klurfdawg23

Id say this is pretty strong official proof

http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/1...pink-instinct/

"Replaces the Palm Treo 800W"

i guess they are finally admitting the 800w was a dud and a bad idea since the phone had a whopping 5 months shelf life

msgott

I wonder if Sprint will provide any sort of upgrade path for 800 owners? I just ordered my new seidio battery too. Ugh..... I am so ready for a phone w/ a 3.5mm jack built in...

Malatesta

Seems like a practical decision as selling two WM6.1 front qwerty Treos who vary mildly on specs is not really a wise decision

Lets be clear: the Treo Pro is mostly a cosmetic upgrade at this point. Not ground breaking for 800w users nor anyone else for that matter (still 2mp camera?).

http://www.wmexperts.com/articles/sp...g_in_jaun.html

As far as Sprint "providing an upgrade path", they never have till this point. They are not obligated to replace your phone or discount it for you just because a new version is out. That would actually deter free market innovation if they had to compensate you every time technology improves. How awful that would be for Sprint to not get new phones for fear of appeasing customers who bought last year's model.

There has to be some personal accountability here. Unless you have some serious issues with your device (and some users really do) then probably not.

Still, there is a chance to always smooth talk a CS rep I suppose.

Heck, even I'm hesitant at this point. I want to buy one to have the latest and to write on for WME, OTOH I'll probably have to pay $549. I'd rather buy camera equipment or motorcycle parts ;-)

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chong67

The Pro is in no way the same as the 800w!

Do you know how I hate shiny laptops and phones that are finger print city?

I hope Sprint continue the 800w.

VibrantRedGT

We all knew this since the Palm support for the 800 disappeared very quickly.

__________________
Sprint History->Sanyo 5500-> Sanyo 5600-> Sanyo-> 7400->Sanyo 8300->Sanyo->7500-> Sanyo 9000->Sanyo 8400->Sanyo M1->PPC-6700->Treo 700wx->PPC-6800(Mogul)-> Motorola Q9C-> Treo 800w-> BlackBerry Curve->Treo 800w->Touch Pro->Treo Pro

darnell

Yea I think this totally proves the 800w was a total dud and Palm never claimed the 800w was a hot seller. (Sprint sells both the Touch Pro, Mogul, regardless of any similarities and the Touch Pro being superior.) Sprint did NOT include the 800w in their Christmas promotions and those were sent out what a month ago or so now?

The 800w is going to have a 6 month run with Sprint and be discontinued. There is no sugar coating it, the 800w was a total flop. I'm not even going to bother debating that.

I'm glad I already felt my regret for buying the 800w, because if I had not before I sure would now! We 800w customers have a short lived device that no other carrier picked up. Just as Sprint's dumping the 800w, 3rd party manufactures probably won't be making anything more for it either. No wonder Seidio abandoned the 3.5mm headset adapter project!

Sprint DOES offer a form of upgrade path for customers who want the latest model, but it's for long time customers, the Sprint Premier program offers an ANNUAL $150 discount for device upgrades. This does require waiting a year, not getting it the moment something new is released, but Sprint does offer it to long time customers who are in the program. (Free shipping and activation when you upgrade online.) The Sprint Premier program offers other features as well. It's good business for Sprint to offer some sort of deal for continual upgrades, at least to long term loyal Sprint customers, because Sprint learned not doing so eventually results in their customers (even long time customers) going to other carriers for "new customer" deals.

Nothing wrong with customers wanting the best for less, that's what customers are supposed to do.

chong67

Really? I cant believe it. I really like my 800w! It sure is better than the 700wx or whatever is out there.

Is Sprint going to carry the Pro? That mean its a quad band with SIM card and a Sprint network too?

Malatesta

Guys, welcome to 2009.

You're going to see device refreshes every 6-9 months for now on as the smartphone market continues to expand.

That's how competition works. We used to have to wait nearly 2 years for a new smartphone. Now even HTC upgrades their lineup every few months (Touch HD anyone? Diamond vs original Touch?).

I'm just saying, get used to it. Plus welcome it. I don't want long periods in between new models. This is progress and it's awesome. I mean who would not want a Touch HD on Sprint next month either?

If you feel like you got burned, so be it. This is cutting edge technology.

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VibrantRedGT

Don't know about that. The 800 might be the quickest PDA exit device we've seen ever.

Hell the Palm 755p, Mogul, Moto Q, Q9C are still on Sprint's site and they are well over the 6 month mark. The 700wx just left last month and that's been on Sprint's site for over 2 years. What about the Nextel BlackBerry, the 7100i I think?

The 800 looks like it was a filer model until HTC could make the Treo Pro for them.

__________________
Sprint History->Sanyo 5500-> Sanyo 5600-> Sanyo-> 7400->Sanyo 8300->Sanyo->7500-> Sanyo 9000->Sanyo 8400->Sanyo M1->PPC-6700->Treo 700wx->PPC-6800(Mogul)-> Motorola Q9C-> Treo 800w-> BlackBerry Curve->Treo 800w->Touch Pro->Treo Pro

IsYet

This is disappointing. I bought the 800w the day it came out and have been (mostly) very happy with it since.

Any ideas about how this might affect the Equipment Protection Plan?

I really enjoy the 800w. The Treo form factor suits me perfectly. I like being able to use it one-handed, it's fast enough, and the keyboard is great.

I haven't seen any other devices that look appealing.

The Pro is similar but I don't think it's the best for me:
- I've read that the keyboard isn't as good.
- I've read that it's slower.
- I don't like the flush screen. Fingeprints, hairline cracks.
- No softkeys.
- The 3.5 jack doesn't matter to me. I hate wires and use BT for all audio.

Trevante

Nonsense. Palm of all people are not the ones to release "cutting edge technology" every 6-9 months. We should have had the 800w last year (when the Mogul came out) by that logic. The only reason this happened is because the 800w was a dud, plain and simple. This would never have happened if they went straight to the Pro. The 800w and Pro too similar for anyone to say the Pro is a complete upgrade like the Diamond is to the Touch. This situation is more like the 700w to 700wx transition.

kwarner

Well now we have an idea as to why Verizon never picked up the 800. They were waiting for the Pro to come to CDMA.

darnell

Likely and certainly true for a Palm device.

The 800w is not simply a device that is 2nd newest in Palm's lineup, it's BEEN KILLED OFF. That's NOT NORMAL. Sure HTC makes new devices at a rapid pace and Sprint does not EOL the older device after 6 months.


Correct!

I suspect Sprint was hit with so many complaints about the 800w PLUS perhaps behind closed doors the little GPS issue was causing waves, so Sprint said it was time to discontinue the 800w. That's what I think. (Edit: I forgot to mention, IT PROBABLY WAS NOT SELLING SO WELL.)

Ebay resale price for the 800w is going to take a more tremendous dive than it already had taken.

And if the 800w has a ROM update, what will it look like given the 800w is now to be discontinued?

We didn't know when we purchased, but it's OK to admit getting the 800w was not the best move.

Malatesta

The 800w was delayed for numerous reasons, including WM6.1 as it was one of the first non-upgrade devices to have it.

Originally, the 800w was scheduled for a Q4 2007 release and had been in development for awhile.

In that sense, the 800w --> Treo Pro is really a one year difference, not 6 months. Had we not had the delay, it would be a much different situation.

But Sprint wanted a WM6.1 Treo with Wifi and GPS in 2008, so they got one.

The 800w also has not be EOL'd yet.

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impaler

I'm with an iPhone and AT&T for now, but I'd consider eating the ETF and coming back to Sprint for the Treo Pro! I hear so many good things about the GSM version of it.

__________________
Palm Treo 755p (Sprint)
Previously owned: Cingular 650, Sprint 700wx, Sprint 700p

karate134

Well this news really kinda sucks for me as well.
I'm a first time owner of a treo (or any kind of smartphone or PDA) and to get the 800w to go out this quick sucks.
I tend to drop my phones alot, clumbsy I guess, so I wonder if my treo broke, what would they replace it with?

SpriteGF

The terms of their protection plan's replacement policy will likely be in our favor. What they say is that *whatever happens to your phone* (e.g. it got "stolen"), you can pay $50 to get a replacement that is:

* a refurbished version of what you originally had, or
* equivalent to any current models they offer (very likely their Treo Pro, or perhaps you could ask the replacement administrator for an HTC Touch Pro II after Palm goes bankrupt).

darnell

Replacement plans will only provide a different device if they don't have stock for your device. This is not based on what is selling, but what the protection plan provider has in stock.

Given all the people who have already returned 800w's that were refabricated, I suspect there is a large stock of 800w refabs awaiting those who desire to dump their current 800w via the equipment protection plan. May take a while for that stock to run out, a very long while. Once the 800w supplies runs out they'll probably provide Treo Pros, but by the time their supply of 800w's runs out I suspect even the Treo Pro might be a bit dated.

karib

I am satisfied with my 800w and bought it knowing that there was a possibility the Treo Pro would be coming to Sprint. It may not be considered the best but it satisfies my needs. Maybe Sprint will offer a discount for 800w users that want an upgrade to the Treo Pro.

gksmithlcw

I'm not angry about the Pro coming to Sprint when I bought an 800w... I am, however, annoyed at the lack of support we've had with the device and the fact they're talking such an early EoL. What also bothers me is the fact that the 800w is the only phone in the Sprint line up that I like (including the Treo Pro) and, with it gone, if my 800w goes down in a few months I'll be screwed unless something decent has come out by then. With the pro just coming out, however, it likely won't be a Palm device... Maybe we'll get lucky and the Saga will make it to Sprint. I really like the look of that phone...

__________________
Grant Smith
A+, Net+, MCPx2, AAGS, BSIT/VC


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Sprint Treo 850e (Pro)

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