Mobility Mind

A life without the Treo

It’s been an interesting journey personally for me, as a Palm OS and Treo smartphone user. I started back in 1998 with a Palm Pilot Personal, and ten years later, I had a Treo 680. Throughout that period, I came to depend on the Palm (or Treo) as a “life organizer” and “backup brain”. There’s something to be said about loyalty and familiarity, but there comes a time when you just have to let go and move on.

Since getting my iPhone 5 weeks ago, I have been using my Treo 680 less and less. The iPhone fundamentally changed the way I use mobile devices and the way I consume media. I will talk more about that in the future.

While I loved my Treo 650, I did not love my Treo 680. I enjoyed the extra memory, but the lags totally ruined the Palm OS experience for me. The iPhone, while currently limited in terms of what it can do, does everything it’s supposed to do very well. My Treo 680 paled in comparison in terms of usability. With the new Software Development Kit (SDK) coming to the iPhone and promising just as many (maybe more) third party applications, the choice is clear.

For work purposes, I need a second phone which has very specific requirements, which the Treo 680 does not meet. Over the weekend, I purchased a Sony Ericsson k750i as my second phone. It’s basic but does what I need it to do.

So where does that leave my Treo 680? As of Friday, I became Treo-less for the first time in 4 years. My Treo 680 is in good hands, but I am saying goodbye to Palm and Treo smartphones for the time being. When Palm launches new smartphones next year, we’ll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I am no longer a Treo user. How does it affect this blog? Thing won’t change much, but expect me to discuss the iPhone more, and the Treo less.