Cingular Announces Treo 680 Availability
Cingular has announced the Treo 680 will be available in its stores and online beginning Friday, Nov. 24. The Palm Treo 680 will be sold for as low as $199 with a two year contract agreement and an unlimited data plan.
“The Palm Treo 680 will open up the popular Palm experience to a much wider audience of Cingular customers,” said Jeff Bradley, vice president, business data services, for Cingular Wireless. “This next-generation Treo comes with all of the outstanding business features that Palm devotees have come to expect plus rich entertainment capabilities, and all at a very attractive price that will appeal both to businesses and individual users.”
The Treo 680 is powered by Palm OS Garnet v5.4.9. It runs a 312 MHz Intel processor and has 64MB of user available storage memory and 64MB of SDRAM. The screen is a 320 x 320 pixel color touch-screen display. The 680 features a full size SD slot for memory expansion. It has a slimmer 1200 mAh rechargeable battery for up to 4 hours talk time. Bluetooth v1.2 wireless and IR are included as well as a VGA digital camera.
The phone is a GSM/GPRS/EDGE Class 10 device and has a internal quad-band (850/900/1800/1900) antenna that is said to feature improved TIS/TRP performance (better RF reception) than the Treo 650.
It has dimensions of 2.29" x 4.40" x 0.8" inches (58.4 x 111.8 x 20.3 mm) and weighs in at 5.5 ounces (156g).
The Palm Treo 680 operates on Cingular’s nationwide EDGE network the largest national high-speed wireless data network in the United States with availability in more than 13,000 cities and towns, and along some 40,000 miles of major highways.
Pricing and Availability
The Treo 680 is available beginning Friday, Nov. 24, for as low as $199.99 to consumers and businesses nationwide at Cingular Wireless retail stores, select retailers and online. The $199 price applies after a two year contract agreement and a unlimited data plan. It will also be available for $279 with a one year agreement and $449 with no contract commitment. A variety of monthly data plans are available, including an unlimited Cingular PDA Connect plan for $44.99 per month. The Cingular version of the 680 is SIM locked to the Cingular Network.
For a limited time, the Treo 680 will come with a music bundle from Yahoo!, which includes a 30-day free trial to its Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go service and Yahoo! Music For Mobile. Users have the ability to access the Yahoo! Music Unlimited music library from the phone and to send tracks remotely to a PC.
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Married? I'm Singular Like Wireless Baby
also, does cingular still only have customer phone service from like 8-5 mon-fri? that SUCKED
502-938-5135 was my card number (now deactivated)
thats what she said!
Definition of 'Low End'
Nowadays you can get a brand new "Low End" car for less than that.
RE: Definition of 'Low End'
EVDO really isn't worth an extra $720 a year for me. I find EDGE data speeds to be plenty snappy for business applications that I cares about, which is one reason why I stick with Cingular as the carrier for my primary phone. I suspect that that logic will apply pretty well to quite a few enterprise customers of the Treo 680 as well.
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Definition of 'Low End'
Without data?
RE: Without data?
hmmmm
i need these things for work, thats why i get to the price of adjust my taxable gross income by tax deducting the price.
their service was unreliable as far as the connection went, i got kicked off once an hour or once every 30 megabytes. whichever came first, on average.
i had that, and a 3 foot 70$ wilson attenna and a sony ericson adapter....many phones have adapters for increased signal, but they are not in manuals, and unadvertised, yet wilson sells adapters to their external attenna ports, and they make modded adapters to work with ones that dont have the port. for people in rural areas, these are nice.
that didnt help my connection, did increase one bar to two of signal, but i did get better speeds sometimes, in big cities. i later tried the original tracker attenna....it looks like an xm cone attenna, and it worked better in both respects.
thats what she said!
Attracting new users to smartphones
Yeah that will really draw Joe and Josephine "not early adopter "in to buy one.
I'm going to guess, that Palm doesen't embrace the use of focus groups and then pass along the data to the carriers.
At some point, I might upgrade someones phone, since we are a cingular family plan customer (3 650's and an e62) with data plans. however we weren't the target market in the first place.
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
The E62 is available free now - no dataplan required (though I would suppose one would want one...maybe). And the Q is $99 - not sure why people Keep On Mentioning an $80 monthly plan, though, when that has never been a requirement - perhaps just FUD out of PALM marketing like the "enormous Q return rate"?
The E62 is not free: it's $99 after the rebate and a 2 yr plan. http://www.cingular.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phones/pda-phones-smartphones.jsp
And sure, you can get Q without a data plan, but what would be the point of that? The point I've been making is you can get data plans for the 680 for as little as $8/mo, $20 for all-you-can-eat.
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
Sheesh.
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
In fact, I think I will.
Enjoy yer search!
[offer good til 28th or so so don't take yer time!]
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
Free. From certain dealers.
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
You get what you pay for. And I stand by my original statement that the E62 is *not* free in any sense of the word that matters--not from Cingular, and not from "LetsTalk" or "Wirefly."
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
Are Treos 2 expensive 2 sell in 2006 - 2007?
Palm's smartphone offerings are being undercut on price by the competition. In a price-sensitive world, that is A Bad Thing.
TVoR
RE: Will the 680 fly off the shelves in 2006-2007?
Palm have addressed every major complaint* against the Treo with the 680, excepting thin-ness and wifi. The external antenna is gone, there's plenty of memory, the phone rececption is (apparently) improved and the price is much easier to digest. What's not to like? It's going to be a hit.
*although they've created some new ones: i.e. WTF is with No Reset Button? And of course the smaller battery, but I suppose that's the price we have to pay for more curves and a lighter weight...
Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
Palm's smartphone offerings are being undercut on price by the competition. In a price-sensitive world, that is A Bad Thing.
So go buy the cheaper competition! Nothing bad about that. I'm sure you'll love the E62. And you'll make a wonderful addition to the AllAboutSymbian forums! :D
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
this reset tool works good too assuming that the phone is not completely frozen.
http://software.palminfocenter.com/product.asp?id=883
basic features are free - i.e. reset and auto phone radio turn-on.
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
verizon and cingular's data pricing is borderline criminal.
sprint is cearly now the way to go. great coverage, great service, great pricing.
http://sprint.p.delivery.net/m/p/sprint/epc/epclanding.asp
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
You seem to be going sufficiently far out of your way to attempt to denigrate the idea that The Competition really is coming in better and cheaper than PALM that it suggests more than mere opinion is invested here.
I don't know how you got the idea that I was saying the Treo was better than the cheaper competition. I think for a lot of folks the 680 will be a great choice thanks to the touchscreen and Palm's refinements, so I expect them to do well with it. But I'm personally also very impressed with the Nokia E61 with the built-in WiFi. And I'm fond of the ugly duckling Nokia 9300, which isn't cheaper than the Treo but is an awesome high-end PDA phone. I'm not so stupid as to suggest that the new crop of Treo knock-offs aren't going to be competing fiercely for Palm's customers.
I like the Palm OS, but as most readers here know I've never been a huge fan of the Treo. The 680 has grown on me over the last few weeks, which is the longest time I've ever used a Treo, but my vision of a truly great smartphone isn't something that ANY vendor has come very close to hitting yet, so no, I'm absolutely not "invested," as you say.
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
What is that vision?
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
What is that vision?
That's a little too long to go into here. I'll write it up soon (probably on my blog) and post a link for anyone who is interested.
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
Debunking Beersy (Part 27)
Palm's smartphone offerings are being undercut on price by the competition. In a price-sensitive world, that is A Bad Thing.
So go buy the cheaper competition! Nothing bad about that. I'm sure you'll love the E62. And you'll make a wonderful addition to the AllAboutSymbian forums! :D
Since I was BANNED from the (long since dead) site, All About Palm for simply asking PalmSource's Michael Mace questions that everyone at Palm/PalmSource would prefer left unasked, I doubt I would ever join any other "All About XYZ" forum.
As you know, I've been one of Palm's most vocal advocates (and critics) since the company began and have also heavily invested in PalmOS hardware, so despite your wishes, TVoR won't be going anywhere. As I now have the biggest stash of new Samsung i500, European (Bluetooth + Wi-Fi) Sony CLIE TH55 and CLIE UX50 on the planet, I suspect I'll be using PalmOS devices well after pretenders like you have moved on to Linux devices, Beersy. These Voices Don't Run.
The reset-by-removing-and-replacing-the-battery maneuver is actually pretty quick and easy. Just as importantly, it's something that a new user will try intuitively if the screen get's frozen in the "on" position. I thought it was weird at first, too, but after using it for a while I think maybe it's actually a good idea.
Your ability to rationalize Palm's stupidity knows no bounds, Beersy. I suppose next you'll be saying the smaller capacity battery is also A Good Thing, since it limits how much time you can use your device, freeing up precious time to spend with your family, right? Don't embarass yourself sprouting pure nonsense, Beersy.
The Q is now $75 at Amazon.
And the E62 is $25 at Amazon.
2 reasons why Palm will post heavy losses this quarter (unless they again "borrow" sales from the future, which I hope Colligan is not stupid enough to try to pull off - unless they know the buyout is imminent).
You seem to be going sufficiently far out of your way to attempt to denigrate the idea that The Competition really is coming in better and cheaper than PALM that it suggests more than mere opinion is invested here.
hengeem, Beersy is one of the biggest Palm Apologists on the planet outside Sunnyvale. Even though he sounds like a Palm-sponsored Astroturfer, his ridiculously "optimistic" posts stem more from his uncontrollable need to ingratiate himself with Palm/PalmSource employees than any more sleazy reasons.
...the new crop of Treo knock-offs...
Your feeble attempt to trivialize the design abilities of companies like Nokia, HTC, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, etc by claiming their smartphones are merely "Treo knock-offs" is quite telling, Beersy. It's obvious that youu're Colligan's biotch.
freakout wrote:
What is that vision?
That's a little too long to go into here. I'll write it up soon (probably on my blog) and post a link for anyone who is interested.
Be a man for a change, Beersy. Post your "brilliant" vision here at Palminfocenter for all to see (and respond to) rather than posting to your obscure little blog site that attracts few visitors.
TVoR wants to see 4 major smartphone categories:
1) Treo 600/Nokia E61 form factor, but lighter (5 oz), thinner, better (more tactile feedback but less resistance) buttons, no external antenna, slightly bigger (OLED) screen.
2) Samsung i550 form factor, but thinner, no external antenna.
3) HTC TyTN or Nokia 9300 form factor, but lighter, thinner and with slightly bigger screen.
4) Ultra-simplistic Sony Ericsson K750 (or similar) form factor. http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson-phones-19.php
I realize that Palm lacks the ability to advance the smartphone design beyond what Handspring did with the Treo 600, so it will be up to traditional cellphone manufacturers to take things to the next level.
TVoR
Palm can't afford to keep crippling its products
Wrong. It's not hard to succeed if you have no competition.
Palm have addressed every major complaint* against the Treo with the 680, excepting thin-ness and wifi. The external antenna is gone, there's plenty of memory, the phone rececption is (apparently) improved and the price is much easier to digest. What's not to like? It's going to be a hit.
Bull. What about weight, size, Wi-Fi, battery life, price and voice quality. How about build quality and reliability? All it would take is fo a new Motorola Q to become the trendy fashion statement du jour for business professionals (much like the Palm V did 7 years ago) and the Treo market may dry up, literally overnight. Palm seems incapable of understanding 2 crucial facts in the cellphone business:
1) Style sells and lack of style remains an albatross around Palm's neck.
2) Companies that stand still are soon DEAD. Just because you were first to market a solid product in a new niche means NOTHING to consumers a few years later. "What have you done for me lately?™" should be tattoed into the foreheads of every Palm employee ASAP. I Have Tattoo Needles And Will Travel... Call me, Ed.
*although they've created some new ones: i.e. WTF is with No Reset Button? And of course the smaller battery, but I suppose that's the price we have to pay for more curves and a lighter weight...
Again, Palm continues the tradition of buggering up its designs by design. Pathetic. That way of stratifying its products may have worked 5 years ago in the PDA sphere, but it sure as He11 won't work in 2007 in the cellphone market.
TVoR
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
The 680 is lighter (okay, only an ounce, but it's still lighter.) It's cheaper and the price will only go down further from here. None of the reviews I've read yet have cited voice quality as an issue. The build quality of the Treo hasn't really been an issue since the 650 - almost 2 years now of very rough treatment and the only problem I've encountered with mine is a slightly wobbly SIM tray. Reliability is just fine in my eyes.
I'm disappointed in the smaller battery, but its all a tradeoff. It's not like we didn't get anything in return: we got a lighter, curvier phone. As for wifi, you're right. No excuses for that.
It's also worth noting that the Treo still has one hardware to lord over other smartphones: the touchscreen. It's so very convenient, I'm not sure I could ever go back to using a gadget without one.
All it would take is for a new Motorola Q to become the trendy fashion statement du jour for business professionals (much like the Palm V did 7 years ago) and the Treo market may dry up, literally overnight.
Well, if the Q was Moto's best shot, forgive me if I die laughing. :P
Again, Palm continues the tradition of buggering up its designs by design.
Yep, I'm completely mystified by taking away the reset button. It's not like it would have added any extra cost, and leaving it in wouldn't have prevented first-time users from instinctively using the battery remove-and-replace maneuver. Bizarre, but not a dealbreaker.
That way of stratifying its products may have worked 5 years ago in the PDA sphere, but it sure as He11 won't work in 2007 in the cellphone market.
It's going to be an interesting year, isn't it?
Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
1) Treo 600/Nokia E61 form factor, but lighter (5 oz), thinner, better (more tactile feedback but less resistance) buttons, no external antenna, slightly bigger (OLED) screen.
2) Samsung i550 form factor, but thinner, no external antenna.
3) HTC TyTN or Nokia 9300 form factor, but lighter, thinner and with slightly bigger screen.
4) Ultra-simplistic Sony Ericsson K750 (or similar) form factor. http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_ericsson-phones-19.php
(1) - a slightly bigger screen would be nice but you then wind up with something too big for a phone but too small for a tablet. I think the E61 is actually a bit too wide already; even though that screen is gorgeous, it just feels weird when you're using it as a phone. (I was able to play with one at the Optus store the other day.)
(2) Why don't we just petition Samsung to release an updated i550? ;)
Agreed with 3 and 4. I'd also add:
(5) Small clamshell, a la the LG CU400: http://tinyurl.com/y45ox6
cervezas
That's a little too long to go into here. I'll write it up soon (probably on my blog) and post a link for anyone who is interested.
Oh, go on. Give us a preview. ;)
Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
Shhhh! Not so loud. Palm is in a habit of removing really useful features. Don't start them reconsidering this one too.
I'm still waiting for the mythical color HandEra.
My idea of a great smartphone
Basic design principles:
1. Modularize so users can "build their own" phone. If there's one thing we know from fan sites like PalmInfocenter it's that everyone has a different concept of the ideal feature set. So let them plug in the hardware features they want like you could with the old Handspring Visor.
2. Don't compromise on the physical interface. QWERTY keyboards are great for entering text but they suck when you're using the handset for its primary function: placing and receiving calls. A great smartphone should offer one keypad optimized for voice operation and another QWERTY keyboard for everything else. Nokia got it right with the 9000 series communicators--they just didn't get the size down enough and they left off the touchscreen.
3. You don't need a fragile touchscreen on the outside of the device if you've got a big one on the inside. Big enough to drive demand for premium data plans and persuade the carriers to subsidize it generously.
After that it's just the same game everyone is playing: get the outside dimensions as small as you can. I don't think we're far away from being able to realize the design I describe in a sleek, pocketable enclosure.
David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
Beersie's "preferred" hardware add-on:
http://www.b3tards.com/uploads/dildo-joystick.jpg
RE: Attracting new users to smartphones
From the Pikesoft blog:
Given that we are adding a module system and a touchscreen digitizer to the interior screen, I may actually be pushing beyond the envelope of what can feasibly (or economically) be done in the way of miniaturization. Clearly, small size is a big factor in smartphone adoption, especially among new users. But how long can it be before a "convertible" design like this can be realized with the slim profile that so many consumers expect today?
That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? One of my mates had the Nokia 9300 you made reference to and it was laughably brick-like, even more so than the Treo. (He very quickly dumped it for something a bit less likely to induce a hernia) I think a lot of it hinges on batteries; it sucks that they're probably one of the slowest-moving areas of mobile tech. (How long has it been since we've seen a powerful, innovative new battery design for phones?)
The problem with modularisation is that the relentless advance of technology will eventually make your modules obsolete. GPS chips, for instance, are shrinking rapidly: http://tinyurl.com/yx2ddb. Of course, the argument can be made that by putting everything into modules, you make the base unit dirt-cheap and people can just buy the bits they want.
Nice ideas.
Tim
I apologise for any and all emoticons that appear in my posts. You may shoot them on sight.
Treo 270 ---> Treo 650
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Unlocked cheaper than locked?
== agreement and $449 with no contract..."
Yet you can buy a colored unlocked one direct from PALM for $399?
I'm sure Cingular likes that.