Update: Check out the press conference today, Monday, from my "Camera Phone Report" weblog.
Microsoft, Palm and Verizon Wireless will hold a press conference in San Francisco on September 26 during the CTIA's Wireless I.T & Entertainment 2005 show.
Ed Colligan the president and chief executive officer of Palm, Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect of Microsoft,and Denny Strigl, president and chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, will speak at the press conference.
The release doesn't say anything about the purpose of the press conference but I assume it's to announce the Palm Treo 700w. The new handset is supposed to incorporate the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system, CDMA 1xEV-DO capability, 64MB of memory, a 1.3 megapixel camera phone, a Secure Digital slot that will work with a WiFi card and Bluetooth (see Engadget photo below), according to an article in "Engadget."
Engadget's photos show the Verizon Wireless logo on the Treo 700w. I will be surprised if Verizon beats Sprint PCS in offering the new handset because Sprint is leading cellular operator in the United States when it comes to camera phones.
However, Verizon was the first in the U.S. to offer 1xEV-DO and Sprint has only recently began offering the higher speed wireless data protocol. Verizon's coverage far exceeds Sprint's.
Verizon has been heavily advertising its 1xEV-DO "BroadbandAccess" network and comparing it to WiFi. Verizon recently decreased the price of BroadbandAccess -- only for Verizon cellular phone customers with a two-year contract -- to $60 a month. Non-voice customer still must pay the original $80 per month price.
Viewing the press conference
The press conference will begin at 9:00 a.m. at The Palace Hotel and it will be webcast for connections at 56K bps, 100K bps and 300K bps.
I will be at Wireless I.T. as the "master of ceremonies" for the three-panel "Personalization" track as well as covering the CTIA Wireless Internet Caucus membership meeting. I might go to the press conference if it doesn't interfere with other commitments.
I have tested both the current Treo 650 and the Treo 600, over Sprint's network, and I'm a big fan of its capabilities and form factor. However, I have found both the 650 and 600 are prone to crashing -- more than other phones I've used.
I hope Windows Mobile 5.0 is more stable than the Palm OS.
Verizon versus Sprint
Overall, Verizon offers superior nationwide coverage for its "traditional" network compared to Sprint, although Sprint has improved its coverage significantly during the past few years. And, as I previously wrote, BroadbandAccess provides much more extensive coverage.
Verizon also has pretty good customer service, based on the typical customer service of cellular operators.
However, Sprint probably offers the coolest cellular phones of any cellular operator. Also, Sprint offers a flat rate pricing plan for data: $15 a month extra for unlimited Web browsing and picture messaging via a handset. That's a great deal.
That price is not available, however, if you use a PC Card. There are ways to connect a handset, such as a Treo 650, to a laptop computer via a cable or Bluetooth, but that would require the higher priced "computer" pricing plan...if Sprint finds out.
Update (9/24/05): John Markoff writes in The New York Times today confirming the announcement at the press confernece. He writes:
"One feature not immediately available in the Windows software, however, will be the ability to push e-mail to users as it arrives, rather than forcing them to fetch it, according to an industry specialist with detailed knowledge of the announcement. Such a feature would be necessary to make the system a direct competitor to the BlackBerry, made by Research in Motion....
"...[A] crucial factor in the alliance may have been Palm's ability to get a sweet deal from Microsoft, according to an industry insider with detailed knowledge of Microsoft's pricing arrangements.
"Microsoft has set the price of Windows Mobile at $13 per handset, said the executive, who spoke on the condition that he not be identified because he is a competitor in the hand-held computing market. But Microsoft has also discounted its software to as little as $3 per cellphone in highly competitive situations, the executive said.
"The price range makes Microsoft an expensive alternative compared to competitors like Symbian and Qualcomm's Brew, as well as Linux alternatives, according to an industry executive....
"One significant question raised by the Microsoft-Palm alliance is the future of Palm software developers. In the past, Palm has pointed to the large library of programs available to users of Palm devices as an advantage over Microsoft.
"Silicon Valley software developers say Palm may move its programming environment to the new Windows Mobile operating system."
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