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TreoCast Podcast
TreoCentral TreoCast Episode 8
For Nov 28th, 2006
 How to listen
News
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Well obviously the first story is that the 680 is out. Is it any good? TreoCentral's full review will help you answer that question.
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Palm’s upcomping ad campaign will target the "Mobile Accomplisher" - which appears to be a nice way to say "the non-tech-savvy consumer." In any case, "Mobile Accomplisher" is a phrase that pleases Mike and Dieter:
We kid because we love... and because we're kinda nerds. Dieter's favorite new Palm Ad site: How to convince the boss to expense your Treo 680.
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Palm responds and then fixes 700wx sms issues.
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Voice Command 1.6 is released. Special thanks for Matt K for talking Dieter through some issues there. The short of it: you can get it to work on WM-based Treos, but it's a bit wonky and therefore probably not worth the $40 upgrade fee.
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Colligan is not afraid of the iPhone. We would probably be a touch more worried if were were him.
Accessory Talk
TreoCentral’s Store has updated their device chooser, which automatically filters the store so you only see compatible accessories. Now that there are all these different Treos, you’ll want to be sure to hit that first before you start shopping.
There is a new replacement stylus pack that is, well, pretty. It's compatible with the 700p, 700w|wx, and the 650.
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Stowaway has released a new bluetooth keyboard – it’s actually a titch bigger than their previous bluetooth keyboard and styled more like their original keyboards. But it’s full-sized as in FULL-sized: numbers and everything. Nice.
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If you catch this TreoCast soon enough (i.e. on or before Nov 28th), you can take advantage of the TreoCentral Store's post-Thankgiving specials!
TCGuide
Steps for deciding which Treo you want; or how to answer the question when people ask you "Which Treo should I get?"
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Do you even want a Treo? (Let's hope the answer is yes.)
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This is the tough step: you basically have two ways to go here. PalmOS or Windows Mobile.
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Dieter likes WM and Mike likes Palm. But basically it comes down to this: the PalmOS is going to do 99% of what 95% of people might want to do with a smartphone - and do it a little more simply.
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One thing worth doing, often, is exploding the myth that Windows Mobile might be easier for a person to learn "because it's Windows." Sure, it has a Start Menu, but it's still a different OS with its own learning curve.
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The PalmOS is getting pretty long in the tooth, but should still work for most folks. IT Pros and people with specific technical needs (like heavy Exchange integration) may want to consider WM.
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Choose a carrier. Really, the biggest cost of a Treo purchase isn't the Treo itself, strange as that may seem. Instead: it's the contract. So be sure to pick one that you can be happy with:
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Are you locked into a contract? / Do you want to be?
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Do you prefer GSM or CDMA? GSM works worldwide and gives you the opportunity to easily swap phones in the future. CDMA (at least for now) offers faster data speeds.
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Mostly, though, you just have to do the hard work of slogging through the various service plans offered by each carrier and figure out which one fits you best.
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Finally, you can pick out a Treo. Honestly, though, your decision has actually been made by this point. Here's a corny chart for our readers in the US:
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If you want PalmOS and...
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...you want Cingular, then your Treo is the Treo 680
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...you want T-Mobile, then your Treo is an unlocked Treo 680 or Treo 650. (This will be Mike's Treo shortly)
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...you want Sprint, then your Treo is the Treo 700p
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...you want Verizon, then your Treo is the Treo 700p
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If you want Windows Mobile and...
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...you want Cingular, then you're up a creek, though for now you might consider buying an unlocked Treo 750v.
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...you want T-Mobile, then you're in the same boat as Cingular folks. Again your only shot right now is an unlocked Treo 750v. (This is Dieter's Treo)
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...you want Sprint, then your Treo is the Treo 700wx
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...you want Verizon, then your Treo is the Treo 700w
There, what wasn't so bad, now, was it?
Community
First up, a couple notes from our listeners:
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Jack L writes in to mention that maybe we should throttle down the bitrate. That’s a good idea. Done and Done.
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Jim H called in and asked about some GPS stuff. We addressed that a bit in episode 3, but here's the short version: for 90% of new buyers, we like to recommend the Palm GPS Navigator Smartphone Edition 2
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Dan M wants us to interview both Softtick and VeriChat to ask about updated versions of their software with better 700p support. We'll shoot them an email, but should say that we're not exactly, uh, influential Yet. Muhaha.
Moving on: here are some threads we've been watching:
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Got my Treo 680, VERY satisfied - one of many threads in the Treo 680 Forum discussing the ins and outs of the new Treo.
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Your Treo's running slow? PalmInternals can tell you why - a great thread that discusses this PalmOS Benchmarking app.
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Is the Palm OS really dead? - yet another thread discussing the future of the PalmOS.
Credits
Thanks to the TreoCentral Store for sponsoring the TreoCast.
Music comes from ccMixter.org, a great Creative Commons music site. Our specific music is the following:
We're trying a lower filesize today for you folks listening on the Treo, email us and let us know how it worked. Don't forget you can always leave us a voicemail at 800-557-6819 x222. (One last note: it's always Peanut Butter Jelly Time! )
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