I read a recent breakdown of changes in the iPhone done by TheSimpleWebSolution.com by comparing the keynote speech images with the most recent Apple television ads.

Two completely unrelated thoughts cropped up as I read this…

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MyTreo.Net recently covered the plans to release a Linux model of the Treo. An interesting read. That might be enough to make me look at the Treo again — if I’m not already in love with the iPhone by then.

I’m mulling over my current cell phone bill and I’m wondering… was it a good idea to give up the Treo and go with a separate phone and my Tablet PC? Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ll never give up my Tablet PC. It will have to be pried from my cold fingers… ahem… unless something cooler and better and faster and smaller comes along in the near future… but I digress.

The fact is, I could check my email and do a bit of web surfing on the Treo for $19.00 per month (with Cingular). And now, I’ve got to have this MEGA dataplan to use my Tablet PC from anywhere.

I prefer the Tablet PC. I like the full screen, the ability to actually do work on that full screen and to maintain a size ration as well as a complete program pack that’s identical to the one I use at the office, even when I’m not at the office. I love not having to sync things. I love having this system set up so that my Tablet PC is my main machine, with a server at the office and a 500 gig hard drive that can either reside on my desk in Serenity or travel with me in a laptop bag for longer journeys.

But the cost… whew!

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According to a Yahoo! News report, Palm will be unveiling a new Treo product in the UK next month. In an attempt to better compete with a slew (my term, not Yahoo’s) of new devices with a wide range of impressive offerings, Palm is expected to up the ante a bit.

I’ve moved away from the Treo device since I purchased my Tablet PC, but I’m anxious to see what the new release will offer. I think I became disenchanted when the Treo went “backwards” in screen resolution in order to run a Windows Mobile operating system.

Geek that I am, it made them loose “tech” face to me.

Want to read the Yahoo! article? Read on!

Go here to read the whole article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060818/tc_nm/palm_treo_dc .

The new Treo with the Palm OS has now been released. The Treo 700P hit the streets earlier this week in limited distribution. Right now, it’s available for Sprint and Verizon users, leaving those Cingular fans among us, still feeling a bit chilly.

The reported advantages of the new device include…

The better screen offered by the Treo 650, as compared to the limited resolution of the Treo 700w edition. It also enables the faster wireless broadband access and Sprint is reportedly going to enable the phone to be used as a laptop modem. Now, if that’s the case, I may have to invest in one, once it’s available in my area. I’ll need either a card purchase to enable wireless Internet on the Tablet PC I have my eye on… or I’ll need a phone which will serve double-duty.

You can also text an incoming caller while on the phone with a current call. Kinda cool, but in my case, not something I’d use. I don’t like text messages, I prefer IM.

My primary concern with the Treo as a phone “class” at this time, is a notable “dropped” call rate in more remote areas. I’ve been able to compare this to an extremely basic Nokia that my father has while we are out in the mountains of Colorado. He tends to stay connected to his calls, whereas mine, on the Treo 600 and on the Treo 650 (I’ve tested both models) seem to drop constantly. Now, since we are both on the same network, I have to raise an eyebrow at the phone itself.

Hopefully the new Treo 700p will show an improvement in this area. If not, I may not purchase the 700p.

Palm is offering the Treo 650 at a lower price and throwing in some accessories to sweeten the pot (for a limited time only). So, if you are weighing out “Do I want a Treo 700 or do I want a Treo 650?” this might help to make that difficult decision. On a personal note, the charger offered as the freebie is the one I use every day (and the best one on the market, IMHO, because it has the built-in charger for the extra battery). They also throw in some extra screen savers (always nice) and a case (but not one I’d use for my own Treo, because there’s no protection to the screen) and a car charger (I use my own Boxwave version — the VersaCharger — constantly, but this one from Palm would be nice also — especially as a free bonus).

For more information, visit Palm and get all the details.

The good folks at TreoCentral are offering visitors a chance to compete for a free palm — if you are brave enough to wax poetic in 50 words or less about why Palm is near and dear to your heart. This celebration of Palm’s 10th anniversary will end on April 5th… so hurry…

Visit the contest site to offer your own rendition and take a chance on being the winner. Best of luck!

Although I don’t use my Treo for everything like I once did… (I know I can, if it’s needed, but I don’t make a habit of trying to run my entire business from my phone)… I still rely on it for many “above and beyond” functions. Among those functions that I use on a “many times a day” basis, is the eWallet. I have both the desktop and the Palm version and I swear by them. In fact, when I met with a client for all-day consulting session on Saturday, the use of a password wallet came up. She said that she just set all her passwords the same, to keep it easy to remember… being the security freak that I am, I pitched a mini-fit!

I told her that keeping things secure is something that is required in our modern, digital world… and that being able to look up those little bits of information was essential…

I even recommended the eWallet program for her, despite the fact that she doesn’t own a Treo. I suggested she get the desktop version. I love mine. It’s what helps me keep things all organized and straight. And… I can backup the data (still password protected) onto a portable hard drive, my backup external drives, or even a thumbdrive.

It makes looking up the information (that I need many times a day) quick and easy.

For me, it’s an essential application — both on my desktop and on my Treo. Then today, moments ago, I got an email announcing a new upgrade to the program, and inviting me to come download my own free. I love vendors that give me free upgrades and treat me like a valued customer. It helps me to feel that my business is appreciated. The new version adds 256-bit RC4 key encryption for a more secure lock-down of my personal information.

So, if you are interested in learning more about the eWallet program, visit them at: www.iliumsoft.com. I no longer use their other programs (ListPro and DockWare Pro) but I can’t imagine running my business, keeping up with my software serial numbers, my essential personal information and the slew of online username/password combinations without this little gem.

And, for those of you using the 700w — they also offer a windows mobile version! A flavor for every appetite!

All across the web, there are rumors about upcoming new models on the Treo … including a new Palm version.MyTreo.net reports that several rumors have been spreading, and that at least one of them has proved false. The site says that stories of a new Palm OS version is most likely, of any, to be real.

I look forward to seeing the figures on Treo 700 sales, to see if the Microsoft version was as popular as anticipated. But, for now, we will have to wait a bit longer to see what improvements are offered to make buying a new Treo worth the bucks.

Good news for those of you addicted to your satellite radio subscription… who have purchased the new Treo 700.

You can now have your cake and eat it too!PalmGear.com is announcing a new juicy little piece of software that lets you listen to your XM radio on your Treo 700 for $16.95.

Visit:

http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=20551

to learn more.

I love my Treo. I carry it everywhere. So, it’s not like me to feel jealousy over other small mobile device… until now…

Lately, my husband’s Video iPod has captured my wandering tech eye. It’s so sleek. Thin and beautifully designed… it also carries a wallop with a 30 gig drive onboard (and I didn’t even buy him the 60 gig version that’s currently available when I was Christmas shopping for him.)

This device has turned my non-techno, non-mobile hubby into a “I wanna take it with me” fan.

And I keep thinking to myself - why do I have to swap out SD cards to get an additional gig or two of space when his thinner device carries 30 gigs onboard?

Granted, his toy won’t do what mine does. It won’t check email, surf the net, view documents and act as a cell phone — but the video image is wonderful, the sound of his music downloads are fine, he even has a few music videos. He carries audio books too!

So, I’m thinking that if I had the ear of the powers that be in development at Treo, or at iPod, I’d whisper “merge them!”

Can you imagine the market share and the customer satisfaction that could be gained with the capture of the iPod crowd AND the Treo fanclubs? It’s awe-inspiring, isn’t it?

And with the new sites that are supporting video downloads (www.iTunes.com, www.Vongo.com, and www.CinemaNow.com) the market for secondary sales is staggering. Right now, only iTunes will support the iPod format for videos, and none will support the Treo 650. But, I have hope.

I look forward to the day when I can carry a library of all my favorite things without worrying about running out of space immediately. Without conserving every last byte. Ahhhh…. won’t that be nice?

Amazon.com offers some free MP3 downloads so you can try some of the most diverse audio offerings on Amazon.

To learn more…

free MP3 downloads from Amazon.com

If you are interested in a few classical MP3s (also free) to download, try eClassical.com.

I’ve tried and tried… and tried to get the Adobe version of the PDF viewer to work without headaches.

I have failed.

But now, I’ve finally found the Best PDF viewer for my Treo 650 — and it’s FREE! If you want to get your own copy of this little freebie gem, go to www.palmgear.com and grab your own copy of PalmPDF from www.metaviewsoft.de.

I put mine on my expansion card to conserve precious handheld memory space, and you may want to do the same thing.

I can now read the PDF files I need from anywhere. What a joy!

The Treo 700w has now hit the market, one day after my post on no reviews being available. The good folks at TreoCentral have offered up a complete review with the pros and cons.

As expected, there is some tweaking yet to come to make it a dream machine — and it’s not being marketed as a Treo 650 replacement, but is rather trying to attract the Microsoft loyalists, according to the article.

The article is a whopper with a great amount of detail and particulars. I recommend it for anyone seriously considering which product to buy.

For instance, the author explains that the new Treo 700w is equipped to handle the faster Verizon connection speeds (something I really wanted to see) but sacrifices screen resolution (something I didn’t expect, but according to Ducker is a requirement of the Windows specs).To read the entire review, visit:

http://www.treocentral.com/content/Stories/735-1.htm

Happy reading and thanks to Michael Ducker of TreoCentral for the info.

I look forward to a few more reviews for my browsing, but if I had to base my own decision on this one review, I must say I’m going to wait for the next generation of Treo before replacing my 650. Since I don’t live in a major market, and can’t take advantage of the Verizon super-fast wireless broadband (with reported DSL-like speeds), all I see are first attempt drawbacks to making the change (and there are always drawbacks and bumps with a first release — so I hope many of these are worked out by the next model’s release.)

I would like to have more seamless sync with my core apps. The idea of a more easily handled version of Word and Excel is extremely exciting — and the rave review on the PDF viewer solves a major complaint I’ve had with ever Treo I’ve had — I want, I NEED a PDF viewer in a mobile device in my business.

But, the idea of a slower launch is not something I care to endure. I like my Treo because it’s QUICK to respond and let me get the info I need in a flash.

I don’t like the interface and skinless graphics options I saw displayed in the article — one of the sweetest things about the way my hubby’s new Christmas IPOD Video is how easy it is to use with one hand, and how well the interface works while it looks good too. That’s not the case with the Treo. I do like the improvements on the notepad option. I’d prefer a OneNote version for the Treo — THAT would be really sweet.

What do I want? I want improvements in all areas. I want a quick-booting, thinner and sexier Treo with high quality skins and improved graphics (not lower definition ones). I want a higher quality camera with more than the 1.3 megapixels of the 650 and the 700 w even thought the 700 offers larger photos). I want video now (not later, as is promised on the 700). I have that now on my Treo 650 — and I’m not willing to give it up.

I want an included bluetooth headset that has mic and works to keep my music and movies sounding good when I’m not on a call. And I want excellent 5-way navigation integration — I use my Treo with one hand as much as possible — and I’d like to do it more.

The promise of this new machine is exciting — but I still want more, and I’ll probably wait for the next version to see what gets ironed out.

Now, this is from a single, although rather extensive, review. But, it did answer many of the questions I had about what would improve and what would remain the same. I didn’t expect any backslide — that caught me off guard.

This is the question I got earlier this week from an online friend. His current phone was nearing the end of useful service, and he needed a new one.

He’d been reading tips and tricks on this Treo site and wanted my advice. I’m not sure I gave him the advice he was seeking, but I thought it may be something that others are interested in considering.First, the Treo 700 hasn’t been released, so it’s not yet been tested. There aren’t any reviews to date and I’ve not had my grubby little paws on one yet.

So, I can’t recommend the Treo 700 — yet. I did tell him that there were a few considerations he should entertain.

First, the Treo 700’s release will mean a serious price drop in the 650.

Second, if he’s in an area that supports Verizon’s wireless broadband beta or early adoption, he may be able to take advantage of it to enjoy a faster connection speed (and that would be really nice!) with his contract commitment, when he buys.

Third, buying now and going with a new contract on a 650 will make the price lower, but will lock him into a two year contract… which will be well past the point that the Treo 700 will be available in his own market.

Fourth, there is ALWAYS some shaking out time on a new device — and depending on how much “new stuff” is added to the 700, this may be important. A new operating system is always a new OS, and Microsoft isn’t always known for their first releases being perfect. Now, maybe it’s the old Treo hardware, and the existing (and tested) MS platform, simply fused. Maybe the inevitable hardware/software issues will all be addressed before the product is released. And, maybe not.

Fifth, the use of an Microsoft OS will most likely mean that using Outlook and syncing it with the Treo will be far easier on the Treo 700. Many of the Palm OS folks have had challenges with the sync conduits for this functionality. (And, many have done just fine with it.)

Personally, I’ll not rely on the Treo 700 immediately. I’ll keep my Treo 650 in service and just swap out my SIM card (if possible) to do my initial test driving.

My final advice to him… if you need a phone now, and you want a Treo — buy the 650. If you are willing to wait a few more months and can afford the addition of the “unknown” factor for a few weeks/months while the patches and the kinks are all worked out, then wait for the 700.

Ok, it was difficult for me to determine the category for this post… I mean, is it BUSINESS to get in shape or is it fun?

I think I need a “none of the above” category — but others may consider it “fun” so I’ll stick with that topic header.

Now, if you have a Treo 650 or an iPod Video (what I got my hubby for Christmas) you can now view workout instructions on your tiny screen. (more…)

The folks at Grack.com have uploaded photos proving that the Cingular Treo 650 can be forced to boot a Linux kernel.

Sooo… if you are a true geek (and even geekier than I am), you can try to beat the rumored release of Linux for the Treo and take the do-it-yourself approach.

Personally, I’d rather wait until the bugs are ironed out a bit more.

But if you want photos…Visit here:

http://www.grack.com/programming/misc/TreoLinux.html

Ok, I found what I want for Christmas. I just found out today that this would work with a Treo 650. I’d seen it before and thought it would be great for an Ipod or some such… but the stereo expansions for the Ipod have become pretty common.

This is a portable stereo booster for the Treo 650!

Awesome way to listen to my audiobooks and my music WITH someone else, without the tin-sound of a mono speaker.

Yeah, this is it, what I want… wonder if it’s too late to tell Santa…

Altec Lansing iM4 Portable Audio System

The Palm Store is offering free overnight shipping on all orders placed before December 22nd too… so you could buy it and get it there in time for Christmas… soooo tempting, isn’t it?

I may just have to buy it for myself next month… for my birthday! Then again… maybe I’ll order it now and just SAVE it until next month… uh-huh. I’m so good at waiting for things. Yeah, right.

Ahhh, it’s happening!

On the heels of the announcements that the Treo 700w, windows-based device will soon be released in the US comes more news about Treo operating systems.

A recent acquisition of a Linux software developer by Palmsource indicates another, more “user-developer” friendly version of the Treo may be available soon…In a recent report on Palm Addicts:

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20051206A8051.html

Cindy Aten reports that a Linux-based model of the Treo may soon be available in China!

The article quotes the VP of Palm’s Asia-Pacific (Palu Blinkhorn) when he made the announcement on a China, where the Treo was recently released.

It appears, to me, that regardless of the operating system (Palm, Win, Linux) … that the current and future generations of the Treo are going to be here to stay for awhile.

I know that I can’t imagine going back to a “standard’ phone device. It’s just too nice having an office full of communications tools in my pocket.

If you want a Treo 650, but don’t have the cash allotted at this time… you may want to WRITE your way to a new Treo!

BargainPDA is offering a contest with a new Treo as the prize.

So start preparing your 300-word or less response to:”If I had a Palm Treo 650 with me that day I could have used its unique features to _____.”

and submit it to:

http://contest.bargainpda.com/step2.asp?contestID=1

you just might be the grand prize winner! Of course I always like a good contest, and you add a writing aspect to it and I love it!

So, go tell your own story and let me know if you win the prize! Best wishes!