I'm on my second 7135 (the first died from SRCP). Well the second one just died yesterday from SRCP too. I called Verizon's Mobile Web group and got them to send out a replacement, but it won't get here until Tuesday. And, of course, a friend from Europe will call me today after he gets here and he only has my mobile number.

In a panic, I called the local Verizon store and the rep. said, although she really shouldn't say this, that I could buy any phone and return it within 30 days. So I bought a Treo 600. If I actually like the Treo, I could just keep it and sell the refurbished 7135 on eBay once it gets here. So now I'm trying to decide if I like it.

I managed to get all my data and applications sync'd over and everything seems to work just fine. The Treo is about 0.5" taller. It is cute, though.

However, my complaints are:

• Out of the box, Palm is cheap. There's no cradle. Instead, there's just a funky USB cable with a Hotsync button on it and a splice closer to the computer end where you can patch in the power cable from the brick power supply. There's also no holster, just some cheap, useless case.
  
  This thing costs $500+ and Palm can't throw in a cradle and holster? Very cheap.
  
• Keyboard vs. Grafitti. I've been a Palm user for a long time and I like Grafitti. And, yes, I actually like Grafitti 2 better. The Treo keyboard is really small (I'm lucky I don't have large fingers). I seem to have been initially slower at text entry using the keyboard, but, with a bit of practice, I think I'm about the same speed as Grafitti now (and would probably get faster with more practice). But I still prefer Grafitti.
  
  Additionally, having to switch back and forth between the keyboard and the stylus is kind of a pain. When I position the cursor with the stylus in a text field, my brain wants to just start writing Grafitti, but... D'oh!
  
• There's no built-in Fax/data application to use the Treo as a modem for a laptop. There is 3rd-party software to do it, but why didn't Palm just have it built-in? There is some funky "tethered" mode you can get into by dialing #*#83843733 (83843733 = TETHERED), but I haven't been able to get my Mac to "see" the Treo when it's in that state as a modem despite a few hours of Googling.
  
• The headphone jack is on the bottom rather than the side which means that if I did get a cradle for it that I couldn't have it sit in the cradle and use the headset at the same time. I do this all the time at home while talking at my desk. They should have put the headset jack on the side like the 7135.
  
• The battery is non-removable. If it never goes bad, you're fine, but if it does you're screwed.
  
• Those of you who were Kyocera 6035 users may remember that the Speed Dial app allowed 3-digit (1-199) speed-dial numbers. This was nice because it allowed you to do things like use friends' initials for the number, e.g., 57 for John Smith's home number and 157 for John Smith's mobile number. It got worse on the 7135 where only 2-digit (1-99) speed-dial numbers are permitted. Well, it's even worse on the Treo where you're limited to single letter (yes letter) "quick keys" instead of speed-dial numbers.
  
• In Preferences (there is no seperate Phone Preferences), there is no way to set the Treo to turn on/off the phone at specified times like the 7135. While there is 3rd-party software to do it, Palm should have just included it.

Other differences:

• The Network Preferences has a pre-installed "Verizon Wireless" configuration that you can neither edit nor duplicate. You can still create new ones, however. (I wanted to duplicate the built-in one just to see what the settings were.) The built-in one is for 1xRTT.
  
• Similarly, the SMS application is hard-wired for vtext.com. This isn't a big deal, but I still like to be able to see/tweak things.

I still prefer the 7135, but I'm kinda getting tired of having to deal with the SRCP issue. If there were no more replacement 7135s, then, sure, I'd keep the Treo since I want a PalmOS phone and I want it on Verizon.

Even though the replacement 7135 arrives on Tuesday, I will have 27 more days to make up my mind. Oh... what to do?

__________________
- Paul

Paul,
Did you know that you could set your verizon number to call forward to a land line? Nevertheless it is still a good excuse as any to try a new phone.
I'm curious how is your coverage? The Treo is digital only and I see your in SFbay area. I know CA still has a lot of analog network, do you "roam" around in them at all. Also, How have you accomodated the lack of a flip to protect the screen. And no built in MP3 player for a third party app (did you use that much)?
mg

__________________
Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

I was told I could do this only from the cell phone, and since I can't turn on the phone part on the 7135, there's no way to do this.

I never roam in the SF bay area, at least not where I go.

I haven't. If I decide to keep it, I'll get a holster.

I personally couldn't care less about an MP3 player.

__________________
- Paul

Remove the battery and plug it into the charger. When I did that, the phone and PDA worked perfectly. THat should give you enough time to forward your calls to either the land-line or the new Treo...

Mine still gave SRCP.

I have the Treo for the time being. I no longer have any reason to forward my number. The only reason I would have wanted to forward it would have been if I didn't have a mobile phone to replace it with.

__________________
- Paul

I just discovered Grafitti Anywhere that allows you to write Grafitti 2 anywhere on the screen. Apparently, it's still in the Treo 600 firmware: all Grafitti Anywhere does is give you access to it. It works very well. I can write again!

__________________
- Paul

In your earlier post you stated that the VZW rep said you can buy any phone and use it for 30 days then return, are you sure?? I have been with VZW since before they were Bell-Atlantic and the policy was and is 15 day trail here (Northern Virginia) on the 16th day all bets are off. Better make sure they have not lied to you.

__________________
Oh... what a tangled web we weave!!

Yes. They said it was recently extended from 15 to 30 days.

__________________
- Paul

Paul
30 days now! Cool I'll have to remember that next time I'm shopping for a phone. I think it is the OEM version of Jot that was incorporated into the Grafitti2. I still haven't gotten around to updating to the latest firmware and I've been running it on my 7135 for the write anywhere on the screen feature, and some G2 features.
mg

__________________
Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

Hey thats cool, 15 days was too short anyway. Fun thing though I had VZW customer service on the phone today and she said it was still 15 days. Hope you got someone's name just to be on the safe side. Enjoy your new "toy".

__________________
Oh... what a tangled web we weave!!

It's printed on the receipt.

__________________
- Paul

Well, I got my refurbished 7135, and it works. Now I just have to decide whether to switch back. Since I can keep the Treo 600 for 30 days, I'll keep it a bit longer (perhaps until after the holidays).

Aside from my complaints about the Treo 600, another possible good reason to switch abck to the 7135 would be to use the 7135 until it dies with SRCP again (if it ever does).

If it does die again, then maybe by that time the Treo 650 will be on Verizon and I could just get that instead of the Treo 600.

__________________
- Paul

Cool beans man, I'll have to check the receipt I got with my new T600. Would'nt it be nice if the 650 came out before my 30 days was up, then I could just take my 600 back, say I'm not happy with it and take a 650 instead!! Hey, I can DREAM cant I ?!

__________________
Oh... what a tangled web we weave!!

It is so not going to come out in less than 30 days.

__________________
~'kito
pdaPhoneHome Moderator

Hi,
My 7135 just started doing the SRCP thing. The insurance plan I had does not cover electronic failures. Can you tell me what Verizon outfit repaired your phone, and how you use their service? I've been on the phone with them quite a few times and none of them seem to have seen this problem.

Thanks in advance.
CJV

Ask to be connected to the Data group. they understand this phone and when it needs to be replaced.
mg

__________________
Luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

Does it cover physical damage?