Bottom Line Cost w/ Sprint PCS

[roforot]

Hi, I'm trying to decide whether to buy the treo 300 or wait a little longer. I'm trying to see how much I'll end up actually paying.

Treo $299 (from Amazon w/ rebates)
Sprint Activation Fee: $35
Sprint Monthly Fee: $30
Wireless Monthly Fee: $0? (I think the $10 is included w/ the above Sprint fee for the entire year)
Sprint Taxes, FCC etc.: $5/month

Other fees to add?
Browser (Is the Blazer good enough to stand on its own)
Email (I use hotmail now, can I continue or do I have to buy a treo mail)
Insurance/Warranty (Having so much invested in one item, I need it to work!)

Are there any other fees, I'm missing? Are there any other adjustments that need to be made in the above fees? Does anyone believe the deal's going to get any sweeter by waiting till after the New Year?

thanks for your input,

Arjun.

[rooterjr]

I purchased mine in December and went through the same analysis, but I am on the $85 per month plan. With taxes and all (at least in Texas) it comes to $106 per month. All of the on-line usage is included and you have unlimited access and download capability. I have played around with three e-mail programs now and, unfortunately, I have to say that I like Treo's mail the best. In these days of html formatting, for some reason the e-mails formate better with treo's mail -- even better than snapper. I haven't purchased it yet and, may not due to the price, when Snapper mail is a GREAT package and is much cheaper. However, the blazer browser is more than adequate for what it is -- any java enabled site is out of the question. But all WAP or mobile configures sites browse like a champ on this thing. Though I find that I rarely use it for the internet experience anymore and moreso for checking and responding to e-mail. I purchased my treo ro $349 and sent in for the $50 rebate from sprint. Without a doubt, it is hard to find a nice color palm PDA for under $300 right now, much less one with an extremely cool phone built in. For the price, it is hard to beat.

Jimmy

[jmjii]

I live in AZ using my T650 for EVERYTHING the family share plan with 800 minutes, one extra phone, night/weekends beginning at 6:00 PM, unlimited PCS visions data package, insurance, extended warranty service (which covers all included accessories), total U.S. coverage and unlimited roaming. Total cost is only $107/mo. plus taxes (that's where the "hidden fees" come in from the facist govt.) The total has never been over $126/mo.

I have no land line or ISP at home, use approximately 3000-5000 TOTAL minutes/month. I use the T650 with PDANet by June Fabrics ($34) which allows me to use the T650 as a modem free of Sprint's extra charges ("Stick it to the Man"). I jack the T650 straight into my extensive wireless home network as well as laptop while on the road with no trouble at all.

Blazer is fine on it's own with 99% of ALL web sites I access (quite an extensive list). When there is an issue I just jack into my net/laptop and use MicroSoft's IE. While attempting to access the EveryThing Treo Store it was IE causing the problems. NOT an issue with Blazer, however. Chris (the Admin/Proprietor) at ET fixed the issue with IE and all is now fine.

Pros with Sprint: Great US based customer service with attention to detail, Outstanding tech support (tier I and II), fast defective equipment replacement with NEW equipment and immediate billing adjustment/courtesy credits (I have received anywhere from $5.00 to $30 on numerous occasions to keep me a happy camper since signing up last August) with no questions asked.

Cons with Sprint: Out sourcing of BASIC customer service during peak times to India and WATCH YOUR BILL for accidental billings/charges.

BOTTOM LINE: My Sprint T650 (with PDANet) is more important to me than my home/office network or laptop. It keeps me going for an extremely reasonable price!

If anyone needs assistance in how to deal with SPRINT feel free to send me a Private Message.

Respectfully submitted.