Secret Handshake?

[Visor]

According to FedEx tracking my Treo 650 arrives tomorrow.

Then I'll charge the battery, start reading the manual -- yeah, I'm one of those, activate the account (Cingular) and futz with moving the data from my Tungsten C to the Treo 650 (with a Mac) while, at the same time, I convince someone at Cingular to set me up with the MEdia Works data plan plus 200 messages.

I really have no clue how much internet stuff I'll do as of yet. That makes selecting a data plan kind of difficult. Will 5MB be enough? Ten? How can you tell in advance?

Since I'm in front of a computer from dawn to dusk I don't think I'll do much IM'ing. I will sign up for 200 messages for the first month so I can play a bit until the novelty wears off.

I really bought the Treo 650 to consolidate devices. Juggling the PDA and the cell as I looked up a number on the PDA to call on the cell, while drinking hot coffee and driving was getting a bit unsafe. Also, I was getting tired of looking like Batman with a utility belt full of gear.

So, the adventure begins. All I need is for someone here to teach me the secret Treo 650 handshake and life will be good.

By the way, I went through messages in a bunch of forums (Blackberry and Treo -- I have no loyalties to anything I have to pay for) and this one, by far, is the friendliest and most informative.

Thanks for being here!

[chris]

According to FedEx tracking my Treo 650 arrives tomorrow.

Nothing quite like tracking new electronics through Fedex. Just a few weeks back I tracked my "soon to be DOA" iPod from Shanghai, China. Amazingly, it came in 1 day - only to be returned later that day. Anyway, congrats on the new Treo 650.

Then I'll charge the battery, start reading the manual -- yeah, I'm one of those, activate the account (Cingular) and futz with moving the data from my Tungsten C to the Treo 650 (with a Mac) while, at the same time, I convince someone at Cingular to set me up with the MEdia Works data plan plus 200 messages.

Someone actually reads those! Being an existing Palm user, you shouldn't have too much trouble moving over your data to the Treo 650. Here's Palm's guide to upgrading from an existing Palm device.

Since I'm in front of a computer from dawn to dusk I don't think I'll do much IM'ing. I will sign up for 200 messages for the first month so I can play a bit until the novelty wears off.

I have a similar text package. I use it for weather updates and the occasional SMS. I too spend plenty of time in front of a computer.

I really bought the Treo 650 to consolidate devices. Juggling the PDA and the cell as I looked up a number on the PDA to call on the cell, while drinking hot coffee and driving was getting a bit unsafe. Also, I was getting tired of looking like Batman with a utility belt full of gear.

The Treo will definitely simplify your life. It's the one device that I cannot leave my home without...

So, the adventure begins. All I need is for someone here to teach me the secret Treo 650 handshake and life will be good.

It's in the manual.

By the way, I went through messages in a bunch of forums (Blackberry and Treo -- I have no loyalties to anything I have to pay for) and this one, by far, is the friendliest and most informative.

Thanks! I love hearing that -- makes my day.

Stop back and feel free to ask questions. Plenty of helpful folks here.

-Chris

p.s. - nice avatar!

[Visor]

FedEx arrived early with my Treo, I installed the battery and charged it until the LED turned green. I called Cingular and activated the phone and requested MEdia Net unlimited and the 200 messages add-on. I was expecting, and prepared, for a fight. Zilch. No hassles at all. :cool:

They told me that my messages would be unlimited for 30-days due to a promotion. Cool.

I immediately got two text messages from Cingular while I was still talking to them on the phone. Checked a few web sites and all seemed to be good.

I was asked if I want the extended warranty and replacement insurance for $5/mo. I thought for a sec. and said "Sure." As they were writing things up they noticed that the Treo is excluded from the extended warranty. Darn. Oh well.

I'm up and running and going to play with backing up and restoring the data.

[plwebb]

FedEx arrived early with my Treo, I installed the battery and charged it until the LED turned green. I called Cingular and activated the phone and requested MEdia Net unlimited and the 200 messages add-on. I was expecting, and prepared, for a fight. Zilch. No hassles at all. :cool:

Visor, how much was the "200 messages add-on". Right now I have the MEdiaWorks with 5mb internet and 1000 text messages. I don't really need 1000 text messages but think I may end up needing the unlimited internet. I've only had my Treo 650 about 3 weeks and haven't figured exactly what I'm going to end up needing.

[Visor]

Visor, how much was the "200 messages add-on". Right now I have the MEdiaWorks with 5mb internet and 1000 text messages. I don't really need 1000 text messages but think I may end up needing the unlimited internet. I've only had my Treo 650 about 3 weeks and haven't figured exactly what I'm going to end up needing.

Hi,

It's $4.99 for 200 text messages, $9.99 for 1,000, and $19.99 for 2,500. I wasn't sure how many megs I'd use so I went this route.

[plwebb]

Thanks for the info. I just signed up for the unlimited internet and the 200 messages add-on.
The guy was also telling me about the Data Connect Unlimited which features faster internet but costs $40. I decided to go with the MEdia Net unlimited one for now at half the cost.

[chris]

I don't really need 1000 text messages but think I may end up needing the unlimited internet. I've only had my Treo 650 about 3 weeks and haven't figured exactly what I'm going to end up needing.

If you login in to your customer account online, I believe you can check your data usage for the month.

-Chris

[Visor]

If you login in to your customer account online, I believe you can check your data usage for the month.

-Chris

That's what they told me when I was first looking at getting a Treo and trying to figure out which PDA Connect plan to get (prior to knowing about the MEdia Net plans). Logic said it was "safer" to get the unlimited plan the first month and then see what you actually used as opposed to the big bill surprise.

Granted, the first month would probably be the max usage as I'd spend time playing and experimenting, so it wouldn't be a representative month. However, since the data plan isn't related to your voice plan you can change it as often as you like without any penalties and the changes take affect almost immediately -- as opposed to the next billing cycle.

What made me overly cautious was playing with a demo phone at Sprint, going to Google and doing a simple search. I don't know how accurate that loading status count is at the top of the screen but I'm guessing that my search and few screen check was 1MB or so. I was figuring that I'd go over the 5MB of one of the plans in 5 searches a month. I'll know better as I go but...