Treo680
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AT&T lays down the law, says Treo 680 users must update firmware
Once upon a time, Palm released a big firmware update for AT&T's branded version of the venerable Palm OS-powered Treo 680 (we know we just tossed a mind-boggling array of obsolete words and phrases at you, so feel free to take a couple minutes to catch your breath -- we'll wait). Okay, now fast forward to mid-2009. Treo 680s are still in the field -- and apparently, some of those haven't been updated to that 2007 vintage firmware. For some reason, AT&T has just now started really turning up the heat on these holdouts, apparently sending out text messages saying they're required to apply the update by the 15th of next month to continue using their phones on the network. We don't know if AT&T plans on doing an IMEI lockout or what here, but at any rate, it's a pretty big slap in the face of the "open network" concept these guys have been espousing for the past couple years. Then again, the update's seriously got a lot of good stuff in it, so it's totally unclear why anyone with a 680 wouldn't just bite the bullet and submit to AT&T's will this time around. [Via Palm Infocenter]
Palm hooks up AT&T's Treo 680 with hefty update
Remember the "any day now" claim slapped on that alleged Treo 680 update for AT&T back in October? Well, it's out now, which means that "any day now" works out to... oh, about 50-odd days in AT&T lingo. Fortunately, it may have been worth the wait; it seems every rumored feature has made the cut, meaning 680 owners are now entitled to goodies like push-to-talk, integrated IM, SDHC support, and the all-important AT&T branding (seriously, who wants to be seen walking around with a Cingular device these days?). Grab the update now straight from Palm's site.[Via Brighthand]
Palm Treo 680 on Sprint? Makes sense!
Sprint Nextel recently removed the Treo 700p from its online lineup and replaced it with the marginally improved and antenna-less 755p. Both are geared at business users and prosumers more than regular consumers, although Palm's consumer-level Treo 680 has been available on AT&T's network for a while now. Will a CDMA version of the Treo 680 come to Sprint soon to sit alongside the 755p? To hit a consumer price point, this makes sense for Palm. The 680 and 755p would be in two different price categories due to the feature sets and software being different and the target customer being different as well. If the carrier wants to sell more data plans to its normal consumer base, a 680-like device could be just the ticket -- if it happens.
AT&T launches red Treo 680 and BlackBerry Pearl
It's a little late for AT&T to be quoting "roses are red" in their press release, but they've got the red -- not (red), as in the money-losing charity -- tip covered for the Treo 680 and, of course, BlackBerry Pearl. Both will set you back $200 with a two year commitment. Is red plastic really worth all that to you?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Treo 680 sheds its cam for the biz crowd
Usually it's not all that noteworthy when a popular product drops one of its features, but when that device is the Treo 680, and that feature is the VGA camera, then it's certainly notable to your security-conscious businessfolk. Even though this is the Treo that's supposed to draw in the non-techie consumer -- and even though this SKU is barely advertised -- Brighthand is reporting that a camera-less 680 is indeed available, although you'll have to make a few phone calls if you want to to secure one. As usual, you're gonna pay the same amount whether you want the cam or not, so don't think you're gonna save any loot by forgoing the crappy shooter. Hit the Read link for more details, or more specifically, for actual proof that this mythical creature exists (hint: peep the small footnotes at the bottom of the page).[Via Brighthand]
Copper Treo 680 is back!
After our tear-filled eulogy of the Copper 680, we're pleased to report that rumors of the phone's death were greatly exaggerated -- specifically by Palm, who's "no longer available" warning kind was giving off those discontinued vibes. Those old messages have been removed from Palm's site, which is now listing all colored versions of the Treo 680 as shipping within 1-2 business days. So if you were holding off on a purchase, we're guessing you know what to do -- you internet savvy shopper, you. Still, and we're sorry to sound like a broken record here, but now that you've got those supply issues sorted out, how 'bout you start working on shaving a few millimeters off these things, huh Palm? [Via Palm Infocenter]
Palm offers software update for Treo 680
"All Treo 680 users should install the Camera Update." That's the official directive booming down from the Palm heavens this week as the first software patch for the stubless, Palm OS-based smartphone has gone live. While there's nothing terribly interesting going on here, the update seems pretty critical nonetheless -- if you value battery life, that is. The shipping software apparently has a tendency to leave the cam enabled even when the device is in standby, leading to a rather staggering power draw. No new features, no interesting changes, just one rather important fix. We can almost hear those overtaxed 680 batteries breathing sighs of relief already.[Thanks, Matt]
Rogers gets Treo 680
Hey, Canada: it looks like Cingular was just the first stop on a comprehensive North American tour for Palm's new entry-level Treo 680, and your own Rogers is next. In fact, if you head on over to Rogers' website as we speak, you'll find it listed for $300 CDN on a three-year contract after rebates. Yes, that's right, we said "three-year contract," so we'd like to caution would-be owners that there's very little chance they're going to want the same phone a full 36 months from now -- especially seeing how Rogers is only offering the plain-vanilla Graphite variety.[Thanks, Darien]
TeleNav expands to Nokia E62, Treo 680
After initially announcing availability on a handful of devices last month, Cingular and TeleNav are expanding their partnership by bringing navigation to the recently-launched Nokia E62 (and, oh yeah, the Treo 680, too -- though there's no specific mention of Big Orange involvement on that one). The software package rings in at $6/month for 10 trips and $10/month for unlimited use, offering all the same navigational features that you'd find on TeleNav's previous Cingular offerings -- the 8125 / 8525, Treo 650, and HP hw6925 -- with a couple of added bonuses on the E62: the new "fuzzy search" feature, as the name implies, completes user entries based on predictive logic and previous searches, while 3D maps also make an appearance for the first time. Sorry, 680 users... maybe next version.[Via Slashgear]Read - Nokia E62Read - Treo 680
Palm taking orders for Cingular-branded Treo 680
It's not entirely clear whether someone at Palm jumped the gun here, but a page on Palm's own online store now tempts us with a "Palm® Treo™ 680 Cingular, GSM" in exchange for 349 of our hard-earned dollars. While it's no secret that we expect the 680 to grace Cingular with its presence any minute now, Inventec's apparent failure to implement a little something called quality control seemed to put the handset's release date in doubt -- alas, Palm's page alleges that their new low-end Treo is in stock with shipment in 1-2 business days. Sadly, we're not seeing a place to select which of the 680's tasty colors we'd like in our pocket, suggesting that this might just be the drab gray one pictured here ("Graphite," as it's known). What, are Crimson, Copper, and Arctic not good enough for you, Cingular?[Via Reaper PC/PDA]
Inventec allegedly flubs 144,000 Treo 680s
It's alright, Inventec; we know that your ODM relationship with Palm is in its early years and you're still learning the ropes. Still, we have to admit, forgetting to connect the microphones on those Treo 680s before you ship 'em out the door is a pretty big no-no! Rumor has it that Inventec rendered not 100, not 1,000 -- but 144,000 of the new entry-level smartphones deaf and still managed to send them out to retailers. Needless to say, this isn't the kind of thing that can be fixed with a firmware update; every last one has had to go back home to get reworked. Oopsie![Thanks, big8tenor]
FCC hearts the Treo 680
Life is like some wonderful dream for Treo lovers lately, with the quad-band 680 getting FCC approval just one day after the agency gave the 750 a thumbs up. With all the formalities complete, expect the everyman's Treo to hit Cingular any day now at price points you're probably well aware of. So if you haven't decided what color you're gonna go with yet, this is just a friendly reminder that it's coming down to the wire...
Palm Treo 680 and Cingular 8525 price and release!
Ah yes, this is what we've been so eagerly awaiting. Enough pussyfooting around with the Palm Treo 680 and HTC Hermes / 8525 coming to Cingular -- we know they're due. We need prices, we need dates. And according to what appears to be a recent Cingular marketing presentation, we've got 'em: Treo 680: $424.99 straight, $349.99 one year, $249.99 one year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate), $274.99 two year, $174.99 two year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate; their ad, however, shows a $200 list price, but it's good to know we can count on around two Benjamins. Expect it November 5th (tentative). Cingular 8525: $559.99 straight, $484.99 one year (not including $50 rebate if included with unlimited data), $409.99 two year (also not including that same rebate); expect it October 29th. See, now that wasn't so bad, was it? Both came in right around where we'd expected and hoped; between the Dash, the Q, and the 680, it looks like that $200 price point is the sweet spot for ever-slimming smartphones. And the 8525 ain't too bad either, considering what you're getting.[Thanks also to djnth]
The Boy Genius Report: A bit of Cingular Q4 product info
Field report tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, The Boy Genius.Well would you look at that, a Cingular display already up in stores showing three "increased productivity" devices. One comes from the BlackBerry 8700c, one happens to be the Cingular 3125 Smartphone, and the last, but certainly not least, is the Palm Treo 680. We also found out from our man with the plan that Cingular's BlackBerry Pearl will launch before Christmas, with very minor cosmetic differences (e.g. keypad color, and so on). It will still have a camera despite some rumors around the net, and will have a nice friend to play with -- the Motorola KRZR. More info to come.Update: We also just got word of a new ruggedized Motorola phone also due soon; just don't get your hopes up that it's some military-grade Q or anything, you should know by now what most ruggedized gear is like.Be sure to check out the The Boy Genius Report for more from The Boy Genius.
Engadget Podcast 092 - 10.24.2006
Ah, can you smell; the autumn in the air? For some that means it's iPod season, which, incidentally, just celebrated its fifth birthday this week. We've got the scoop there and on how you too can avoid blowing out the Windows virus candles your iPod may have shipped with, as well as some talk on Logitech snapping up Slim, Art Lebedev's latest project, and some interesting (albeit unsurprising) details that surfaced about the Treo 680 on Cingular. Tune in, Engadget Podcast 92 coming right up. Get the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [RSS OGG] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in OGG) to your RSS aggregator. Hosts: Peter Rojas and Ryan Block Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Solvent - Instructograph (Ghostly International) Program: 00:33 - Apple says some 5.5G iPods shipped with Windows virus! 06:52 - The iPod turns five 17:00 - Logitech acquiring Slim Devices 21:32 - Here comes the Upravlator! 26:30 - Treo 680 headed to Cingular 29:08 - Listener emails 47:56 - Contests: deck out tech for Halloween, sing an Engadget song, shoot some sweet photos LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast: 1-888-ENGADGET, Engadget (Gizmo Project) or podcast at engadget dawt com
Treo 680 headed to Cingular
Big surprise everybody, the Palm Treo 680 is coming to... wait for it... Cingular. Right, we know, we all figured it was coming to Cingular anyway, but we snagged an internal Treo 680 PowerPoint doc and now we know for sure. It'll have everything we've been expecting: Palm OS 5.4.9 with that new five-tabbed quick access (dial pad, favorites, home screen, contacts, call log), quad-band GSP / GPRS / EDGE, 312MHz XScale processor, 2.2-inch 320 x 320 display, SDIO, Bluetooth 1.2, IR, PocketTunes, 1200mAh battery, and a 4.41 x 2.36 x 0.88-inch body weighing in at 5.28 ounces. Oddly, Cingular also made mention of a few things in their "confidential and proprietary" document that we found a little puzzling: listed with their compatible email clients, it mentions XpressMail, Good, BlackBerry Connect and... "Microsoft Direct Push (Q1,'07)"? Huh? Ok, so maybe the Cingularian who threw this document together didn't know his biz as well as s/he might have, but either way at least now we know for sure orange customers can expect theirs soon.
Hands-on with the Treo 680
It was a total mob scene after Palm's DigitalLife press conference, but we managed to fight the crowd and get our hands on the new Treo 680. Click on for a bunch of jumbo pics!
Live from Palm's Treo announcement at DigitalLife
Ready for the Treo 680? We're liveblogging the event from DigitalLife, so keep your fingers on that F5 button and follow along after the break...Update: Pics are up; keep reading for the the full text and images...
