Audio & Video
Business Center
Cameras
Cell Phones & PDAs
Communications
Components & Upgrading
Desktop PCs
DVD & Hard Drives
Gaming Hardware & Software
HDTV
Laptops
Macs & iPods
Monitors
Printers
Spyware & Security
The PCW Test Center
Windows Vista & XP
Resource Centers
Asus Notebook Center
Intel Technology Center
CDW Solution Center
Lenovo Laptop Showcase
Try It Free
White Paper Library
Webcast Library
Most Popular Products
Most Popular Downloads
Monday, September 26, 2005 6:38 PM PT Posted by Harry McCracken
Palm and Microsoft on the Windows Mobile Treo
|
After the press conference, I met up with a Palm guy--Greg Shirai, VP of product marketing--and a Microsoft guy--John Traynor, senior director of segment marketing for the mobile devices division--and peppered them with questions. Here are a few of their answers.
When did this project get hatched? "I've been working on this project for over two years," Shirai told me. That would date back to the era of the Palm-Hanspring merger, and indeed "Donna and Jeff [Dubinsky and Hawkins--cofounders of Palm and Handspring] were involved in early discussions with Microsoft." And "once Palm split up and PalmSource was a separate entity, that was the opening."
Why a Windows Treo? Conventional wisdom says that a Treo that runs Windows Mobile may be more attractive to big companies, especially those that use Exchange and Outlook. And Palm agrees. "We have a fairly strong enterprise messaging story with the [Treo] 650," said Shirai. But "we've heard that many people have a preference--if not a requirement--for an end-to-end Windows solution." However, Palm won't market the Palm OS Treo as a consumery product and the Windows Mobile one as a corporate one: "Our approach is more about choice--we're saying we have something built around this experience that Palm provides." And it will now be available in both Palm OS and Windows Mobile flavors.
As for Microsoft, "We've had people show us Treo and say, 'This is a great device,'" says Trayor. "Palm brings that unique understanding about what makes a great phone experience."
Is a Windows Treo destined to be just a commodity phone running an off-the-shelf OS? "We asked to be able to differentiate on this platform," said Shirai, who added that Palm was exposed to Windows Mobile 5.0 early on and that Microsoft engineers added API calls at Palm's request to help it add Palm-style features on top of Windows. Palm, he said, figured that "if we can add our special sauce [to Windows Mobile], we can light up the smartphone market even faster."
Hey, how about Palm OS-based Treos? The press event stressed that the WinTreo will "expand" the Treo platform rather than replacing the Palm OS, but it was short on specifics--like when we'll see a new Palm OS model. But Shirai said that Palm OS aficionados shouldn't fret. "We've extended our Palm OS license through 2010, and we have a robust roadmap on that platform...we have a very loyal user base and a very healthy developer community."
Will Verizon's EV-DO service be a big deal? "For syncing e-mail, if it's just text, it doesn't necessarily change the experience much," Traynor said. "But if it's a 1MB PowerPoint attachment...or I can surf at high speed, that's a big difference....and Verizon has done a great job of rolling it out."
Ultimately, the two most intriguing questions that come out of all this are ones that can't be answered at a press event. They're A) OK, so is the Windows Mobile Treo worth buying? and B) What does this truly mean for the Palm OS in the long run? We'll do a hands-on evaluation of the new phone as soon as possible so we can chime in on the first question. As for the second one, nobody really knows the answer...but we'll all find out in the months and years to come.
Archives
View posts from:
PC World's Marketplace
PC World's Free Whitepapers
QUICK LINKS:
cheap laptops
cell phones
laser printers
HDTV reviews
LCD TV Plasmas
digital cameras
laptop reviews
security antivirus
windows vista reviews
digital camera reviews
inexpensive desktop
LCD wide screen monitors
tech news tech blogs community & forums laptop prices software reviews downloads
tech news tech blogs community & forums laptop prices software reviews downloads
Which version of the os is this? Pocket PC Phone Edition or SmartPhone? If this is SmartPhone like the upcoming Moto Q, then what a dissapointment. The draw of the under powered Treo was the good to excellent PDA/phone intergration & it's touch screen that one rarely had to use. There are situations when using the sylus is preferable, & it's great to have that option.
If this is in fact WM5 PPC PE, then this is a big step in the right direction. Wish list: 240 x 320 screen, styling on par with the Q, or perhaps a Kyocera 7135 type clamshell/flip (only way better looking). Don't loose that qwerty.
NO comment i was just passing thru and looks like a glorified computer phone to me, that has all the top notch things like windows has. Looks very cool ..wonder if this will have a cool price?
Thank You
9/26/05
Oklahoma!
>>Gods alive in 2005<<
It's PPC PE. Screenshots make thqt clear, as do the keyboard and stylus, neither of which the SmartPhone platform directly supports.
But you can also watch the press conference, including the demo, as streaming video from Microsoft's site, and that will make it perfectly clear.
Thank you Mrs. Lightle. I have a 650, can I UPGRADE my phone? Will it still crash and reset at random? Will my bluetooth headset connect, all of the time? This is so far superior to carrying two devices that I can live with the quirks, but I wish it were better.
This is just my own opinion. It applies for me because I am a very heavy email user.
I like the Treo 650 and I like Windows Mobile but there are a few fundamental issues preventing me from using the Treo 700w.
1) Because Exchange don't have push capability like Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES), I have to purchase a 3rd party add on like the GOOD service which pushes email like BES. Its expensive but even if I over look that there are the folowing usability issue.
2) GOOD doesn't have Blackberry Redirector which is a crucial feature behind corporate firewalls.
3) Blackberry's have a number of features that really make it more productive for a major email user
- While I can send whole contact info thru vCards they can automatically be added to my Blackberry. But in Windows Mobile and GOOD for some reason, this doesn't work and I have to manually copy and paste every single piece of contact info myself (line-by-line) in order to add it to the outlook contacts on a Treo 650 with GOOD.
- Shortcuts for typing. I have standard paragraph phrases on a Blackberry that I can commit to any shortcut (shortcuts are single or group of letters that are assigned any text including dynamic info like time and date which get expanded as I type them). I use shortcuts for agreements, signatures, common complex step-by-step explanations, etc… Again, Windows Mobile has nothing like this and Good has a limited version but can't expand more than 128 characters (bad for phrases). - When typing, if I hold a letter key down the letter is automatically capitalized. But on Windows Mobile, you must always hold shift + letter like a keyboard to get it capitalized. On a phone, this is impractical. Imagine a 3 or 4 paragraph email and all the capitalization that goes on (proper names, beginning of each sentence, acronyms) and then imagine 30 - 50 emails a day like that. These phones don't have keyboard software/hardware ergonomics like a keyboard so it really adds up and ..
- last complaint, Windows Mobile forces me to do a lot with both hands (capitals, scrolling, etc...) while Blackberry has optimized their software and hardware so you can do everything with one hand including typing a letter.
This may all seem unimportant and to most users it probably is - but for business users or anyonw who has a lot of email, it adds up in time and physical effort which is not what I desire from a Mobile solution.
I believe these things will keep RIM in the lead for business users until Microsoft incorporates these features.
I am surprised not to mention disappointed with Palm's developing alliance with Microsoft products. I wouldn't trust this product anymore than I'd trust Microsoft!
I miss the Sony Clie UX-50,only i would like seeing it with more speed,and a SD card slot!
I miss the Sony Clie UX-50,only i would like seeing it with more speed,and a SD card slot!
Hi,
Actually Exchange w/SP2 does support E-mail push just like the Blackberry does. It's coming in December.
Also, vCard is supported as well.
Finally the Pocket PC and Smartphon versions allow you to create custom responses that are easy to select and send to respond to e-mail.
Long Live The Palm Pilot, down with windows ce.
This is the Ultimate insult to all Plam users, who have stuck it out with these guys through thick and thin. And now; after these last 10+ years, after freeing themselfs of US Robotics and 3Com, throught the wax and wan of the pda boom, after proving to microsoft time and again that they can and will do it better then them; with victory at hand, our leaders bowed forth and handed one of the last rings of power to bill gates. Oh, dark days are apon us........
I echo Peter Landy's cry of disappointment. I not only would not trust such a product, I would not use it, because I will not voluntarily use anything that Microsoft has a hand in. I changed to Linux from MS Windows in Jan. 2003 and have sworn I will get rid of my computer before I will again use MS products. It looks now as though I will have to jettison my Tungsten E, and since there is not a realistic Linux-supported alternative anywhere near my price range, that I'm aware of--I will just have to stop using a PDA. Which is a hardship, as I've kept all my personal data on one since about 1994.
Can I do a video conference thru my treo? If so please help me.
If I have a TREO 650 with Palm OS, can I change the OS to Windows without having to purchase a TREO700w or upgrading? I would prefer the Windows OS over Palm. Any suggestions?
I am developer of games for palm OS.
http://palmos.front.ru
And I am surprized by such supid windows
treo. It's bad news for all palm OS users...
Looks like Palm have decided to surrender
to microsoft and when? Just now whew good
handhalds such as Tungsten TX, Treo 650 are
on the market! Looks like sudden attack from
back.
Palm OS - FOREVER!!!
Windows MUST DIE!
I'm not alone! I use FS Loox for 2 mounths by WM in fact a piece of sh*t! Palm Inc. musn't be one of Windows PDA, it MUST be Palm. That's all I want to say.
I too am extremely disappointed in Palm. I would have hoped they would have created a palm OS phone first for the Verizon EV-DO network since Verizon has a relatively new Microsoft based phone released this past summer. Maybe the problem Palm can't produce a decent phone for Verizon. My experience as well as peope I have spoken to that use the 650 on the Verizon network love the Palm PDA functionality but feel phone functionality stinks!!
I am looking for a gps for a verizon schi730
please help me find which would work the best and possibly where to purchase one
I very much look forward to the TREO 700W in windows format. This is a great move to expand market-share. Palm users will continue to use Palm OS and Windown users will make that choice. I love my TREO-650, however would appreciate the platform change for better integration with Windows OS and Microsoft programs, and the Outlook connectivity. JimWilson, Boca Raton, FL
Look how many problems you get with windows products: CRASHING, VIRUSES,SPAM,SPYWARE,MISSING FILES WHEN REBOOTING,ETC.
Why would i want these problems on my palm? Specially waiting for boot up. Ill keep my old a$$ 600.If i want super graffic stuff, ill buy seperate unit.
some one please do some research if treo650 can be upgraded to use windows mobile os. and swiched back or visa versa. with purchase or some upgrade package ., i know treo can be booted into linx but that dosent help me. it would be good to know for the rest of us who have nothing better to do all day then play with phones and try diffrent os styles. but dont have the programing skills. ) ty. email me if u have any updates ghstmailbox@gmail.com
I would love to know if treo 650 can run window CE as well.
Windows on Treo650? I don't think so.