i looked around not sure if there is a thread already but need advice....
my treo is about to die...hehehehe so time for new pda/phone.... should i get the iphone?

before i go on with my questions... i guess the main question is how is the iphone as an organizer/pda?

if there are any power iphone users out there, question is can it do what the treo can?
for example:
•can it play divx or mpeg movies
•is there a qt player
•is there any plans for pocket quicken?
•can it play real audio or wav files?
•can i use it as a storage device (like the ipod)
•can i connect to the internet through smart or globe using gprs(not wifi)
•can i transfer files bluetooth?
•can i send business cards?
•can i connect (via blietooth) my desktop address book to the iphone to send txt messages through desktop address book
•can i recieve business cards?
•is there a note pad where i can type in notes and copy and paste to a sms message?
•can i add notes and appointmetns in the iphone calendar and contact in the addressbook unlike the ipod where it just syncs?

thanks for the help
---nico
power mac user since 94

answers

•can it play divx or mpeg movies---convert to mp4 yes
•is there a qt player - it is the player
•is there any plans for pocket quicken? --- not sure
•can it play real audio or wav files? --- convert to mp3 is better
•can i use it as a storage device (like the ipod) - hack apps, yes
•can i connect to the internet through smart or globe using gprs(not wifi) --- absolutely
•can i transfer files bluetooth? --- so far, NO
•can i send business cards? --- yes
•can i connect (via blietooth) my desktop address book to the iphone to send txt messages through desktop address book --- for me.. no
•can i recieve business cards? --- yes
•is there a note pad where i can type in notes and copy and paste to a sms message? --- have a notepad, but no copy and paste.
•can i add notes and appointmetns in the iphone calendar and contact in the addressbook --- unlike the ipod where it just syncs? --- yes

click here (http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html) and here (http://www.apple.com/iphone/questionsandanswers.html)

also, you may want to type iphone in the search field to search the Q&A for iPHONE from experience.

Thanks for the answers....
I seem to be getting a lot of different answers... I guess best thing is to really find a way to test the device myself... but for the answers below, if i have to convert something then the answer is no.


answers

•can it play divx or mpeg movies---convert to mp4 yes
•is there a qt player - it is the player
•is there any plans for pocket quicken? --- not sure
•can it play real audio or wav files? --- convert to mp3 is better
•can i use it as a storage device (like the ipod) - hack apps, yes
•can i connect to the internet through smart or globe using gprs(not wifi) --- absolutely
•can i transfer files bluetooth? --- so far, NO
•can i send business cards? --- yes
•can i connect (via blietooth) my desktop address book to the iphone to send txt messages through desktop address book --- for me.. no
•can i recieve business cards? --- yes
•is there a note pad where i can type in notes and copy and paste to a sms message? --- have a notepad, but no copy and paste.
•can i add notes and appointmetns in the iphone calendar and contact in the addressbook --- unlike the ipod where it just syncs? --- yes

click here (http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html) and here (http://www.apple.com/iphone/questionsandanswers.html)

also, you may want to type iphone in the search field to search the Q&A for iPHONE from experience.

Sorry, you can send business cards? With what app?

My main complaint with the iPhone is it's Calendar. Unlike the Treo, where you just type straight or click on a time slot and just input your Appointment, it's a tedious, several-steps-process with the iPhone.

No doubt the iPhone's Calendar looks better, but if you want speed and efficiency, nothing beats the Treo.

so far out of 5 people only 1 has said that you can send business cards.

My main complaint with the iPhone is it's Calendar. Unlike the Treo, where you just type straight or click on a time slot and just input your Appointment, it's a tedious, several-steps-process with the iPhone.

No doubt the iPhone's Calendar looks better, but if you want speed and efficiency, nothing beats the Treo.
thanks for that... info have you guys seens scrybe? http://iscrybe.com/main/index.php
it would be interesting to see how this works with the iPhone.

•can it play divx or mpeg movies - just convert it to mpeg4
•is there a qt player - no
•is there any plans for pocket quicken? - wait for the SDK release on Feb, then we would know
•can it play real audio or wav files? - just convert it to mp3
•can i use it as a storage device (like the ipod) - yes
•can i connect to the internet through smart or globe using gprs(not wifi) - yes
•can i transfer files bluetooth? - no
•can i send business cards? - no
•can i connect (via blietooth) my desktop address book to the iphone to send txt messages through desktop address book - no
•can i recieve business cards? - yes
•is there a note pad where i can type in notes and copy and paste to a sms message? - notepad yes, copy paste no.
•can i add notes and appointmetns in the iphone calendar and contact in the addressbook unlike the ipod where it just syncs? - yes

fyi - not everything looks good in mpeg4... h.264 is better but again there are issues then it comes to showing sample of detailed work to clients... mp4 is great spaily for video but when you need to compress motion graphic or vfx work it does not hold.... so thanks for the advice but the mpg4 only playback is a limitation.

" •can i use it as a storage device (like the ipod) - yes"
is that right out of the box or i need to get a hack for this to work like someone stated earlier?

My main complaint with the iPhone is it's Calendar. Unlike the Treo, where you just type straight or click on a time slot and just input your Appointment, it's a tedious, several-steps-process with the iPhone.

No doubt the iPhone's Calendar looks better, but if you want speed and efficiency, nothing beats the Treo.
is there a similar issue with the address book/contacts?

please dont compare the iphone from treo. there are not the same and have different specification and applications. i you don't want one. dont buy it.

hahahaha that's like saying don't compare a mac and a pc... hmmm... so what is the difference, please enlighten me. i'm jsut looking for objective oppinions before I make a purchase, I would not ask advice if i had money to throw around just to test devices to see if it works for me or if i can have the product for a one week evaluation... Johnp1 gave a good assesment with the function of the clendar in the iPhone... now I know it does not work like iCal.

be a pal and led me your iphone for evaluation purposes so i never have to compair. ;)

perhaps the biggest plus for an iPhone over a Treo, N95, E61, etc, is the iPhone OS. Whereas the others are stuck to what they are (besides firmware upgrades & 3rd party apps), the iPhone can evolve into something else. It's a mini-mac computer!

I think Apple is simply taking its slow time to incorporate new possibilities/features to encourage users to "upgrade" the software regularly, preventing the hackers from keeping the users to "stay" in their hacked iPhones (contrasted with how Microsoft is having a hard time making people "upgrade" to Vista from XP, since many are already happy with what XP can do).

just my analysis on Apple's strategy... =)

perhaps the biggest plus for an iPhone over a Treo, N95, E61, etc, is the iPhone OS. Whereas the others are stuck to what they are (besides firmware upgrades & 3rd party apps), the iPhone can evolve into something else. It's a mini-mac computer!

I think Apple is simply taking its slow time to incorporate new possibilities/features to encourage users to "upgrade" the software regularly, preventing the hackers from keeping the users to "stay" in their hacked iPhones (contrasted with how Microsoft is having a hard time making people "upgrade" to Vista from XP, since many are already happy with what XP can do).

just my analysis on Apple's strategy... =)
That's true... I think that is the thing that all mac users were waiting for ever since the newton, mac users were waiting for a pda with a mac os...
Although your right it's apple strategy since the beginning is that... I guess the iPone is basically an iTouch with a phone (is that a safe assesment)... so in their first roll out they were catering to the itunes/iPod user...
Unlike the newton where their main oblective was a pda.
I was so excited when the rumers of an iPhone I thought that all the apps in the phone would work (interms of UI) like the desktop versions... much all the other pda's that have their proprietary desktop apps.
Odd thing is the lack of Quicktime Player. That supports any codec.

well sorry about what i say earlier! i have heard many bad comments with iPhone but the main fact that apple said that iphone has only 3 main features a revolutionary phone, an ipod and a rich interenet device. so i do not expect more of it, because that 3 main thing is the one im looking for a phone. the apps are a + only for me. if your such a internet geek guy. iphone will cater your needs. thats is the most impressive feature of the iphone "FOR ME".

i have a treo 680 crimson & i love it but im also in love with my iphone kaya i carry them both with me always... hehe!

I don't see a problem comparing an iPhone with a Treo - of course they are different, but in the end you will only be purchasing one phone right? @direkniko hasn't decided what to buy. If he doesn't like one, he'll buy the other. I don't think he's starting from an anti-iPhone bias or anything.

In the interest of transparency, I should first point out that I am a moderator (and officer) of Mapalad.Org (http://www.mapalad.org) (the Philippine Palm User Group and a sister site to PhilMUG.PH). We have had lively discussions about the iPhone at Mapalad (http://home.mapalad.org/viewthread.php?tid=15320&page=6&srchtxt=iphone#pid136977). Here's an opinion from a long time Treo 650 user:

IMHO the iPhone has its greatest appeal among ordinary folks - people for whom most smartphones are too complicated/hard to use/overpowered. For what it is capable of, the iPhone provides a very seamless experience for the end-user.
It is precisely to provide a seamless experience that the iPhone is, out of the box, locked down. Users will understand off the bat what the software can do, without needing to go through the manual to find out how to do stuff. And in typical Apple fashion, the iPhone goes about its usual business in a totally stylish, intuitive manner unlike any other device. Web browsing and photo/media playback are undoubtedly its strongest suits.

However, at the end of the day the consistency of user experience sought by the iPhone is its biggest weakness, and is the greatest strength of the Treo. So much software is available for the Palm OS platform, much of it free. Not all of them are good, though, and some can cause a Treo to become crash-prone. The locked-down nature of the iPhone (out of the box, not counting jailbreaking and hacking the device) sidesteps this problem by not answering the question at all: the iPhone is more stable as third party apps can't destabilize it (beyond crashing Safari).

I would argue however that the Palm OS ranks quite high in user-friendliness, and is extremely snappy in response time. The lack of multitasking in the Palm OS Treos isn't usually an issue, unless you want to do things like download stuff in ther background while doing something else. OTOH, I'm pretty sure that you can't download stuff from Safari directly into the iPhone without some hackery involved (as the iPhone's file system isn't meant to be user-accessible). Of course, the browser of the Treo is pathetic compared to that on the iPhone.

Wifi connectivity is another area where the iPhone totally trounces the Palm OS Treo - so far Palm has never been able to shoehorn wifi into a Palm OS phone.

I have some third party apps on my Treo that I could never live without (e.g., financial calculator, Documents To Go suite for Word/Excel/Powerpoint document editing, and of course the many games that run on Palm OS).

Of course, the Palm OS in its current incarnation is in its twilight years, while mobile OS X on the iPhone is still in its infancy. We can expect good things to come out of Apple in future iterations of the iPhone. But for me, I can't stand the iPhone's shortcomings as a phone and its lack of third party app support. I'm a geek at heart. Ordinary folks love the iPhone because of the built-in functionality that is so easy for them to learn. OTOH I don't mind having the learning curve if it means that I can do exactly what I want with my phone, with any app I deem necessary for my personal life.

But that's just me.

hehehe like with any new product they will advertise the new and cool stuff... and that is why I wanted to know a comparison. like for example, do you all the new features in os 10.5.... there is like over 300 new features but they focuced in the press about 6-10 features.

i guess you are apple's taget market since you only use those 3 things... sucks though when you don't have wifi access and no one to call then your left with an ipod.

better get both. treo for bussiness and iphone for personal multimedia. now were even. all my chines boss here have their treo and blackberry.and symbian phone for personal non working use. hehe but they want an iphone. and they gave me a assignment to have a chinese language for iphone. gush!!! were can i find that!

Thanks bon I am actually a newton user, then palm pilot, then nokia 6600 (which was great cause i can send text messages through apples address book, which is a great feature and I am surprised not to many people use this feature), then the treo 650 which I currenly use.

My problem with the nokia was the UI. being a newton and palm user I missed the quick access to apps.... I know, why not get a windowa pda... well i'll have to admit i'm a little bias when it comes to OS systems being a dos and windows user back in the day.

Thanks everyone who were able to give solid advice... if your curious i have to say i'm going with the treo. Guess I'll have to wait for the new version and see where apple will take it. It's like Leopard... I just got it but I can't install it cause it's not compatible with AE CS3... bummer ;)
But all good Backup works fine for now and OS is stable...
Thanks everyone.

i have a treo 680 crimson & i love it but im also in love with my iphone kaya i carry them both with me always... hehe!
really hehehehe. just a curiosity why carry both? i mean when you get a call or make a call do you find youself using which phone more?
I used to have a motorolla and a palm and i carred that all the time and i just wanted to carry one thing with me.
thanks for sharing :)

Sorry but I dislike Windows Mobile. I find it to be kinda slow and fairly unintuitive - it takes too many steps to do simple things like change calendar entries vis-a-vis a Palm.

One thing I love about the Palm OS is its memory efficiency - apps that are in RAM don't need to be loaded into another section of memory to be executed - in Palm OS, apps "execute in place" - meaning that if you have a 500k program in RAM, you don't need another 500k in free memory to load the app and then run it - it just executes from where it is. This is not how Windows Mobile works, which is why you have to constantly check how much free RAM you have on the device - low levels of RAM cause system instabilities. When you switch from one app to another in Palm OS, the program "remembers" your place where you last left off (e.g., editing a field). This is a nice feature that somewhat obviates the lack of multitasking.

well, with those things that you look out for a pda phone,, i dont think the iphone suits you.. at this point apple is being selfish from giving us those features without using hacks or altering its firmware.. if you have an ipod and youre not comfy carrying it with your cellphone on a single pocket, the iphone's best for you.. not looking into all the things a dedicated pda phone can do.. so far im happy with it..

Sorry but I dislike Windows Mobile. I find it to be kinda slow and fairly unintuitive - it takes too many steps to do simple things like change calendar entries vis-a-vis a Palm.

One thing I love about the Palm OS is its memory efficiency - apps that are in RAM don't need to be loaded into another section of memory to be executed - in Palm OS, apps "execute in place" - meaning that if you have a 500k program in RAM, you don't need another 500k in free memory to load the app and then run it - it just executes from where it is. This is not how Windows Mobile works, which is why you have to constantly check how much free RAM you have on the device - low levels of RAM cause system instabilities. When you switch from one app to another in Palm OS, the program "remembers" your place where you last left off (e.g., editing a field). This is a nice feature that somewhat obviates the lack of multitasking.
this is true... as for me i use pocket quicken. and since i work in design and motion, i just found it handy that i can play any meida format in the palm (with added apps) and with the sd card it also become a portable storage device... it's but really convinient for me and for what i do. and the syncing with my mac of course.

well, with those things that you look out for a pda phone,, i dont think the iphone suits you.. at this point apple is being selfish from giving us those features without using hacks or altering its firmware.. if you have an ipod and youre not comfy carrying it with your cellphone on a single pocket, the iphone's best for you.. not looking into all the things a dedicated pda phone can do.. so far im happy with it..
Yeah that seems to be the consensus. :)

windows mobile are dead slow. thats why my htc 4300 not lasted for about a week and trade it to a p990i wich is slow to and trade it to k810i. but then again i will sell it because my wife wants a iphone to. and to stop her borrowing my iphone every day.

My treo is quite old but I still love it. I love its user friendly interface with palm. I don't have an iPhone and I don't think I will be buying one because all my applications and logbook are in the Palm OS format. I still have my reliable iPod which hasn't let me down. As long as I can call, text, do my logbook and use causerie for my messaging I am happy.

hahahaha that's like saying don't compare a mac and a pc... hmmm... so what is the difference, please enlighten me. i'm jsut looking for objective oppinions before I make a purchase, I would not ask advice if i had money to throw around just to test devices to see if it works for me or if i can have the product for a one week evaluation... Johnp1 gave a good assesment with the function of the clendar in the iPhone... now I know it does not work like iCal.

be a pal and led me your iphone for evaluation purposes so i never have to compair. ;)

If you need a phone for productivity and a little bit of entertainment, stick with a treo. Mas marami kang magagawa dun in terms of being productive. The iPhone was made for a different purpose, nde pa sya ripe for productivity. Maybe in the near future (feb 08). Pwede mo syang gawaan nang paraan pero its around 3 to 4 steps more versus the treo or sometimes nde sya supported nang iphone.

For me, I owned a a treo 650 and upgraded to a treo 680, I switched to the iphone as I wanted a converged device and I like the form factor and media capabilities of the iPhone. Using the treo was productive, but typing on that keyboard for contacts, emails and calendar is not my ideal way of mobile computing. Nakakapagod din kase and masakit sa thumbs after a while. I now enter all my stuff through the pc/mac and have it sync with my iphone (when I used the treo it didn't work very well with the mac even with missing sync:redface:).

So its actually a personal choice, if you need to be productive, use a treo. If you want a converged device with excellent media capabilities, use the iPhone.

If you need a phone for productivity and a little bit of entertainment, stick with a treo. Mas marami kang magagawa dun in terms of being productive. The iPhone was made for a different purpose, nde pa sya ripe for productivity. Maybe in the near future (feb 08). Pwede mo syang gawaan nang paraan pero its around 3 to 4 steps more versus the treo or sometimes nde sya supported nang iphone.

For me, I owned a a treo 650 and upgraded to a treo 680, I switched to the iphone as I wanted a converged device and I like the form factor and media capabilities of the iPhone. Using the treo was productive, but typing on that keyboard for contacts, emails and calendar is not my ideal way of mobile computing. Nakakapagod din kase and masakit sa thumbs after a while. I now enter all my stuff through the pc/mac and have it sync with my iphone (when I used the treo it didn't work very well with the mac even with missing sync:redface:).

So its actually a personal choice, if you need to be productive, use a treo. If you want a converged device with excellent media capabilities, use the iPhone.

Well said JayC3. No doubt of treo's all around capabilities but there's an X factor on iPhone that we can't resist. :cool:

really hehehehe. just a curiosity why carry both? i mean when you get a call or make a call do you find youself using which phone more?
I used to have a motorolla and a palm and i carred that all the time and i just wanted to carry one thing with me.
thanks for sharing :)

If you have two or three lines, i don't mind carrying all my fones.
Btw, a treo 680 and an iPhone user here.....it complement each other's weakness;)

really hehehehe. just a curiosity why carry both? i mean when you get a call or make a call do you find youself using which phone more?
I used to have a motorolla and a palm and i carred that all the time and i just wanted to carry one thing with me.
thanks for sharing :)


i carry both just in case i need to mms someone & send multiple text msgs to friends... ok lang kase my bag is big naman. hehe!:cool:

To all those who carry both the iPhone and Treo in their pockets, I'm like you. I use the Treo for my main phone (Globe) because of it's quick text messaging and calendar features... and I use the iPhone for my Sun SIM (where I access Safari, my email, etc). Only downside is carrying two gadgets on both pockets. But this, I think, is a good option for those who can't depart with their Treos.

just imagine your iphone as an oversized ipod.. hehe with spanking features..
kick-ass phone i may say..

Other major advantage of the Treo is the Contacts. Searching for a name, you simply type the first letter of the first name, and a few letters of the family name and... the name appears. With the iPhone (since i have over 4,000 contacts), it takes a much longer time skimming through the names.

Plus something "sunshine" mentioned, no multiple text messages with the iPhone.

Just a comment to those who carry or plan to carry both the treo and the iPhone. If you just need the multimedia and web capabilities of the iphone, why not use the ipod touch? Its slimmer, has more memory and its just a capable (wala nga lang calendar entry, but that's what the treo's for diba?) as the iphone. I held one and sometimes I wish na the iPhone is this slim and small. :cool:

Just a comment to those who carry or plan to carry both the treo and the iPhone. If you just need the multimedia and web capabilities of the iphone, why not use the ipod touch? Its slimmer, has more memory and its just a capable (wala nga lang calendar entry, but that's what the treo's for diba?) as the iphone. I held one and sometimes I wish na the iPhone is this slim and small. :cool:

this is me. Treo 680 + iPod Touch

i also am a treo680 & ipod touch 16GB combo user. complements each other very well. what the other lacks, the other compensates. http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/1.gif

If I may ask, it may have to be in a different topic, but may i have your thoughts on the treo 680 vs. the sony ericsson p990i?

may i have your thoughts on the treo 680 vs. the sony ericsson p990i?

no contest pre.....treo 680 beats the p990i in functionality.

no contest pre.....treo 680 beats the p990i in functionality.

True. :rolleyes:

Since the Treo 680 runs on Palm OS, it is supported by tons of software. Unlike the P990i, however, it does not offer Wi-Fi off the box; you'd need to purchase a Wi-Fi card separately, and it's very picky.

What makes the Treo 680 a better choice, all told, is the fatal flaw in the P990i's hardware (lack of RAM) leading to random restarts even with the latest firmware installed. And with the release of the P1i, Sony Ericsson will no longer issue firmware updates for the P990i. :rolleyes:

thanks qt_arvin and courtside3. On the Iphone naman, where can I get one here in Metro Manila na reliable, and what's the going rate?

Other major advantage of the Treo is the Contacts. Searching for a name, you simply type the first letter of the first name, and a few letters of the family name and... the name appears. With the iPhone (since i have over 4,000 contacts), it takes a much longer time skimming through the names.

There's a third party app called "Search" that can do something similar.
I must admit this is one of the nice things about the Treo.

I got around this by putting the people I frequently call in Favorites, and organizing my contacts well into Groups.

Leo

there are so many little nice thing with the Treo, makes it the most functional phone I ever have,
I have came back & forth with Treo 650 dozenS (take notes of the S) times, and still nothing can replace it yet,
the very old interface, software is still very polished and functional than most modern hi-end PDA phones, every single detail in every menus, everything in everywhere is simply functional and at the right place, any shortcomings are covered with so many utilities that you can choose from,

the thing why almost everyone loves the Treo no matter who you are, you can customize it to your taste and start using it from there, my last installation of new apps stops about 3years ago and I don't even bother looking for an upgrade and additional apps, after I customize it with all the utilities I need, I sync it and never have to tweak it again even I sold & bought a new Treo, the simplicity is the key, when I got a new Treo 650, I just sync it & use it right away like my previous Treo, everything is there, no conflict, nothing to fit,

imagine that a OLD Treo with NO WIFI, NO 3G, NO EGDE, NO everything he new phone has still has so many patrons, ask all the Treo users, once you have your hand on one, its a life-long relationship (until there is a better Treo), its true for me.

there are so many little nice thing with the Treo, makes it the most functional phone I ever have,
I have came back & forth with Treo 650 dozenS (take notes of the S) times, and still nothing can replace it yet,
the very old interface, software is still very polished and functional than most modern hi-end PDA phones, every single detail in every menus, everything in everywhere is simply functional and at the right place, any shortcomings are covered with so many utilities that you can choose from,

the thing why almost everyone loves the Treo no matter who you are, you can customize it to your taste and start using it from there, my last installation of new apps stops about 3years ago and I don't even bother looking for an upgrade and additional apps, after I customize it with all the utilities I need, I sync it and never have to tweak it again even I sold & bought a new Treo, the simplicity is the key, when I got a new Treo 650, I just sync it & use it right away like my previous Treo, everything is there, no conflict, nothing to fit,

imagine that a OLD Treo with NO WIFI, NO 3G, NO EGDE, NO everything he new phone has still has so many patrons, ask all the Treo users, once you have your hand on one, its a life-long relationship (until there is a better Treo), its true for me.


You've hit the spot Mate. Well done....

Will still be waiting for a new Treo

You've hit the spot Mate. Well done....

Will still be waiting for a new Treo

If you are waiting for the next gen Palm OS, better sit back, relax (watch a movie), for it will take Q1 of 2009 before they will release the new OS with the new hardware. Anyway, Garnet is still functional p nman eh :)

next gen Palm OS might be too heavy as it will integrate all the short coming of the Palm nowaday, lets wait & see

@DON2003, actually the Treo 650 supports EDGE naman.... :D

that's why hindi ko mapakawalan ang treo ko... it is one of the best phones i had. I love both my treo & iphone.:)

You've hit the spot Mate. Well done....

Will still be waiting for a new Treo

Same here..when a new Treo model comes up, i'll definitely get one :cool:

Been using a Treo for five years now...

Treo has its advantages, and its huge available software and ease of use can't be beat.
that said, personally, I'm not inclined to support a company w/c doesnt know what innovation means.

they just keep rehashing old, outdated technology with the alibi of wanting to keep it simple. they cant even put wi-fi on palm OS. sad.

Palm's pitfall is that they didn't include wi-fi on their Treos.

I hope that palm will sort this problem when their new smartphones comes out - hopefully soon.....

i still want one! =) hope they release it here soon! soon! soon! =)

i have an iphone but i have been keeping my treo forever.. i would definitely get a palm pre if this comes out here in pinas.