[treo...not!]

Here we go again with FrankenGarnet?! (Feels like groundhog day.)

Upgrade? I don't think so!

Entry-level? Maybe, but that's being generous.

Perhaps Palm is trying its hand at the teeny-bopper and college crowd. These students have the money or can wring it from their parents' hands, and they're none too bright. With their colors, they also seem to be targeting women. But, alas, no fix for tech diehards. Not that tech diehard and woman are mutually exclusive categories; some of my best friends are women.

There used to be a time when the smartphone market was for geeks only. The conventional wisdom for the general cell phone consumer market was "smaller is better." With no small help from smartphone makers, it looks as if this trend is on the verge of changing. Have you seen the recent media blitz? Smartphones are appearing on all the hot shows and in the hands of all the sexiest people.

At any rate, I wish the Palm folks well. Here is another opportunity for them to shine. From my perspective, they blew it with the hardcore tech crowd. They allowed WM5 devices to beat them in terms of features and innovation, sold off their OS division, and then inexplicably produced their own WM5 device! It's kind of like Wendy's selling McDonald's fries, and smells like capitualtion to me. Now the tech gods have given Palm yet another chance. Based on past history, however, I am neither holding my breath nor betting the farm.

[Pearl_Diva]

Yes, but that was the reason for the 680, the NON-tech crowd.

I'd rather use the 750 due to the updated OS.

[treo...not!]

I understand that the 680 was for non-tech neo-smartphonites. But giving them an old OS and so-so features might not be very impressive, even to them, especially when they see what's available.

Just my $0.02.

[Pearl_Diva]

This phone will work well in the US, not so much overseas. People in the US are used to backwards cell technology. Sidekicks are still being sold here, doesn't that tell you something? The people on TC are different from the mainstream.

[gadgetluva]

The only reason I'm going for a treo 750 after I've owned a 650 is the WM5 OS. Palm did the right thing in getting rid of palmsource. The OS wasn't going anywhere.

[gadgetluva]

They won't realize that its an old os.

[tirk]

They won't realize that its an old os.

Windows is 11 years older.

[ahalvor]

Windows is 11 years older.

haha

[Pearl_Diva]

But WM5 is only about 2 years old, if that. Maybe even 1 1/2. And they are making updates constantly.

[TazUk]

We all the know the story with PalmOS and it's future so I don't see why it needs to be dragged up in almost every thread

[meyerweb]

There used to be a time when the smartphone market was for geeks only.

<snip>

From my perspective, they blew it with the hardcore tech crowd.

Got some sad news for you, friend. Palm (and every other manufacturer), would willingly give up sales to a few hundred thousand geeks in exchange for sales to a few million soccer moms and baseball dads. From a business standpoint, it ain't about the technology, it's about the money. And the masses are where the money is.

[esatyawan]

The problem here people is expectiong more on new palm OS which is not there.

However the "old" palm os is still better in daily operation compared to the "new" WM5

The last obstacle i am experiencingis to have a true push email with mail2web.com
It is just not working as well as chatter email

[gadgetluva]

Windows is 11 years older.

haha very true but at least windows is alive and strong, producing updates every year or two

[EEZ123]

You gotta love the hardcore geeks on this forum. This treo is obviously not for you. As meyerweb said for the soccermoms and baseball dad this will sell like hotcakes. They have simplified the user interface and the phone features on the 680, not so the hardcore business users will buy it, so the masses will flock to it. I had a treo 650 and this is an upgrade enough for me to buy it. I am not a hard core techie but rather a recreational phone geek who loves and has loved the palm os since the original palmpilot ,III, IIIx, Clie, etc... My point is they are trying to compete with the latest phones not just smart phones, with impoved video and mp3 as well as the ability to use email and have an organizer as well as the colors they are appealing to a crowd that may not have, and probably did not have a smart phone before, and that is a lot of people. I have an LGCU500 right now its a nice phone does 3g high speed. I can watch video and its got a great camera and some other nice features but I miss email/organizer capabilites of my treo. Its not perfect dont get me wrong, 3g and at least a 1.3 mp camera would be nice, however edge speeds are not bad and it will stream video and audio very nicely. If this is priced right $299 range w/o a contract this will be the best selling treo up to this point several times over. So all you power users and hardcore geeks, remember this when you start bashing this new product as not enough of an upgrade for a great majoity of users it will be their first smartphone.

[bubbatex]

Got some sad news for you, friend. Palm (and every other manufacturer), would willingly give up sales to a few hundred thousand geeks in exchange for sales to a few million soccer moms and baseball dads. From a business standpoint, it ain't about the technology, it's about the money. And the masses are where the money is.

EXACTLY! I don't understand why more people don't "get" this! Hardcore geeks have their heads sooo buried in the toys, they can't see that these companies are in business to MAKE MONEY. How do you think they are going to fund the next great PDA for all of you geeks? By selling more to many more people.

[tirk]

haha very true but at least windows is alive and strong, producing updates every year or two

s/updates/reinventing itself with every passing breeze/

How many different ******* children has WINCE had by now? And none as easy to use as PalmOS on a Treo-like device. As I keep saying, in a couple of years time Windows may be a good solution, but at the moment, with the technology I have available, PalmOS wins; it may not be the shinier, it's just the more effective. YMMV

[tirk]

The problem here people is expectiong more on new palm OS which is not there.

However the "old" palm os is still better in daily operation compared to the "new" WM5

Exactly! It's a tool, not a bloody fashion statement.

[spygrad2003]

I've been using the palm os for around 6 years, and though it hasn't really changed a whole lot, it still does what I need it to do. For the average person, having the newest technology in their phone might not mean squat if they don't need it. My 3 year old Sony Clie still does just about everything I want it to, but I'm switching to a 680 because I want a smartphone.

All these threads are just saying the same thing over and over. It's like saying that the new Rolex that will be out next month is a piece of crap, and isn't an upgrade to my $10 wal-mart watch because my current watch has a stop-watch, and the date, and the Rolex just tells the time. Come on... what kind of an upgrade is that??? (sarcasm) Some people want the newest tech for the sake of having the newest tech. Some people can get by with the older because it still continues to do all the things they need it to, or simply because they've won't know what they don't have because they've never had it, as with a new-smartphone user.

[mmereos]

I agree with some of the statements here i.e. going to windows mobile will make Palm (the company) millions. But I also think that Palm's upper management could do the same with PalmOS. I personally don't think that the executives at Palm use the Treo's, for that matter, I would be surprised if they use any smartphone at all.
That being said the 680 is a great phone for people moving up from a Treo 600, or someone that is new to smartphones. I don't really consider it entry level. It's just may not be the phone for someone expecting more then what a Treo 650 can give them today.
I'm personally waiting for whatever Cingular comes out with that will do something faster then the current EDGE speed that my existing Treo 650 can give me. My understanding is that it's probably not going to be a phone with PalmOS. I will miss the PalmOS because of the easy upgrade from one phone to another but as with anything new will just have to learn the new tricks of the new device.

[idesign245]

Here we go again with FrankenGarnet?! (Feels like groundhog day.)

Upgrade? I don't think so!

Entry-level? Maybe, but that's being generous.

Perhaps Palm is trying its hand at the teeny-bopper and college crowd. These students have the money or can wring it from their parents' hands, and they're none too bright. With their colors, they also seem to be targeting women. But, alas, no fix for tech diehards. Not that tech diehard and woman are mutually exclusive categories; some of my best friends are women.

There used to be a time when the smartphone market was for geeks only. The conventional wisdom for the general cell phone consumer market was "smaller is better." With no small help from smartphone makers, it looks as if this trend is on the verge of changing. Have you seen the recent media blitz? Smartphones are appearing on all the hot shows and in the hands of all the sexiest people.

At any rate, I wish the Palm folks well. Here is another opportunity for them to shine. From my perspective, they blew it with the hardcore tech crowd. They allowed WM5 devices to beat them in terms of features and innovation, sold off their OS division, and then inexplicably produced their own WM5 device! It's kind of like Wendy's selling McDonald's fries, and smells like capitualtion to me. Now the tech gods have given Palm yet another chance. Based on past history, however, I am neither holding my breath nor betting the farm.

Did you ever attend college? To make such a broad statement like that is pretty ignorant. I am a college student, and consider myself to be both knowledgable, intelligent and... big surprise here, I also work for a living. On top of all that, I am woman! Is it so wrong for a tech company to provide a product that would be appealing and functional to a specific group of people, or are only business men worthy of that?