MarkRG said:
Stacey(and anyone else..) I'm finally looking at replacing my venerable Nokia 5100 phone. That's one of the older ones that is only a phone, no messaging, no camera, nada.
I know you have the Treo, but I was waiting for what I heard to be more than rumour, and it finally is.
http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo700w/?cid=crt_treo700launch
Mary and I have older PocketPC devices, neither do any kind of wireless or have a really internet capable browser.
I have a question or two that's irelevant of what OS it has.
1) How does it handle accessing the internet? Wifi, or thru Verison or Both? And if thru Verison, how do they charge for it?
2) How easy it is to read and use the keypad on the bottom?
3) How good is the phone part for quality and battery life?
I'm alternatively looking at this, as it has a 640x200 screen on the flip and a 3/4 keyboard, but I don't think it's out yet.
http://www.nokiausa.com/phones/9500/ It also doesn't list what service provider's going to carry it or what OS it has. But my current PDA is 640x200 and a 3/4 keyboard so I have a small leaning towards this one.
That Nokia looks pretty decent! I'm trying hard not to "lust" after the Treo 700....it's just like computers, as soon as you buy one, there will be another new one.
To answer your questions:
1. Most of the time, the access is through Verizon. You pick a plan, just like you do at home for your access. "X" number of minutes a month, unlimited, etc. I had to buy a WiFi cradle for WiFi access, but the only time I've needed to use the WiFi is on a cruise. I get access everywhere in the U.S. through Verizon.
2. Reading on the screen is a piece of cake. The graphics are great..I can see all the pictures on here. The keyboard is really small. I've never used one before. I don't text on my phone, so I'm not good at it. I do the hunt and peck on it. But, I bought the wireless portable keyboard, and that's been a god-send. It folds up flat enough for my purse. If you're good at texting, though, you probably wouldn't have any trouble.
3. When I was in Omaha and using the Treo for the internet, I had to recharge it every night. When I've used it as a phone, I can get a good two days out of it. And you know how much I talk! If you don't talk alot, you'd probably do better than that.
It took me a while to get used to talking into something so flat, and I was uncomfortable at first with the microphone being so "hidden"....but I soon realized that it was much more clear than my flip-phone.
Definitely, of all the "toys" I've bought, it is by far my favorite and has become pretty valuable.
The only bad thing I can think of to say about it....it does take a while for each new page to load when I'm catching up on posts. It feels like hours, but I guess it's less than a minute. Maybe the 700 is faster.
Jared and I were just discussing whether we were going to just take the Treo to
Disneyland, or the lap top. If I use the Treo over there, it's paid for in my monthly plan...if I use the lap top, I'll have to pay the connection fee at the hotel.