Quickies: i705 Update, Treo Launch, Hall of Fame, and Motient

Posted By: As Listed Tuesday, January 29, 2002 8:17:27 AM

Palm has posted an update on their Support site for the i705 that "will enhance the performance of your radio and battery". The page goes on to describe it as "necessary" for anyone using AOL Instant Messenger. -Ed

Handspring is going to launch its Treo line in Hong Kong on January 30. Bill Holtzman, VP of Handspring International, will be on hand for the actual launch. Wireless service for the Treo will be provided by PacRim Technologies. -fkclo Update: Handspring has officially released the Treo in Hong Kong.

Palm has moved the Vx, VIIx, and IIIc handhelds into the Handheld Hall of Fame. This is a listing of all products produced since the original Pilot series that are no longer in production. The IIIc and VIIx, however, are still available from the Palm Store. -Michael Brewer

Motient, who makes an always-on wireless modem for the Palm V, announced yesterday that their wireless data network is now accessible to more than 220 million people, 30% more than its closest competitor. -Ed

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Motient

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 8:28:50 AM #
I thought Motient filed for Bankrupcy... I must have been misinformed. Does anyone have experience with their service on the V? Any idea when we can expect to see the sleds for the m500 series?

RE: Motient
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 8:49:43 AM #
Motient did file for Chapter 11 backruptcy protection, which allows a company to continue operating while it restructures.

Hong Kong shipping now

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 9:53:59 AM #
or so says the website.

http://www.handspring.grandtech.com/

RE: Hong Kong shipping now
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 10:02:22 AM #
I have been waiting a while for this goddamn thing to come out for a while...hopefully I will get one pretty soon...damn...what's taking so long...? *&^%%^!!!

RE: Hong Kong shipping now
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 10:22:50 AM #
Well, it IS the 29th. Shipping now means 1-2 days.

I think Handspring is still waiting for both the anticipation in North America to grow more, AND the GSM network to get better coverage.

In Canada, GSM seems to only be available in 2 major cities in my province. In fact, when I get within 2km of the perimiter of my city, my GSM phone stops working.

Guaranteed GSM coverage seems to be only in 1-3 cities in each province. I'm already sick of my GSM phone.

Treo Delay
Ed @ 1/29/2002 10:41:24 AM #
> what's taking so long

You have read this article explaining the delay, haven't you?

www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID=2857

---
News Editor

RE: Hong Kong shipping now
martopiggus @ 1/29/2002 11:04:49 AM #
Some spotted it's being sold already in some area of Hong Kong at the price of HKD 4380 (around USD 561), consider some crappy Samsung phone can be sold at HKD 8000+ (and even a lot of people bought those!) looks like it's not too bad.

RE: Hong Kong shipping now
Ed @ 1/29/2002 11:29:13 AM #
Handspring has officially released the Treo in Hong Kong.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020129/290171_1.html

---
News Editor

RE: Hong Kong shipping now
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 6:27:46 PM #
I think this is a financial decision for HS to announce first in those countrys. Because of the wide GSM coverage there is more market opportunity and more payola. Good move. In addition those countries will generate some good press because there are more SMS users that will like the device. I'm ready !!!!

Canada GSM
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/6/2002 1:07:37 AM #
HAHA...where have you been GSM is in every major city in Canada! LOL ;-)

Rogers GSM is still small, but it's gonna get a LOT BIGGER. coverage wise that is...

Fido is still pretty good. good for metropolitan areas.

This is a SLAP in the FACE!

JeepBastard @ 1/29/2002 10:39:10 AM #
The treo is Hypeware. They dangle the carrot in front of us but they cannot deliver.

This is a Slap in the Face of handspring consumers stateside. They let us down before they even started.

[http://www.mediathreat.net]

RE: This is a SLAP in the FACE!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 11:12:40 AM #
Treo is GSM which isn't well supported in the USofA.

RE: This is a SLAP in the FACE!
martopiggus @ 1/29/2002 11:41:54 AM #
Come to Hong Kong and get one! :-P

RE: This is a SLAP in the FACE!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 12:08:41 PM #
Why would any company sell a GSM product in a country without significant GSM? It would only get a reputation as a device which can't be used freely.
Handspring is correct to focus on areas of the world where there is a definate market. ie. Europe and parts of Asia.
America really needs to get some widespread network standards instead of the stupid patchwork you have now which results in the need for clumsy 'multi-standard' phones.
It's the people who set standards and choose which way to move the technology forwards in the USA who really do need a 'slap in the face'
I'm sure a company like Handspring would not be so incautious as to say such a thing but this is clearly how they feel.

No e-mail on Treo?!

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 12:29:36 PM #
Read the press release -- in the long list of features, Handspring never mentions that the Treo has e-mail capability!


RE: No e-mail on Treo?!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 12:55:09 PM #
You *can* get e-mail on a Treo, but it's not as nicely integrated as the always-on RIM Blackberry and Palm i705 devices, which have e-mail automatically pushed to them. With the Treo, you have to actively dial-up to your ISP or Corporate network and launch your e-mail application to check if you have new mail. Although I suppose you can set up your e-mail server or client to automatically forward e-mail to your Treo via SMS messaging, this isn't a perfect solution since network providers limit the size of SMS messages to something like 100 characters (but at least you would get 'immediate' notification...)

RE: No e-mail on Treo?!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 2:07:05 PM #
Yes. I do this with my mobile phone and so I get the sense of my email without any cost! I only connect (via WAP/GPRS) if the subjects/senders interest me.
With email pushed to your device you will pay for the data downloaded whether the email is interesting to you or just spam.

With GPRS (always-on)in the UK there is no reason why Multi-mail will not work in exactly the same way on a Treo as it does on the new palm it's just a matter of configuring the software to check your account every few minutes. As I say this may cost you something in data transfer everytime it does that. Not an ideal solution.

RE: No e-mail on Treo?!
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 6:21:36 PM #
I totally agree on the SMS e-mail approach. That's what I do with my visorphone. E-mail is forwared to me and I get immediate view that I have mail, only jnust 100 characters or so. Many times that is enough, then I can decide if I want to dial and pop3 any mail at all. But at least I know if it exists or not so I don't have to go and check. When I get the Trteo, that is how I will use that as well until GPRS.

Treo Review in TIMEasia.com

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 12:35:46 PM #
Small, but nice pic of the Treo. Review ends with the complaint of weak battery power and high price.

RE: Treo Review in TIMEasia.com
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 12:45:06 PM #
Here's the link:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?A2D93185


Treo battery life

I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 2:18:22 PM #
My only reservation with the Treo is the apparently poor battery performance.
2.5 hours Talktime is OK but 60 hours standby is poor compared to other phones -bearing in mind that phone manufacturers tend to make 'optimistic' claims about this issue.

My current Siemens phone manages a GENUINE 2 hours talk AND 4 days standby on one full charge. Sure it doesn't have the computing power of a PalmOS device but it's much smaller/lighter.

Handspring are marketing this device as a phone with buit-in Palm not the reverse. In this case they will have to compete with other phones in the market. Mass-market users will not want to charge their phones every other day- esp. when travelling.

If the battery life claims are accurate then I would still be tempted but I will wait to hear what user experiences of this are.

This doesn't bode well for the upcoming colour model as such tend to consume more power (when the screen is on - of course).

RE: Treo battery life
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 5:25:19 PM #
I'm perfectly happy with my cell phone, and I have to charge it once a day...

RE: Treo battery life
robrecht @ 1/29/2002 5:39:02 PM #
I think 2.5 hours of talk time is not that competitive. By comparison, the tiny little Motorola V60c with its extra capacity battery provides up to 330 minutes of talk time and 330 hours of standby time.

Perhaps these convergence Palm units should use replacable rechargable batteries like every cell phone on the market. I always keep a large-capacity spare battery charged up and just pop it in when the other battery is weak.

Thanks, Robrecht

RE: Treo battery life
I.M. Anonymous @ 1/29/2002 6:23:45 PM #
I can't imagine using more than even 1 hour in a day. Heck that's about my monthly plan. I like having a phone at all times for short calls and being in contact. I don't see it a big deal to charge each day. Heck a charger by the bed and maybe one in the car and I'm good. I would not be willing to give up some of the Treo function for more hours talk time or put up with more weight for talk time. I think it's a perfect blend for me.

RE: Treo battery life
I.M. Anonymous @ 2/25/2002 4:40:43 PM #
O.k., I've had one for a few days now. To see what the battery life really was, I left the phone on continuously after the first full charge. After about 48 hours standby and maybe a dozen short calls (not more than 20 minutes talk time), I started getting "you need to charge your battery" messages. It's definitely a lot less time than I get with a Nokia 8260.

Having said that, it is a pretty cool device. But I think that it really is a Palm with a built-in phone, not the other way around. If you use the phone occasionally, it will be great. But if you want to use it as a full-time phone, better keep a charger close.

Treo close up pics

martopiggus @ 1/30/2002 12:07:26 AM #
Brando took some close up pics for the Treo in HK launch... http://www.brando.com.hk

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