treocentral.com >>
Stories >>
Business
Talkin' Treo -- v052606
Week ending 26 May 2006
The Q Tries to Commandeer the Smartphone Stage
 The big story this week (besides the release of the Treo 700p of course) was the announcement of the Motorola Q. This smartphone, which runs Windows Mobile 5.0, has been described as "a serious challenge" to Research In Motion's Blackberry and Palm's Treo.
Motorola's Ron Garriques told financial analysts that the Q would have a ramp-up similar to its popular Razr. Motorola estimates 750,000 sales of the Q in the first 90 days, 1.5 million in the succeeding 90 days and 3 million the three months after that. Needless to say, Palm's stock took a hit on Monday and Tuesday as a result of all this buzz.
There were some early write-ups on the Q from PC World and MobileTechReview. Others were eager to put it to the test against the Blackberry and Palm 700p.
No doubt, there will be many more of these types of comparisons in the days, weeks, months ahead. But while the Q does its best to garner mindshare, the pundits are Talkin' Treo 700p.
USA Today's Review
InformationWeek's Review
Washington Times
Brighthand
Comparison Video of the 650/700p/700w side by side from SlashPhone well worth watching (although the narrator isn't exactly Charlton Heston)
Palm News
BlackBerry Connect for Palm Treo 650 Downunder
 This week, Palm and Research In Motion (RIM) announced the availability of BlackBerry Connect for the Palm Treo 650 smartphone on the Optus network in Australia. BlackBerry Connect enables new and existing Treo 650 users to benefit from many popular features of the "push"-based BlackBerry architecture via BlackBerry Enterprise Server. This announcement is similar to the Telestra Networks one that appeared earlier this month.
Then there was the Verizon and Palm announcement regarding the availability of the 700p. On Tuesday, Verizon Wireless and Palm stated that the Treo 700p is available online immediately and will be available in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores on June 1. Verizon's online exclusive offers the Treo 700p for $100 off with a 2-year contract.
There's been lots of buzz about Sprint, but nothing has shown up on their website yet.
We talked earlier about the impact of Motorola's announcement on Palm's stock. Fortunately for Palm, their executives were already scheduled to speak at financial conferences this week to (no doubt having a chance to offer the analysts their side of the story). Here are the links to the webcasts:
Palm Lehman Brothers Worldwide Wireless and Wireline Conference
34th Annual JPMorgan Technology Conference
 One last notable item from Palm: They are offering a FREE 1GB SD card when you order a new Treo 700p smartphone, IF you already own a Palm handheld or smartphone.
Just click here and be ready to enter the serial number of your old handheld or smartphone. Plus Palm is providing FREE overnight shipping to thank you for being a loyal Palm customer. Note: this offer expires June 11, 2006.
Elsewhere in the World of Treo
SplashData's SplashWallet Ready for Treo 700p Smartphone
SplashData, Inc., the leading developer of security and productivity applications for smartphones, announced that its market-leading SplashWallet suite of mobile productivity applications has been optimized for the just-announced Palm Treo 700p. SplashWallet includes four of the best-selling professional applications for Palm Powered devices -- SplashPhoto, SplashMoney, SplashID and SplashShopper.
Wake up to Music
 This looked interesting. Fabian Heuwieser has released mp3 Clock 1.0 that will allow you to wake up to your favorite mp3.
CNET Video: Treo Tips
In this video, CNET Networks' wireless specialist, Avni Yagnik, explains how to edit your favorites pages, create a shortcut, and beam your business card to other mobile users.
Recent TreoCentral Guides & Reviews
Weathering Heights for the 700w - By Tim Hillebrand
"As you can see, there's a baffling array of weather programs for the 700w weather, each with different features that may make choosing one difficult. Some are standalone products; others are part of a suite of applications. Some give minimal information while others offer more depth. The number of cities and days displayed vary. Some emphasize customization. Some are subscription services; others are free. I hope this overview helped guide you in selecting the program that will turn your Treo 700W into a handheld weather bureau."
Diving into mOcean - By Xious Sonenberg
"mOcean is gravitating where it needs to be, and is a far superior program than it was on our last cruise. Next, I'd like to see MotionApps add a real multi-band Graphic Equalizer, a timer in the 'jog' mode, and a resume feature for those loooooooooooong tracks." (mOcean is a new PalmOS mp3 player with a distinctly iPod-esque interface)
IM for the 700w - By Tim Hillebrand
"If you enjoy instant messaging, but are frustrated because your friends are scattered across the various services, IM will solve your problem. IM serves as a single client (similar in concept to VeriChat for handhelds including PalmOS Treos and the 700w) or Trillian for Windows) but unlike those, which work with four IM services, IM connects to six of them: MSN, AOL, Yahoo!, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber."
Reviews & Guides from Elsewhere in the Treo Community
 Gimme Some Skin: Review of S700 Skin Case
Everything Treo took a look at the SmartPhone Experts S700 Skin Case.
"There are few things more unsightly than a badly nicked and scratched Treo especially if it's your new Treo 700. The S700 Skin Case by Smartphone Experts offers great protection from accidental cosmetic damage, while still letting you enjoy all the great features of the phone."
Wireless Headset: Can't Decide? Let Treonauts Help
Andrew at Treonauts has done it again. This is an excellent comparison of wireless headsets.
You'll "Flip" Over this Case
Treobits has a review of the Sena Magnetic Flipper Case.
"Overall this is an excellent case and comes highly recommended."
Podcasting - New Use for Your Old Treo 600
Curious about Podcasting? Laurie Sullivan has created a podcast about podcasting using Podcast Ready software (got that?). In it, she talks to the company's founder and CEO Russell Holliman. One of the things that Holliman talks about is how he turned the Palm Treo 600 into a tool to create podcasts. Very cool!
Endnotes & Ponderables
Follow-up Are Your Ready for Some Football!
 Ryan at PalmInfocenter recently posted a story about the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Specifically, it points out a number of mobile sites where football (soccer) fans can keep track of the tournament being played in Germany starting in June.
And in case you were wondering, a recent study states that this tournament will generate around $300m in mobile TV & video revenues. That's pretty impressive. I'd say that FIFA World Cup fans ought to buy themselves a spare battery now so that they don't miss any of the action.
SuperTreo Saves the Day
This story is interesting. In the Philly area, a man hoping to make a quick $100 for driving a stranger to get his paycheck signed and cashed, figured out that his passenger had actually duped him into becoming his getaway driver for a bank heist. So the driver used his Treo's video camera to tape his passenger. That tape ended up being a crucial piece of evidence in court.
The passenger was wearing a white T-shirt adorned on the front with the Corona beer logo the same T-shirt that the bank robber was wearing when he struck at 4:40 p.m. April 28, Bucks County prosecutor Gary Gambardella argued in court, showing the cell-phone video as well as the bank's surveillance pictures to the judge. Case closed.
Last Chance!
Reminder! Time is running out for runner-up winners of TreoCentral's "Hooked on Palm" essay contest to claim their prizes. Deadline is 31 May, 2006.
That's a wrap!
|
|
|
 |
