I wanted to get in from the ground floor, but didn't have the money. When Handspring announced its Treo 180, I knew I had to have it. I had the Treo Visor Deluxe in tangerine that I purchased for a whopping $249. It was basically a PDA that ran on the Palm OS. I loved it though because of the possibilities. There was the option to add a camera, modem, GPS and other nifty "useful" peripherals. I never bought one of them.
So when the Treo 180 was announced, my mouth began to water. A PDA + cell phone to produce one of the first smartphones on the market. Time passed as I eyed it. For so long, that an enhanced color version was released in the Treo 270 / 300 (Sprint PCS). OK....I had to get that! I began scheming on how to get the money to buy it. I kept checking the Palm site for any promotions. Even free shipping would give me a little hope. The price began to drop (which should have indicated to me that a new model was in the works) and I began trolling EBay for used 270's and even 180s!!!! It didn't happen. But my brother saw my anguish and bought me a Treo 90 (Treo 270 sans cell phone) for Christmas.
So then comes the takeover. Palm yanks out its wallet to acquire Handspring. That didn't sit well with me because I liked having the "different" gadget. Also, Handspring was known to cater to mac enthusiasts like myself, so I began to worry. Then came the 600.
What a wonder! Sleek. Smooth. Compact. No flip top. Color. Memory. I HAD TO HAVE THIS!! It was released first with uhhh...Cingular, if I'm correct, and I waited fro T-Mobile to carry it. I waited. Waited some more. And some more. Pretty much over one year or more after its initial release it became available for T-Mobile network customers. I GOT IT!
BUT....VERY SOON after I bought it, came the announcement that a new version was being released in 650. It had a few enhancements but I said I was happy with my Treo 600. Deep down....you guessed it, I had to have it! I called T-Mobile routinely and chatted-up reps and sales associates for info on the units release with that carrier. I kept hearing about release dates that kept getting pushed back. Finally I spoke to a sales manager who told me that T-Mobile was not satisfied with the Treos software and would not be carrying the Treo 650! Ohhh the humanity!!
I had no choice but to be content with the my 600 as everyone flaunted there 650s. But I wasn't new to this so I chuckled at the newbies who felt like they "discovered" something. I patted myself on the back.
Rumors brought about the Treo 700w with Verizon wireless (the only carrier to date I know selling this device). The first Palm running windows OS. This lifelong mac user was not interested and did NOT have to have it.
I did some follow-up and some research to find out that the successor to the 700w would be the 700p, running the popular palm OS. I got my hopes up. I began to wonder if the information on these various message boards was accurate or just mere speculation. The day has come and Palm has officially announced the Palm Treo 700p this morning. I REALLY HAVE TO HAVE IT!