Comments on: Down the Rabbit-Hole: From Treo to iPhone

By: Counsel

Counsel — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:41:04 +0000

I loved my Treo 650, and I wonder why they didn't get more credit for the "touch screen" craze...

Much of what Palm did with that device has not been done better to this day.

At this point (after using the iPhone for 2 years), I am looking forward to the Omnia (formerly known as HD) to move to symbian touch. iPhone is great for general stuff, but I want a smartphone that I can decide what to put on the device without having iTunes be the "big brother."

Of course, your mileage may vary...

By: lefc

lefc — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:54:31 +0000

I used to have an iPhone, cost me over $600 at the time and I ended up selling it for $250. I'm now getting a Treo 750 and I honestly think I will enjoy it much more. The iPhone has terrible battery life if you use it for anything other than a phone. I did like the internet, but eventually that got boring. It's a neat toy, but really I'd probably rather have an iTouch and a smartphone/PPC.

By: Rene Ritchie

Rene Ritchie — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:38:33 +0000

Waiting for a 2008-era 1.0 to solidify vs. waiting for a 1999-era Palm to wring the last great gobs of death out of their device before (maybe) debuting a new OS in (maybe) 2-5 years?

No contest. iPhone, for me, is the first Treo all over again; the start of something new and big, and I'm enjoying it every bit as much as I enjoyed the Treo until it abandoned me 5 years ago...

By: hotrod

hotrod — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:34:19 +0000

I change my mind every day, Treo800w or iphone. I can't wait. If the recent news of gps is true for the Iphone...I'm jumping from my 700wx to an iphone.

By: andrewg_oz

andrewg_oz — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:56:17 +0000

I just have one nit to pick about the article. Re the "cheek and Treo" - you must have missed Prefs -> Keyguard -> Disable touchscreen ?

By: ADGrant

ADGrant — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:06:56 +0000

Interesting review, thanks. I am still waiting for a few things before I am reading to switch.

1) Push email 2) Full PIM functionality. 3) Pocket Quicken.

By: mclark2112

mclark2112 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:04:11 +0000

OK, I just did the Jailbreak thing. I used Ziphone, way easy.

I installed a To Do list, really nice, even though I won't use it . Email is great.

I even like the keyboard, it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The predictive/corrective text works well too.

By: DL.Cummings

DL.Cummings — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:46:31 +0000

[quote=mclark2112;1425107]A toy is really all I ever wanted, web, games, tunes, calendar. I don't use lists, something about my personality hates them, so lack of to do items doesn't bother me.

But yes, my Palms have always been more toy than tool. But I always wanted the Holy Grail, the perfect mobile browser. Safari is the closest I have seen...

Fair enough. Different folks, different strokes.

I know for myself, the fact that my Palm functions as a tool is toy enough for me--not that I don't wish they would have done a bit better as of recent.

I will say that I believe the two differing concepts could indeed be molded together (toy + tool) so as to satisfy a larger percent of the population.

By: mclark2112

mclark2112 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:31:48 +0000

Palm should have been a toy 5 years ago?

A toy is really all I ever wanted, web, games, tunes, calendar. I don't use lists, something about my personality hates them, so lack of to do items doesn't bother me.

But yes, my Palms have always been more toy than tool. But I always wanted the Holy Grail, the perfect mobile browser. Safari is the closest I have seen...

By: Rene Ritchie

Rene Ritchie — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:24:16 +0000

mclark2112 has competitively advantaged the correct!

That I couldn't tell a major difference between my 600 and my 680 was the last straw. If Palm had been caught in amber for 5 years we would have seen the same amount of non-development.

To blow such an incredible lead is mind-numbing.

By: DL.Cummings

DL.Cummings — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:18:19 +0000

[quote=mclark2112;1425040]The iPhone is what Palm should have been 5 years ago...

Palm should have been a toy 5 years ago?

By: mclark2112

mclark2112 — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:03:09 +0000

I just dove in last night. I have been trying to convince myself not to since Jan 2007, when we first glimpsed that beautiful toy.

I am only on my first full day with the iPhone, and I already know it is the device I have been waiting for since I bought my first PalmPilot! Sure it has its weaknesses, but I can deal with them. The browser is simply amazing, and that made the sale.

In my journey, I kept finding myself trying to make my Palm into an iPhone, and it never quite worked. The elegance of the iPhone interface is great. The 8 gigs of memory is unheard of in a PDA.

And I really do consider the iPhone a PDA. It pretty much does exactly what I used my PDAs for anyway. Apps are coming, jailbreak is already here.

I tend to move on from device to device, but this one may stay around for a while. As far edge goes, not really an issue for me, browsing will almost always be done via wifi, edge will only be for email.

The iPhone is what Palm should have been 5 years ago...

By: Bri Guy

Bri Guy — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 08:32:26 +0000

Yes, Rene, I know what you are saying concerning Treo crashes on calls, sometimes switching apps, or even if it's breathed on. One thing I found completely unacceptable with my Treos, and it may be carrier-specific, is a call-waiting issue that I was never able to resolve. Quite often, if I ignored an incoming second call, my first call would get disconnected as soon as my Treo notified me of the missed second call. This has never happened with my iPhone.

There are still many things I like about Treos specifically and Palm in general, but Palm would have to accomplish something magnificent to lure me back into the fold. Even then, I don't ever see myself parting with my iPhone

By: Rene Ritchie

Rene Ritchie — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:01:21 +0000

Almost my exact story! No matter how much a pimped my Treo with DialByPhoto, pTunes, etc. I just couldn't make it a modern UI or useful media player, and the deal-ender was that it crashed on dial or receipt of phone calls almost daily. (Never mind 3rd party apps, some of which just killed it outright).

And I never liked the tictac keyboard. My mushy fingers were always dialing wrong. Plus, when I sprained my wrist, I couldn't put enough pressure on to type or even dial -- no such worries with the iPhone keyboard.

I do miss dial by photo, type to find contacts, IR/BT beaming of PIM data, and a few other things, but over all I'm so far down the rabbit hole Neo, Alice, and Miller's Batman can eat my dust...

By: Bri Guy

Bri Guy — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:51:35 +0000

Thanks, pdaluver! I'm very much enjoying the trip myself and looking forward to more twists and turns as the hole deepens! I still carry around my old 650 in my bag, perhaps as a security blanket, but once 3rd party apps come online, I suspect the 650 may move from my bag to my "island of misfit toys" drawer

By: pdaluver

pdaluver — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:46:52 +0000

Excellent article Brian! I still use both a Treo 680 and an iPhone, and I agree with your conclusions on both devices. Safari just rules as a web browser! My husband has just switched from a Treo 650 to an iPhone and I'm in the midst of watching him going down the rabbit hole. He's sure enjoying the ride so far!