[m.p.]

Am I missing something here? Am I the only one with Mac who's very happy with the 680 release. Reading all the post here, looks like PalmOS is loosing position within treocentral readers.

I can tell you my reasons why I'll go with the 680.

a) I am a Mac user. There is simply no better phone on the market which integrates better with Mac. I 've been using zillions of phones including Razrs, SE750i, Samsung's, also many of the Symbian phones - SE 800, SE910, Nokia 9210,Nokia 9300, Nokia 9500, E61 etc. - none of these can get even closer to PalmOS with some excellent yet overlooked applications by competitions and real timesavers like:

b) SMS chat - just WONDERFUL (!) - I don't know about any other phones having this function. My Treo was in shelf for some time, but returned to it after missing this lovely appl.

b) Easy AND reliable syncing - none of these Symbian phones can sync with my Entourage and apps. like ( just go to Mac's discussions to read about all those endless discussion on "OMG, my phone is not yet supported by iSync, I can't send SMS using Address Book etc):

c) MEMO function

d) Splash suite (another excellent piece)
.
.and I can go on and on.

Thanks to Palm, Mac users can really appreciate what world "SYNC" actually means. Regardless of how many apps I have purchased for Symbian like phones, I was unable to find any apps. which could do what Memo,Calendar does for me. Neither could iSync do.

And at the end of the day, thats all I need. About the color - well I could not care less - Vajo cases always solved the "look" problem for me.

I feel much relieved by the fact, that there will be another PalmOS phone. I might buy 3 of them so my family is "equipped" in case Palm will disappear. I hope, that Mac phone might take it from there BUT - seeing how poor iCal and Address Book integration still is even with the next OS Leopard release - I highly doubt, Apple does this integration of applications Cal-Addresss-Email-Memo right.

So my recipe for the winner's Mac phone/integration would be :
GSMPhone-Entourage-MissingSync-SMSchat-SnapperEmail-SplashSuite (with Photos/Money)-DocsToGo...and then those little things like Chess, LauncherX, Fonts etc.....for me, "there could be only ONE" who does it all.

Palm's Treo on Palm's OS.

Thanks for reading. Cheers, Mike

[trellus]

If it was free, I'd grab a 680. I am also a Mac user and, although I do have a Windows XP laptop, I sync my Treo with my Mac and not the laptop, and the Treo plays nicely with my Mac.

OTOH, I don't know if I want to shell out $400 or $450 (a guess, of course) for an unlocked GSM 680 to replace my 650 unless my 650 dies. I'm on T-Mo, which hasn't carried Treos since the 600 and will likely not carry the 680, either, so I get no lovely carrier subsidies.

[mrjoec]

I'm a Mac user who will most likely get the 680. I do prefer the Palm OS to WM5, but I feel in fairness that it's important to note that WM5 can sync with a Mac via Missing Sync software. Sure, it's a bit of an added cost, but I use Missing Sync for Palm, anyway, because of the many other benefits it offers over the standard Palm Desktop and Apple iSync.

So Mac users can choose to use WM5, and some do. But most don't, probably for the same reason why they don't use Windows on their desktops. They prefer a non-Windows OS.

I wouldn't count on Apple's phone being a true replacement for a Treo or other supergeek device. My guess is that Apple's phone, whenever it comes out, will probably cater to the masses even more than the 680 does. It will be a phone first, a music player second, a rudimentary PIM third, and not much more. It will also be the coolest looking phone ever, and it will be small. Apple will want to target the much larger audience looking for something cool and iPod-like that's easy for a non-geek to use. They want the RZR crowd, not the Treo crowd. That's why I'm not planning on getting one, though I'm a confessed Apple addict.

Who knows, though? Maybe I'm wrong and Apple will surprise all of us with a phone that innovates like the original Newton did.

[AnteL0pe]

I have a couple Macs in my house as well, and will likely pick up a 680. The thing for me is that its GSM and Palm based, I need those two features. GSM is a must because i travel abroad and need to use my phone, and PalmOS because its just far better than WM. If Palm could just get UMTS working on the PalmOS i would be a very happy customer.

[mohammei]

i completely agree. I will definitely get the 680, and if and when they roll it out, the Palm version of the 750v. For me (and i acknowledge that everyone comes at this from a different prespective), most of the comments in the 680 forum are irrelevant because they assume there is a choice between WM5 and Palm OS. For Mac users, as far as I know, there isn't. The 680 may not have all the bells and whistles, but its an improvement on the 650 (and unlike the 700p, its a world phone), which I've had from the moment it came out. I've held out for a long time but its definitely time for a shiny new phone. Bring it on.

[TimmyDee]

I for one can't wait for the 680 to come out. It's simply the perfect device for what I want (smaller form factor, Palm OS, better res screen, etc.). Plus, being a Mac user, I am continually frustrated by WM5.

[spygrad2003]

I've been a Palm OS user for years. I'm not a smart-phone user yet, but will be as soon as I get my hands on a 680. Yes, you can sync WM with a mac with missing sync, but only certain PIM applications. There are far more 3rd party applications for the POS that will sync with mac than there are for WM.

I also don't want lose all of the programs I've invested in for my Sony clie when I switch to the Treo. It seems most people on this board see the Treo as a phone first, then a PDA. I'll be seeing it more as a PDA 75% of the time, and a phone 25%, as I use my PDA much more than my current cell phone, and won't really use the Treo for data very much.

I'm really hoping there will be more POS phones coming out in the future, as I won't switch to WM unless I absolutely have to, but until then, I'll be very pleased with a 680.

Oh, and for all the people who keep saying they won't shell out x-amount of dollars for a 680, you should probably hold those thoughts till after a solid price is actually announced for the device.

[glenada]

I'm a Mac user (recently bought the iMac 24"), and I'm wondering if the 680 will be 3G-ready if it's sold on Cingular or T-Mobile. I'm currently with Sprint and the 700p, but if the American version is 3G and if it's a smaller form factor, I'll go back to Cingular.

[bcaslis]

680 = no 3G, only EDGE data. 750 = 3G for world & Cingular (no T-Mobile).

[AnteL0pe]

It has EDGE which is slower than Sprint with EVDO. The GSM equivalent is UMTS, but the 680 doesnt support that, no Palm OS phone does at the moment.

[kiancheong]

I'll just grab any hardware that has no M$ in it...

Never ask a man what computer he uses. If it's a Mac, he will tell you. Otherwise, why embarass him?

I'm a Mac user... :P

[ktm97]

I will pick up a 680 only because my 600 is dying and I am on cingular. I have used Missing Sync since my old clie' days, works well for me, I still use it to sync my 600 to mac. But with Mac announcing 2 new iphones for next year, I will be happy to give up on palm.

[m.p.]

I will pick up a 680 only because my 600 is dying and I am on cingular. I have used Missing Sync since my old clie' days, works well for me, I still use it to sync my 600 to mac. But with Mac announcing 2 new iphones for next year, I will be happy to give up on palm.

I have to agree with mrjoec - don't expect anything else then phone, player and email/web reader. POssibly with wifi, but without memo, sms chat and hundreds other application. I wonder what system they would use. Apple might have MacOs for mobile phone which can use trimmed version of widgets, giving you at least the same luxury as PalmOs giving you with 3rd party apps. Otherwise it will be closed system with few extras - something that can sync with your iTunes, iPhoto, Address book and Cal..and email.

[jmpowell]

I'm a long time Mac user and am looking forward to picking up a 680. I currently have a 600, which I love, running on the Sprint network. However I moved and Sprint has poor coverage in my new location. I plan to move to a 680 on Cingular in order to get better coverage, plus the 680 has some niceties that my trusty 600 doesn't.

[trellus]

Well, I'd love to be wrong about this, but I really doubt that the pricing for an _unlocked_ Treo 680 will be less than $399. This is just going off the typical $200+ price differential for carrier-subsidized Treos when they are initially introduced. WSJ has floated the $199 price with contract, so I'm just adding $200 to that to get the unlocked price.

For example, Cingluar currently has the 650 for $249 online *after rebate* with contract, so I would be surprised if the 680 comes in at less than $199 without rebate tricks. Meanwhile, Palm has "reduced" unlocked 650's price to $549, and this a device that has been around for a year and a half. At the same time, Cingular is advertising the "retail" price for the 650 at $399, so Palm's unlocked price is still $150 above this fictitious "retail" price, $250 above the real price before rebate, and a whopping $300 above the price after rebate.

[trellus]

Incidentally... I should add that I don't think a price of $399 for an unlocked Treo 680 is a bad price (I think it's pretty fair, actually), but rather that I'm not sure I will jump at that price as an existing, mostly happy Treo 650 owner.

[aussie]

Looooong time Mac and Palm user. I have been hanging onto my trusty Treo 600 for what seems like an eternity just waiting for a good reason to upgrade. Sadly I didn't think the 650 had enough to entice me (at the time) and I was really holding out for what back then seemed a reasonable expectation - new Palm OS (not Garnet) and WiFi .. oh well. I have way too much invested in Palm OS to move to Win just yet .. not just software but also records .. auto records, medical records and other apps for flying, web work etc.

BUT ... it is time .. I will buy a 680 for the upgrade from a 600 and to stay with Palm OS.

I should ad that I am VERY disappointed that after all these years from the launch of the 600 there is no stereo Bluetooth support and no WiFi. No excuses when other HTC phones has it all ad T-Mobile would be more than happy to support WiFi in a phone - they have a special plan just for such phones. Also sticking with T-mobile .. I just cannot find a better plan for the $$$, pity coverage sux.

[cyber]

mac user here, since 2 1/2 yrs with treo, leaving for nokia e61 (which is very well supported by mac os)

[m.p.]

mac user here, since 2 1/2 yrs with treo, leaving for nokia e61 (which is very well supported by mac os)

Oh, is it? How? Maybe having contacts and calendar in sync is what makes you happy. Not enough for me. Had E61 since its intro 5 months ago and sold it for ugly UI and the rest of the story which you can read above (they DO know how to waste real estate with these mid size menus and ugly fonts). Forget Email / Memo sync - as there is no Memo appl. equivalent, SMS chat, no etc. Ok, Nova media does some job, but its waaaay too much simple from what I expect from my phone and mac. Anyway, I am happy for you. Good luck. Bye

[cyber]

Oh, is it? How? Maybe having contacts and calendar in sync is what makes you happy. Not enough for me. Had E61 since its intro 5 months ago and sold it for ugly UI and the rest of the story which you can read above (they DO know how to waste real estate with these mid size menus and ugly fonts). Forget Email / Memo sync - as there is no Memo appl. equivalent, SMS chat, no etc. Ok, Nova media does some job, but its waaaay too much simple from what I expect from my phone and mac. Anyway, I am happy for you. Good luck. Bye

tks for your farewell wishes! thats right, I only have to hotsync contacts and calender and I'm already a happy camper.

memos I usually beam over by bluetooth - or should I use the antique palm desktop?

email-hotsync is a non issue, as with gmail, which me ***** is using, emails never have to be deleted and are available around the clock, remember?

I would prefer the size of the 680, the e61 looks kind of clumsy, but then again, multitasking alone is worth a compromise.

and you didnt like that metal body?

I love metal things. remind me of the good, pre-plastic era.