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How to Lose Treo 650 Customers, by Sprint

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Marc Hedlund
Oct. 25, 2004 02:37 AM
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URL: http://www.treocentral.com/content/Stories/474-2.htm...

UPDATE: Sprint responded to this post; see the followup post for information about their response.

The new Treo 650 is out today -- and as a long-time fan of the Treo, I've been looking forward to it. I've asked in the past for "one with everything" -- a phone with all the features I could want in one device, without compromises. It looks like PalmOne delivered, with a 320x320 screen, removable battery, upgraded OS, a better camera, and Bluetooth.

Oops -- not quite! TreoCentral is reporting that the Sprint version of the Treo 650 doesn't allow you to use Bluetooth for dial-up networking through your computer. Apparently other carriers will, but not Sprint.

You see, Sprint sells connection cards, which are PCCards that allow you to dial up your laptop over their cell network. Apparently they were really unhappy when PDANet, an application for the Treo that lets you use the phone through a USB cable as a connection card, came out. I'm sure that's what's caused this "lock-out" to be added now.

As a business traveller, PDANet was a godsend (until I switched to a Mac laptop). I used my laptop online in airport terminals, hotel rooms, taxi cabs (!), and traffic jams. PDANet made my Treo completely invaluable to me, and made me a very happy customer, ready to upgrade to the 650 as soon as it appeared.

No longer. I switched to Sprint with the Treo 300 appeared, and now I'm switching away. If they think they can get me to buy another $250 product with another phone number and monthly service charge just because they switched off a built-in feature of my phone to force me into it, they are out of their minds. Their competitors offer a feature that they have decided to disable, so I'll just pay them some more money so I can carry around another piece of electronics? They must take me for a complete idiot.

I'd recommend that if you have a Treo or are thinking of buying one, you switch networks away from Sprint. They don't want the Treo to be useful to you.

Marc Hedlund is an entrepreneur working on a personal finance startup, Wesabe.

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