Sprint Palm Treo 800w Video 1st Look

I apologize in advance for a couple things… a) The delay getting the video online. 250mb takes a while to upload to YouTube, b) some minor mistakes I made in the video and c) The length of the video. 20+ minutes is a lot to sit through. Of course, if you are in the market for the Palm Treo 800w, it’s worth it to watch.

Thanks for watching and let me know if you have any questions.

Palm and Sprint Introduce the Treo 800w Smartphone

Latest Windows Mobile Treo from Sprint Provides a Fast, Feature-rich, Out-of-the-box Experience

Palm, Inc. and Sprint today introduced the Palm Treo 800w, Sprint’s newest smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. Designed for business users who depend on their smartphones for high-speed productivity on the go, the Palm Treo 800w operates on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network⁽¹⁾ and comes out of the box with support for EV-DO Rev. A data speeds, WiFi for data and GPS capabilities.⁽²⁾

The Treo 800w is Palm’s most business-friendly phone yet. IT departments can simplify infrastructure and lower costs with a direct connection to Microsoft Exchange Server, giving users up-to-date email, contacts, calendars and access to other productivity applications. Palm designed the Treo 800w for easy-to-use mobility with a full QWERTY keyboard, five-way navigation and one-touch buttons to the most-used applications, making it a smartphone people want to use.

[Read more]

Rut Roh Shaggy, Leaked details of the Palm Treo 800w

Hot off the discussions with peers about leaking info, here is a nice leak from Engadget. As I said the other day, I don’t feel comfortable "leaking info" but I don’t have a problem with sharing already leaked info…

Even though the Palm Treo 800w has been known to exist and is coming to Sprint first for a while now, it’s really nice to get some pretty solid info. I am pretty convinced that the Palm Treo will be a great device for me if it comes to a GSM carrier 3 months after the apparent Sprint Exclusive launch.

Look in the bottom right of the leaked slide above. Do you see that? Palm is leaving their proprietary connector for what I wish was the complete industry standard, a Mini USB port for charging and syncing. Sweet.

Sprint Treo 800w is Coming July 13th?

This is what WM Experts is reporting based on info found at Howard Forums.

This document shows that it will be available 7/9/08 for BP (whatever that is) and 7/13/08 in all other channels, the same dates as the Red BlackBerry Curve.

Source: Wm Experts

Exclusive Video of the Palm Treo 800w Surfaces

PDA Live has uncovered this video on Youtube of a comparison 1st look at the Treo 800w.

The guy doing the video has some harsh ideas about the new device, but I disagree. I don’t thing Palm should really mess too much with the form factor that many have praised. It’s really a nice form factor and Palm does a superb job at putting their own touches on these phones. Out of all the Windows Mobile phones i’ve had the opportunity to use, the WinMo Treos have be the best for one handed use. Dialing is a snap with the Treo line.

BlackBerry Trounces Windows Mobile

I was at a party last night and was shocked by how many people were sporting the BlackBerry Curve, including my wife.  Even a couple people who used to have Windows Mobile devices have made the switch. 

One of them used to have the Sprint Mogul PPC 6700, which is a really cool phone:

I couldn’t believe he had a Curve.  So I asked him why, and he told me that the form factor makes it so he can hold the Curve in one hand.  He said that Gmail Mobile for BlackBerry has really added a lot of functionality to his new device.  He loves the keyboard because it allows one-handed operation, as opposed to the PPC 6700, which requires two hands.  Even though the device does not have gps, you can find your location easily by with Google Maps.  He also likes the included media player.

I thought to myself that lots of phones have a similar form factor, such as the Samsung Ace, BlackJack, Palm Treo, and the Moto Q, to name a few.  So I figured there must be more to it.  He didn’t just get a new phone, he got an entirely new operating system.  Just then I spotted a girl I knew and went to say hi.  She, too, had a Curve.  So I also asked her what was up with that (I was the life of the party).  She told me similar things to my other friend, but added one important thing.  She loves the trackball.  With one hand you can navigate anywhere on the screen, just like with a trackball mouse on a computer.  You just click the trackball when your cursor is where you want it, then start typing.  This eliminates the stylus completely.  She told me she missed the touchscreen on her old Treo, but absolutely loves this new way of interacting with the device.  She can now do everything with one hand easily. 

I asked her if she minds only having Edge support instead of the faster 3G.  She couldn’t care less, she said, because the OS is very responsive.  The screen may not have as nice resolution, but for her purposes, it’s great.  She also uses and loves Gmail.  She showed me her family pix on the attachment viewer.

What really put it altogether for me was when  we dropped off our middle kid at another party earlier in the evening (isn’t anyone sick of Pump it Up yet?) and one of our friends agreed to take her home.  My wife pulled out her BlackBerry and got our friends’ vitals and typed them in very quickly.  She used the cursor to navigate through the fields and the excellent keyboard to input name, address etc. very fast. 

None of these people were power users in the Windows Mobile sense.  That is, they didn’t care much about third party apps, spreadsheets (though it sports an Excel and Word viewer), WiFi, 3G access, and gps.  But they are power users in the BlackBerry sense, and with its tremendous ease of use, and excellent form factor and features, Microsoft should take note, especially if they want to increase their market share from 13% to 40% by 2012.

O2 Gets the Palm Treo 500

UK O2 users can now get their hands on the Palm Treo 500. This is such a beautiful looking device. I can’t wait for the “rumored” Treo 800w to hit the US.

Head over to O2’s website for more info.

Source: CoolSmartPhone

Treo 800w Confirmed Sprint Roadmap

Well, it’s not really news that the Treo 800W is coming, but it’s become quite a bit more official seeing this roadmap and while the carrier has been rumored to be Sprint for a while, this too is now confirmed. I am evaluating the Sprint version of the BlackJack II, the Samsung Ace right now, but I am really looking forward to this release. Palm Treos have done a ton for the Windows Mobile community and the form factor and implementation of Windows Mobile has been excellent in the past. The Verizon 700w offering at CES 2006 was ground breaking for Palm. Bring it on Sprint!

Source: Engadget Mobile

Is your Palm phone ready for daylight savings time ? (tomorrow)

From Palm blog

As of last year, Daylight Saving Time (DST) now rolls around a little earlier in the first part of the year and ends a week later: this year DST begins on March 9th at 2 a.m. and ends on Nov. 2 at 2 a.m. People who have recently purchased a Palm smartphone or updated their smartphone using a Palm software update are pretty much all set with the latest DST calendar rules, but we want to make sure everyone is prepared so your devices are up to date, including your calendars (previous post on DST rules).

• Palm Centro (AT&T and Sprint) and Treo 755p (Sprint and Verizon Wireless) customers, all the latest DST rules are already built into your device, so you are set as far as your device is concerned.
• Palm Treo 700p, 750 and 680 customers: If you have already installed the most recent software updates for your device, all the latest DST rules are included in your respective updates and your device should be all taken care of.

Keep in mind though that your desktop must also have Microsoft’s DST update in order for all your information to be in sync. Not sure if you have it or need it? Check out Microsoft’s support page.

All other Palm customers, please visit the Palm DST support page for more information and to see if your device has the most up to date DST rules.

Source: Palm blog

More on the Vodafone Palm Treo 500v

The other day, I posted a video from Europe showing the Palm Treo 500v. If you are more into looking at photos take in the US, check out the photos from Torturous Trevor From Gear Diary…

Take A Look at the Vodafone Palm Treo 500v at Gear Diary.

Sprint Treo 755p Software Update

Sprint Treo 755p smartphone customers - there is a software update that is available for installation to your device. The software update is a tune-up that improves audio, stability, software quality and device usability.

For information and to install to your device, visit the Palm product support page.

Source:Official Palm blog

Video 1st Look at the Palm Treo 500v

At about the 5:45 mark of the Smartphones Show gives us a great look at the 500v on Vodaphone.

 

This show catches my rss feed from youtube here and there. You see, this European show done by Steve Litchfield is pretty heavy on Nokia, etc but he does talk about Windows Mobile Phones here and there. IMHO, he uses the word Smartphone a tad loosely!

Unlocked GSM Palm Treo 680 Software Updater

  From The Official Palm Blog:

Unlocked GSM Palm Treo 680 smartphone customers - there is a new software update that is available for download here. The software update includes these features:

• Corporate email as it arrives - Have your corporate email delivered to you with Microsoft Direct Push Technology.
• Power saving enhancements - Helps conserve battery life with improved power management and updated default system power preferences.
• Supports larger expansion cards - Supports up to 4GB SD expansion cards (including the SDHC format), sold separately.
• Enhanced ringtone support - MP3 and other sound files purchased from the web or sent from friends can now be set as ringtones and alerts (formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, WAV, and AMR).
• Three updates in one - This update incorporates three previously released software updates: Treo 680 Camera Update (January 2007), Treo 680 Security Patch (May 2007), and Treo 680 Unlocked GSM Smartphone SMS Update (July 2007).

For additional details and to install to your device, visit the Palm Treo 680 product support page.

Source: The Official Palm Blog

Are Smartphones / PDAs User Friendly?

The other day I visited my doctor.  I noticed his computer desktop was absolutely cluttered with icons, a sure sign of a non-power user.  After a bit of discussion, he asked me to show him MobilitySite.  When I went to press the Internet Explorer shortcut, he stopped me, telling me Internet Explorer was corrupted, and had me use FireFox. 

Anyway, he asked my advice on replacing his aging Palm Pilot.  I started thinking.  What could I recommend that would be easy to use, and have a calendar application like the Palm Desktop?  We started looking at different options.  I told him Act! Software by Sage is an excellent product.  It’s easy to use, very intuitive, and has a great calendar module.  He asked me if it can sync with a pocket pc.  I told him it’s possible, but it’s not a simple solution.  He would need a third party solution to accomplish it, and even then it’s for advanced users. 

Talk turned to the iPhone, but it’s not made for business at this time, and as a doctor he needs a solid solution. 

I started talking about syncing with Outlook, and as I described Outlook I saw a glassy look come over his face.  For users that frequent tech blogs, Outlook is probably simple.  Well, at least it’s highly customizable and loaded with tons of features.  But I thought about the 500 page Outlook book I own, and I realized that Outlook would be overkill, or at least has far too many options for a non-techie. 

I thought of recommending a new Palm Pilot, but I they haven’t made any new products in a long time.  A new Palm would not be an upgrade for him.

Boy, did I feel stupid!  I had no idea what to recommend.  All he wants is a PIM (personal information manager) that syncs to a mobile device and is easy to use.  And Windows Mobile is certainly not very easy to use.  If you think it is, try explaining how the memory works to a non-user.  Then tell them about all the third party software available, the tons of forums to help people understand and work with pocket pcs, and you will get my drift.  This is a busy person who doesn’t have hours upon hours to spend analyzing why his WiFi connection won’t work, the pocket pc is not recognized by the computer, the SD card is corrupted, and how to recover data lost from a hard reset.  He just wants it to work and not be bothered with all the minutia.

My wife uses a Blackberry Curve.  She loves it - and she is waaaay not techie.  I don’t know much about it, but I know that she never asks for help and never complains.  It has a calendar, pim and plenty of third party apps.  Hmmm, that may just be a perfect solution. 

Well, after our visit and all my advice and analysis of his situation, he presented me with a bill:)  I guess I know what my advice is worth!

Is there a new Treo in Town? Treo 800w?

Not wanting to get into the rumor mill on this much, but the idea of a new Windows Mobile Powered Treo gets me a little excited. A post in the Treo Central forums suggests that recent activity on the FCC Website may be the “rumored” 800w.

Here are the following FOUR current Projects of Palm

Gnome FCC ID O8F-728
Gryphon FCC ID O8F-747
Otto FCC ID MSQ-777
Zeppelin FCC ID O8F-715 (This device needs to be submitted to FCC because it has the co-locating WiFi and radio)

• Otto is most likely the Treo 500w as that was it’s codename found earlier (Surur?). And yes, Asus is the ODM on the project.
• Gryphon = Gandalf = Sprint Centro 690
• Gnome = GSM Centro 685 (see below)
• Zeppelin = ? Treo 800w (cough, cough)

Anyone catch that bit for “Zeppelin” up above?! “…the co-locating WiFi and radio”

Obviously, it’s a tad too early to know, but I sure hope so. I am using the BlackJack II right now, but I have gone through quite a few phones before the Tilt upended the Treo 750 as my daily driver. (almost 6 months solid)

Here are the links to screen grabs from the FCC Site.

–> http://tinyurl.com/2fa3ye
–> http://tinyurl.com/2dgr6d