Treo 300/600 Questions

The answers to some of these questions might be obvious but I can't find
them so I'm posting them here. Also I'm asking for your expert opinions on
what I should do!

I'm currently a SprintPCS customer with two lines - a regular PCS w/Vision
line and a separate data line for my Merlin card. I can't find a way to
tell my data usage (I have 20 mb per month and I'd like to know where I am),
and I find the data service to be relatively unreliable (my service
regularly locks up so I have to disconnect, reconnect, and often re-do what
I was doing) so I'm considering dropping the Merlin card and buying a Treo.
BTW, I'm out of contract on my second line (data line) but I have about 6
weeks to go before the end of my one-year regular PCS Vision line
committment.

1. Is there any way for me to tell how much data usage I've had part-way
through a monthly billing period on my Merlin data line?
2. If I drop the Merlin card and second line and then add a Treo (a new
second line), am I eligible for the $300 rebate?
3. Is the line needed for a Treo 300 or 600 a standard PCS Free and Clear
Vision plan or is it a data plan? If it's a standard plan then is there a
limit for how much data I send and receive? I'm asking because of the amount
of email that I get (an awful lot of which is spam!!!)
4. I understand that the new Treo 600 will run Palm OS5, will include
SEVEN's mobile email software and has an SD slot. Will the SD slot support
the new SD WiFi cards that are appearing? And if so (I don't see any reason
why not) will the SEVEN mobile email software be able to use my WiFi link to
get my email when I'm in a WiFi enabled area and Sprint PCS data service
when I'm not in a WiFi enabled area? If so this would siginificantly reduce
my Sprint PCS data usage.
5. Am I better off getting a Treo 300 now (with the $300 rebate before
10/10) on a 2-year committment or am I better waiting until my one-year PCS
line committment ends on 10/20 and negotiating some type of overall
agreement for two lines?
6. What else should I be aware of that might cause me problems?

---

› See More: Treo 300/600 Questions

MCG wrote:
> *The answers to some of these questions might be obvious but I can't
> find
> them so I'm posting them here. Also I'm asking for your expert
> opinions on
> what I should do!
>
> I'm currently a SprintPCS customer with two lines - a regular PCS
> w/Vision
> line and a separate data line for my Merlin card. I can't find a way
> to
> tell my data usage (I have 20 mb per month and I'd like to know where
> I am),
> and I find the data service to be relatively unreliable (my service
> regularly locks up so I have to disconnect, reconnect, and often
> re-do what
> I was doing) so I'm considering dropping the Merlin card and buying a
> Treo.
> BTW, I'm out of contract on my second line (data line) but I have
> about 6
> weeks to go before the end of my one-year regular PCS Vision line
> committment.
>
> 1. Is there any way for me to tell how much data usage I've had
> part-way
> through a monthly billing period on my Merlin data line?
> 2. If I drop the Merlin card and second line and then add a Treo (a
> new
> second line), am I eligible for the $300 rebate?
> 3. Is the line needed for a Treo 300 or 600 a standard PCS Free and
> Clear
> Vision plan or is it a data plan? If it's a standard plan then is
> there a
> limit for how much data I send and receive? I'm asking because of the
> amount
> of email that I get (an awful lot of which is spam!!!)
> 4. I understand that the new Treo 600 will run Palm OS5, will
> include
> SEVEN's mobile email software and has an SD slot. Will the SD slot
> support
> the new SD WiFi cards that are appearing? And if so (I don't see any
> reason
> why not) will the SEVEN mobile email software be able to use my WiFi
> link to
> get my email when I'm in a WiFi enabled area and Sprint PCS data
> service
> when I'm not in a WiFi enabled area? If so this would siginificantly
> reduce
> my Sprint PCS data usage.
> 5. Am I better off getting a Treo 300 now (with the $300 rebate
> before
> 10/10) on a 2-year committment or am I better waiting until my
> one-year PCS
> line committment ends on 10/20 and negotiating some type of overall
> agreement for two lines?
> 6. What else should I be aware of that might cause me problems? *

I can't help you with your questions about your data card, but I might
be able to help with your Treo questions.

2. The $300 rebates are for people opening a new line of service, ie
new phone number. Considering your Merlin card doesn't have a phone
number because it's only data, I THINK there should be no problem
dropping it and then adding a new voice line which the Treo would use.

3. The Treos use a regular Free and Clear (with or without Vision)
plan, same as a traditional phone. Without an unlimited Vision Pack,
data is $.01 per kilobyte. With a Vision Pack, it's unlimited.
However, the Treo is subject to the same rules as other phones, so they
don't want you using it as a modem for your computer. If you do that,
you could have unlimited Vision revoked. If you're talking about
getting your e-mail on the Treo itself, then you can download as much
as you want.

Starting in July, they charge $7.50 to have unlimited Vision on an
Add-A-Phone. If you would add the Treo's line to your existing plan as
an Add-A-Phone on a shared minute plan, it could cost you that. You
might get it free if your plan is grandfathered in, since you're adding
a line and not getting a new plan. Also, depending on what plan you
have and how many minutes, the second line will cost $10 or $20 on top
of the possible Vision charges.

4. I haven't heard if anyone's developed WiFi SD cards for Palm 5. If
they're out there, I don't see why it wouldn't work with the Treo 600.
I know Bluetooth SD cards don't work with Palm OS 5 yet, but WiFi could
be a different story. If they're out there and you get one, that
should enable you to use any non-Vision-only data functions of your
Treo, ie web browsing, e-mail, chatting, etc. without taking up your
Vision data.

5. That's a good question. The rebates might roll over and have a new
set of deadlines after these expire, but who knows. If you want a Treo
300, now seems like the best time to save money and get one for $99.
However, if you wait until after your current contract expires and
you're month to month, you'll be in a better position to negotiate for
a better deal on your plan. It wouldn't hurt to call now and ask what
they can do since you're only just over a month away from being able to
walk.

6. The only problems I see would be cancelling your data plan when you
add the line for the Treo. For people that try to cancel their account
and start a new one for rebates, they're denied because they're not
considered new customers unless the account's closed for 6 months I
believe. They could try and tell you by cancelling the data plan and
starting a new line, it's not really opening a new line of service.
You'd have to talk to a CSR about that. There are several on the
boards who would know better than me. But I would assume it shouldn't
pose a problem because it's not a primary line, and it's a data plan
vs. a voice line. Other than that, the only issues would be getting
$300 in mail-in rebates vs. possibly getting a better deal on your
account. You still have some time to try to figure it out. Good luck,
I hope this helped.

--
Posted at SprintUsers.com - Your place for everything Sprint PCS
Free wireless access @ www.SprintUsers.com/wap

I don't have much experience with Sprint, although I did recently upgrade
from a Treo 180 on t-mobile to a 300 on Sprint. There is a program that
will allow you to use your laptop on the internet. I've never used it, but
it has a free trial. http://www.junefabrics.com/palmnet/index.php. Its $34
to register. The only reason I upgraded was because t-mobile refused to
give me internet service on my 180, it had some problems, and I had a
service contract at CompUSA on the 180 and got the 300 for free. Whopee! I
got a better phone, better voice quality, and 2 lines with unlimited Vision.
Sweet! Handspring has announced they will be offering a trade in program
for Treo owners to the 600, but no one knows how much they will be worth
yet. My craptop is pretty slow and pathetic, but there are a few things it
can do that I can't do very effectively on my phone. Instead of dragging
around a laptop I just remote control my home PC from my Treo and use the
laptop for the functions I need it for. Its quite the spiffy piece of
software, and its free! http://www.win-hand.com/.

As for the wi-fi, this doesn't seem like a very practical thing to do unless
you are doing it the other way around and using your treo as your internet
gateway. (Don't ask me how to do this. I wish I was a beta tester for the
600.) With unlimited vision there is no byte limit anyway, so what does it
matter?

I notice my Treo appears to freeze momentarily and then it reconnects
sometimes when I begin sending data after a period of being idle. This is
especially true in my unified instant messenger
http://www.pdaapps.com/verichat/default.html since it only uses the
connection when sending message and receives them via SMS (which requires no
connection). I don't see any glitches when I'm playing in Kazaa K++ on my
home PC from work though. (Shhh, don't tell!)

The Treo 300 has no SMS message sending capabilities!!!! Beware. I don't
know who allowed this to happen, but it comes with only a client.
Ironically (well, not really) the company that wrote the SMS client also
writes a client with a send button, but they charge you for it. (PDA Apps,
the same company making the messenger. Probably no surprise that they work
harmoniously together, right?) I'll be damned if I let them get my money
for that though! I'm working on a fast efficient work-around. I just stay
on the messengers 24/7 instead for now. :-)

"letsgoflyers81" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> MCG wrote:
> > *The answers to some of these questions might be obvious but I can't
> > find
> > them so I'm posting them here. Also I'm asking for your expert
> > opinions on
> > what I should do!
> >
> > I'm currently a SprintPCS customer with two lines - a regular PCS
> > w/Vision
> > line and a separate data line for my Merlin card. I can't find a way
> > to
> > tell my data usage (I have 20 mb per month and I'd like to know where
> > I am),
> > and I find the data service to be relatively unreliable (my service
> > regularly locks up so I have to disconnect, reconnect, and often
> > re-do what
> > I was doing) so I'm considering dropping the Merlin card and buying a
> > Treo.
> > BTW, I'm out of contract on my second line (data line) but I have
> > about 6
> > weeks to go before the end of my one-year regular PCS Vision line
> > committment.
> >
> > 1. Is there any way for me to tell how much data usage I've had
> > part-way
> > through a monthly billing period on my Merlin data line?
> > 2. If I drop the Merlin card and second line and then add a Treo (a
> > new
> > second line), am I eligible for the $300 rebate?
> > 3. Is the line needed for a Treo 300 or 600 a standard PCS Free and
> > Clear
> > Vision plan or is it a data plan? If it's a standard plan then is
> > there a
> > limit for how much data I send and receive? I'm asking because of the
> > amount
> > of email that I get (an awful lot of which is spam!!!)
> > 4. I understand that the new Treo 600 will run Palm OS5, will
> > include
> > SEVEN's mobile email software and has an SD slot. Will the SD slot
> > support
> > the new SD WiFi cards that are appearing? And if so (I don't see any
> > reason
> > why not) will the SEVEN mobile email software be able to use my WiFi
> > link to
> > get my email when I'm in a WiFi enabled area and Sprint PCS data
> > service
> > when I'm not in a WiFi enabled area? If so this would siginificantly
> > reduce
> > my Sprint PCS data usage.
> > 5. Am I better off getting a Treo 300 now (with the $300 rebate
> > before
> > 10/10) on a 2-year committment or am I better waiting until my
> > one-year PCS
> > line committment ends on 10/20 and negotiating some type of overall
> > agreement for two lines?
> > 6. What else should I be aware of that might cause me problems? *
>
> I can't help you with your questions about your data card, but I might
> be able to help with your Treo questions.
>
> 2. The $300 rebates are for people opening a new line of service, ie
> new phone number. Considering your Merlin card doesn't have a phone
> number because it's only data, I THINK there should be no problem
> dropping it and then adding a new voice line which the Treo would use.
>
> 3. The Treos use a regular Free and Clear (with or without Vision)
> plan, same as a traditional phone. Without an unlimited Vision Pack,
> data is $.01 per kilobyte. With a Vision Pack, it's unlimited.
> However, the Treo is subject to the same rules as other phones, so they
> don't want you using it as a modem for your computer. If you do that,
> you could have unlimited Vision revoked. If you're talking about
> getting your e-mail on the Treo itself, then you can download as much
> as you want.
>
> Starting in July, they charge $7.50 to have unlimited Vision on an
> Add-A-Phone. If you would add the Treo's line to your existing plan as
> an Add-A-Phone on a shared minute plan, it could cost you that. You
> might get it free if your plan is grandfathered in, since you're adding
> a line and not getting a new plan. Also, depending on what plan you
> have and how many minutes, the second line will cost $10 or $20 on top
> of the possible Vision charges.
>
> 4. I haven't heard if anyone's developed WiFi SD cards for Palm 5. If
> they're out there, I don't see why it wouldn't work with the Treo 600.
> I know Bluetooth SD cards don't work with Palm OS 5 yet, but WiFi could
> be a different story. If they're out there and you get one, that
> should enable you to use any non-Vision-only data functions of your
> Treo, ie web browsing, e-mail, chatting, etc. without taking up your
> Vision data.
>
> 5. That's a good question. The rebates might roll over and have a new
> set of deadlines after these expire, but who knows. If you want a Treo
> 300, now seems like the best time to save money and get one for $99.
> However, if you wait until after your current contract expires and
> you're month to month, you'll be in a better position to negotiate for
> a better deal on your plan. It wouldn't hurt to call now and ask what
> they can do since you're only just over a month away from being able to
> walk.
>
> 6. The only problems I see would be cancelling your data plan when you
> add the line for the Treo. For people that try to cancel their account
> and start a new one for rebates, they're denied because they're not
> considered new customers unless the account's closed for 6 months I
> believe. They could try and tell you by cancelling the data plan and
> starting a new line, it's not really opening a new line of service.
> You'd have to talk to a CSR about that. There are several on the
> boards who would know better than me. But I would assume it shouldn't
> pose a problem because it's not a primary line, and it's a data plan
> vs. a voice line. Other than that, the only issues would be getting
> $300 in mail-in rebates vs. possibly getting a better deal on your
> account. You still have some time to try to figure it out. Good luck,
> I hope this helped.
>
> --
> Posted at SprintUsers.com - Your place for everything Sprint PCS
> Free wireless access @ www.SprintUsers.com/wap
>

"ChinnoDog" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I don't have much experience with Sprint, although I did recently upgrade
> from a Treo 180 on t-mobile to a 300 on Sprint. There is a program that
> will allow you to use your laptop on the internet. I've never used it,
but
> it has a free trial. http://www.junefabrics.com/palmnet/index.php. Its
$34
> to register. The only reason I upgraded was because t-mobile refused to
> give me internet service on my 180, it had some problems, and I had a
> service contract at CompUSA on the 180 and got the 300 for free. Whopee!
I
> got a better phone, better voice quality, and 2 lines with unlimited
Vision.
> Sweet! Handspring has announced they will be offering a trade in program
> for Treo owners to the 600, but no one knows how much they will be worth
> yet. My craptop is pretty slow and pathetic, but there are a few things
it
> can do that I can't do very effectively on my phone. Instead of dragging
> around a laptop I just remote control my home PC from my Treo and use the
> laptop for the functions I need it for. Its quite the spiffy piece of
> software, and its free! http://www.win-hand.com/.
>
> As for the wi-fi, this doesn't seem like a very practical thing to do
unless
> you are doing it the other way around and using your treo as your internet
> gateway. (Don't ask me how to do this. I wish I was a beta tester for
the
> 600.) With unlimited vision there is no byte limit anyway, so what does
it
> matter?
>
> I notice my Treo appears to freeze momentarily and then it reconnects
> sometimes when I begin sending data after a period of being idle. This is
> especially true in my unified instant messenger
> http://www.pdaapps.com/verichat/default.html since it only uses the
> connection when sending message and receives them via SMS (which requires
no
> connection). I don't see any glitches when I'm playing in Kazaa K++ on my
> home PC from work though. (Shhh, don't tell!)
>
> The Treo 300 has no SMS message sending capabilities!!!! Beware. I don't
> know who allowed this to happen, but it comes with only a client.
> Ironically (well, not really) the company that wrote the SMS client also
> writes a client with a send button, but they charge you for it. (PDA
Apps,
> the same company making the messenger. Probably no surprise that they
work
> harmoniously together, right?) I'll be damned if I let them get my money
> for that though! I'm working on a fast efficient work-around. I just
stay
> on the messengers 24/7 instead for now. :-)
>
> "letsgoflyers81" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > MCG wrote:
> > > *The answers to some of these questions might be obvious but I can't
> > > find
> > > them so I'm posting them here. Also I'm asking for your expert
> > > opinions on
> > > what I should do!
> > >
> > > I'm currently a SprintPCS customer with two lines - a regular PCS
> > > w/Vision
> > > line and a separate data line for my Merlin card. I can't find a way
> > > to
> > > tell my data usage (I have 20 mb per month and I'd like to know where
> > > I am),
> > > and I find the data service to be relatively unreliable (my service
> > > regularly locks up so I have to disconnect, reconnect, and often
> > > re-do what
> > > I was doing) so I'm considering dropping the Merlin card and buying a
> > > Treo.
> > > BTW, I'm out of contract on my second line (data line) but I have
> > > about 6
> > > weeks to go before the end of my one-year regular PCS Vision line
> > > committment.
> > >
> > > 1. Is there any way for me to tell how much data usage I've had
> > > part-way
> > > through a monthly billing period on my Merlin data line?
> > > 2. If I drop the Merlin card and second line and then add a Treo (a
> > > new
> > > second line), am I eligible for the $300 rebate?
> > > 3. Is the line needed for a Treo 300 or 600 a standard PCS Free and
> > > Clear
> > > Vision plan or is it a data plan? If it's a standard plan then is
> > > there a
> > > limit for how much data I send and receive? I'm asking because of the
> > > amount
> > > of email that I get (an awful lot of which is spam!!!)
> > > 4. I understand that the new Treo 600 will run Palm OS5, will
> > > include
> > > SEVEN's mobile email software and has an SD slot. Will the SD slot
> > > support
> > > the new SD WiFi cards that are appearing? And if so (I don't see any
> > > reason
> > > why not) will the SEVEN mobile email software be able to use my WiFi
> > > link to
> > > get my email when I'm in a WiFi enabled area and Sprint PCS data
> > > service
> > > when I'm not in a WiFi enabled area? If so this would siginificantly
> > > reduce
> > > my Sprint PCS data usage.
> > > 5. Am I better off getting a Treo 300 now (with the $300 rebate
> > > before
> > > 10/10) on a 2-year committment or am I better waiting until my
> > > one-year PCS
> > > line committment ends on 10/20 and negotiating some type of overall
> > > agreement for two lines?
> > > 6. What else should I be aware of that might cause me problems? *
> >
> > I can't help you with your questions about your data card, but I might
> > be able to help with your Treo questions.
> >
> > 2. The $300 rebates are for people opening a new line of service, ie
> > new phone number. Considering your Merlin card doesn't have a phone
> > number because it's only data, I THINK there should be no problem
> > dropping it and then adding a new voice line which the Treo would use.
> >
> > 3. The Treos use a regular Free and Clear (with or without Vision)
> > plan, same as a traditional phone. Without an unlimited Vision Pack,
> > data is $.01 per kilobyte. With a Vision Pack, it's unlimited.
> > However, the Treo is subject to the same rules as other phones, so they
> > don't want you using it as a modem for your computer. If you do that,
> > you could have unlimited Vision revoked. If you're talking about
> > getting your e-mail on the Treo itself, then you can download as much
> > as you want.
> >
> > Starting in July, they charge $7.50 to have unlimited Vision on an
> > Add-A-Phone. If you would add the Treo's line to your existing plan as
> > an Add-A-Phone on a shared minute plan, it could cost you that. You
> > might get it free if your plan is grandfathered in, since you're adding
> > a line and not getting a new plan. Also, depending on what plan you
> > have and how many minutes, the second line will cost $10 or $20 on top
> > of the possible Vision charges.
> >
> > 4. I haven't heard if anyone's developed WiFi SD cards for Palm 5. If
> > they're out there, I don't see why it wouldn't work with the Treo 600.
> > I know Bluetooth SD cards don't work with Palm OS 5 yet, but WiFi could
> > be a different story. If they're out there and you get one, that
> > should enable you to use any non-Vision-only data functions of your
> > Treo, ie web browsing, e-mail, chatting, etc. without taking up your
> > Vision data.
> >
> > 5. That's a good question. The rebates might roll over and have a new
> > set of deadlines after these expire, but who knows. If you want a Treo
> > 300, now seems like the best time to save money and get one for $99.
> > However, if you wait until after your current contract expires and
> > you're month to month, you'll be in a better position to negotiate for
> > a better deal on your plan. It wouldn't hurt to call now and ask what
> > they can do since you're only just over a month away from being able to
> > walk.
> >
> > 6. The only problems I see would be cancelling your data plan when you
> > add the line for the Treo. For people that try to cancel their account
> > and start a new one for rebates, they're denied because they're not
> > considered new customers unless the account's closed for 6 months I
> > believe. They could try and tell you by cancelling the data plan and
> > starting a new line, it's not really opening a new line of service.
> > You'd have to talk to a CSR about that. There are several on the
> > boards who would know better than me. But I would assume it shouldn't
> > pose a problem because it's not a primary line, and it's a data plan
> > vs. a voice line. Other than that, the only issues would be getting
> > $300 in mail-in rebates vs. possibly getting a better deal on your
> > account. You still have some time to try to figure it out. Good luck,
> > I hope this helped.
> >
> > --
> > Posted at SprintUsers.com - Your place for everything Sprint PCS
> > Free wireless access @ www.SprintUsers.com/wap
> >

A few updates:

1. Sprint confirmed that I can cancel my data plan (my second line), then
add the Treo 300 as an add-a-line sharing minutes with my current PCS vision
line. Monthly cost will be $20 for the line plus $7.50 for vision. I am
also eligible for the $300 rebates. (Anyone know who sells the phone with
an instant rebate so I would pay $99 rather than paying $399 and getting a
$300 service credit from SprintPCS?)

2. A note - ebates has a 5% rebate (they call it a discount now) on
purchases from Handspring.

3. Apparently the Treo 600 will be one of the first SPCS phones to support
SMS. http://www.howardforums.com/archive/topic/200227-1.html

4. To ChinnoDog - On a Treo 600 WiFi for email would be nice because I have
802.11b available at work in my office building and Sprint's 1900 MHz has
doesn't penetrate the building well (too much rebar). I'd like to be able
to use WiFi when I can, anyway, because it's so much faster than Sprint's
data service. It's like comparing broadband with dial-up. However I hope
I'm not going to have to use two different email programs.

5. Ominously the Sprint CSR suggested that I may want to take advantage of
the Treo 300 deal and get unlimited Vision "while it's still available".
Like the rest of us she had heard that Handspring was going to offer a
trade-up deal to the Treo 600 but she didn't know what it was. (By the way,
the whole reason I'm looking at a Treo right now was that Palm discontinued
their unlimited PalmNet service for Palm i705's. Based on my data usage my
monthly bills were projected to increase from $35 per month to $262 per
month, and that was almost entirely email traffic).

6. They wouldn't offer me any real "deals" on my service at this point. If
I'm willing to extend my PCS Vision service for a year I can have 60 extra
anytime minutes (560 instead of 500) and N&W starting at 8 pm instead of 9
pm.

ChinnoDog wrote:
> *
> The Treo 300 has no SMS message sending capabilities!!!! Beware. I
> don't
> know who allowed this to happen, but it comes with only a client.
> Ironically (well, not really) the company that wrote the SMS client
> also
> writes a client with a send button, but they charge you for it. (PDA
> Apps,
> the same company making the messenger. Probably no surprise that
> they work
> harmoniously together, right?) I'll be damned if I let them get my
> money
> for that though! I'm working on a fast efficient work-around. I
> just stay
> on the messengers 24/7 instead for now. :-) *

There's a perfectly logical reason why the SMS app that comes with the
Treo 300 doesn't work. Sprint DOES NOT have SMS. The app is the same
exact piece of software that's in the Treo 270. It's designed for
MO-SMS, not server side/web-based messaging. It makes sense that it
doesn't work. That's why PDAapps came out with Treo300SMS (as well as
i330SMS and i500SMS). Where did you hear that PDAapps made the SMS app
that comes with the Treo? I haven't heard anything about it.

--
Posted at SprintUsers.com - Your place for everything Sprint PCS
Free wireless access @ www.SprintUsers.com/wap