Will iPhone kill the Treo franchise?

[littlewaywelt]

I'd be willing to guess that 90% of treo users only use it's most basic function- phone, email & web, which the iPhone will cover. It may not have the same utility, but I suspect it will do the basics much more seamlessly and in a much more stable environment. It may not get business users, but it will take a huge potential market away from palm.

 

[surur]

I'd be willing to guess that 90% of treo users only use it's most basic function- phone, email & web, which the iPhone will cover. It may not have the same utility, but I suspect it will do the basics much more seamlessly and in a much more stable environment. It may not get business users, but it will take a huge potential market away from palm.

That doesn't make sense. Why use a Treo then (especially considering the quality of blazer).

Each person must have some reason why they use a bulky smart phone over a sleek razr.

Maybe people can volunteer their reason so we can understand.

The work reason why my pda is essential is that I keep notes on it, which I refer to later. Its useful to be able to synchronize the notes to a laptop or desktop. I also like having the internet on my device. All the other uses I have for the smart phone are nice, but ancillary.

I wonder why other people use their smart phone vs other devices.

Surur

 

[Certs]

I'd be willing to guess that 90% of treo users only use it's most basic function- phone, email & web, which the iPhone will cover. It may not have the same utility, but I suspect it will do the basics much more seamlessly and in a much more stable environment. It may not get business users, but it will take a huge potential market away from palm.

I agree with all of this, except the 90%. Maybe 60, IMO, and that 60 percent will definitely be intrigued by the iPhone

 

[mikec#IM]

gaps

The biggest gaps on the iPhone vs. Treo:

-No I'M
-Non-removal battery
- No 3G
- No Third party apps (sorry, Safari app don't count)


I think these are the biggest hurdles for Treo "power users"

I'm assuming all the contact, calendar, task and note sync is there.

Oh well...10 more days...

 

[oalvarez]

funny...i'm actually with littlewaywelt.....have constructed a couple of threads on the matter, and have at least given my impression/opinion on the subject matter many times.

results?

this place is not a good sample population, it's one of the only places where you find individuals configuring their treos for things like watching tv, and using 3rd party software to help run their lives. but in the real world, so many purchased it because it was the latest and greatest device and the treo carried great momentum behind each new launch, it was the new cool device. it was the simplest device (thumb-board). you think the soccer mom variety needs anything more than a phone and maybe internet to get her by at the carwash? but how many would you see toting them around? they were everywhere. as for using a treo over some sleeker device, i don't know anymore.....now i see the sleeker devices in the real world, they're now everwhere, and yesterday's soccer mom is carrying one too. the treo is not the big thing anymore. like i've said, MANY around here are ditching them and moving onto other, newer devices that all pretty much do the same, without being so big. yes, there are "power users" (i still snicker when i use that term) who need everything a Treo or Mogul has to offer, but in the non-TreoCentral world basic features work, and if they can get basic features in a smaller and more modern/sleek phone, they most likely will.

ps: as it has been said (somewhere in this thread and others), it's not the iphone that will kill the Treo, it's the Treo/Palm that is killing itself.

 

[Malatesta]

funny...i'm actually with littlewaywelt.....have constructed a couple of threads on the matter, and have at least given my impression/opinion on the subject matter many times.

results?

You and littlewaywelt need to stop pretending though that anything you write presuming "average use" is portentous, since it is completely unscientific and has no basis outside of your own, biased interpretation.

You mention about "not watching TV" yet Sprint and Verizon both offer some sort of Video/TV service (Verizon going further lately, offering live channels). Across the globe, Digital Media broadcasting (DMB) which is huge in Korea, Germany and the UK and growing rapidly elsewhere. You conveniently ignore such obvious trends in mobile entertainment and offerings. DMB will take a long time here in the US due to the hurdles involved and the size of the network: slingbox is an easy workaround. Why not ask Sling if they though their development of the WM and Palm and Symbian client were worth the financial and research investment?

And while many use their Treos for "just email" the ability to connect to so many services (IMAP, POP3, Exchange) or VPN for corporate use is something that many devices cannot do.

You seem to suggest that "smartphones" and anything with Windows Mobile is overkill, yet once again as of 2007 there are over 100 devices worldwide that offer Windows Mobile. From everything to the Amp'd Q (media device) to the HTC Athena, there is a wide range of products now being offered and sold.

Had you spent some time at non-tech sites like Sprintusers.com (a general use site), you'd see anyone picking up a Treo, Mogul, 6700, etc. all ask the same questions: How do I watch TV? How do I stream music? How do log into my bank account? How to I VPN? Can I use P2P?

Those aren't "power users" but everyday people looking to do what they do at home, on the go.

Do they represent the majority? The minority? Who knows. But please do not pretend via a simple message board to presume the desires and wants of smartphone users, that is naivety and arrogance supreme.

 

[oalvarez]

whatever u say ....cool with me

ps: i didn't mention WM....it actually works for me....prefer it over Palm OS for whatever that's worth

pss: you use the word "many" to quantify those who use their Treos for "just email" .......was that a scientific study that you concluded to validate its use?

regards

 

[marcol]

Each person must have some reason why they use a bulky smart phone over a sleek razr.

Probably the most important reason for me is the reason I first bought a PDA: the PIM apps, especially the calendar. The first PDA replaced a paper organiser and improved upon it massively because the data is mirrored elsewhere and is thus much more secure. That it beeps at me before a meeting and has functions that simplify the whole process (like repeat events) are also very nice. I really don't how much of this could be done with a RAZR, but I'm very sure that entering data (new appointments, contacts, etc) would be horribly less efficient on a 12-key phone (I'm useless with T9).

PIM is probably the only thing a RAZR can't do (well, at all?) that's essential to me on a daily basis, but other things are essential or close to essential less frequently. Email definitely falls into that category. Mobile email isn't essential to me every day (or even every week), but it is very useful sometimes and that means I need: 1) to access the work Exchange server and 2) a QWERTY keyboard.

Other work essentials/highly desirables that a RAZR won't do (or won't do well) include calculator, sat-nav, notes and password management . Non-work desirables include web browsing (I do use this a bit for work too), IM, alarm clock, weather forecasts, and e-books (one or more of the last three might be ok on a RAZR?)

 

[littlewaywelt]

Malatesta, pretending? Learn to read. I said "I'd be willing to guess" I didn't say I was offering facts. Of couse I'm only offering an opinion...just like you. I don't make it a habit of asking strangers how they use their treos, but of my friends that have them (~10), what I stated was the case for every single one. They're all fairly tech oriented, but they only need the phone to cover basics.
Get over yourself. You and Surur seem to take this whole issue far too seriously, imho.

I purchased this phone for PIM capabilities that exceeded what Palm OS offered. I have used the phone to near it's capabilities. 60% my personal usage is email 30% phone, 10% web, weather, media, etc.

As to why ppl purchase more tech than they need or use...it's standard option creep. Ppl in the US buy stuff that tends to accomodate anything they might need rather than what they actually need. Large SUVs are the perfect example.

 

[surur]

Olvarez, why do you use a smartphone vs a Razr (or similar)?

Surur

 

[oalvarez]

my device must have the ability to handle voluminous email on a real-time basis, qwerty keyboard (exposed), an address book and calendar, internet access, phone, full day of battery, while being ultra-pocketable and light.

that's why.

 

[surur]

my device must have the ability to handle voluminous email on a real-time basis, qwerty keyboard (exposed), an address book and calendar, internet access, phone, full day of battery, while being ultra-pocketable and light.

that's why.

That spells blackberry, doesn't it?

Surur

 

[oalvarez]

It spells whatever pleases you

 

[C201]

15 posts per day, most of which mirror this quote. The average IQ of TreoCentral dropped several points with your arrival this month. We all dream of achieving your high standards.

ad ho?mi?nem
Pronunciation: (')ad-'h?-m&-"nem, -n&m
Function: adjective
Etymology: New Latin, literally, to the person
1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect
2 : marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made

Look into it.

 

[Certs]

It spells whatever pleases you

I re-read that over 100 times and still can't see how that spells Scarlett Johannson

 

[braj]

Paris Hilton hot? Are you comparing the iPhone to her? What an insult to phones...

I guess if you are into a woman-child...20 year old body with 7 year old mind....I get the "ewwwwws" just thinking about it.

Read my definition of 'Hot'. It is like when a movie is 'hot' at the box office, in no way does it mean it doesn't suck. I don't call women I like 'hot' I call them 'sweet'.

Paris Hilton is a scarry chick.

 

[Malatesta]

pss: you use the word "many" to quantify those who use their Treos for "just email" .......was that a scientific study that you concluded to validate its use?

regards

And I used to qualify the whole post:

Do they represent the majority? The minority? Who knows.

I was pointing out random examples of use, concluding with it is silly to guess what "the majority" want. Nice try though

 

[Malatesta]

Malatesta, pretending? Learn to read. I said "I'd be willing to guess" I didn't say I was offering facts. Of couse I'm only offering an opinion...just like you.

Indeed my post came off harsher than it should have and I apologize for that to you and oalvarez--it was more of a general statement than personal criticism.

But all to often people try to come to conclusions based on little evidence, when all one needs to do is look at market trends e.g. the rise of mobile broadband multimedia, WM smartphones (for better or worse), instant email options (besides BB and Exchange), mobile IM, etc. to see that people do want those functions, just maybe not the way they are currently implemented or offered.

 

[Felipe#WP]

Paris Hilton hot? Are you comparing the iPhone to her? What an insult to phones...

I guess if you are into a woman-child...20 year old body with 7 year old mind....I get the "ewwwwws" just thinking about it.

at least paris is open.

 

[Dieter Bohn]

another thread that seems to have gotten too contentious ... What's going on today?

EDIT: don't answer that, just simma down.