Palm OS Stale? (Treo 700p for Sprint)?

Question

I originally posted this in the cell phone section, but since it really is a question regarding the PDA functioning, I thought I would post it here as well.

I am interested in purchasing the Palm Treo 700p from Sprint. I've been reading a lot of reviews on the device and although people seem to like it, they complain about the OS being stale. I guess this is referring to it being old? Does anyone know if a newer version will be released anytime soon (or a newer smartphone in general)? I am going to be upset with myself if I spend all this money, only to find in January a new, better, and probably cheaper smartphone is available.

Opinions and advice are appreciated. Thank you so much in advance for your help!

I have a PDA and a phone, and I wanted to combine the two-the term heard most often for this is "smartphone," sorry if my use of this offended you, but I am not some idiot looking for a fashion accessory. I'm looking for a way to simplify things.

If you need some more details, I plan on using the device for finances, appointments with school and life (so a good calendar is essential), etc, as well as a phone.

Answer 1

First lets get it straight; the Treo, whether Palm or Windows is NOT a Smartphone. A Treo is a true handheld computer with a phone attached. You can buy all sorts of programs (or download them for free) for either Palm or Windows Mobile. A Smartphone is a phone that can play music and keep track of your appointments (and not all smartphones are as good at this as others). Extra programs for smartphones either don't exist at all or are very expensive and available only from the smartphone manufacturer.

You can test this out for yourself, go to the nearest office supply store or Best Buy and ask to see software for the Treo, and then ask to see software for the new "Chocolate" smart phone.

A good internet site for FREE (and legal) Palm software is :
http://www.freewarepalm.com/listall.shtml

In terms of free or cheap 3rd party software, Palm OS is king simply because it has been around the longest. If that makes it stale, then it's stale. Windows Mobile is not quite as good in this area as Palm OS, but it too is MILES ahead of the 'smartphones', that don't seem so smart once you look into them.

If you want a fashion accessory that makes phone calls then buy a 'smartphone'. If you want to improve how you organize your life and improve how you communicate with the world, then you buy a Treo. I think it should be a palm based Treo, (better memory management, better screen resolution than a windows Treo) but a Windows Mobile device (True PDA version - they make a stripped 'smartphone version it's just a smartphone) is better than most smartphones.