[pcampbell]

I have to side with the yawners here, despite numerous good points about what wifi could add to the Treo (international calling being the big one). The VoIP revolution is not going to be accomplished in the next month or two. Once it starts to pick up steam, it's going to be slammed so hard by legal action by the baby bells that the RIAA will look like kittens who need their claws cut.

We got quite a feature set with this phone, quite arguably the best available in the market right now. We'll get other features with our next device, be it a Treo 900 or some competitor's device. So it doesn't and won't do WiFi, or direct connect, or hi-res photos, or wash the dishes - if those things are important to me in a year or two, I'm sure that they'll not only be available, but actually past the beta test. In the meantime I have a web-connected Palm, continental phone and MP3 player all in one small, simple device. That was worth the investment.

[dan_herzlich]

Come July 2004, they'll start announcing the wanda-type devices and they'll probably start delivery in August or later. till then, just use your treo to pass the time.

BTW, i LOVE krazy kat and the surrealist world the characters live in. tre chic

BTW, Berlin of the Hurricanes is damn lucky, how long can he keep this up?

[Random_Hajile]

surely the point of buying a smartphone such as the Treo 600 for its value in integration is a great reason to buy it... However the second factor that should always be accounted for when purchasing a piece of technology is shelf-life, I own a laptop which is now over 3 years old and still pretty much keeping up with the pace of technology, why? because it has expandability options (PCMCIA, Bluetooth, USB, IRdA, RS232 etc).... when buying Palm device, surely this should also be taken into consideration.....

I bought my Treo as an upgrade, and surely enough I chose it due to its integration as a palm device as well as phone, but what really did clicnch it was the SDIO port, not just for memory expansion, but for the simple fact that it is a new twechnology that allows for new devices to be built for differing devices on a standardised platform.... thus the expectancy for a bluetooth and/or a wifi card....

I have to say that this is shoddy on the part of Handspring/PalmOne for not realising their SDIO port was technologically defunct, and should instead have opted for something cheaper like a memory stick instead of expesive SD.

Sorry guys, Wi-fi is a blow... I'ma networking freak and bluetooth just doesn't cut it.

Cheers,

R_H

[dan_herzlich]

The lack of wi-fi is not a "blow." Doncha think Uncle Sprinty had anything to say about this? By the end of next year, you'll be looking to replace your 600, if not you'll be way behind in the technology that will be coming out. That's the reality.

And what's with Ignatz throwing the brick at the Kat?

Watch the Hurricanes blow!

[CarlGalgano]

Originally posted by gfunkmagic


Gee, well good for you!

I personally was hoping to utilize VoIP on the Treo to make inexpensive international calls. I've treid to do this using Gphone via 1xrtt and unfortunately it just doesn't work. Furthermore, this issue goes beyond just wifi SD cards. The issues over maximum power requirments necessary for certain SDIO cards could hamper the development of other SD products as well. What about the combo wifi+BT SD card just announced by SyChip? I doubt that would be compatible with the Treo600 either...

Gfunkmagic, I am with you. I was hoping to use my Treo600 in my house connected to my Wifi base station to use VoIP back to my office network to basically have an extension of my office line in my house. I dont get that great Sprint coverage in my house, so this would have been great! Guess I will have to get an IAD or VoIP phone for my house to accomplish the same thing. BTW, just for the record, I could care less about bluetooth. I have a great device for that too, it is called a laptop with a Sprint all you can eat data card. I want to be able to talk on my phone and use my laptop at the same time.

[koros]

yeah, lack of wifi/VoIP/SDIO compatible similar devices TOTALLY SUCKS !!!

...i just bought myself a NETGEAR WGR614 to create a wireless network at home, surf the internet with my mac, hotsync with my PC without cables and play with my TREO600 in bed too (bought 2 cradles for this, one to keep beside the bed ready for use when i don't want to get up and still plug the TREO600 in charge when i fall asleep).

I HATE THIS piece of news, and i hope they'll come up with the card anyway, and i read posts from people using it without problems...

...and i want a NEW TREO600 too !!!

as soon as it comes out this one is gone bye,bye.

new TREO600 MUST HAVE wifi, i don't care about bluetooth, ok would be nice, but i don't NEED it as i NEED wifi.

...also, here in europe we pay A LOT OF MONEY for GPRS data transfer and providers charge as much as 4$/1Mb data transfer !!!
...i would have taken most profit out of free wifi network around the city and at work...

AND HOME !!!

HATE IT !!!

[Nuevotreo]

"WiFi is really not that important considering what all the T600 CAN do. I agree with the others. No WIFI, no problem"[/QUOTE]


Why is there always some bull$#!! commentator telling me what I do or don't need? How the hell do they know? If you think something else works better or adequetely then say it. Does anyone else see how annoying it is to hear people go on about how in their little world "WIFI" ,or whatever, isn't important and because of this it must not be important to anyone else. This is the type of thinking that keeps people in caves. These people come on here and patronize anyone for even thinking that there might be different people with different needs. It really surprises me to watch g-funk have to defend his opinion on the benefits of WIFI. Are you kidding me? Let me just say that it has to be the most annoying thing to read the useless commentary goes on around here. I wish these people would quit wasting my time clouding up a perfectly valid and important subject with their own lame opinion about how the world revolves around them.

[Jaggrey]

The only place that I've been with a WiFi hotspot was a couple of Starbuckses (which I don't spend any time in) and my on campus wireless network. But I'm graduating in the spring anyway.....

And it certainly wasn't all it was cracked up to be when I had the Tungsten C. I was highly disappointed in that device...could barely hold a signal.

I do see how this could be a problem for those that aren't with Sprint. Since Sprint has unlimited data for $10/$15 this is almost a non issue if you're wiling to deal with the slower speeds. But on the GSM networks where data costs an arm and a leg I could see how this could be disappointing.

I also agree with gfunk's point about what this could mean about other SDIO devices, though I surely hope this isn't the case. I would think that SDIO has certain requirements that Handspring must have fulfilled to be able to say boldly that it supports SDIO devices.

[Genetic Jack]

Alright- I know nothing about this stuff and I admit that up front, but I read an article last night in this months MacWorld magazine I thought was relevant. Since it isn't available online (page 20 for those who have it) I did a search and I found a lot of links that will illuminate far better tha I can- this one tells it:

http://pcworld.shopping.yahoo.com/ya...,112376,00.asp

Here is a small sample-

Broadcom Puts Wi-Fi on One Chip
Chip-maker challenges Centrino with wireless OneChip.

Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service
Monday, September 08, 2003

Wi-Fi won't weigh down handheld devices as much starting in the fourth quarter, as Broadcom introduces a single-chip component that provides IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN connectivity.

The company has unveiled its AirForce OneChip, which is already shipping in sample quantities and will appear in devices by the end of the year. Its first appearance will be in personal digital assistants (PDAs), says Jeff Abramowitz, Broadcom senior director of wireless LAN marketing.

IEEE 802.11b wireless LAN technology, offering a maximum carrying capacity of 11 megabits per second, is already available in some PDAs and in add-on devices such as cards that fit in CompactFlash slots. Broadcom says integrating the whole Wi-Fi system into a single chip means less drain on a PDA's battery, as well as a lower cost and smaller size. OneChip consumes an average of 85 percent less power than other Wi-Fi systems on the market, according to Broadcom. Existing Wi-Fi components on handhelds can consume half the battery's power, halving battery life, Abramowitz says.

Future applications of OneChip could include digital cameras, MP3 music players, and Wi-Fi voice over Internet Protocol phones, he adds.

Now- am I misreading that or could that be good news for us Treo users. Won't the lower power demands of these new chips for WiFi play to the apparent (and much debated here) weakness of the HS design of T600? Hope so.

Regardless of whether I need WiFi or not, I ALWAYS like having my options open to me. A WiFo SD card might be a nice X-Mas present for myself next year- who knows? Regardless, I hope that someone smarter than me will figure out a way to bring that functionality to those of us who'd like to have it. Doesn't mean I like my Treo any less right now (except when it shrieks at me- see my other postings) but I can see where folks would want it- it sounds like it could be very handy to have.

[mathewlu]

Originally posted by Nuevotreo
"WiFi is really not that important considering what all the T600 CAN do. I agree with the others. No WIFI, no problem"


Why is there always some bull$#!! commentator telling me what I do or don't need? How the hell do they know? If you think something else works better or adequetely then say it. Does anyone else see how annoying it is to hear people go on about how in their little world "WIFI" ,or whatever, isn't important and because of this it must not be important to anyone else. This is the type of thinking that keeps people in caves. These people come on here and patronize anyone for even thinking that there might be different people with different needs. It really surprises me to watch g-funk have to defend his opinion on the benefits of WIFI. Are you kidding me? Let me just say that it has to be the most annoying thing to read the useless commentary goes on around here. I wish these people would quit wasting my time clouding up a perfectly valid and important subject with their own lame opinion about how the world revolves around them.

Why is there always some guy who can't read? The poster said he didn't think the lack of wifi was a problem; he made no mention of you or your needs. He was expressing an opinion I share; the lack of Wifi on the Treo is not really a big deal. I'm sorry that gfunk won't be able to do his nifty VoIP, but there are presumably other solutions if he wants to pursue them. Sure it would be nice if the T600 did everything, but it doesn't. A lot (most?) of us here think that Bluetooth is more important because we want to link the Treo to a laptop and/or headset. For me, at least, the Treo is compelling as a wireless modem and phone, not as a WiFi client. The board exists, presumably, for users to share opinions, not decide the truth of the matter with regards to the value of Wifi or anything else.

Regards,
--Mathew

[dgoodisi]

Place me in the category.

One of the bragging points with the Treo 600 is battery life. Today an ex PocketPC/Phone now Treo 600 user commented "it's so nice not being tethered to the power cord." He could browse for maybe an hour before running out of juice.

Just what do you think is going to happen when you slap wifi into a Treo? So long battery life.

Handspring created a phone that they felt targets the largest audience.

Guess what guys, the geeks of the world may want a camera-less phone that's a PDA first, with bluetooth and WiFi, and not much battery life; but thats not what the average phone user wants.

How many times have you placed your phone on the table in front of you during meeting; only to have the following conversation:

"What is that?"
"My cell phone"
"It's so big, how can you use that thing?"
"It's not so bad" <screen lights up as Snappermail does its thing>
"Hey, what's it doing?"
"Checking my email, it browses real web sites too..."
"No way..."

And thus a future Treo 600 purchaser is born.

This phone is appealing to cell phone users who are used to those ultra compact flip thingies that can only make phone calls.

The fate of the Treo lies in wooing that market, not with us geeks.

[Gameboy70]

Nuevotreo wrote:
I wish these people would quit wasting my time clouding up a perfectly valid and important subject with their own lame opinion about how the world revolves around them.

No irony there . . .

Anyway, you're conflating two seperate issues being discussed: whether or not the presumed lack of WiFi is a Bad Thing, and whether or not this would be the death knell of the Treo. No one here disagrees that not having WiFi is worse than having it. It's just that most people's decision to purchase the Treo wasn't predicated on WiFi capability.

Those of us underwhelmed by the kernel of news wrapped in speculation that's become Brighthand's signature style would probably go run out and buy a WiFi card if it became available. But this is not the sort of scandal that will send hordes of Treo owners to their vendors demanding their money back.

[Pete_L_P]

Originally posted by Genetic Jack
OneChip consumes an average of 85 percent less power than other Wi-Fi systems on the market, according to Broadcom.

......

Now- am I misreading that or could that be good news for us Treo users. Won't the lower power demands of these new chips for WiFi play to the apparent weakness of the HS design of T600? Hope so.

......

Regardless of whether I need WiFi or not, I ALWAYS like having my options open to me.

This does sound like there's more hope here. It could take a while, until it gets into an SD card, and additional time before drivers are ready for the Palm, or Treo. Nonetheless, It's very good news to me.

Thanks for posting it.

Pete

[Burkhardi]

BT and Wi-Fi are apples and oranges, correct?
BT was first made to be the next ifared type deal or to replace cables going fro your PC to printer for example. Think of what you do with infared (not your tv remote) and now thinl of it with BT, you don't have to aim, but the range is short. So you could link your printer to your PC and other stuff with BT. Not to mention the addtion of Sun's Jini, wich allows the devices to auto handshake (per se) and you can auto link, you wall into the office and your PC and treo sink.

Wi-Fi is faster and better range, plus it's more standard I think I see Wi-Fi at offices, some resturants, Starbucks, McD's over seas and such.

The only use for ME for BT would be a wireless head set.

With Wi-Fi, I could connect to my PAN with my Treo w/o having to buy anything more becasue I already broadcast 802.11b in the house. I could tie into the LAN at work and be on the network. Yes i could use a VPN, but there are some thinngs I can't do via VPN.

Everyone has different needs.
So for all you Wi-Fi haters....be a little more open minded.
AS I said, I find BT not very appealing, but can fullly appresiate someone else thinnking so, they could jam to their MP3 wihle their treo was the desk and send info to the a printer and all kinda things.

Just MY 2-cents worth, please keep the flames to a minium, thanks...
:shortcut:

[KKenna]

I'm holding out for advancements in SD wi-fi cards and not loosing hope at this point. I'm sure the T600 can'r be the only hybrid with this type of problem.

Personally, I'm looking forward to adding wi-fi to my T600 to add VoIP so I can do voice and data at the same time while in coverage areas (about 40% of my day is spent in areas with 802.11b coverage) as well as stream 128kbps music from shoutcast with Pocket Tunes.

You that don't see a need for increased bandwidth on your Treo must be those "inside the box" types. If you guys were in charge, technology would all stop progressing immediately. Besides, isn't this a site for geeks and technoids who want the tiniest device to do everything ? I realize that the T600 created a huge influx of non-tech types, but please keep your comments to yourselves if all you can do is criticize someone who sees some way that the Treo could be improved upon. If you think about it for a second, the original line of Treos were communicators based on the ones they had in Star Trek. Science fiction always inspires science fact, so why not imagine the impossible in the hope that one day it will be a reality.

Geez...

[jennyfur]

Plenty of you may have a use for WiFi, but as it stands right now you're probably in the minority. The average user doesn't use/need many of the features the Treo 600 already has. By the time WiFi usage is widespread, the next Treo (or a device like it) will probably be out. If you want to be on the bleeding edge of technology, you end up upgrading all your stuff practically every year anyway. And right now there just is no other device that offers the convergeance and long list of features that the Treo does, even if the SD devices (be they WiFi or anything else) you'd been hoping to use are never available or compatible. I have to agree with whoever said you can't buy something on the merit of what it might be able to do in the future... you have to go with what it can do now. This thing isn't a computer where you can swap out the processor or add some RAM when it starts getting outdated. It's a phone.

[mattruby]

Again Handspring puts a broken expansion slot in their device. How many of us bought a Visor expecting it to be an expandable platform? Not only did the neutered Springboard slot never offer much extra functions, but the Springboards can't be used with other equipment when the Visor dies, or goes obsolete.

Now we've got an "SD/IO" slot that doesn't support some SD/IO cards, which require full power. Why does the SD branding consortium allow Handspring to call it and SD/IO slot, if it's not 100% compatible?

I suppose it *is* possible that SanDisk is having other internal problems, and just making up Handspring/Palm problems to avoid blame. They're notorious for lying about the release date, especially on this particular card. But there's also the reports that Handspring left the bluetooth chip itself off the phone's mainboard, but left the rest of the bluetooth electronics in there. Perhaps they ran into power design flaws towards their deadline? With the imminent resale of Handspring back into Palm, maybe there was a rush to market. And now we're stuck with a Treo with limited connectivity for another year at least. And a dubiously named "SD/IO" slot. This bodes ill for future truth in advertising from the new Palm/Handspring.

[epoints]

Jennyfur wrote :

=============================================
Plenty of you may have a use for WiFi, but as it stands right now you're probably in the minority. The average user doesn't use/need many of the features the Treo 600 already has. By the time WiFi usage is widespread, the next Treo (or a device like it) will probably be out.
==============================================

I don't quite agree... I think Wifi is far more popular than treo's features/function combined. Just check around you, there are wi-fi hotspots everywhere, in starbuck, airports, city halls, conv. centers, homes... I alone can find 7 hotspots by standing on my balcony, and I bet you there are less than 2 people that owns PDAs on my street. Wifi is here but wifi on Treo isn't.

I think we (this forum) all live on the bleed edge, because we bought into Treo 600 with 2-3 months of introduction; otherwise, we would have waited for others to try it out. That indicated that we are technology savy. Even though Wi-fi might not be what you need, we cannot discount the importance of it especially to the future development of Treo.

we will probably not see wi-fi for treo as the original posting indicated, but, if handspring is listening, we want it.... and yes, we will buy the next treo (700 or 1000). for the nay-sayer, you bought the Treo 600 right, and you know what, you will buy the next Treo too, and we are going to put wi-fi capability on it for you.

[conflagrare]

Who cares if SanDisk can't get the driver written in time? Its performance on current PocketPC's is approaching useless! It's less than 1/10th the speed of normal wifi!

http://www.tomshardware.com/network/...vs_dcf650w.jpg

Source:
http://www.tomshardware.com/network/20031106/index.html

[robguz24]

Originally posted by randyg
doesn't really matter, when you've got a data plan you don't even need WiFi.

Well, there are places with no coverage but where WiFi exists. Also, I'd much rather browse with my Treo in my home via wireless network and get full 150KB/sec speeds rather than the 5KB/sec I average with Sprint. This is extremely bad news. Stupid Handspring for designing it this way.