How (My Treo Obsession) Began & Ended

I'll keep it quick and simple for now, and elaborate in a bit.

crappy dumbphone from Nokia (2000 – 2002)—> crappy dumbphone from LG (2002 – 2005)—> PalmOne Treo 650 (2005 – 2007)—> Palm Treo 700p (2007 – now).

I've grown past what I have. I'm working now to get out of my Verizon contract (without fees), so I can get the AT&T Tilt (aka HTC TyTn II). I know that everyone craps all over Windows Mobile, but it's better than Palm OS for someone who wants it all. It's time for me to have GPS, WiFi, and A2DP built into the device. I'm sick of waiting, and I'm going to jump ship. I looked at the Verizon XV6800, but it's more expensive than AT&T's Tilt and has less features.

The Treo 800w (or whatever it's going to be called), can't get here fast enough. Anyway, you look at it….I'm done with Palm OS…..and Windows Mobile 6 is going to get me. Now, what hardware provider will it be? HTC, Sony, or Palm? It's looking like it will be HTC, but I will keep you posted.

I have to say, for an application which is not longer being actively developed, the people (Mark & Josh to note) at ChatterEmail have got to be the best in the biz as far as customer support. Many of you know that ChatterEmail is the best 3rd party email app for the Palm OS. In recent weeks, Chatter was updated to now support GMails IMAP service (push email). It worked well in it's first release, but some major battery drain and minor bugs caused the team at Chatter to go back into the app and make some additional enhancements.

As of this afternoon, ChatterMail is again upgrade to version 3.0.12, and you can get it here . For me, a GMail IMAP user, this is great news. I am now upgrading to 3.0.12 from 3.0.10, and am looking to see if the battery drain is improved at all.

Whether or not all the bugs are fixed, it really is impressive the ChatterEmail continues to evolve although the product is "officially feature complete".

Chatter, thanks again for the amazing customer support.

I've been slow to posting my Palm editorials and handheld news lately, but here's something to talk about for a bit. Remember my original posting on this topic (http://blog.javadevelop.com/?p=53) from April 2007? Well, I have to say that the Treo 700p will be the last Palm Garnet OS product that I ever buy. I've put a stake in the ground and can say that it is just too outdated for the stuff I want to do.

Now, there aren't many better OS options for what I want to do, but as of right now Windows Mobile 6 is going to take my money the next time around. Let's see, what do I need on my next device: Bluetooth stereo (A2DP), 3G, WiFi, 320×320 resolution (or better), expandable memory, qwerty keyboard.

That said, the iPhone is out (no keyboard, no 3G, no A2Dp). Nearly every other device is out because lack of WiFi support. To my knowledge, the only OS's that support A2DP (with or without 3rd party support) is Palm Garnet and Windows Mobile.

I still love the Treo form factor, and even like the Centro. But, I won't spend another dime on a device that doesn't have WiFi and that needs tons of 3rd party apps to make it look like it's a product from the 21st century.

So, as of now there is only one device that meets my criteria (HTC Kaiser [aka AT&T Tilt]) and one rumored (Treo 800w) to meet it.

So, I'm now out of contract and not in a rush to get back into a contract. But, as is looks, the 755p and the Centro are really just a waste of my money at this point, and it's time to join the masses of Palm OS exodus'.

I'll miss you Palm OS…you are going to lose. Palm OS II is now rumored to be available in 2009. I won't be waiting that long, and will likely have jumped ship way before you ever arrive. Palm, who are you going to sell this new OS too?

Thanks to WMExperts.com, I just learned of a site even better than YouTube and better than MobiTV. Why is it better you ask?

1. Tons of well organized streaming video.
2. It's free.

I just tried it on my Treo 700p, and am now watching a stream of ABC7 news. It's not prerecorded either. It's a live stream.

This 700p just keeps impressing me more and more every day. No 3rd party software needed. This works with the hidden embedded Kinoma player in the ROM.

Oh, you want the link to the site? Ok, here you go: http://www.channelchooser.com/mobile.php

Did you know that right out of the box a Treo 700p and 755 both play videos from You Tube? I had no idea and stumbled on it one day while reading the "Quick Tour" documentation.

As a test, I opened Blazer and went to www.youtube.com and boom….just like that I was streaming You Tube videos on my 700p. Just another under-marketed feature of the Treo that did what the iPhone does…..more than a year ago.

Anyway, it's fun when someone with an iPhone is showing off the You Tube feature and I can say, oh that…..I had You Tube out of the box on my Treo over a year ago. "Put that in your iPhone and smoke it!"

It's official, I finally got a Treo 700p for Verizon. Don't worry, I got it real cheap on eBay. My main reason for getting the 700p now, versus the 755p or waiting for something else to arrive is two-fold:

• I must have my full size SD cards.
• I was using my Treo 650 every day tethered to my laptop (with PDANet) for data access on the go. The 650 is soooo slowwww, and the 700p has high-speed EVDO data connection. So much better.

Now, I beg of the My Mobile Obsession readers: "I need a copy of the Verizon Treo 700p Update 1.10". As many of you know, Palm pulled it off their website due to customer issues.

Between you and me, all my Palm devices have/had issues….I'm used to it and will deal with it. I just NEED the update so I don't have to reinstall all my apps again once the next update comes out.

Here's a quick review of my experience on the 700p. So far, it's got some wicked lag issues (I see what everyone was complaining about). I generally only see the lag when my phone/data connection is weak or dropped. Other than that, the UI is a bit refreshed with minor tweaks from the 650. My must have apps, PocketTunes 4.0.3 and Softick Audio Gateway 1.14 are running quite well. I'm now using VersaMail 3.5.1 to wirelessly sync my Calendar and Contacts. Though VersaMail has it's issues:
1) The autosync feature never works.
2) There no option to sync Tasks. What!!?? You can do Mail, Calendar, and Contacts….but just ignore Tasks. What's the deal with that?!

So, ChatterEmail lives on on the 700p. I will continue to use it for mail.

More updates as they come in.

For now, I may just stick with Palm Garnet OS and ride it to the end….then see what the hub-bub around the Linux-based Palm OS II is all about.

iPHone, sorry. You lost me at no keyboard.
Win Mo, I think you will lose me to Palm OS II. Let's see when the Win Mo 6 with 320×320 Treo comes out…and then we shall talk again.

Well, I have been on a blog hiatus for two months…work and family schedule has kept me away from updating My Mobile Obsession. But, I have kept up on the news.

Today's announcement immediately forced me to postpone my hiatus. Not since the announcement that Sega was "end of lifing" the Dreamcast to focus solely on software, has something this big come along.

The Foleo is DEAD WTF. Don't get me wrong, this is good news to me (and I'm sure you too). But, holy F* S**! On possibly the day that it was going to be released for purchase, Palm drops this email in my inbox:

(Side Note: I have lot's of Treo 700p, Centro, Gandolph, and VersaMail news to share. But now back to the headlines).

From: Palm Inc [Palm__Inc@News.palmnewsletters.com]
Subject: Important Palm News

As many of you are aware, we are in the process of building our next generation software platform. We are very excited about how this is coming together. It has a modern, flexible UI, instant performance, and an incredibly simple and elegant development environment. We are working hard on this platform and on the first smartphones that will take advantage of it.
In the course of the past several months, it has become clear that the right path for Palm is to offer a single, consistent user experience around this new platform design and a single focus for our platform development efforts. To that end, and after careful deliberation, I have decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration and focus all our energies on delivering our next generation platform and the first smartphones that will bring this platform to market. We will, of course, continue to deliver products in partnership with Microsoft on the Windows Mobile platform, but from our internal platform development perspective, we will focus on only one.
Because we were nearly at the point of shipping Foleo, this was a very tough decision. Yet I am convinced this is the right thing to do. Foleo is based on a second platform and a separate development environment, and we need to focus our efforts on one platform. Our own evaluation and early market feedback were telling us that we still have a number of improvements to make Foleo a world-class product, and we can not afford to make those improvements on a platform that is not central to our core focus. That would not be right for our customers or for our developer community.
Jeff Hawkins and I still believe that the market category defined by Foleo has enormous potential. When we do Foleo II it will be based on our new platform, and we think it will deliver on the promise of this new category. We're not going to speculate now on timing for a next Foleo, we just know we need to get our core platform and smartphones done first.
I would like to thank our customers for their interest in Foleo. I know there will be disappointed folks who were looking forward to carrying a Foleo for all their mobile computing needs. I am certainly one of them. I would also like to thank the developers who have supported our Foleo efforts. They have been loyal to Palm and have worked hard to deliver some compelling solutions on the Foleo platform. I know that they will understand that the right thing to do for the long run is to focus on one platform that will live for years, rather than invest energy in a one-off solution. We will make every effort to make sure we bring our developers forward to our next generation platform.
This decision will require us to take a limited charge of less than $10 million dollars to our earnings. This is a lot of money, but it is a small price relative to the costs that would be required to support two platforms going forward. This decision is in the best interest of our customers, our team, our products and our shareholders. I hope this renewed focus at Palm will allow us to deliver more compelling solutions to our core smartphone market, and it will allow us to position ourselves for the long run around one Palm experience.

President & CEO
Palm, Inc.

I was just reading the Everything iPhone forum regarding what people are saying about A2DP, better known as support for stereo Bluetooth headsets. I was shocked beyond belief with what I learned.

Even though the iPhone comes with Bluetooth 2.0 which supports the cool wireless headsets….Apple has chosen not to implement the A2DP technology ont he iPhone. What the hell were they thinking? As an iPod, with Bluetooth how could they have not implemented this on day 1 of the release? Honestly, I am truly shocked.

So, I'm retracting the statement I made a few months ago boasting the A2DP capabilities of the iPhone. As of now, no dice.

All the more reason to stick with a Treo like the 650, 700p (Sprint only), 755p, or the Win Mo 750. All either have native A2DP or you can get it (www.softick.com) for a few bucks.

Just another reason why the iPhone (although it may be for you and 749,999 other people) it is not for me.

The Palm Garnet OS and Windows Mobile 6 still are head-to-head as far as I'm concerned.

Well, I am rounding the final turn for my 2-year contract with Verizon…well, actually it's only the "new every two" part of the contract. Of course, good ol' Verizon hooked me into a contract till late 2008 because I made a change to my phone plan a while back.

Anyway, with that said…I am spending my free time (~7 minutes per week), looking for my next device. I know your shocked, since it is so unlike me to waste my free time cell phone shopping.

If I were to buy anything right now…..I would get nothing and stick with my Treo 650. Yup, you heard it right. Here's why.
1) I like the Treo 700p, because it uses all the same accessories as the 650. I wouldn't have to buy new memory cards, batteries, cases, etc. It has Bluetooth 1.2 and EVDO. The two things the 650 are lacking. BUT, the Verizon version of the 700p is a dog and a year after it's release, Palm STILL hasn't release a ROM update for it. Leaving this device useless for us A2DP and multi-application users. They have released the ROM update for the Sprint version of the 700p, but then I'd have to pay a contract break fee to switch carriers.
2) The Treo 755p…well, there is nothing exciting about this phone. It has the ever-aging Palm Garnet OS, which I still like. It has the newer cooler antenna-less form factor, which is nice…but no big deal to me. The bummer is that it takes miniSD (or microSD with a converter) and has a new battery. So, immediately I'd have to drop about $150 to get the 755p comparable to my 650 in battery life and data storage. PLUS, it's currently only on Sprint…so, I have to wait until July for this on Verizon.
3) iPhone or HTC Touch….sorry, I need a keyboard. Nuff said.
4) Treo 750 (and 700wx) with Windows Mobile 5….240×240 screen resolution. No thanks.

So, that leaves me forward looking at the Summer and Fall months….hoping something will be worthy of replacing the classic Treo 650.

If Verizon and Palm release the ROM update for the 700p, I will buy one on eBay in minutes! But I'm not budging until they "fix the glitch".
I could always pay the fee and switch to Sprint…that might be a good idea since Sprint's data plans are WAY cheaper and less restrictive…..hmmm, I sorta like that idea.
Now, let's talk about the rumor mill. The new Palm Gandolf. Supposedly there's a Garnet OS and Windows Mobile version of this new smartphone. But, I will keep this short…..no touch screen. No way! Moving on.

Here's where I get a boner (did I say that out loud). The rumor of a Windows Mobile 6 Treo 800w on Verizon. 320×320 resolution. Native A2DP. Native WiFi. Native GPS. All in the great form factor of the newer Treo's. To me, this is the ultimate device. Now, if it does come out in September (doubt it), I will jump all over this.

If I can stay patient and wait until Labor Day, I think the 800w will be my next device…yup, I will leave the beloved Garnet OS but only because Palm has proven that they are no longer innovating this OS, and really haven't shown us what's the deal on the future Palm OS. So, Windows Mobile may be where I head too….if I can wait.

Well, I will be honest. I have been a full-time Palm user only since 2005, when I got a Treo 650. Prior to that, I had bought Palm Z and V models for gifts, and was fortunate enough to be "tech support" on them. I waited until a good PDA/cell phone device came out before I made the leap. Ever since getting my 650, I have been in love with the Palm OS and all that it offers. The Treo 700p came out and I really wanted it, but could see spending $300 – $600 for something out of contract, which only offered EVDO and a bit more RAM as upgrades. The 755p is out, and I love the form factor….but miniSD isn't for me. So what's next, maybe the new Palm devices with Linux. Ohh I can't wait.

Then comes….

...the Palm Foleo. I learned the details late today, since I had no internet connection till late in the day. The Palm Foleo is….well, it's…..how do I say this kindly??? It's a for mans version of a laptop. Small and lightwieght (like the small Sony VAIO or Dell Latitude). Has WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 like any laptop I have used in the past 3 years. Has a screen (but not touch sensitive), has a full-size keyboard. Runs a form of Linux, and some Palm specific apps. Has no CD drive, uses SD cards instead. Has a small processor and small amounts of RAM.

WHAT THE @#%$ IS GOING ON??? Where is the new device? I already connect my Treo via bluetooth to my Sony VAIO laptop. It runs wonderfully like that, and I have all the Windows apps that I'd expect running with lot's of RAM, a huge hard drive, and all that goes with a typical laptop. Why, please tell me why would I ever want the Palm Foleo? I travel for work….a lot, and everywhere I go, I have my Treo 650 and my Sony VAIO. What value add does the Foleo bring me? Yippee, now I can carry two laptops in my backpack, not just one.

Call me naive, but I don't get it. I really want to 'get it', but I don't. I want to drool over this new Palm device, but I can't. Someone help me answer these questions. Why did Palm really build this device? Who did they build this device for?

You know what really did make me drool today? The Microsoft Surface. Ohh….there's no reason I'd buy one, but wow…..that's wicked cool!