iPhone vs Palm Treo 680

[docjbr]

I tried searching for a thread about this, but wasn't able to find one except on the net, which didn't really answer most of my questions. I'm hoping that there are some former Treo users who have switched to the iPhone, that can shed some light on my pretty ignorant state.

I have been a Nokia 9500 Communicator user for the past 2 years (Nokia user for the past 9 years), and despite its huge size, it has served me very well. I am now in the market for a more versatile smart phone.

My phone uses are very simple:

1. Basic calling
2. Huge amount of text messaging (very rarely SMS)
3. Calendar use
4. A little photo taking, when the digicam is not around
5. Some music interest
6. And as I enter residency, note taking and looking up articles and topics on Word docs
7. Oh, since its always parked on my bedside table, it's also my alarm clock, hehe.

I am a former Palm Tungsten T2 user, which I used during my clerkship and internship year, and I must say I was very satisfied with its use. I was able to handle my schedule very well with the Calendar features (meetings, reports, birthdays, etc) Pretty OC when it comes to time.

Another feature was that I was able to load it with 3rd party applications that I could use in med school (Medical Dictionary, Hippocrates, PDR, etc), and I also painstakingly typed and documented several notes I had, and pasted them on the Notes section, filed them according to subject and topics. Word to go and Adobe (pdf files) were used a lot.

I've read some stuff that the iPhone is very capable of doing, but some of these are things that I won't exactly use. We don't have voicemail here in Manila (I miss that in the US), I don't read or create my emails or surf the web on my phone. So I do feel somehow that most of the advantages of the iPhone are things that are not exactly in my needs, or am I missing something?

To make the long story short, as a PC user for 12 years that has realized the power of the Mac, I am having the same dilemna on shifting from a Nokia to the iPhone (instead of the Treo 680). I don't want to miss out on something out of fear of immense technology, but I also wouldn't want to purchase something just because of that too, and not use it anyway.

I hope someone out there can actually help me out. Thanks!

[lawrencebosox45]

are you in the medical profession? bec i cant live without my skyscape and medical apps which are plentiful on the palm. thats why i've always had the various incarnations of the palm/treo (the tungsten W, treo 650, and treo 680.

then again i sometimes think that maybe having all that info can be a crutch, then i realize thats crazy and just stick with my treo. i was very close to finally selling my treo and just getting this iphone, but i have to side with common sense.

maybe i'll just get both, one for going out and one for the hospital and probably end up lugging both with me anyway (just like i bet every other medical guy does with 2 cellphones)

[lawrencebosox45]

plus... palm has excellent support. during a STAT in my internship my treo's simcard bay fell out (bec the palm fell on the ground as i was running, and then i kicked it, and another intern kicked it for good measure). everything was fine execpt the sim card bay (which cracked).

i emailed palm and they said that they cant repair the sim card bay, they would replace it with a refurbished unit. i went to the drop zone in glorieta (makati) and well 5 min later i got a refurbished (brand new from my standpoint).

even if your treo is out of warranty you can still get it replaced (if broken) for 169-179$ (depending on what country its registered to).


also (sorry this is OT) i found missingsync for palm (a mac app) that is vastly superior in every way to palm desktop. it even fixed the reset/hang issues with my treos and tungsten w. i have to say that that app is one of the best software apps i've ever used for palm and mac.

[johnj2803]

form one, the iphone has not been officially released here in the phil. so support will be limited to the forums you see around on the net. so if something goes wrong, i'm not sure where you will get help (i'm sure philmug is very able and capable, but sometimes the physical presence of someone to turn to is something special). palm has very good (i can say superior) support here in the phil. its very apple like actually. its a very big plus

second, in the medical profession, when you get to clinical training, you'll see yourself using skyscape, and other medical apps you are used to in the palm platform more. Just for quick reference during rounds or conferences (esp residency). or for quick references when you are on the job.

secondly, PIM apps are also necessary for you to oversee the things you have to do and will be doing. the ical in the mac is very able. most especially when you have missing sync and the treo. i'm sure the iphone has something more built in for the PIMS to work better with the mac.

If you are starting residency anytime soon before the launch of the iphone and other med apps for your iphone, i say stick with the treo first... waiting for the iphone to get here might be of more benefit for you since hopefully by the time it gets here, more programs will be available and it will be more stable.

personally i think the iphone is great, but i dont think its still for me.

[docjbr]

Yes, I am actually about to enter residency. The Tungsten T2 was a Godsend during clerkship and internship, and most of the applications that could be found on the net were pretty useful (Conversion, Dictionary, Formula, ePocrates, even the books like Harrisons, Nelson's, Schwartz - although I'm going into Ophthalmogy, I won't use most of those books anymore)

Common sense tells me that the Treo 680 or 700 will do the job for me, I just wanted to know if it's my fear of the technology of the iPhone that's pushing me away from it. Thanks for the info!

[lawrencebosox45]

ha ha but if the skyscape apps (and other med apps) become available for the iphone i'll drop my treo faster than a skipped heartbeat.

[docjbr]

John! It's Jay Racoma. Pare, I asked you before if you had the iPhone about a couple of months ago, hehe.

[johannes]

One advantage the Treo has over the iPhone (at the moment) is the abundance of 3rd party apps, especially those related to your profession.

Furthermore, the ability to cut/copy and paste is certainly quite handy in note-taking. The Treos have this function while the iPhone (at the moment) doesn't.

Editing documents is another issue as well. You can view word documents in the iPhone but you cannot edit them (at the moment). This you can easily do in the Treo using Documents to Go.

Lastly, if you're concerned about the battery, the Treo has a removable/replaceable battery (like the Nokia). The iPhone's battery, on the other hand, is sealed in. Depending on your usage and how busy you can be, this could be a factor as well.

[docjbr]

johannes,

Yup, I totally agree with you on that. Documents to go was very much used on my T2. Was able to create and edit my reports, and even had Powerpoint, so was able to review my presentations on the fly.

I've already searched the internet, and I've found a huge amount of stuff that I can use (or my memory card can handle), all of these being Palm friendly. I guess I just want to make in informed decision before I do purchase one. With the very fast development of how the iPhone is being, umm, hacked, I was thinking that in a couple of months, it might actually have some of the functions of the Treo. Unfortunately for me, I have not hit the lottery so when I do buy the Treo, it won't be as easy for me to purchase the iPhone when it's more appropriate for me.

[johnj2803]

John! It's Jay Racoma. Pare, I asked you before if you had the iPhone about a couple of months ago, hehe.

pare! its you pala! sige dude! good luck with your residency

visit mapalad.org for your treo needs too pare