Buying directly from Sprint vs PalmOne

[Argelius]

I am preparted to jump ship from AT&T to Sprint, largely due to the expected availability of the Treo 650.

Given the following assumptions:
[1] Once the T650 is available somewhere
[2] Money is no object
[3] My primary goal is to get the T650 ASAP

Is there any advantage/disadvantage of buying the phone directly from PalmOne vs. going through Sprint (either online or at a local store)?

If I buy from PalmOne, do I then activate it either over the phone or by taking it to a Sprint store? Are 2-year contract rebates available regardless of where I get the phone?

I am so gadget obsessed....just salivating over the upcoming Treo.

THanks for your help!

PS Two more Sprint questions:
[1] How's Spint's coverage/reliability in Chicago?
[2] Are Sprint/CDMA phones pretty much uselss in Europe?

[mcurtiss1970]

[2] Are Sprint/CDMA phones pretty much uselss in Europe?

Besides former Soviet Block countries and Portugal, a CDMA phone is largely useless in Europe

[Yummi]

[1] How's Spint's coverage/reliability in Chicago?


I have no issues here, except maybe for the occassional network busy messge during peak times like the noon lunch rush and the end of work 5p rush time frame. Although, working in the loop, i rarely experience this error.

[Deval]

I dont think palmOne will sell you the phone directly...telesales might be your best shot