Rumor: Mystery Treo Images Surface

And the Treo 650's specs will kill a PPC-based Treo. 32mb RAM? HAH! Seriously, P1 works best within the constraints of the Palm OS. P1's development $, engineering experience, customer awareness etc etc. all would point to their best interest slogging it with the Palm OS over the long haul.

P1 can barely afford to fund new POS models 2x per year--it's insane to think they can undertake a new OS and maintain 3 distinct hardware lines (Palm PDAs, Palm Treos, PPC Treos).

Unless, of course, a buyer with deep pockets is waiting in the wings. I'd wager that this is a pre-production 650 mockup OR a one-off type of what a Dell Treo might have looked like.

I don't doubt that a Treo 670 or 700 will eventually be released, however. It just won't look like this angular unit.

So let's get this straight, assuming there is a Windows-based Treo in the future. palmOne, the number one Palm OS equipment maker, is now rushing to become yet another "me-too" in the Windows Mobile space.

Unfortunately, given what's going on in the past between palmOne and PalmSource this is very believable.

*Sigh* Too stupid to live, too dumb to die...

Right:
1) I want a definate official source before I start taking any of this seriously - I've seen waaaay too many images on here for me to believe all of them: Tungsten E2 rumour and not to mention a particular member who has been posting piccies of Dell x50p's, T6's and Ti's, Pat....;)
2) Two Treos in one year? Eeven with two OSes, I'd find it hard to believe that they could put out two identical devices within a few months of each other.
3) The point about the specs is very well made - the hp6340 has ancient specs and got slaughtered in almost every review of it I've read.

What would be a nice thought is if this a true Treo 670, with the minor additions of extra memory and Wifi....

Masamune, if you discount Pat's playthings, the vast majority of the photos circulated are real. Remember the T3 photos that people crowed 'fake' at? Or the T5. And I'm willing to bet that the E2 is real as well.

I wouldn't take the specs too seriously yet. HTC has a notoriously modular engineering structure, and it wouldn't surprise me if they could dump another 32-96 MB of RAM in on a half-hour's notice.

The T|E2 is such a glacial step forward that it's bound to be real. Besides, the T|E is way overdue for replacement anyway. I put some measure of belief in these images. Why?

Scenario #1 I don't think these pics are a hoax at all but it's also not a fully production-ready unit. Anyone remember the Dell "engineering sample" AMD-based desktops that are floated around every couple of years just to keep Intel in line pricing-wise? This could be something similar. P1's engineers cobbled together this in their spare time, fanned the rumor flames about PPC and-voila!-a perfect way to prod PalmSource into getting something decent out the door.

Scenario #2 Also, the more I think about it, this could just be a quickie refresh of the 650 with at least 2x the RAM and/or a few other small tweaks (possibly wi-fi?). The 650 could then drop $100 or $150 in price where people wouldn't have such high expectations of it. Existing Treo 600 stocks could then be blown out for <$300 while P1 scrambles to prepare a proper low-end entry level Treo for fall '05. P1 could go ahead with the square buttons and altered d-pad just to keep from having 3 identical looking units on the market.

I have to admit that if this was their first Win Mob unit, it'd have a nicer integration of the camera on the back. That thing looks so cheap and grafted on in comparison to the sleek integrated lens housings on other smart/cell phones out there. Of course, this IS P1 we're talking about...

P1 can barely afford to fund new POS models 2x per year--it's insane to think they can undertake a new OS and maintain 3 distinct hardware lines (Palm PDAs, Palm Treos, PPC Treos).

Unless, of course, a buyer with deep pockets is waiting in the wings.

What if, say, Sprint ponied up the seed money for 100,000 PPC Treos? No risk. No engineering effort. Guaranteed profit. Easy money. Just like the Fat Ba$tards at pa1mOne like it. So what if it destroys the platform? Thanks, pa1mOne! Lazy ba$tards.

*************************************************************************************

Press release: CUPERTINO, California — February 11, 2005 — Apple® announced today that Steve Jobs will begin selling his own feces to Apple Cultists beginning March 1. Apple's new iPoo™ lineup is expected to easily surpass the iPod shuffle as the company's most popular product. Yes, Apple Cultists can already easily create their own iPoo™, but feces didn't seem cool until Jobs told them it was cool. Remember, kids: the ONLY cool feces is Jobs' highly individualistic, rebellious iPoo™ (coming soon in six different colors/flavors, including the red [hematochezia] and black [melena] U2 GI bleed model)

*************************************************************************************

******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.

Adam's right about the numbers. P1 is already on the phone and maybe on a plane if these asre futures.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

Actually, Home and Menu buttons do exist on Windows.

Here what are you here saying here?

Send your Creampie over. I need release and Creampie needs a creampie. Hope you enjoy eating sloppy seconds, CuckholdSteve.





*************************************************************************************

Press release: CUPERTINO, California — February 11, 2005 — Apple® announced today that Steve Jobs will begin selling his own feces to Apple Cultists beginning March 1. Apple's new iPoo™ lineup is expected to easily surpass the iPod shuffle as the company's most popular product. Yes, Apple Cultists can already easily create their own iPoo™, but feces didn't seem cool until Jobs told them it was cool. Remember, kids: the ONLY cool feces is Jobs' highly individualistic, rebellious iPoo™ (coming soon in six different colors/flavors, including the red [hematochezia] and black [melena] U2 GI bleed model)

*************************************************************************************

******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.

Gentlemen,

RELAX. This thing is ugly as sin in Treo terms. It looks like the design of one of those budding Chinese hardware makers that PSRC has licensed lately.

Nothing that we are sure about says that these FUTURE Treo devices. They very well could be NEW photos of OLD prototype TReo 650s that never made it b/c the elegant version won out. Someone in the styling department needs a good firing if they think this thing is going to go as an upgrade to the 650. It's just plain ugggy in comparison. My guess is that it was one of > 1 choice for the 650.

They are 2 colors and keyboard paint schemes indicating that they are the GSM & CDMA versions which have so far carried this scheme. It is easier for the security of the devices to be lost AFTER release than before it. I personally bought 3 pre-production T3s on eBAY several months after the T3 was on the market. After the in-house and out-house folks get done testing, evaluating and grading a pre-prod model, then it may not be controlled so well and moles more easily get the image online.

Nothing in the photos indicates WinMob. The hard-buttons are all indicative of a Palm OS model. They are identical to Palm OS functions. If this were a device being made for Dell or T-Mob etc, I would expect adjusted botton labels. One cannot be sure here,but it appears that way.

My question is "what is HTC" doing involved in design? Has P1 just walked away from that too in order to be a marketing company only? HTC is certainly capable, and Hawkins even said that he has had NOTHING to do with the 650. Handspring did all the 600 design in-house I thought. Did HTC do it all on the 650? Is this really some of their work on a "670"? I doubt they would use the same #ing schemes that P1 does in house on pre-prods.

Again, nothing in the photos indicate anything WinMob. Pics are real tho.

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

[i]VOR said: "Believe in me, my son. Follow not the false prophets, for they are wicked and unjust. Trust thou His Voice. His Voice of Reason."[/i]

See Proverbs 16:18 for Truth's response.

_________________
Sean

There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.

Foo,

Look at the dedicated phone buttons .... cheeeesy

Pat Horne; www.churchoflivingfaith.com

Frankly, what I see is that it maybe done in engineering terms. However, what will hit the shelves is another story. PPC Smartphones have not been very successful and frankly, while P1 may try to do this to make some network provider happy, it will fail in the marketplace.

Time for someone to make another PalmSource licensee and do this right.

Steve, Windows Smartphones have actually met quite a bit of success in Europe, if not over here. Not that relevant, though, since a Treo would almost certainly run the full PocketPC OS. Lots of businesses like to standardize on Windows devices for simplified support and syncing purposes--that would be where the PPC Treo market would be.

ASSUMING that PalmOne makes a duplicate device with PalmSource OS (which shouldn't be that difficult), then it is not shafting PalmSource out of any cash. They still have a license with PalmOne, they didn't lose it.

People that prefer PalmSource OS will still buy the PalmSource OS version, and people that prefer the MS PPC will buy the MS PPC version; all to the financial benefit of PalmOne. This gives a greater freedom for profit to PalmOne and not being hindered by the exclusivity of the PalmSource OS.

UNLESS PalmOne flat out refuses a license from PalmSource, PalmSource shouldn't lose anything really. PalmSource still has to get what licenses they can get, in addition to PalmOne. This is beneficial for both companies (PalmOne and PalmSource) not to be hindered by their own exclusivity to the other.

PalmSource is going to fail or succeed with gaining licenses regardless if PalmOne sells MS OS or not.

This epoch, if the rumor is true, should result in better hardware from PalmOne in order to gain other OS licenses, and PalmSource is still no better or worse than before.

So do you think that companies and individuals that might have otherwise bought PalmOS Treos (when PalmOS was the only game in town) won't buy PPC Treos? Every PPC Treo sold at the expense of a PalmOS Treo is another stab wound (in the back) to the PalmOS platform. One by one, it all adds up. Suddely, one day you wake up and the general consensus is that PalmOS is dead. Then suddenly EVERYONE abandond the platform. Overnight. Just look at what happened to Netscape. When the end comes, things tend to snowball quickly.

And do you think that licencees only pay for a general license and not a per-device license? Wow. What grade are you in?





*************************************************************************************

Press release: CUPERTINO, California — February 11, 2005 — Apple® announced today that Steve Jobs will begin selling his own feces to Apple Cultists beginning March 1. Apple's new iPoo™ lineup is expected to easily surpass the iPod shuffle as the company's most popular product. Yes, Apple Cultists can already easily create their own iPoo™, but feces didn't seem cool until Jobs told them it was cool. Remember, kids: the ONLY cool feces is Jobs' highly individualistic, rebellious iPoo™ (coming soon in six different colors/flavors, including the red [hematochezia] and black [melena] U2 GI bleed model)

*************************************************************************************

******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.

Its not the hardware that's the differentiator here (ok - so they have a small qerty keyboard. their not the oinly ones). Its the interface. This mean palm OS + p1 dpad/phone integration. Winmob (PPC) is a cludge of an os. The treo 600 is what it is because of the OS. Haven't you read all of those raving critics reviews?

You disappoint me, Grasshopper. I know PalmOS is superior to PPC. You know PalmOS is superior to PPC. Unfortunately for Palm, being superior doesn't matter. People (and especially companies) will quickly drift to PPC because of the Microsoft name and marketing. Think about it: why does anyoe buy crappy PPC PDAs now anyway? It's not just for the superior hardware - people feel "safe" with the Microsoft name. Sad but true.

Bring out a PPC Treo and PalmOS Treo sales will instantly nosedive, setting up a chain reaction. Once PalmOS device sales figures are noticeably below PPC numbers the rats will flee the PalmOS ship in droves. Remember what happened to Netscape? Palm can easily go from market leader to also-ran within MONTHS. The past 8 years of market dominance means nothing.





*************************************************************************************

Press release: CUPERTINO, California — February 11, 2005 — Apple® announced today that Steve Jobs will begin selling his own feces to Apple Cultists beginning March 1. Apple's new iPoo™ lineup is expected to easily surpass the iPod shuffle as the company's most popular product. Yes, Apple Cultists can already easily create their own iPoo™, but feces didn't seem cool until Jobs told them it was cool. Remember, kids: the ONLY cool feces is Jobs' highly individualistic, rebellious iPoo™ (coming soon in six different colors/flavors, including the red [hematochezia] and black [melena] U2 GI bleed model)

*************************************************************************************

******************************************************************
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.