I learned today that my company was planning to officially cut off my cell plan as I have a carrier they no longer wish to pay for… This led to an immediate panic as the phone I’ve been coveting (the Treo 600) is not yet available beyond Sprint… As much as I like CDMA and think I would appreciate the slightly higher speed available for data services, I would prefer to have the GSM/GPRS version if possible. From what I’ve read you get much more battery life as well as better SMS/MMS capabilities since Sprint does not support a standard SMS system yet.
I was successful in my lobby to get one more month of cell service with my old carrier so I will be able to move my number when I switch at the end of November. Great news for me… but in checking while a bit panicked I realized there is no formal date set for the release of the non-Sprint Treo. Rumors indicate a 3rd week of November release, but they also led people to think that this past Monday was the day.
I’m thinking of T-Mobile as my carrier and will be moving my wife over as well… The rate plans seem to be very strong there. Currently there is a promotion for a three day weekend, anytime minutes and no mention of roaming, for which Sprint has the nerve to charge $.50/min. If you travel as I tend to, this could add up to a great deal of extra charges… I also like the data-friendly nature of T-Mobile. I plan to get the USB cable and possibly the Bluetooth card (whenever it becomes available) for connecting my laptop when out of range of wifi.
Now that my plans have moved a few weeks, I can’t help but keep thinking about getting that damn Sprint phone anyway… Gadget lust I guess. Though I do know that the Sprint phone supports Lotus Notes redirection, which may in fact be the reason I have to pick them. I would really like to use the Treo as my mobile office when possible… I know I can do my personal mail through IMAP or POP, but Lotus has it’s own issues. hmmm…