc: yes
Wrong. See comment for DivX.

color: treo: 13,000 colors pocket pc: 16bit color (vga lcd)
Here's one wrong in the Treo's favor -- it actually only supports 3,375 colors.

And one last nit: "there are a ton more apps for the pocket pc..."
When last I checked, there were many more apps for PalmOS than for PocketPC available, as PalmOS has had a huge headstart. I'm not sure how to get an accurate count of apps these days for comparison. Handango lists 149 new apps for PalmOS added to the site in the last 14 days, compared to 171 for PocketPC, so the gap is undoubtedly closing. But even if PocketPC has taken the lead in terms of the number of apps, it's probably not by much. And (to address one example) it does appear that there is currently no SNES emulator available for Palm, but there are many other emulators available.

I'm sure there are plenty of reasons to pick a PocketPC phone if you're so inclined, but the reasons above wouldn't do it for me (The features that matter most to me, such as battery life, signal strength, phone functionality, ease-of-use, compatibility with OS X, Linux, and NetBSd, size, form-factor, and ergonomics, were all missing from the your analysis, and to my mind the Treo beats the available PocketPC devices on at least a few of these criteria). In any case, I'm happy to see that there's plenty of competition heating up in the cell-phone/PDA arena. Hopefully Palm will even things up hardware-wise in the next iteration (and I hope they reduce the price a bit more so that I can upgrade from my Treo 300).

Originally posted by: salsa086
I'm pretty much a mobile device fanatic.. and our tech department supports hundreds of mobile investment brokers with all kinds of mobile devices.... I'll take a PocketPC over a treo any day.. the tmobile pocketPC phone and the ATT siemens sx56 have more power and capability than this phone... the gap between palmOS based phones and pocketPC phones will widen further especially once the MDAII hits the US (its currently available in europe and asia)...

MDA II
Specs

there is no comparison between pda phones:
current pocket pc phones come with 64 or 128 mb or memory, tmobile plans to release a 256mb version of the MDA II in the US... the treo has 32mb
the pocket pc is upgradeable to 512mb via Securedigital card...
mp3 player treo: no pocket pc: yes
Processor speed: treo: ? pocket pc: 200-400mhz
MS Word/ Excel capable: treo: no pocket pc: yes
Bluetooth: treo: no pocket pc: yes
WIFI capable: treo: no pocket pc: yes
IR: treo: ? looks like no pocket pc: yes
internet explorer: treo: no pocket pc: yes
128 bit encryption browser: treo: no pocket pc: yes
capable of playing full divx movies: treo: no pocket pc: yes
mpeg1/2, avi, quicktime: treo: no pocket pc: yes
screeen size: treo: 160x160 pocket pc: 240 x 320
color: treo: 13,000 colors pocket pc: 16bit color (vga lcd)

there are a ton more apps for the pocket pc and the developer tools ease the software creation process.. take a look at any mobile software distribution website... if you're into gaming on your pocket pc... there are SNES emulators and tons of actually decent games.. you can use a pocket pc as an all in one remote for your home theater... the new pocket pc 2003 has possibly the most powerful handwriting recognition engine on a pda..

say whay you want about microsoft (I'm a linux fan myself) their mobile OS kicks some serious ass...
if you're serious about a powerful pda... the choice is obvious

 

[r0guenj]

i take that you haven't seen the ipaq 6300 series yet then? the only thing missing is a kb and edge (iirc). this is going to be my next phone......think palm t|t 3 sized pocketpc phone

Originally posted by: mensa
I have owned 3 ipaq's, P800, P900, and now I have the treo 600 with tmobile. For an all in one device the Treo is the best solution for me. Having the kwerty keypad and a form factor that you can use as a phone and not look like you have your laptop strapped to your head is what I was looking for. Sure the OS is great on the pocket pc phones but you look like an absolut dork when you have them stuck to the side of your face. Have you ever tried dialing without a keypad on a phone....it sound easy but it isn't. The perfect device has not been made yet.

This is what would be perfect for my needs:
Size of Treo
Kwerty Keypad
Microsoft OS
Bluetooth
Wifi
Speakerphone
Edge
Quad Band

For now I will stick with the Treo 600.

Cheers,
S

 

[bigshooter]

I'm a big fan of the Samsung sph-i500 (I use sprint).

Samsung SPH-I500

If it had a SD card slot like the Kyocera version that Verizon carries, it would be perfect. I think the treo is better overall because of processor speed/screen size, but the Samsung has the perfect form factor. It really is a phone that happens to have a PDA built into it, it even has the graffiti pad.

I do like PocketPC, I've had 2 ipaqs, but I recently sold my 3955 because I want a phone/pda combo. I would prefer a pocketpc smartphone (no windows mobile for me) because we are a microsoft shop at work, and I hope to find AD admin tools for it. Unfortunately EVERY pocketpc phone CURRENTLY on the market is a PDA PDA that has the ability to make a phone call. Hopefully the new IPAQ is the same size as the handspring but I wouldn't hold my breath. Whoever said that the treo really wasn't much smaller than an IPAQ must never have held it. It's not much bigger than my Samsung 8100, and it's actually thinner.

I'd also like to know who actually watches movies on their pda's let alone their cell phone. I've had some south park and chapelle clips that I converted to take to work and show people, but I never tried to watch a full length movie. I like most people who would shell out the kind of money these combo devices cost want it for productivity. I'm still a 24 year old geek, but if I want to watch a movie, I bring my laptop or just watch it at home. My phone is for calling people, and keeping track of all the bullsh!t that I have to deal with every day. An mp3 player could be nice, but I use my muvo for that.

Anyways, sorry for the rant. I had a mocha with 2 shots of espresso, and now I'm on a mate latte so my mind is racing.

 

[Silex]

It's funny. Everybody is plugging their favorite phones now which happens when you post a hot deal on a tech device!

 

[ClimberRich]

Originally posted by: Silex
It's funny. Everybody is plugging their favorite phones now which happens when you post a hot deal on a tech device!

You are right!

When some people started saying that this wasn't a Hot Deal because it wasn't a Pocket PC and a Pocket PC is better, I got pissed.

Let me state that if a Pocket PC is your cup of tea, this is not the deal for you. However, if you are considering a Palm PDA/Phone, then this is definitely a Hot Deal. Of course we all have different needs and preferences. Thats why we 50+ brands of TP that we can choose from at the supermarket. Who's to say which brand is best. I can't, and I doubt that anyone here could either.

 

[Farbio]

so if i get the unlocked version i can use it on sprint???

 

[Brian M]

This phone being sold at Letstalk will NOT work on Sprint. PalmOne makes two versions of the phone; a GSM version (Cingular, ATT, T-Mobile) and a CDMA version (Sprint, very soon Verizon). This phone is the GSM version and consequently will not work with Sprint.

Also, to tell the difference, the black Treo 600 is the CDMA version and the silver Treo 600 is the GSM version.

-Brian

 

[mensa]

Originally posted by: r0guenj
i take that you haven't seen the ipaq 6300 series yet then? the only thing missing is a kb and edge (iirc). this is going to be my next phone......think palm t|t 3 sized pocketpc phone

Originally posted by: mensa
I have owned 3 ipaq's, P800, P900, and now I have the treo 600 with tmobile. For an all in one device the Treo is the best solution for me. Having the kwerty keypad and a form factor that you can use as a phone and not look like you have your laptop strapped to your head is what I was looking for. Sure the OS is great on the pocket pc phones but you look like an absolut dork when you have them stuck to the side of your face. Have you ever tried dialing without a keypad on a phone....it sound easy but it isn't. The perfect device has not been made yet.

This is what would be perfect for my needs:
Size of Treo
Kwerty Keypad
Microsoft OS
Bluetooth
Wifi
Speakerphone
Edge
Quad Band

For now I will stick with the Treo 600.

Cheers,
S

The 6300 series will be great except for the size and now kwerty keypad. If it comes with a kwerty I will be first in line.