[neurocutie]

The Q is half as thick because it doesn't have a touch screen.

Until Access creates a viable new OS, there can't be a non-WM Treo that is much more impressive than the 680.

I know the 680 is a small upgrade at best...

Why ? So why *can't* there be a non-WM Treo that is more impressive than the 680 ? Yeah, granted, Palm and Palmsource have the same gene for molasses-slow innovation, and apparently Palm cannot innovate a substantially improved Treo any faster than Palmsource can see its way to revamping PalmOS into the '90's, let alone a modern OS. But others, like Samsung, *have* demonstrated that it *is* possible to make a small, light PalmOS 5 flipphone, complete with a bright 320x320 touch screen. So why exactly *can't* someone innovate the current Treo (and its difficult to differentiate, finely nuanced models), into a range of impressive phones in various, more compelling form factors ?

The Q is clearly a different phone from the Samsung i600 and the Motorola MPX 220, yet they are all WM Smartphones. Why *can't* there be the same kind of range of phones with the innards of a Treo, running Garnet ?

[treo-mike]

Why would you think that the Pearl is such an innovation? Yes, it is small and light, but other than that, there is really nothing special about the phone, hardware or software-wise.

Blackberry was behind on the camera and media player side (also aesthetics). So now I have a much smaller and lighter phone - and I didn't really give up any features other than a full Qwerty keyboard. It does everything my Treo 650 did - and on the phone side of things it does many things quite a bit better.

I have been a Treo guy through and through for years now. I always defended it as the BEST smartphone. But I am just not satisfied with the offerings from Palm any more - and the competition is starting to catch up and surpass. Also, I have concerns about Palm quality as a result of issues with my 650. I finally got it stable, but there was a lot of debacles along the way - the memory issues are the most memorable to me.

[ekerbuddy]

its pretty simple guys. you are all going to end up with the 750v. I tried one. ilIt has many of the upgrade features we all want. but the screen will dissappoint you and you won't like the complicated wm5 software.

Personally I don't know where to go. I have all the 3rd party software (GPS. Keysuite etc) for the Palm and let's face it, my 650 does everything I need with it all. so if I don't have the extra goodies then I wil survive.

Or go for the 750, spend 3 months trying to get it to be as functional as my 650, and live with the daily dissappointment of the screen and the wm5 lag (and it wil annoy you).

Neither feels good.

Either way, my audio jack bust so I have to make a purchase soon! and since I have all the hardware accessories, it has to be a Treo form factor.

[Pearl_Diva]

I've been living with WM5 so it's no problem for me. I can't go back to Palm OS now. But the screen could be a problem, since I'm used to 320x240. We will see.

[dimensiondvdrob]

Blackberry was behind on the camera and media player side (also aesthetics). So now I have a much smaller and lighter phone - and I didn't really give up any features other than a full Qwerty keyboard. It does everything my Treo 650 did - and on the phone side of things it does many things quite a bit better.

I have been a Treo guy through and through for years now. I always defended it as the BEST smartphone. But I am just not satisfied with the offerings from Palm any more - and the competition is starting to catch up and surpass. Also, I have concerns about Palm quality as a result of issues with my 650. I finally got it stable, but there was a lot of debacles along the way - the memory issues are the most memorable to me.

I agree with you treo-mike. I have had my 650 since the day it was available as an unlocked GSM phone. Last week I walked into my T-Mobile store and saw the Pearl and was very impressed with on looks alone. Then I took it home and have been using it ever since. I am so impressed with it, I've basically decided that I will keep it and forego my 650 and Palm for now, since, as you mentioned,

I didn't really give up any features other than a full Qwerty keyboard. It does everything my Treo 650 did - and on the phone side of things it does many things quite a bit better.

One thing that I've come across that I like better than on the Treos is that most of the functions that the Treo does that the BB also does, I believe the BB handles them more elegantly and definitely without any resets!

[dimensiondvdrob]

Blackberry finally got into a smaller package, and still works like the larger Blackberries. That's why.

That's right, Phone Diva. I was very surprised that RIM was able to transport the whole BB interface and OS to this smaller form factor, add a camera and some media support and still keep it simple, elegant and stable. I have not had this Pearl lock up on me once in the past 2 weeks, even when I had the phone crawling to download web pages and switching applications very fast. It just took a bit to catch up, but it did and did not require a reset!

[temna]

Perhaps. That is very different from a 650 user buying it, knowing that in the near future he will have to buy yet another phone to get UMTS. For 650 users this is someplace between nothing and a disaster.

Near future? Do you really think UMTS is going to be rolled out enough to even care in the near future? I would be shocked to see it in my area in the next three years. Heck, Verizon still doesn't even have EVDO here yet. Course, their sales reps have been saying "by christmas" for the last three years.

And who can fill me in with the lust for these super thin phones? I personally think the superthin phones feel fragile. And they never feel "right" to me in my hand. Oddly enough, after owning my Treo for almost a year, I find it to be way more comfortable to talk on than my Razr or any other the phones I looked at at T-Mobile. I just see a Q being snapped in half by my putting it in my pocket or something. Maybe it's just me.

[whmurray]

Near future? Do you really think UMTS is going to be rolled out enough to even care in the near future? I would be shocked to see it in my area in the next three years. Heck, Verizon still doesn't even have EVDO here yet. Course, their sales reps have been saying "by christmas" for the last three years.

And who can fill me in with the lust for these super thin phones? I personally think the superthin phones feel fragile. And they never feel "right" to me in my hand. Oddly enough, after owning my Treo for almost a year, I find it to be way more comfortable to talk on than my Razr or any other the phones I looked at at T-Mobile. I just see a Q being snapped in half by my putting it in my pocket or something. Maybe it's just me.

I agree that UMTS will not be soon enough to protect Cingular from massive defections to EVDO. However, By the time one gets a 680, we are in 2007. There will be UMTS in the US by the end of 07 or never. There is not enough in the 680 to get me to upgrade from my 650 and then upgrade again in the same year. I have said here that one should not wait on Palm but one should not either dance to their tune. The 680 is clearly not a "new" phone, a new generation phone, a "must have." Someday there will be a 3G phone on a 3G net. We will see what it is then. This is the meantime.

[oalvarez]

No doubt, but there are many others who will not want to make that trade-off. Another key reason that the Q was/is a big seller for motorola is the price. This is a big market with many different segments.

Did you switch from Verizon to Tmobile to just get the Pearl?

i still have other family members on VZ. i simply initiated new service at TMobile given how much i enjoyed the Pearl. they offer a plan that allows you to call 5 different phone numbers (u can change one time per month) for an UNLIMITED number of minutes for only $10 extra/month.

[oalvarez]

Why would you think that the Pearl is such an innovation? Yes, it is small and light, but other than that, there is really nothing special about the phone, hardware or software-wise.

it's small, it's light, it looks great, has better battery life, and offers what most people need and want. i almost forgot, it doesn't have to be reset.


that's what is special about the phone.

[jmpowell]

I like the 680 and plan on getting one. I currently have a 600 and this is a HUGE upgrade for me. I don't want to spend $600 on a high-end phone that has bells and whistles I don't really need. I want a nice upgrade to my 600 at a nice price - the 680's it.

Plus, I want to save my shekels for a PS3 and a MacBook!

[skfny]

Blackberry was behind on the camera and media player side (also aesthetics). So now I have a much smaller and lighter phone - and I didn't really give up any features other than a full Qwerty keyboard.

That's nice that it does everything YOU need. But let's not paint the Pearl as a Treo 650 equivalent. Only a WM device can truly be compared to the POS Treos in terms of functionality (and WM devices have even more functionality). Symbian and BB third-party apps are a joke.

[skfny]

And the Q is wider to compensate for it being thinner.

I can't understand the appeal of the Q. It's wide and not nearly as comfortable to hold IMO. I'd rather have the Treo form factor than a wider device.

[LCGuy]

What are the people at Palm doing???

They keep re-gifting the Treo 600 over and over and over again.

Now they offer it in orange?

I don’t want white or red or orange or grey. I want a Treo that is ALL Black, which, by the way would make it look much, much smaller.

I was the first civilian on earth to get a detailed preview of the Treo 600 before it came out. I told Michelle White from Handspring that the stub antenna was a huge mistake. She gave me some lame excuse and said the phone was better with it. So it took them more than 3 years to fix???

Why is the Treo still so thick? The Motorola Q is half as thick. What is Palm doing? I have never been so unimpressed and uninspired by a new product launch.

Come on Palm, make it half as thick like the Q and make it black…or are you going to make me wait another 3+ years????

1. I think black would be nice.

2. Calm down.. Palm has ignored the average cell phone user for years. That was a huge msitake, as the original Palm Pilot was a natural vehicle to migrate those users to a Treo. They priced themselves out, and suffered for it. At lest they recognze that now and are trying to appeal to a much larger worldwide market.

3. The Q is a major disappointment for Motroloa. Do you really want to compare the Treo to that?

4. Most long time Treo users will likely buy the 700 with Windows mobile. We know what we want, and what swe can and cannot tolerate. We are also willing to pay a bit more for those features. The rest of the world will salivate when they see the Treo 680 commercials and advertising, and available in colors, as well. It may sound stupid, but my 14 year old daughter went gaga over the RazR because she coudl get it in Pink. Imagine what she will do when the Treo 680 is available in colors at cheaper prices with more functionality, touch screen and full keypad?

Good move, Palm.

BTW, my only criticisim is the reduced battery life. 4.5 hours is ok, but, the 6 hours from previous Treo batteries truly made it exceptional for me.

FWIW...

[Q]

[QUOTE=LCGuy;1102829]BTW, my only criticisim is the reduced battery life. 4.5 hours is ok, but, the 6 hours from previous Treo batteries truly made it exceptional for me.
[QUOTE]

I'm planning to use DynaClock to help compensate for the smaller battery; I'm sure there'll be enough of a market for any needed update to the program.

[dimensiondvdrob]

That's nice that it does everything YOU need. But let's not paint the Pearl as a Treo 650 equivalent. Only a WM device can truly be compared to the POS Treos in terms of functionality (and WM devices have even more functionality). Symbian and BB third-party apps are a joke.

Nobody is stating that the Pearl is a direct competitor to the Treo, however, for me it was a perfect match. I, personally, do not use many third party applications. The ones I use mainly (which are not Treo-dependent like VolumeCare) are: Splash ID & Handmark Express. I also did not used to use too much third party software because of stability problems inherent to the Treo and Palm OS 5.4.8.
I did not have a custome ROM or anything like that; I am a user that needs my phone for calls, emails, SMS, BT headset and web browsing, which are all handled more elegantly on the Pearl than on the Treo. For me, the ability for the hardware to work flawlessly was paramount, since I spend a lot of time in the car and was sick of struggling (on occasion) with my Treo to correctly send calls to my Jabra JX10 headset perfectly. I was also sick of the resets, etc. that plauged my Treo and many others' Treos as well, as described on this site in the various posts. In the end, for me, the nicer screen (in terms of sharpness), the WAY BETTER battery life (Treo battery life PALES in comparison to the Pearl, even with the Seidio extended life battery), stable OS, smaller size and better form factor and the availability of 3rd party apps that I use made this a clear winner over the Treo for me. Also, I don't need an app like VolumeCare to make calls from the handset and be able to hear people.

[Rome]

it's small, it's light, it looks great, has better battery life, and offers what most people need and want. i almost forgot, it doesn't have to be reset.


that's what is special about the phone.

I am glad that the pearl works for you. Not sure about the better battery life claim you made....RIM only claims 3.5 hours of talk time on its web site.

http://www.blackberry.com/products/b...00.shtml#specs

As for your reset free claim, I just have to take your words for it. I carried a BB for a couple of years, and I can assure you that BB is definitely not reset free.

As for your "look great" claim, it is a subjective call. I think the pearl is too small and very plain looking.

As for your "offer what most people want" claim, it is too early to tell. Didn't you say the same thing when the Q first came out?

However, I must admit that the suretype technology on the pearl is most certainly very special...so special that I hate using it

[treo-mike]

Pearl is not an exact replacement for the Treo. However, it's not fair to say it's a solution that works "just for me".

1) It syncs my calendar
2) It syncs address book
3) It syncs my ToDos
4) It receives e-mail and lets me open all popular attachments
5) It works with wired and wirless headsets
6) It provides an adequate mobile web experience (Treo is no better)
7) It has a calculator with built in converter (metric etc.)
8) It has a built in password vault.
9) It comes with and has many available mini games to pass time on a plane
10) It plays video - better than my Treo 650 ever did
11) It has built in map and turn by turn direction software
12) It has an alarm clock
13) It takes notes
14) It has a 1.3 MP camera with Flash

So while I agree, there are even more things you can do with a treo and way more 3rd party developer support. I have to think that list covers a big majority of what people need and expect out of thier smart phones.

Again - I am not bashing the Treo. I have had a 600 and then a 650 for many years. It's a great device. I am bashing Palm because in 4 subsequent releases (700W, 700P, 750V and now the 680) They have not innovated or done anything big enough to compell me to upgrade from my 650. I waited and waited - but they just never did it for me.

Who knows, if Access comes out with a smoking Linux-powered mobile OS that offers new flexibility and allows me to run some of my Palm App favorites + Palm gets the thickness down a bit for a more pocket-friendly experience, maybe I will be back. I really dislike the user-experience on Windows Mobile. Even with Palm's expertise in one-handed navigation and usability. They have still not built enough on top of it for my tastes.

Agree also with the Q comments. Thin is not "everthing". It's also width and navigation. When I first saw pictures of the Q I was excited. Once I held it and used it - it was a different story.

[jlczl]

Last year the sub $200 smartphone was non-existant. Now that field is packed with contenders. As always, Palm is offering too little, too late.

[oalvarez]

I am glad that the pearl works for you. Not sure about the better battery life claim you made....RIM only claims 3.5 hours of talk time on its web site.

http://www.blackberry.com/products/b...00.shtml#specs

As for your reset free claim, I just have to take your words for it. I carried a BB for a couple of years, and I can assure you that BB is definitely not reset free.

As for your "look great" claim, it is a subjective call. I think the pearl is too small and very plain looking.

As for your "offer what most people want" claim, it is too early to tell. Didn't you say the same thing when the Q first came out?

However, I must admit that the suretype technology on the pearl is most certainly very special...so special that I hate using it

-i haven't reset it in almost 30 days, thanks for taking my word for it
-you're right, it is a subjective call...my colleagues give it very high marks
-T Moto-Q has been a great seller..it does offer what most need
-Suretype works and allows some of us not to have to carry a brick in our pockets

simple