New Phone: Palm Treo Pro
Filed under Gadgets
I ordered my new phone today, a Palm Treo Pro.
It is going to replace my current phone, the AT&T Tilt.
The phone is not available from any carrier. You must buy it unlocked (no contract!) directly from Palm.
What I like...
- Perfect phone form factor: physical keyboard that you can access without flipping open. Also, you can use the phone with one hand and type with your thumb.
- 320x320 display...no need to rotate
- Higher res than my current phone (320x240)
- Thinner than my current phone and much lighter
- Button for disabling ringer
- Button for WiFi access
- Supports 32 GB MicroSDHC cards
- Can see time, missed calls, voice mail status without turning the phone on
- Window Mobile Pro 6.1 (the new texting client is really good)
- Full Exchange support (email, contacts, calendar, task list)
- 3.5mm stereo headset jack...you can use standard headphones
- Can be used as a modem for a laptop, either wirelessly (via Bluetooth) or via USB
- GPS (although I almost never use it on my current phone)
- Uses MicroUSB for charging (which is what my last phone used, so I can use the same cables)
- Touch Screen
Palm
Treo Pro
Comments (6)
What? I can't believe you're switching phones. I've enjoyed the Tilt as well, but all of these seem like reasonable advantages.
I actually like the fact that the Tilt turns into a widescreen for my Slingbox when I open it up, and although there's more resolution on the Treo Pro, the screen real estate is clearly less, which I suppose is an acceptable tradeoff for the other benefits.
One of the big questions: can you do data and phone at the same time? On my old Treo 650, using the data stream (wireless Internet with an in-phone browser, for example) meant that the phone couldn't be used. With the Tilt, I can use the phone as a modem and still make/receive phone calls, text messages, etc. Any idea how the Treo Pro works in this regard?
I may have to wait and see yours before I switch. Also, what about your current AT&T contract? Can you just port the contract over to your new phone? Do you "break" your current contract and pay the fee? How does that work?
Also, I saw that Lucasarts announced a new MMORPG this week, "Old Republic" or something like that. Do you have any involvement with that? (Even if you can't say what your involvement is, can you say Yes/No without divulging state secrets?)
Posted by Chris | October 23, 2008 7:02 AM
Posted on October 23, 2008 07:02
This phone uses the same OS as the Tilt. The only difference is the hardware.
I would expect (since it is running the same software), that you can do phone and data at the same time...it should work just like the Tilt.
I am hopping I can just switch out SIM cards and not tell AT&T anything. We will see.
Nope...I am not involved in the MMORPG announced yesterday.
Posted by David | October 23, 2008 10:58 AM
Posted on October 23, 2008 10:58
You should be able to switch out SIM cards without any issues.
AT&T has voice plans, data plans, and text message plans. For data plans, you would only need to change if you were going to a Blackberry or an iPhone. AT&T has specific data plans for those phones. For all other phones, AT&T has an other category which both of your phones fall into.
The great thing about SIM cards is that you can place it in any phone (as long as it is either the same carrier or unlocked) and the voice and text message will work right away.
Posted by Bubba | October 24, 2008 5:47 AM
Posted on October 24, 2008 05:47
Why not get the Blackberry Bold which will be released November 4th?
Features Available
Size and Weight
Data Input/Navigation
Voice Input/Output
Media Player
Display
Notification
Approximate Battery Life
Memory
Modem
Email Integrations
Accessories Included
Device Security
Wireless Network
Posted by Bubba | October 24, 2008 5:55 AM
Posted on October 24, 2008 05:55
@ Bubba
Switching out SIM cards MIGHT be possible. It all depends on the manufacturer of the original phone/card combo. There are ways to lock a SIM card to a particular phone. Case in point:
I got my first Blackberry two years ago on the cheap, an unlocked discontinued model. My brilliant scheme was to buy a no name pay-as-you-go phone, remove the SIM, and then enjoy my cheap PAYG Blackberry. Sadly, when I put the SIM into my new phone it displayed a message requesting an obscure SIM key that only matched the physical phone I removed it from. I had no luck in getting the code from any of the sources on the net or the phone itself. Had to go to T-Mobile and a standard monthly plan. Bummer.
Posted by Kelvin | October 24, 2008 9:11 AM
Posted on October 24, 2008 09:11
@Bubba
re: Blackberry
I need a phone with *full* exchange support. I use exchange for my email, contacts, calendar, and task list.
WinMo Pro gives me access to all the same fields I can reach from Outlook. WinMo Standard provides a subset of exchange support.
I like the stats on the phone, though.
Posted by David | October 24, 2008 9:42 AM
Posted on October 24, 2008 09:42