Sprint Offers the Treo 300 for $99

I have a BlackBerry 6750 through my work and although it's not a Palm device, the principle of only having one item strapped to your belt instead of having to wear a Bat Toolbelt is so much nicer.

All your contacts, emails, addresses etc are in one device which sure beats bringing out the Palm or other address book and then dialing your phone with the number you need.

Getting emails with other email addresses or phone numbers in the message is as simple as scrolling to the highlighted info and clicking on it. It either dials or emails right away. This is a HUGE time saver as well as convenient.

I would much prefer to have a Palm device, however since I'm not paying for it I really can't complain! :)

That can often work if you're an established customer who has gone "off contract". That is, if you signed a one or two year contract but that term has expired, then you're essentially going "month to month" with them. You're a "free agent" meaning you can switch carriers if you want in order to get another "free phone with contract" deal. In this case, your carrier generally doesn't want to lose you as a long-term customer. If you call them and ask for their "customer retention" department, you can tell them that you're considering switching carriers and want to know what they can offer you to stay. Typically they'll offer you a good deal on a new phone (similar to what "new customers" might get), in exchange for going back "on contract".

I've done this a few times now with AT&T (to upgrade from a Nokia 2160 to a 6160i and then to a 6160m). Now that I'm "off contract" again, I'm hoping to do this again to move to either a 6310i (GSM/Bluetooth) or to a Treo 600 (once either is available at a reasonable price).

This is a win-win for both sides -- you get a good deal to stay with your current carrier (new phone, possibly better service plan, and you keep your same phone number) and they get to keep you as a customer.

This is where Sprint's rates really shine, IMO. If you only have yourself to worry about, the competition's rates are pretty good and may even be better in many instances. But if you're looking to buy two (or more) phones and are also interested in the unlimited data plan, I don't think anyone can beat Sprint's rates. As hinted at above, if you get a Vision plan and an add-a-phone option, the additional line also gets unlimited data. T-Mobile, which is about the closest competition in terms of offering unlimited data at a reasonable price, would charge you the full $20/month for each additional line for unlimited data. If I'm wrong here, feel free to correct me.

Scott

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Warning -- I believe that the Handspring site is very misleading about the monthly cost of Sprint services! The Handspring website listed about seems to indicate that you can get 300 minutes of "PCS Free & Clear with Vision" for $35/mon while the Sprint website has this listed as $50/mon, while $35 gets you 300 minutes without the "PCS Vision" services (i.e., things like mail and web access). But if you click on the Details link on the side of the plans on the Handspring website and then click on the "Select this plan" button, you will see that there is an additional $15/month fee for the "PCS Professional Pack" (the PCS Vision services that will give you the unlimited Web Access) which is preselected for you. If you unclick this option, you will be back to a $35/mon rate, but you will no longer have your unlimited web access as you'd expect to get with a Sprint PSC Vision plan.

I believe that the Handspring site is extremely misleading since it labels all the Sprint plans as "with Vision" when you do NOT get these services without paying an additional $15/month on the plans. Note that if you get on a Sprint plan of at least $100/month, all the PCS Vision services are included without the additional $15/mon fee. I'd also like to point out that Sprint has been offering a 2 month free trial period for PCS Vision -- so it looks like if you can use this promotion, you could get 300 minutes of PCS Vision service for $35/month for the first 2 months and then it go up to the $50/mon rate of PCS Vision service.

It took me a while to figure this out. I called both Sprint and Handspring today asking about the apparent pricing differences and I didn't get any good explaination. It was only after I did some more checking around on the website that I found that you do indeed have to pay $50/mon for 300 minutes of PCS Vision service even though the Handspring website really makes it look like you only have to pay $35/mon.

Joe