Need some advice on Treos

[vrracr]

I love the Treos and have been using palm OS since 1999 and I've gone through every Treo smartphone. At the moment, I have a 700p and my service is through Verizon.

However, starting in December, I will start traveling a lot internationally. Everyone else in my company has blackberrys and their phones and email service work internationally. Is there a Treo which I can buy which will work anywhere I go??? I really don't even care about the phone service...just need email to work worldwide (Europe and Asia). I'm sure i'll have to change my service and I have no problem with that...just don't want to have to switch to blackberry.

any advice as to which provider has a Palm OS Treo which can work worldwide would be appreciated. otherwise, i'm gonna have to start getting used to the scroller. TIA.

[Stillrockin]

I guess its obvious to you that the phones being used overseas are GSM phones. To be able to use them "anywhere" will require one that is unlocked. GSM unlocked direct from Palm would be an option. As far as what is available today unlocked, I just looked on their web site and currently I believe the 650 is the only GSM phone unlocked and its still rather expensive. Another option would be to pick up one used from ebay unlocked. Or to buy one off ebay locked to a GSM carrier and have it unlocked yourself. I am guessing that soon, there will be more unlocked GSM options. The 680 (edge data only) will probably be the next one Palm offers unlocked. Since everyone in your company are using BB's overseas I would imagine that they are unlocked as well. I know that Cingular will unlock your phone once you have been with them a few months. All you will need to do is to make a call to CS, and tell them you travel overseas often. They will send you the code and instructions. Good luck living in that Blackberry World! Let us know how your quest turns out!

[vrracr]

thanks. my concern is actually only the use of email while overseas. as long as i have access to email from my phone and the email service works, i'll be happy. it would be nice to have phone use in case of emergencies, but it's not a requirement. my co-workers who have blackberries are with Cingular already.

my question is will whichever email service Cingular uses for the Treo's work wherever i have service with an unlocked phone? will the new 680 have push capabilities?

[Stillrockin]

my question is will whichever email service Cingular uses for the Treo's work wherever i have service with an unlocked phone? will the new 680 have push capabilities?

I would think your BB pals could better answer that one. It depends on whether they are using something cingular specific or not. (blackberry connect?) I haven't heard if Cingular will offer the BB connect with the 680, or not, but if you have IMAP ability with your new corporate email, don't sweat it, just get chatteremail

[benjie]

Push in the world of the Palm OS is a software function, not built in. Mr. StillRockin is right about ChatterEmail - it does do push mail very well and will work on any Treo device. Ben

[benjie]

Push in the world of the Palm OS is a software function, not built in. Mr. StillRockin is right about ChatterEmail - it does do push mail very well and will work on any Palm OS Treo device. Ben

[vrracr]

yes, but will it work overseas? or does that just depend on if i have service/signal wherever i'm at? i found out that my co-workers have blackberrys with international service and they pay about $70/month for just that, plus their phone service. and although their phones also work, they don't answer calls because it's too expensive. however, email is unlimited.

[Stillrockin]

Chatter will work overseas if you have a data plan with a carrier overseas. There might be a reason that your BB pals are using BB's. But I am confident in telling you that a GSM Treo with Chatter will cover any email needs you might have. I have read where many people who travel abroad will buy sim cards like phone cards. So much data/so much talk time. I am betting that your new co-workers pay $70.00 per month for international coverage for a reason however. They have probably found that it works and they aren't wasting time running down a carrier, and trying to buy service when they need to be worrying about other issues . . . But the bottom line is, a GSM Treo with international coverage and email such as Chatter will get that job done!

I am a Treo guy through and through, but the newest BlackBerry Pearl looks like a pretty decent device to me! I don't know what your new job is, but the tech headaches might be a little less severe if what you were using was more standard to what the rest of your co-workers were using . . That said, I, like you, would really resist going there!