Treo in the news: facing competitive heat

oalvarez · 09/08/2006, 08:51 AM

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/stor...265%7D&siteid=

taroliw · 09/08/2006, 07:28 PM

I'd seen a direct link to Bambi's article on the new BB Pearl and thought "wow, this looks cool... but what about software?" Like Symbian, I fear the BB simply wouldn't be a useful for me since there isn't as much software available for it. I think, though, if I were considering a move away from PDA to just smartphone, then it'd be a cool option.

For now -- and maybe this is even worse for Palm than competition -- I feel really no pressure at all to retire my 650. The 700's aren't really inspiring to me as an upgrade, particularly since all but one would force me to change all my software. In this area, I think it would do wonders if Palm just stood up and said, once and for all, where the heck they stand on OS choice. If they do not intend to support POS (or Access) long-term, then put it to bed and just say "it's WM from here on out, guys".

Palm made a huge deal about how many new devices were coming out, and that got the installed base excited and anxious (just look at all the rumor threads)... but where's the beef? As long as questions and ambiguities exist, these will serve as barriers to people plopping down a few hundred bucks to upgrade. I know it does in my case.

The Phone Diva · 09/08/2006, 07:41 PM

That article states something similar to what I have thought for a while now.

"A key problem for Palm is that its products haven't changed nearly as much as the smart-phone market.
Palm's latest Treo designs look basically the same as the devices it rolled out nearly three years ago. In the meantime, rivals like RIM and Motorola have managed to win fans with products that have sleek new designs -- and are priced aggressively. "

jinx · 09/09/2006, 09:00 AM

i love my treo and no motor-roller or whatéver apparently sleek gadget will tempt me to switch over. i am just waiting for the next palm treo. the rest of the smarphone market doesn't interest me in the slightest, not even treoDOUBLEYOU (70oWforExample).
I cant see any reason to want to switch over to any other phone if one is acquainted with the palm OS and makes the most of it. no other gadget in the world offers that much flexibility and multi-usability.

oalvarez · 09/09/2006, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phone Diva

That article states something similar to what I have thought for a while now.

"A key problem for Palm is that its products haven't changed nearly as much as the smart-phone market.
Palm's latest Treo designs look basically the same as the devices it rolled out nearly three years ago. In the meantime, rivals like RIM and Motorola have managed to win fans with products that have sleek new designs -- and are priced aggressively. "

my ol' friend Lady Treo: we finally agree on something ( i think)!

MarkY · 09/09/2006, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phone Diva

That article states something similar to what I have thought for a while now.

"A key problem for Palm is that its products haven't changed nearly as much as the smart-phone market.
Palm's latest Treo designs look basically the same as the devices it rolled out nearly three years ago. In the meantime, rivals like RIM and Motorola have managed to win fans with products that have sleek new designs -- and are priced aggressively. "

I am interested to see what real-life battery life is like with the Pearl. The Treo design is really pretty good when you consider they are working with such a large battery. Sure they could make it thinner but the trade-off would be battery life. Look how many people praised the Q for its design only to find out the battery life was really poor.

So, if Palm is stuck for now with the current battery footprint, how would you change the Treo design?

oalvarez · 09/09/2006, 03:09 PM

MarkY, the battery life on my MotoQ is actually better (much better) than the battery life on my old T700w (both devices running goodlink). i'm not the only one out there claiming such. i think it's right to have both sides of the story heard.

as for the treo design, it can be made less bulky and with less weight. would some features have to re-thought? perhaps. the touchscreen would be one, i would think. anyhow, i'm sure it could be made to be less heavy.

The Phone Diva · 09/09/2006, 03:16 PM

Although it's acceptable for a PDA phone, I guess. The battery drains on my Treo, even when I don't use it that much. On my Nokia smartphones, the battery is superior, even with use! Although that may be due to a different processor and OS.

MarkY · 09/09/2006, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oalvarez

the battery life on my MotoQ is actually better (much better) than the battery life on my old T700w (both devices running goodlink). i'm not the only one out there claiming such.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phone Diva

Although it's acceptable for a PDA phone, I guess. The battery drains on my Treo, even when I don't use it that much. On my Nokia smartphones, the battery is superior, even with use! Although that may be due to a different processor and OS.

Hmm... I too wonder how much the battery drain issue is OS related. Clearly oalvarez's experience is more of an apples-to-apples comparison between the Q and 700W.

After reading the article, Palm is at least acknowledging that they need to step-up to the competition offered in the lower price range. I imagine they will respond with some competitive products. As much as I, and many others here, love the Treo (I am a Palm OS person) and find its uses better suited for a smartphone compared to WM5, the bulk of the market will dictate what survives.

However, since this seems to be a hardware design discussion, clearly WM5 can work on a smaller footprint and Palm will need a device comparable to the Q. If they were able to come out with a smaller POS device as well and maintain the QWERTY keyboard and battery life, I certainly would not complain.

GreenHex · 09/10/2006, 02:29 AM

Treo Troubles Trigger Palm Plunge

http://www.businessweek.com/technolo...gn_id=rss_null

The Phone Diva · 09/10/2006, 01:34 PM

Design concerns again. Although I think the stale OS and lack of some updated features is actually worse. It IS time for the antenna to go and the Treo could get a little more streamlined. We'll see what happens when the 750 is released.

Rome · 09/10/2006, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phone Diva

That article states something similar to what I have thought for a while now.

"A key problem for Palm is that its products haven't changed nearly as much as the smart-phone market.
Palm's latest Treo designs look basically the same as the devices it rolled out nearly three years ago. In the meantime, rivals like RIM and Motorola have managed to win fans with products that have sleek new designs -- and are priced aggressively. "

that's one part of the story that I don't agree. RAZR has not changed much since its launch 3 years ago, and it certainly has not hurt its sales. Yes, the pearl is small, light, and cheap, but these came at a price - no 3G, no full qwerty keyboard, much reduced talk time, no touch screen, lower resolution screen, inferior software bundle.

The real test will come when Palm introduces the lowrider at the same price point, $199 with contract. Which one will the consumers buy?

The Phone Diva · 09/10/2006, 01:49 PM

The RAZR's internals have changed for multi-media purposes. Sure, it's useless as a smartphone. Nice weekend phone though.

The Pearl is a candy bar smartphone. That style I happen to like(easy to carry). I don't necessarily need QWERTY. Those other features, I didn't read(looking for review on CNET now

). But candy bar phones almost never have touch screens. I didn't expect that anyway.

Are they releasing the Lowrider this year or next? I would like to see if it's going to move forward or back.

CNET says they don't like the call quality of the Pearl. That's important to me.

BoxWave · 09/10/2006, 04:59 PM

Quote:

The Treo "is no longer as fashionable as it used to be," said Todd Kort, an analyst at Gartner Inc.
While Palm's Treo 650 model continues to sell well for the company, largely because consumers can pick it up at "very reasonable" prices, according to Kort, Palm's more expensive Treo 700 models aren't fairing quite so well.
A key problem for Palm is that its products haven't changed nearly as much as the smart-phone market.

Ouch.

.

oalvarez · 09/10/2006, 05:01 PM

most all blackberry's battery lives are superior, far superior, than any Treo product i've ever owned. i would think that it would be the same with the Pearl.

surur · 09/10/2006, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rome

that's one part of the story that I don't agree. RAZR has not changed much since its launch 3 years ago, and it certainly has not hurt its sales.

What about the SLVR, Pebble, ROCKR, KRaZR etc. They have certainly gone on to provide a variety of form factors for the group that were not impressed by the Razr.

If you are sitting on only one form factor you are just waiting for your device to fall out of fashion.

Surur

The Phone Diva · 09/10/2006, 06:41 PM

I love the RAZR form factors, but the software is sorta

Looks good though, nice graphics.

KStewart · 09/14/2006, 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Phone Diva

That article states something similar to what I have thought for a while now.

"A key problem for Palm is that its products haven't changed nearly as much as the smart-phone market.
Palm's latest Treo designs look basically the same as the devices it rolled out nearly three years ago. In the meantime, rivals like RIM and Motorola have managed to win fans with products that have sleek new designs -- and are priced aggressively. "

Maybe Palm figures why change what's been working. Yes, other new devices are sleaker stylish but I don't want my device too small...stinks for web browsing for one. IMO...the size of the Treo is good for all of the goodies it packs with performance. A smaller device may not pack the same punch as well as battery life to be sacrificed and ergonomics as well.

The Phone Diva · 09/14/2006, 10:34 AM

But apparently it's NOT working for them financially anymore, is the point of that article. They're losing market share.

Dankinia · 09/14/2006, 06:06 PM

When I switched to Verizon I had to changed from my unlocked 650 to something else. I decided to try their xv67 00. It looked cool and since it would be my first go around with WM I figured maybe I would like the layout better then the treo. Boy was I ever wrong. It was way to cumbersome for one handed use, and I was really disappointed in it. So back to the store I went and got the Treo 700w. I adore the 700w. It has the same feel in my hand as the old 650, and is very easy to use once you get used to windows. The phone interface is great, and I have found software on the WM platform that give me the same functionality as the palm and in a few cases better. As far as I am concerned Palm can use the Treo shape, style, and layout forever and I will continue to buy them.

Better battery and memory would be a plus, but ease of use and comfort make the downsides easy to live with.