Updated 05/12/2005
Background:
I’ve never been a mobile phone junkie, but I’ve been wanting a new phone
pretty much since the day I upgraded to the Motorola T720 a year ago. I quickly
came to the realization that I didn’t like flip phones at all. When the phone
would ring while I was driving, I would fumble around trying to pull it out of
my pocket and then would need 2 hands to open it. I wanted a candy bar phone
again… But, since I wasn’t a phone junkie, I just resigned myself to using it
for a year till I could then upgrade to something else.
I don’t really use my phone that much, but I always have it in
my jacket pocket or gear bag just in case. Along with the phone, I also carry
whatever PDA I’m currently using. Lately that has been the
HP hx4700 iPAQ. I’ve not used a Palm OS
PDA as my main PDA in a long while. Actually, the last time I did, it was with
the Tungsten | T… ages ago in other
words.
Recently I have found myself pining away for a Smart Phone. I thought I
lucked out when I received 2 Windows Mobile Smart phones at the last Mobius
conference that I attended. Unlucky for me, GSM coverage in my area is sorely
lacking. I tried both phones with Cingular and AT&T SIM cards only to discover
that neither could get an adequate signal where I live. The best carrier in my
area is Verizon. I actually have a tower about .5 miles from my house. This
allows me to even use a mobile phone in my basement if I like.
When Judie and I attended CES earlier
this year, we met up with Dan Parson’s, who hosts The Gadgeteer. He had the
Treo 600.
He kept using it to check his email and do work on his web server while we were
all at a restaurant. Very cool! Judie had reviewed the 600 a year earlier. At
that time, I figured if she didn’t like it enough to buy one after the review,
that I probably wouldn’t either. So I didn’t.
After seeing Dan’s phone, I started wondering if the Treo would be a good
phone for me. It was available for the Verizon network. But PalmOne had recently
come out with a newer model, the 650. The only carrier with the newer model was
Sprint, and like Cingular and AT&T, coverage at my house was pretty much nil. I
didn’t want to buy an older model like the 600, so just put it out of my mind.
Then I started hearing about some ingenious hacker types that had found a way
to hack a Sprint Treo 650 for use on the Verizon network. The conversion
required a special cable and some software tweaking, nothing I wasn’t adverse to
doing, but I tend to be lazy and felt it was a bit of a hassle, so I again, I
just put it out of my mind.
The 650 instantly jumped back into my mind earlier this week when I decided
to do an eBay search on "Treo 650 Verizon". Instantly I found people selling
hacked phones ready to activate. No cables, or hacking needed. I didn’t need to
procrastinate any more, I pressed the Buy It Now button and had myself a Treo
650 for $659 with next day shipping included.
03/01/05
Played hookey from work so that I could be at home to receive the Treo…
10:30am, DHL knocked on my door and handed me my new toy. I opened the Sprint
branded box and pulled out the 650. It was smaller than what I thought it would
be. Bigger than my Motorola, of course. After all, it’s not just a phone but a
full blown Palm OS PDA as well. I find the Treo very comfortable to hold.
It’s solid and heavy… my favorite combination. Along with the fact that it
doesn’t flex or creak when I squeeze it, I’m very happy with the build quality
of this device.
As always, the first thing I did was plug it into the included AC adapter for
charging.
3hrs later when the charging indicator LED turned from red to green, I was
ready to activate it on the Verizon network. This required me to call consumer
service and be a big fat liar. According to some folks in the Treo forums,
Verizon can either be nice or not so nice if you tell them the truth. I’ve
always been of the mind that honesty is the best policy, but since I just spent
$659 bucks, I decided to forego my morals for the day ;o) The customer service
person that picked up the phone was super nice. I told him that I had purchased
a phone off eBay (not lying yet…) and that I wanted to activate it. He asked
me if I had the ESN (Electronic Serial Number). I told him yes (still not
lying…) and gave it to him. Then he asked me the make and model of my phone. I
told him it was an Audiovox 9100 (liar liar pants on fire!). At that point, he
told me to turn off my phone, turn it back on and dial *228 and then press 1
after it picked up. Approximately 10 seconds later my phone was activated and he
tested it by calling me. Easy and simple, just the way I like it! He asked if he
could do anything else for me, so I told him that I was interested in a data
plan. I ended up adding a $4.99 mobile web plan to my account thinking it would
allow me to check my email and surf using the Treo. He then asked me to go
through some steps to make sure the new plan was working correctly, but none of
the steps / menu picks matched what I had available on the Treo. Oops! I told
him it was all working fine as I thought I could figure it out later by
myself… I hung up with Verizon and did a little happy dance.
I proceeded to install Palm Desktop from the CD included with the phone. Soon
I had synced my new Treo with Outlook and was joyous to see that all my
contacts, notes, and calendar items and synced perfectly. At this point, I
started to remember just how much faster Palm OS syncs as opposed to Pocket PCs
with ActiveSync…
I spent the rest of the night surfing Palm OS software site trying to find
all my old fave programs.
Before I turned in for the night, I tried to get the web browser to work and
was unsuccessful at connecting. The phone kept giving me a PPP time out error.
Frustrated, I emailed the person I bought it from and went to bed.
03/02/05
My first full day with a Smart Phone…
I left the Treo on the charger all night and would leave the phone / radio
powered on the entire day. This was going to be my first day to see what the
battery life was like. Unfortunately, this was also a very busy day at my day
job, so I didn’t have a chance to really goof around with the phone for most of
the day. During the day I
probably powered the Treo on 10 times or less to check memos, calendar items and
the address book. I didn’t play any games or read any books. Just used it for
light PIM type usage. As far as using the actual phone, I only made 1 or 2 very
short calls. By late afternoon, the battery indicator already showed that
it was about halfway drained. This kind of worried me…
In the little time that I did use the Treo for PDA related tasks, I
immediately found myself missing the ability to write on the
display. The lack of a Graffiti area felt very strange to me. That said, the
ability to navigate through most applications while holding the device in one
hand is pretty easy for the most part. I’m still getting used to it though…
Placing calls just using one hand requires that you first press the Power/End
button, then press the center navigation select button to unlock the keyguard
(aka hold feature). Then you can either press the blue number keys on the
keyboard or use the on screen number pad to dial a number. If you need to look
up a number in your contacts list, you can just select the contacts quick button
on the screen and then start typing in the letters of either a last name or
first name that you wish to dial. As you type, the list of matching names will
get shorter and shorter till the one you want to dial is either left in the
list, or you can scroll to it and press select to dial. Using this method to
dial a number that you don’t often dial isn’t bad at all.
For numbers that you dial all the time, you can assign speed dial buttons /
letters to. Once you do this, it’s as easy as pressing the Power/End button,
pressing the keyguard unlock button and then holding down the speed dial letter
for the number you would like to call. Some people might think this is too many
steps… I’m going to install the included voice dialing demo soon and try it
out…
I need a case or something for this phone. So far I’ve been transporting it
in a old leather drawstring Vaja bag and then stowing it in my gear bag. Not too
efficient… Until I get a screen protector, I don’t feel confident just putting
it in my jacket pocket.
On the drive home from work I was happy to find out that the screen is still
viewable in bright sunlight and with sunglasses on. I was also happy to
notice that the signal strength all day was as good or better than my old
Motorola T720. Even in my basement. Yay!
The person I bought the phone from called me to talk about my question
concerning web surfing. He let me know that the $4.99/mo. Mobile Web package
would not allow me to do what I wanted and that I would need a regular data
plan. He told me to call Verizon and tell them that I had a Treo 600 and that I
wanted a high speed data plan. Argh, that means calling and fibbing again…
Put the Treo on the charger for the night and decided not to charge for a few
days to see how well the battery really performed.
03/03/05 & 03/04/05
The max volume level on this phone is excellent! Love the speaker phone too.
And I’m really happy that the alarms for the calendar are polyphonic! Yay! I
haven’t tried to install any additional ones yet… Like most phones, you can
assign different sounds to different phone events, like voicemails, known caller
and unknown caller. Out of the box you can’t assign individual tones on a per
caller basis though.
Spent some time sending and receiving SMS messages. Too bad the Treo doesn’t
have a predictive text feature. No big deal really since it has such a nice
keyboard. The keyboard is quite small though. People with large finger tips may
have problems pressing more than one key. I either hold the phone in one hand
and just use my thumb to press keys, or I hold it between both hands and use
both thumbs. The dual thumb method seems to work better when I want to write
more than a couple of words at a time.
The keys are hard plastic with definite tactile feedback when pressed. The
layout is QWERTY, but each key has up to 4 different characters assigned to it.
To activate each character, you can either press the key alone, or with a Shift
button, Alt button or Option button.
The entire keyboard is backlit which is invaluable when trying to type in the
dark. The keys above the keyboard (except for the Home and Menu keys also light
up.
The only other buttons on the Treo include the large volume rocker button on
the left side, user assignable side button and the ringer on/off slider switch
on top.
Lgreenberg in the
comment area
for the review mentioned that I could have just purchased a non-hacked Sprint
Treo 650 and then add a $5/mo. feature to the phone that allowed free roaming on
Verizon towers. I was like DOH, I wish I would have known this sooner. That and
the fact that Sprint’s data plans are much lower than Verizon’s had me bummed
for awhile. I ended up writing the seller to see if he would honor his return
policy. I figured I could sign up with Sprint and go for the roaming deal. Then
someone else mentioned that if I ended up roaming, that I would not be able to
use the data plan on a Verizon tower… I decided to check with Sprint later to
see if they actually might have equipment on the Verizon tower .5 miles from my
house.
03/05/05 & 03/06/05
Had planned to really get to know my new Smart Phone during the weekend but
ended up doing other stuff instead. You know how weekends can be…
I did sign up on PalmOne’s site for the free 128mb SD card that Treo 650
owners are entitled too. This is to help make up for the fact that this model
has less available memory than the previous model. The 600 had 24mb available,
while the 650 only has 23mb. 1mb might not sound like anything to really get
torqued about, but it’s the fact that the 650 uses Non Volatile RAM on the 650.
This memory type enables the device to not lose your data if the battery goes
dead. Great stuff, but the memory also uses larger block sizes. This means that
programs on the 650 take up more space in memory than the same programs on a
600. Clear as mud? Anyway, people were pretty unhappy about this problem, so
Palm decided to offer a free 128mb SD to all Treo 650 owners. I was able to go
to PalmOne’s site, enter my phone’s serial number and the serial number for the
software CD and badda boom, badda bing, I am getting a free card. Not that I’ll
probably use it in the Treo, but it isn’t costing me a cent. I’m off to search
for a good deal on a fast 1gb SD card!
I think that first battery charge problem was just a fluke. I didn’t charge
the Treo for 4 days, and it still had over half the battery left. I still need
to do some better testing though.
03/07/05
Monday’s, gotta love them. Or not… On the way to work I had to make a
couple of calls, I was surprised that I can now make calls one handed without
even really thinking about it. Even looking up a number in the address book
wasn’t too difficult while trying to keep my eyes on the road. I still need to
install the voice dialing demo software…
Finally got around to calling Verizon today to dump the Mobile Web add-on and
add a high speed data plan. Removing the add-on was a piece of cake. Getting the
data plan was a little hairy. When I first asked, she seemed confused and asked
what kind of data plan I was wanting. I told her something so I could surf the
web and check email. Then she asked me what phone I had. I told her a Treo 600
(…and let the lying commence!). She questioned where I got the phone because
their records were showing that I had an AudioVox. I told her I got it on eBay
and then she wanted to know if I needed to activate it. I told her no, that I
had already done that last week. So then she wanted me to tell her the serial
number (ESN) for the phone. I told her the one she had on file, and she was even
more confused, but she then said that there were three plans. For $20, a 20mb
plan and for $44.99 an unlimited data plan. I told her that I wanted to try out
the $20 plan. So she tries to add it to my phone, but keeps mumbling that it
won’t work. She puts me on hold, tries again, and still can’t get it. Finally
she asks me to hold and tells me that she’s going to get a tech to come on the
line. I’m thinking oh oh, here we go… The tech gets on the line and asks me
point blank if I have a Spring Treo and I figure I’ll just come clean, and I
admit that I do. I never do say it’s a 650 though… He then tells me that even
though the phone will work as a phone, that they can’t guarantee that it will
work for data. I say that I know it will because other people are successfully
using it. He then says that he can get a 2nd level tech to come on to help. At
this point, the original person I was talking to says she can handle it from
here and she lets him get off the phone. She then tells me that she’ll just go
through the back door and add it for me. I’m like YES! But she
tries and tries and isn’t successful. She finally mentions that for some reason,
the only option that is coming up is for the unlimited plan, the $5 and $20
plans aren’t showing up. I tell her to go ahead and add the $44.99/mo. plan.
Bingo! She gets it to go in and within seconds, I’ve connected and am surfing to
Google using the built in Blazer web browser. Life is good!
I immediately go over to my friend Bill’s desk and show him the phone with
the Google site up. He grabs it from me and proceeds to search on lewd keywords.
Why? Because he could ;o)
Although surfing on the Treo isn’t ideal, it does work and the speed isn’t so
slow that it makes you want to crawl the walls. I’m not sure I’ll keep the plan,
but I will use it for one month and just see how useful it is to me. Since I’m
around a full sized computer 95% of the day, it is probably going to be
removed…
On the way home from work, I stopped at the local Sprint PCS store and asked
the guy behind the counter if he knew if the tower near where I live had Sprint
equipment on it. He gave me a blank stare and said that he didn’t think so and
that there was going to be a tower going up in my area in the next couple of
months. He couldn’t tell me exactly where it would be going though… Since I
have yet to even hear back from the person that sold me the Treo 650 regarding a
return, I figure I’m stuck with this one and will just deal with the higher data
plan charges. That is if I even keep the data plan after one month…
03/08/05
Was very much missing Graffiti today, so I installed Graffiti Anywhere. This
is a great freeware app that allows you to write Graffiti anywhere on the
screen. I still want to try a couple other solutions too, but I don’t want to
bog down the Treo with a bunch of software right away. I want to see just how
well the stock apps do their job. So far I’m quite happy.
Had a meeting this afternoon where I didn’t want the phone to ring. It was so
simple to just flip the ringer on/off switch on the top of the phone. No endless
menu navigation was needed. Turning this switch to the off position actually
turns off all system sounds which is cool. If a phone call does come through,
while the ringer is off, the phone will vibrate.
03/09/05
Wanted to test the audio quality but realized that the Treo has a mini phono
jack instead of a regular sized (3.5mm) jack. Unfortunately an adapter is not
included.
Also came to the realization today that a reset switch is not handy at all.
At first I didn’t even think there was one, but then found it under the battery
cover.
Becoming quite accustomed to navigating with my thumb on the 5 way navigation
pad. It’s 2nd nature now.
Received the free 128mb SD card in the mail today. That sure was fast, and I
took the free shipping method! I still need to buy a 1gb card…
03/10/05
Tested my data connection today. Here’s a short list of websites that
worked fine: The Gadgeteer, eBay, my local bank, CNN, C-Net, My Yahoo, Slashdot,
and more…
The only site I had problems with (so far) was PayPal. A popup that said it
was trying to download non Sprint content asked if I wanted to download a file.
I said ok and it downloaded an error message into my Memos and then went back to
the site I had been on before trying to load PayPal.
Blazer doesn’t seem to allow you to click on links until page has finished
loading. This is kind of a pain for really large pages like CNN. When I would
try to click on a link, it would give me an java error… Are there any better
browsers I should be trying?
As far as speed, I used
http://www.dslreports.com/mspeed to check that out. Trying the 200k test, I
only got 19kbit/sec on my first try. Granted, I was testing in the basement and
only had 1 bar of signal strength… A 2nd test upstairs with 2 bars signal
strength gave me a result of 33kbit/sec. Hmmm, crummy results. It feels faster
than that. Not sure what I should be expecting from Verizon though. I’ll do a few more tests tomorrow at
work.
Configured Versamail and was able to download email from my Gadgeteer POP3
account via a hotsync and through
the phone wirelessly. However, I wasn’t able to send mail through the phone. I kept getting an
authorization error… All the settings were taken directly from my desktop, so I’m not
sure why it wouldn’t work. I will be trying other clients soon. Versamail also
caused my Treo to soft reset at least twice. Not cool.
I stumbled upon a really cool FREE program called Win-Hand that is a PC
Anywhere type of program. Set up was a snap, and soon I was seeing and
interacting with my XP desktop on my Treo! Of course it was slow as could be,
but the wow factor was totally there. I was even able to type in a window on my
XP via the Treo.
I’m very surprised at how much I’m loving this phone / PDA combo! I used to
say that I would never want a phone that was also a PDA because I felt that
either the phone or the PDA would suffer from being combined into one device.
I’m here to say that I was wrong when it comes to the Treo 650. Everything is
integrated so well that it’s a pleasure to just have one small device instead
of two devices.
So far everything about the Treo has really captured me. The screen is
bright, and crisp. Yeah, it’s not as big as my hx4700, but that’s ok. The only
thing I really would like the large screen real estate for, would be surfing. I
can deal with it. Reading ebooks on the screen won’t bother me at all.
Battery life seems to be excellent so far. System speed is wonderful. The
built in camera is ok. I have a real camera (Nikon Coolpix 8800) for pictures
though.
I think the major joy so far with the PDA part of this device has been coming
back to Palm OS. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I came back. It’s
just like putting on a comfy pair of jeans. I forgot what it was like to use
quick loading, easy to use apps. It’s actually making me excited about PDAs
again!
I’ve only been using the Treo 650 for a little over a week, but in that time
I’ve only turned on my hx4700 iPAQ once. I don’t find that I am missing it at
all. So, what is the answer to question in the title of this article: Can a
Smart Phone Become My Main Brain? It is a resounding YES. To Judie’s
dismay, my hx4700 iPAQ is officially retired. I may even eBay it…
In a few weeks after I really get used to the Treo 650, I’ll be posting a
follow up to this article talking about my favorite applications and hardware
accessories to use with it. So stay tuned…
05/12/05
I said in my last entry that I would update this article in a few weeks.
Those few weeks have actually turned out to be almost 8 weeks now. Time sure
flies when you’re having fun!
I’ve had the Treo 650 for a little over 2 months and I’m still loving it just
as much as the day I received it. It has turned out to be a great PDA and an
equally great phone.
Even though I rarely use the phone to surf or do wireless email, I haven’t
turned off the Verizon data plan yet. I’m afraid as soon as I do, I’ll be sorry.
Since I work in an office at a computer all day long, about the only time that I
do use the phone for data is when I’m waiting to meet a friend for lunch, or
while waiting for an appointment at a doctor’s office. That said, checking email
with the Treo is a joy with SnapperMail.
This application is definitely heads and shoulders above Versamail which comes
loaded with the Treo. Some other apps that I have been enjoying using are:
Avantgo – News download app
BackupMan – My favorite backup program
Butler – Adds tons of extras to the Treo to make it even better
Cleanup – Gets rid of deleted app
leftovers
Calorie King Diet Diary – Keeps
track of calories and exercises
Graffiti Anywhere – Freeware app that
allows you to write Graffiti on the Treo screen
eReader – My favorite ebook reader
Noah Pro – Simple dictionary program
Today – Freeware
today screen that shows upcoming appts, tasks and emails.
AcidSpider – Great solitaire game
TCPMP – Great freeware video
player
I even converted an entire movie from Windows Media Player format to play on
the Treo. The conversion took forever, but it was just a matter of dragging the
video file to the hotsync app and letting it automatically convert it. Yes, I
actually watched an entire movie on the little screen using the built in
Pictures and Video app. This application is pretty limited to features, but it
got the job done. The movie was the infamous Napoleon Dynamite. Having it on my
Treo was actually pretty handy because I was able to watch it while being sick
in bed one day.
As far as accessories, there are really only two things that I’ve been using
with the Treo. The
Vaja
T65 iVolution case, and the
Seidio USB Sync/Charge cable. As of this writing, they are my favorites.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I’m very happy with all aspects of
the Treo 650. Battery life has been excellent, phone volume and reception are
great, and the PDA integration with the phone is unrivaled as far as I’m
concerned. I’m really liking just carrying around one device now instead of two.
The only things that can make this phone better would be more memory and built
in GPS. But as it is, I don’t see myself upgrading to another phone in quite a
while. I don’t think I’ll even spring for a real Verizon 650. I’ll just stick
with my hacked Sprint version.
Check for best price on Treo 650’s here.
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{ 245 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
I have a HP Ipaq h6315 pocket pc phone and I recently bought a treo 650 for my wife…… I am using her phone more than mine, I too miss the palm operating system. Some important apps for me are power run(run programs off of my 1 gig card),and xiino(web browser, faster than blazer). Xiino will access the paypal website.
Mike
You can also use Quick Take for screen shots.
Julie,
It’s great to hear that you like the 650. Moving to the “converged” world isn’t without it’s issues, but amazing how often people around me don’t have their pda’s, and need a number, address or other notes from a PIM, that I have with me all the time.
Enjoy!!!
Julie:
Glad to see it can be your main brain. Sometimes I think it is my only brain. On a couple of issues:
1. DSLReports – that may be a Verizon issue. I average 115-130kbs on Cingular (EDGE) and have been as high as 154kbs and low as 77kbs so far.
2. Mail Sending – this may be a relaying problem (I ran into that with both the Sprint and Cingular models, but we switched to an Exchange server at work that bypasses the whole problem now). Try setting your outgoing mail to the Verizon site using their mail setups for your account, with your return mail set as your POP server.
Enjoy – this is one great device (ONE being the operative term).
Dale
mmalloy:
Thanks for the tip on Xiino. I’ll be sure and check it out.
lgreenberg:
I think I found the prob with the Screenshot app. I had it set to Fullscreen. I’ll retake the shots and upload them tonight.
Breeze:
You know, I was one of those people… I would never take my PDA with me when I’d go shopping or where ever. The hx4700 is just too big / heavy to put in a jacket pocket along with a cellphone. I’d always have my phone, but almost never have my PDA. Now I don’t have that problem.
dstrauss:
I did another DSL report speed test. This here at work. Only 2 bars signal strength again and this time the test yielded a result of 22kbit/sec. Not impressive… I’m wondering, can weather play a part in this? It’s very overcast here, snowed a little last night.
Yes, the mail sending is a relay problem. But I’m using the same settings that I use on my PC. I don’t use my ISP’s SMTP server. I log into one (relay) and use it. Never had a prob on my desktop.
I don’t think weather is really an issue. Even in dry West Txas we have thunderstorm days, and it never seems to bother connections. I don’t know if the Sprint designed phone (for Vision) can take full advantage of Verizon’s data network.
As for email, I think the carrier systems are more quirky. I always had problems with Sprint and Cingular before switching SMPT to my email accounts with them (I even put a line in my signature explaining mail was coming through Sprint, but reply to should always be my own account). By the way, your experience is right on – I’m almost never without my cell phone, but the Dell x50v stayed at home a lot – and so did my brain.
Julie,
Based on a combination of your article, a recently received tax refund, and an unquenchable desire for electronic toys – I am the proud owner of a Sprint T-650. As you gather the accessories – take a look at boxwave.com – I got a flexiskin type rubber case, screen protectors, and a car adaptor for a pretty good price – and their stuff is always good quality and shipped quickly.
One thing you didn’t mention – and I found it quite by accident, is that the Treo ships with a screen protector. Nice touch – and FINALLY a handheld maker that realizes this is a must have item. I rarely open the manuals and license agreement packs that are included in most PDAs – but thought this one might have a disk – and as I sorted through the stuff, I found a “universal” screen protector. You have to cut it to fit, but the paper backing has the outlines of the various Palm handhelds. It’s better than going “nekid” till the ones from Boxwave arrive.
cheers
I’m pretty sure you are mistaken.
Isn’t it right below the directional pad?
P.S. That’s meant to be a joke…….
SQLDba:
Congrats on the new toy! I predict that you’re going to love it.
I actually did go back and talk about the freebie protector. I think it sucks
But I have it on my screen right now. I want to get some Writeshields. That’s what Judie the screen protector guru recommends.
Oh, did another speed test today while waiting in the doctor’s office. Had 3 bars this time and got 55kbits / sec. I think I’m hooked on the data plan… I was able to see that Judie had posted a new review, read it and checked my email. Also got VersaMail send mail working (don’t ask how, it just started working…).
I second the Xiino recomendation.
It is fast, allows you to click on a link before the page finished loading, it has a small footprint compared to Blazer (at least compared with the Blazer version included on my Treo 600). Support for the 5way button is included and it will support 320×320 screen resolution. All in all, a really great buy.
The only thing I miss is being able to save the cached pages on the SD card.
GB
If you installed Documents to Go in your Treo – go to this link http://support.dataviz.com/support.srch?docid=13395
and download DATAVIZ TECH TOOL. It will allow you to move your Documents to Go programs and files to your SD card. It freed up around 5mb of memory space for me! give it a try
Julie:
Go to the Edit menu and hit Keyboard
danielg:
Thank you!!! Excellent tip on the Dataviz tech tool!
Can anyone suggest a hard case that works – finally purchased the treo 650 today but the guy in the shop did not stock hard cases for the treo 650, as he had heard several rumours that the hard case interfered with the phone.
After spending the last hour reading Julie’s review, and now everyone’s comments and suggestions I am quite relieved – I have been wanting to combine my phone and PDA for ages, and today threw caution to the wind, along with my ipaq390, sony ericson T68i and pocket PC . and bought the object of my desire.
I had overlooked the lack of graffiti so great to find out about Graffiti Anywhere – as soon as my green light comes on after the first charge I’m rearing to download.
Looking forward to one less gadget to plug in at night, and to come flying out of my pocket/ bag . Also the ring tones sound so LOUD (I was naughty and tried them prior to the full charge) compared to my prehistoric T68i which had to be strapped to bare skin on vibrate prior to realizing it was ringing!!!
Hello!
Will the program MessagEase work with the Treo 650?
It seem like a very nice program for people that have fat fingers.
Thanks.
James
Quick question to all those that have upgraded to the 650 from a previous device.
I read somewhere that when you install the new Palm desktop over the old one it does some weird things with your existing PAlm backup directory (moves it) and also makes some changes to the conduits…
Can anyone please explain what this is all about?
Many thanks
Regards
Just rec’d a post card from Sprint advertising the Treo 650 for $329 with new activation. Your discussion about Sprint plans is very helpful. I want to stay with TMobile GSM with an unlocked Treo 650. Anyone have suggestions for me before I take the plunge?
Aztennis,
An unlocked unit gives you better value because it allows you to switch carriers should you become dissatisfied with your current carrier. Just my personal opinion
I have been watching this thread regularly and trying to follow Verizon to see when this phone might be released officially. I’m very tempted to do the Sprint switch thing…but recently went to Verizon store and tried to be open minded enough to play with the Audiovox XV6600 on display. The screen is gorgeous. I haven’t used Windows Mobile before and feel lost (Sony Clie and now Tungsten T5 user). I am not certain I can live without Datebk5 although I’m sure there must be good datebook programs out there for Windows CD (certainly not the included one! Where are my icons??). I am very torn right now because idea of this unit is growing on me. It is big for phone but then again, now I carry the T5 and my cell phone too! My husband has Verizon Treo 600 and he doesn’t use web much with it because it’s hard to see with that screen (both resolution and size) and it’s slow as molasses. So…would I even be happy with Treo 650 screen size for viewing web pages and email? The 6600 does have better screen size… but I’m afraid talking on the phone with it will be like talking into a shoe though.
Has anyone tried this other phone and can anyone give me some insight into this? Thanks!
Dripps,
May I suggest going here and doing some reading. There is a ton of information on the XV600 there.
I’ve been using the PDA2K (which is basically the same device) for the last month and like it a lot. If you plan to do a lot of web browsing it’s definetly easier to do on Pocket PC device. It is larger but you do get used to it. In my opinion the larger screen makes the device more usable. It’s a trade off I guess.
Also you mentioned speed. The VX600 is able to take advantage of Verizon’s high speed network. The Treo is not.
I recently switched to the Imate JAM, which take the size issue out of the picture. Unfortunately the JAM is a GSM device though.
Dripps:
About the screen size… I was using the HP HX4700 iPaq which has a 4in display. I have not had any problem at all going to the small Treo 650 screen even for reading ebooks. Surfing of course is limited, but I’m even enjoy that every so often. It’s not like the Treo is my main computer. But surfing to look up something quickly on Google or other sites is fine.
Nice thread. The 650 is certainly a nice product.
Called around to every VZW place in the area today and they pretty much all agree independently…the Verizon Treo 650 is less than a month away from release. Three to four weeks is what it looks like!
That sounds logical now that all the Sprint users have completed the beta testing for PalmOne and they’ve released the 1.08 firmware updater for teh CDMA phone. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Treo 650 (Cingular version, my old Sprint one was not quite as stable), but Sprint users, although they get the stuff first, also suffer the extended betas.
That figures…finally gave in and ordered my Audiovox XV6600 camera version. I guess I will work with it a bit when it arrives and if I’m not convinced this is best option I will use the 15 day trial period option and return it until I can get either Verizon’s T650 or the Samsung i730 which is also expected soon. I am already having second thoughts about Windows Mobile….just so comfortable with Palm! But then again….that screen XV6600 might just be hard to give up. Obviously the phone isn’t my only draw…looking for functional PDA!
lgreenberg,
I bought the Sprint Treo 650 about a week ago after reading your post that for $5.00 I could add Verizon towers if needed, well my phone did not work in the house and I had to go outside to make calls. I previously used Verizon for the last 4 years with no problems at this location so I added the tower option, unfortunately since I was getting a weak signal from Sprint I did not pick up the Verizon towers so I still needed to go outside to make calls. Many calls to Sprint and the problem could not be rectified. So adding the Sprint towers did not work for me, I can access the web from inside the house no problem which is nice. I was about to send the phone back and wait for Verizon to release the 650 but found it cheaper to keep Sprint and the phone (which I love) and go with there 50.00 a month plan. The only drawback is I now have to phones, Verizon and Sprint. When are they going to come out with a 2 line two carrier phone?
Joe
Marco Island
Florida
Beware what Verizon tells you re: Treo 650 availability “soon”. I’ve been advised that it’s very possible they will tell you something is coming “soon” just to keep you around on their network, waiting longer and longer. They know they may lose you if they tell you they will not carry the phone you want.
I received an email this morning from a reader:
I’ll admit that after reading that email, I was a little concerned. So I took a look at the link in his email. From that I noticed that it was referring to the Treo 650 GSM version. I thought I might be out of the woods, so I did a quick google on Treo 650 CDMA SAR. I came up with a rating of 1.33. Lower than the 1.55 that the GSM version has, but still quite high. So, should I be worried? I don’t make that many calls with my phone. I probably average a less than 5 mins a day with the phone next to my head.
I guess I need to read more about the SAR readings to truely understand them. Can levels hurt me when I’m not even using the phone? What proximity does it have to be from your body to harm you?
I guess the CDMA Treo doesn’t have a network select option?
If it does somebody should tell the people at Sprint.
Most GSM phones have this option which is why I ask. This avoids the problem of the phone latching on to the weaker of two signals.
I have been looking for a review on the 650 for nearly 4 months. I am on the fence for one very scary reason: I still have my Sprint Samsung SPH-N200 flip phone (it flips super easy with a thumb). I have had this phone since Feb 2002, I can see it in any condition, it is virus proof, I have dropped it at least 50 times (no exaggeration, the paint and plastic has chipped in some places), dropped it in puddles of water outside my car (so soaked it took a day for the speaker in the flip to dry out). And it works very well, including basements and such. It is so durable I do not worry if I drop it…at most the battery just comes off and I just snap it back on.
If I drop my Treo 650 ONE time, the screen could crack, the phone could crack, etc. I really need a phone I can drop. BTW, I still have my Tungsten T, which I dropped once and I had to take it completely apart to fix the speaker.
I like the Treo 650, I badly need a new palm device but I do not think it is durable enough as a phone…especially a $600 phone.
Insomnia,
So, did you have your meeting with Palm people?
Thanks,
nga
JEMshoe, If you really must drop your phone
and you are using a GSM line then try the Nokia 5140 or the Siemens M series mobile phone. You can drop these phones to your heart’s delight and they will keep on working 
Seriously though, you may need to be more careful with your devices. 
Hi guys, new user here and I’m glad to find this thread and forum.
Okay I’m a Verizon customer as well and I’ve been salivating over the Treo 650. I have a few questions and I hope you guys can answer them for me.
1. The obvious one is the updated actual ETA on the T650 for Verizon?
2. If you are online surfing the web and your phone rings, can you pick up the call and speak while continuing to surf the web simultaneously? If so, while you are on your primary phone line on your call, and surfing the web using the unlimited data service, can you still get a second call coming in at the same time using call waiting on your secondary line? To sum this question up, can you be online and receive a call at the same time, and if so, can you also get a second call in on your second line using call waiting while already surfing the net and on your initial call?
3. What are the differences between using a Wi-Fi card for the T650 and using the unlimited data service? Which is better and why?
4. If I got this unit, I would want to utilize a live/real time Navigation system for my car. Is that possible? And if so, what is good and affordable? How reliable is it and how good is the quality?
5. Which is a better headset for this unit and why, the PalmOne T650 Wireless Headset or the Motorola HS850?
6. I would want to be able to check my e-mail (GMail account. Have Outlook and POP3 set up at home) quote often. Does this offer a Blackberryish type feature in order to be able to do this?
7. I saw a lot of apps posted here that you have to pay for. Any free ones that are just as good and do the same things?
8. Any good cases? I have a very small flip phone right now, and I would want something that would protect the T650, but still be comfortable and stylish. I don’t want to have to carry around something or have something that is cumbersome, gaudy, and ostentatious on my waist.
9. That PCAnywhere type program, does that work with the T650? If so is it a free app? I would love that!
Julie, I very much enjoyed reading your review article, but I never saw the last part of it. Did I miss something? Can you please post a link to it? Thank you.
~Phøenix
Phøenix,
I think I can answer most of your questions.
1. I’m not sure anyone knows for sure. I’ve heard anywhere from soon, next month to six months to never.
2. It depends on whether or not you’re using GSM or CDMA. Read here for more information.
3. There is no Wifi card for the Treo 650. Someone has hacked a Palm Wifi card’s drivers and gotten it to work with the Treo series but it requires you to hard reset your device after using the Wifi card before using the net again. There has been no Wifi card officially released.
4. Yes. See here,
5. The Motorola HS850 is an excellent headset. Good battery life, flip out boom, nice fit etc. Don’t know much about the Palm headset.
6. The only way to get true “push” e-mail on the Treo is if you have a IMAP account. Then you can use Chatter, This does offer a push feature. For POP3 mail the closest thing you’ll get is having your mail program auto-check for new mail at a time interval you choose. Snapper Mail is a good choice for this.
7. There are tons of freeware apps for the Palm OS. Look here. However, most of the really good apps require payment.
8. There are tons of cases available for the Treo. All types too. Pouch, horizontal, vertical, flip, form fitting etc. Check here for reviews.
9. I like Win Hand best.
2. I’m on Verizon so most likely I will be on CDMA.
3. Well more than likely, sometime soon Pal will release a Wi-Fi card for the 650. If/when that happens, would you be able to tell me which would be a better option, the unlimited data plan or the Wi-Fi card and why? Which would work better for the GPS Navigation system while I’m driving?
4. I have a 2003 Volkswagen Passat GLX. Which one would I need to get if I were perhaps driving up to Canada or cross country or down to Florida? Which one of those is better and why? If/when a Wi-Fi card is officially released, can the GPS navigation system be used with it or is that only for the unlimited data plan? How exactly does that work? Can you still make/receive calls or use the internet while using the navigation system while you’re driving? If so, can you use your Bluetooth headset while speaking on the phone while using your navigation feature? Does that also work if say, I’m walking around in Manhattan and get lost and want to use the navigation feature, or is that strictly limited to my car because of the receiver I may have to buy and have installed? How much did installation cost for you?
5. Can you keep the flip boom folded in rather than flipping out if you wished not to do so, and still speak and be heard, and hear the other party clearly?
Can anyone who knows about both of these headsets post which one they feel is better and why and what the differences are please? Thanks.
6. Is there a Snapper Mail type program which is free?
9. Is that freeware? I couldn’t tell if that was a trial version that would expire after a while, or a full freeware version? How good is that? Let’s say I wanted to listen to MP3’s that I have on my home PC, or watch a video clip that I have stored on my home PC, can I do that on the 650 well or will it not come in properly?
Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate it.
God I hope Verizon comes out with this phone or all of my research and excitement will be for naught. 
~Phøenix
3. I wouldn’t count on a Wifi card for the Treo anytime soon. That rumor has been floating around for a while. Personally I couldn’t rely on only Wifi. But it depends on where you go and how much internet access you need. If you can deal with only being able to access the internet when near a Wifi hot spot than you’d be fine with only using Wifi. Again this is all speculative.
You don’t need either Wifi or wireless internet to use the GPS. It’s a stand alone application that doesn’t require it only the GPS receiver. Anyway you couldn’t use Wifi for it if it did require internet. The range for Wifi isn’t large enough.
4. I’m not all that familar with the GPS solutions for Palm. On my Pocket PC version (Co-Pilot Live) I can make and receive calls while connected to GPS with the phone or with bluetooth and use the application for directions like you would use Mapquest without being connected to GPS.
5. No. If the boom is closed the headset is not powered on.
6. The Treo comes with a more basic e-mail program that is free.
9. Win-Hand is not free. As I said most good apps are not free. Palm VNC is free though not as good.
2. So even if I’m on CDMA, if I’m on the web and the page has finished loading, a call can come through right? What about the call waiting for the second line after the page has finished loading and you’re on the initial incoming call? Does that automatically go to voice mail or can you still get the notification that there is another incoming call and be able to switch over?
4. So then how does the navigation program give you real time directions and speak to tell you a turn is coming up? I thought I read that the program you use, Co-Pilot Live, will also recalculate for you automatically if you miss a turn and get you back on course. So how does that work if you’re not connected in real-time?
5. Shucks, anyplace that would have a comparative review of these two devices? Anyone here who owns either one of these devices, or has used both of them who can post up their personal thoughts/reviews/and experiences with it?
9. How fast is it for you when you are accessing your PC. What about the movies and MP3 portion of this question. Would that work?
Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate all your help lgreenberg.
I’ll really be upset if Verizon doesn’t come out with this phone. I don’t know if I want to go the route of getting an unlocked version and taking the chance that I may not be able to get it hooked up or to work properly.:( Not only that, but what happens if down the line Verizon makes some changes to their systems and network that locks out all the unlocked phones that weren’t obtained through them (similar to the way cable and satellite companies change their signal/frequencies and their access cards to screw over those who have gone the illicit route).
4. It is connected in real time. To satelites via the GPS receiver. This doesn’t have anything to do with internet. Trust me it works. I used my PDA2K just this weekend with no SIM card in it (i.e. no way to access the internet) and my Co-Pilot live to drive from PA to MD and back. It worked flawlessly.
9. It’s not really super fast. It’s better for accessing files and what not. I’m not sure you’d want to use it to view movies.
You’ll find a lot more information at http://www.treocentral.com. I suggest you do some searching there.
Cool thanks.
2. …?
4. So basically you can’t walk around the city and use it to find your way, it’s only for your car? Is there a monthly/yearly subscription fee for that service or is it just a one-time purchase price you’re paying? How do you like it?
2. I don’t know the answer to your call waiting question. Sorry.
4. Yes you can. I guess you misunderstood me. You can use Co-Pilot just like you use Mapquest. You don’t have to be connected to the GPS receiver to get directions. There is no monthly fee just the price of the software and receiver. I love it.
w00t! Thanks. You’ve been a great help!
Now I’ve jsut got one more question but it’s an oppinion one.
Which case do you like better and why?;)
1. http://store.treocentral.com/content/accessories/4-25–153.htm
2. http://store.treocentral.com/content/accessories/4-25–19.htm
3. http://store.treocentral.com/content/accessories/4-25–87.htm
Just curious to see what an experienced Treo user likes adn to hear why.:)
~Phøenix
Phoenix:
I’m still using my Treo without a case, but if I were going to pick from the 3 that you listed, I would personally get the Covertec for 2 reasons. 1. I’ve reviewed their products before and they they have a better looking, quality case. 2. I like the finger push hole in the bottom center of the case that allows you to pop the phone out. Hmmm, I might just need to see about getting one of these to review!
Phoenix:
Is none of them a choice?
If it’s a horizontal pouch style case you’re after I’d look at the Krusell.
http://www.executivepda.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.515/it.A/id.1516/.f
Why? Do you like vertical ones better? Which case do you guys use? Post links.:)
I actually use a swivel clip right now for my phone, but I have a small one. I’m using a Samsung a530.
How do you guys carry your T650’s around with you?
Figured you guys might really like this: http://www.petitiononline.com/vzwtr650/petition.html
Okay guys, I come bearing fantastic news!
It’s official, the Treo 650 is going to be released by Verizon, it’s just that the customer service reps are either being tight-lipped about it, or they really have no idea.
But I was at a Verizon store a few days ago and spoke with a rep who gave me a lot more information than he was supposed to. He told me off the record, that they already received the placard cards for the display models for the Treo 650, and Verizon has been dropping the price on the T600 in order to clear out their inventory to make room for it.
I asked him what the ETA was on the 650, and he told me that usually they receive the placard cards about a month before they receive the actual units themselves. I asked him if I could actually see one of the placards with my own eyes because I’ve been getting conflicting reports up the yin-yang form so many reps in the past. This is the same rep whom I said before seemed like the only one who seemed to know what the hell he was talking about and was very knowledgeable on the tech side of things.
He discretely got up and excused himself with a wink to me and went to the back to the storeroom and returned moments later with the placard for the 650 discretely hidden away in his hand. He slipped it to me and when I held it in my own two hands and read it, I almost passed out!!!!!!!!
It was true!!!! He was telling me the truth! I had proof in my very hands! I quickly snapped a photo with a camera phone and delighted in the fact that I would be able to post it here for you guys.
Here is the actual placard from the Verizon store with their patented signature colours showing that they will be offering the Treo 650!
Sorry the picture isn’t the best quality, but it was on a camera phone. I will try to go back in a day or two and take a better picture with my digital camera.
Finally, I think we can breath a sigh of relief!:)
Enjoy guys and let the fervor begin!;)
~Phøenix
Dual screens??? What is that all about? Yep, I heard the same from my local Verizon dealers two weeks ago. I just hope we don’t have too long a wait. What do you think…will the memory issue be moot and will it be EVDO? I guess we will see.
Good news! I guess when it comes out, I’ll figure out how to revert my Verizon-ized phone back to Sprint and try to recoup some of the many dollars I spent on it, and then get the Verizon version. Having an actual Verizon model will make updating new roms way easier…
Sorry to be the ever present black cloud, but this Verizon news looks to be a clever April Fools prank to me. “Dual screens” “1 megapixel camera” either the placard maker was tipsy, or that’s the April Fools give away. If PalmOne did put a 1 megapixel camera in the Verizon model, Sprint and Cingular would dump PalmOne forever – what a marketing coup for a vendor joining the fray AFTER the other big boys put up with the near-beta shake down. :rolleyes:
More like, “Let the April Fool’s Follies begin.”
Seems like someone had a little fun with photoshop and creative writing.
While the card is blatantly wrong on many things, this echoes what I have been told by every Verizon place in the area…the Treo is on the way and these cards have been delivered. Now it’s just a matter of when.
Oh, I don’t doubt for a minute that Verizon will be getting the 650…just not in the named configuration. :0)
Exactly. The camera will still be VGA, only one screen, no Internet Explorer (yeesh)…but I think it will be released with the patch applied and EVDO enabled.
Now, if they get EVDO enabled, I WILL be disappointed (understatement)…
Actually in my zeal, I forgot it was April Fool’s Day, but I can assure you, this is no prank. Today is April 2nd and I am still 100% honest in my picture and my testimony. There was no funny business there adn no Photoshopping of any kind. As I said, I will try to go back within the next day or two and obtain a better picture of the card with my 3.0 megapixil digicam.
By the way, what’s EDVO?
Super charged, high speed internet.
As promised guys. I went back today and “borrowed” the placard and slipped into the bathroom at the Verizon store and snapped a few photos with my 3.2 mega-pixel digi-cam to post up here for you guys.
I also made sure to take a close up picture of the bottom of the placard in order to prove to you guys it was no hoax and that it was indeed going to be offered by Verizon.
I’ve got a question for you guys, can the 650 screen be switched back and forth from portait and landscape view?
Uh oh…some print-shop is going to have some ’spainin’ to do! :blink:
I want to see a picture with the dual screens…
Is there a way to get the 650 to toggle back and forth from portrait to landscape view the way the Tungsten T5 can? Thta would suck if there wasn’t an app that could do that and you were stuck in portrait view all the time.
Phøenix:
good work on getting the pix!
Do you feel like a spy?
Nope, you can’t rotate the display because it’s 320×320… so what would be the point
Not sure what is going on with the dual screens… Probably just s typo.
I am somebody who depends on my Palm to organize my life. I need it to
organize the multiple tasks from many different areas of my life as well as
my schedule, my thoughts and my planning.
As a new owner of a Treo 650, I am disappointed that it fails to meet my
needs for an organizer. I would like to share my problems with it and
hopefully get some useful suggestions.
INTERGRATING PHONE WITH CONTACTS
This is convenient to have the phone integrated with address book. Just look
up the address, you will get the phone number and can immediately place the
call. Also if the caller’s phone number is in the address book, identity of
caller will be shown up. I thought this is very useful – then I realize that
I occasionally make accidental calls to people I do not want to contact. I
have an address book of over 1000 names and without knowing why, I sometimes
pressed the wrong button and called up someone I should not be calling.
PHONE AND PDA COMBINED INTO ONE
I thought I would be carrying on one less device. Then I realize the Treo is
not as convenient to use as my Motorola V600 or Samsung phone. I really
cannot manoever the phone with a single hand. It is rather bulky and becomes
tiring holding it after a long conversation. I found that its easier to
bring along a small phone and my comtact T3 rather than the Treo. Making
calls with my Motorola while driving is quite easy (although dangerous) but
doing the same with my Treo is actually labourious (and many times more
dangerous) !
CRASHING AND RE-SETTING
It is quite unstable compared to my T3 or Tungsten C. It crashes easily.
Worse if you have 3rd party applications installed. But even without these,
it is unstable and will reset in an unpredicatble manner. Sometimes it is
stable for days. Sometimes minor things make it crash for few times in a
roll. I actually exchanged my first Treo when this happened but the second
Treo I got is not much better.
When a Treo needs a reset, you need to tediously take off the back cover
before you can find the pinhole. After a soft reset, the phone will need to
get switched on again and then you need to wait 1 to 5 minutes to search for
the signal before everything gets back to original state. Worst part would
be when an incoming phone call causes the phone to crash, you will need to
fiddle around for up to 5 minutes before you can establish a working Treo
phone to take the call again – thats a long long time !
BADLY STRAINS MY EYES
After reading ebooks or doing planning on the small screen for around 20
minutes, I get headaches and my eyes get strained. This never happens with
my T3 or T1 or M505 or Palm Vx . It used to happen to me when I had a new
Vc.
SHORTAGE OF MEMORY
The memory is insufficient to fit in the CJKOS software for Asian users,
even if no 3rd party applications or pictures are installed. The memory is
practically back to the level of Palm Vx but nowadays, the PDA has far more
use than in Vx’s days. The memory of the Treo is practically only 40% of my
Tungsten 3 or less.
INCOMPATIBLE WITH MANY 3RD PARTY APPLICATIONS
The joy of using a Palm is to install and try the many 3rd party
applications that are available. However, sadly, at least 60% of 3rd party
applications currently available are not compatible with the Treo and will
cause it to crash. If not, you won’t have much memory to put them in anyway
and we all know its better to run them on RAM than from the SD card.
AGENDUS CRASHES IT, SO DOES DATEBK 5
I depend on Agendus and Date BK but sadly these causes the Treo to become
unstable. The latest versions are not absolutely incompatible with Treo but
makes it unstable and crash more often.
THE SMALL SCREEN DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO PLAN WELL
To use the Palm as a planner and to organize my thoughts, I find the small
screen of the Treo not large enough to jot down and juggle my ideas. The
small size of the screen does not fit in even one sentence a per line so
thats hard to get enough ideas on a single page to let me work them through.
PHONE IS UNRELIABLE
The phone is not sensitive and often cannot detect signal in places my
Motorola or Samsung phone have no problems doing so. The network search
function is slow and takes 3 to 5 minutes to search for signal, versus 20
seconds for my Motorola or Samsung phones. The volume of the phone speakers
is low
PHONE HAS HIGH LEVEL OF RADIATION
The level of radiation is very high and perhaps due to the large surface
area of contact, might be more hazardous. Worse, due to the low volume of
the speakers, you really need to stick the phone close to the ears to hear
what the other party is saying, thus increasing the exposure to the
radiation exponentially.
KEYBOARD
Unlike the Tungsten C, it is not easy typing in lengthy passages using the
Treo 650’s keyboard. It is much smaller and each button serves several
functions. I still think it is an EXCELLENT keyboard for a phone but using
to enter data is not as easy as using Graffiti 1(at least for me). By the
way, Treo 650 will crash if you try to install Graffiti 1.
I really want to KEEP my Treo but the problems above makes it hard for me to
keep it. Anybody has any good remedies ?
Hi! there,
The Treo do come with Bluetooth.
If you don’t want to hold on to the Treo when making a call ,there is away the bluetooth earphone, it works great for me.
From the sound of your post, you just don’t like the Treo.
I think for me is that I don’t have to carry so many gadgets with me.
I bought the Scott 3.0 vest just to carry all my gadgets and now I feel that I have lost about 2 to 3 pounds, just carrying the treo and don’t need the Scott vest anymore, sorry scott!
One think that will Ps me is that if I have to trade in my Sprint Treo if they come out with the EVDO service.
Has anyone heard anything what will happen to Treo 650 if Sprint comes out with EVDO service?
Will I have to trade in the treo or is it going to be a firmware upgrade?
Thanks
James.
An XDA II Mini!!!
FYI
http://www.vzwshop.com/treoinfo/
w00t! Woo-hoo! See, I told you guys! It wasn’t an April Fools/Photoshop trick! Great work and thanx for the link lgreenberg! I signed right up!:)
~Phøenix
Oooh! Now the question is ‘When?’
My guess is two to three weeks.
Interesting. 1MP camera? Dual screens? Verizon don’t seem to know what they are releasing
A regarding the rotation of the screen:
Why? It is 320×320, so no gain. All you do is hold it on its side and lose the keyboard functionality.
A question about “aircraft mode” availability: is the device usable as PDA only, with its phone functionality switched off?
Scud:
Yes, it is easy to turn off the phone part of the device.
Yes – the radio can be turned off, and it will show on the screen, HOWEVER
not all airlines treat it equally. Reportedly (Treocentral threads) Southwest Airlines often tells you no smartphones may be used, even if turned off, because they can easily be turned back on. Unless business travelers revolt, it will alwasy be hit or miss.
Just don’t make it obvious that it has an antenna. I doubt I would have a problem as my XDA II Mini has no anntena, and looks like a standard PPC.
DIALING ON A TREO 650
How do people make calls when driving? It sounds like suicide to peck those keypads at 80 MPH, eh, I mean 54.9 MPH. Do you use the navigation button…voice dialing? What if it is a new number not stored in your phone?
Also, how is the little screen (2.5″ diagonal I heard)? I still have my Tungsten T1
I still thing it is the best PDA (with added softwares and 1Gb SD card)…nothing else has made me wanna ditch it for something else
JEMShoe
The decision to ditch the T1 is not one regarding the PDA only. If that’s all you need. stick with what you already have. What the Treo 650 brings to the party is unprecedented integration between the phone, PDA, email and web. I’ll never have a separate PDA again, and many people feel that same way after using one of these (despite frustrations and software problems at times.)
Well, store info cards and Verizon website notwithstanding, I spoke with five different reps today, including calling Verizon directly. They all seem to think that the 650 is months away from a Verizon release. One said that the Verizon Treo 650 would be released shortly after the new Treo is released for Sprint.My contract expires with them soon and I am eligible for New Every Two. Sprint doesn’t have any coverage where I work and precious little PCS coverage anywhere else and Cingular has zero coverage where I live. It’s Verizon or tin cans with cord. I guess Verizon tested the tin cans with cord and found it too advanced for their system to handle? How much longer before I go all ballistic and get the Verizonized Sprint Treo? The day after I do, they will no doubt announce the release, so I just sit with my dumbphone, twiddling my jittering thumbs and wait for the Verizon 650 like a junkie in need of a serious fix.
They also never heard of the Samsung i730. So the VX6600 is IT? Yuck!
Just as a little aside, someone mentioned that Win-Hand Anywhere costs money. Theres is a basic version (I’m not sure of the differences between the two) that is free.
I am now converted and I LOVE my xv6600! I was really comfortable with palm but moving in Pocket PC wasn’t as bad as anticipated. I still miss my favorite palm programs but this phone is truly awesome. I love the screen size and with my bluetooth headset, don’t always have to hold it up to my ear. Honestly, I now don’t mind the size one bit. I’m glad I didn’t wait for Treo 650 with Verizon.
I wish my XDA II Mini had a builtin thumboard like the 650 and xv6600 (and other variants). That and b/i wifi.
I have played with the XV6600 in the stores for a few months now while I waited for the 650…I was somewhat tempted at first, but the more I played with it the less I liked it. I don’t know…it’s not like Verizon is giving us a choice or anything like that. 8 more days until my New Every Two and I am still waiting….
Okay I have it from one of my inside sources who works at a Verizon Wireless store (the same guy who helped me to get a photo of the placard) that the Treo 650 is being released by Verizon this month. Here are the exact dates I was told and the prices:
May 11th for B2B, in stores on the 23rd.
$400.00 with two year contract, $450.00 with one year contract.
Full price is $529.00.
Rejoice and be merry. The time is nigh!
~Phøenix
Julie:
How about a two month update on your Sprint-Verizonized Treo 650 (SVT 650
)? It would be interesting to see how the stress test is coming. For me, until someone comes up with a Samsung i500 size Treo (clam shell and all, WITH all of its features) I’m in the Treo camp to stay (famous last words).
dstrauss:
I am planning a short update sometime before the end of the week along with 3 case reviews.
Hey Julie, I was never able to find the second part of your article. Can you please post a link to it for me?
Phoenix:
That’s because I haven’t written an update yet… I will before the end of the week. It will be linked on the front page when it’s ready
Has anybody upgraded from a Tungsten T3 to a 650, or considered doing so and decided against it? I’ve got a T3, and am pondering making the switch when Verizon releases the 650 directly, which is supposed to be happening RSN.
I’ve been trying to use the T3 without the extended screen, and think I could get used to not having it, since I rarely rotated it to do the ebook thing, but I did notice that the screen on the 650 is physically smaller, too. Has anybody found this to be a particular downside (or an upside, since it means a better dpi count)?
Thanks,
Andy
I was told at my local Verizon that the 650 would be available to order on line on 5/23 and in stores 5/25????
I’ve got my 650 for a while now and I must say I love it!
Unlike July I don’t miss grafity at all, I guess I’m a keyboard man
As for the keys being small, thats true but even with my big thumbs that isn’t a problem at all
What amazes me most is the battery life of the unit, it lasts heaps and heaps longer than my Sony clie UX50.
But beware with running bejeweled 2, if you turn of the unit it keeps running in the background and will drain the battery overnight.. so exit the game when you are done playing..
Good follow-up Julie. I’m amazed how addictive the Treo 650 is. I refuse to carry two devices now. In fact, with the 1gb card installed, it makes a fair MP3 player (there goes another device in the pockets – now, if I would just spring for a 2gb SD card, I’d have half an i-POD mini to tote around IN my phone/pda).
dstrauss:
I want an SD GPS or Bluetooth GPS. I used to have a Bluetooth model but that was when I didn’t have a use for one, so I sold it. ARGH!
I’d suggest you try to get Bluetooth, otherwise you will have no memory for the maps!!
IF you are interested in GPS. Get TomTom Bluetooth Navigator for Palm. I travel for work and use it all the time. It is great. Speaks directions and everything.. just like a mini neverlost.
The Bluetooth GPS lasts about 20 hours on a charge (li-ion). Doesn’t seem to use up much battery power on the phone. Seems work great.
They are coming out with a new version, Version 5, in a few days… Seems to be much better.
Check it out at http://www.tomtom.com. Its about $250 around the internet including GPS and software.
MitchellO:
Well DUH! Why didn’t I think of that
I have a 1gb SD card but I guess I wouldn’t be able to use it if I had something else in the SD slot. Jeez, I need a vacation!!! 
But does that keep track of your position as you drive in real-time? I get lost all the time and need a real time tracking navigation feature that will automatically recalculate and get me back on track the second I miss a turn without me having to manually do anything on the Palm.
I really like the treo 650 but my main concern with it is the screen size. I do a TON of reading on my Tungsten T (yes, still on the original tungsten) and am worried that the treo would be too small to read on. Can anyone comment on reading experiences on the Treo?
Thanks.
The size does not bother me at all… If you’re used to the T|T, the better resolution on the 650 will make the screen feel bigger to you.
May 14, 05 <|S|M|T|W|T|F|S|>
On my Treo 650 Calendar’s daily view the left arrow for viewing a previous week is not working
. The right arrow works fine, and in other apps things on those pixels work fine so the touch screen is ok.
Can someone else try on their T650 and confirm this?
I found out it is JOT. If I disable it, it works fine. If I keep it enabled I have to hold the stylus on the arrow and drag it through the arrow. And it is only the left arrow…no other places on the screen Confused
Funny thing is on my Tungsten T Jot and Date Book work fine together (although TealDoc is a little sensative to Jot at the very top of the screen).
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