Treo

1. Posted: May 25 2008

   This phone has many functions, but enough are poorly executed that if I had to choose again, I would get a different smartphone. The title of this review reflects my dismay with design bugs that should be obvious. For example, if you have protected yourself with a logon password, there's no way to get to your contact list when speaking on an incoming call. Instead, you need to hang up, logon, and call back to do this. If you enter a new appointment in your calendar on the phone, it automatically sets an alarm as a default that cannot be shut off. So you need to access the event details and shut off the alarm manually every time. When Palm introduced this phone, it also changed the Bluetooth settings so that some devices don't work on it, and the third-party companies that try to write compatible drivers apparently aren't able to get sufficient information from Palm to accommodate the Bluetooth changes. The best type of external keyboard for this phone, for instance, is not compatible. In the past, Palm offered a full-sized keyboard that was physically connected with the phone and much more responsive than Bluetooth, which seems a step backward into greater and unneeded complexity. With Bluetooth turned on, battery life is short. And Palm's desktop software can surprise you with a feature that automatically deletes most of your old calendar entries. This purge feature cannot be shut off. Then there's the built-in camera, which has such low resolution it's not worth using. The headphone jack is not the same size as you have with usual MP3 players, so you have to buy an adaptor that creates an imperfect and scratchy connection or buy Palm's version of stereo headphones. Finally, with AT&T's implementation, if you want e-mail access, you have to pay twice as much for that data plan with the Treo 680 as you would if you were using a less "smart" phone, like a Motorola Razr. Other than these few complaints, I'm delighted with this phone. When I'm due to upgrade, I'll check out Blackberry and Apple's IPhone and will finally give up on the Palm OS that I've used all these years.

2. Posted: Feb 18 2008

   I've had mine for about 6 days now. At first the battery drained very rapidly. Then I followed these suggested (by John from Monroe Township) preference settings: Go to Prefs > Power and: * Turn "Beam Receive" OFF * Set "Auto-off after" a 15 seconds * Set your "Screen Brightness" to a medium setting (3 or 4 clicks under MAX or even less) * Set "Dim backlight after" to 30 seconds Other settings: * Turn Bluetooth OFF if/when you are not using a wireless headset or other BT device * Go to Prefs > Date & Time > Set "Automatically set" to "Nothing" (this makes a very significant difference in power usage After making those changes, the battery life is pretty reasonable. I didn't have any trouble getting it activated (via AT&T) after it was shipped from Amazon. This is my first smart phone. I had been a happy Palm Z22 user for about 1.5 years. So far, I'm very happy with the Treo 680. My favorite Palm applications are still KeySuite (Outlook sync program) by Chapura and Ultrasoft Money (syncs with MS Money).

3. Posted: Dec 2 2007

   This phone is excellent in every way EXCEPT for the battery life, which is pretty short. Palm OS5 is pretty stable, and I have absolutely no problems syncing it with my MacBook. Windows users will have it even easier, being able to sync the pocket tunes application with Windows Media. I currently have a 2GB SD card in my Treo, and with TCMP (free download) I can watch itunes videos on my Palm. The organizer/calendar/voice record features are a lifesaver for both business and personal use. Best of all, 90% of the Palm applications out there from years ago will work on the Treo, so anything that you liked on your Palm IIIc you can run on your Treo! 2 things make this phone the quintessential Smart device: A good screen protector (just get a protector, don't waste$ on anti-glare) and the 2400Mah extended battery from Seidio. The one listed on amazon is not the Seidio battery, and no I don't work for them. I went thru a generic extended before searching and finding the 2400mah w/ extended door, and couldn't be happier. 50% brightness settings, phone on for 4 days straight, moderate calling, email sync every 30 min, and bluetooth on 16 hrs/day and the battery lasts. With the OEM I'd get a day, maybe day & a half. Great phone, just get the screen protector & battery.

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1. Posted: Aug 16 2008

   I am very pleased with the seller. Initially there was an issue with the phone I received but when I contacted the seller his response was prompt. As a result the issue was rectified by the seller replacing the original phone with another that exceeded my expectations. Paul Seymour

2. Posted: Jul 28 2008

   This phone was supposed to be new but when I received it, the box was heavily damaged, it did not include the software the literature said it was supposed to, or an instruction manual. It was also dinged up and either shut off for no reason, or rebooted for no reason. Also, if you buy it, make sure you print your receipt from your email because I did not receive a receipt in the shipment either. I have just contacted the seller on how to return this and I will update my review to include that information once I receive it.

3. Posted: Jun 21 2008

   I purchased a USED Palm Treo 650, that was supposed to be in very good condition and is supposed to come with the basic accessories. I just got delivery on the phone today and it was totally NOT WHAT I ordered. It was BUSTED UP with SCRATCHES on the exterior, it came with NO PEN, NO CHARGER, AND NO EAR PHONES, NO SOFTWARE CD and NO DATA CABLE. HOWEVER it did come with someone's contacts still installed, an inbox full of someone else's emails, a BUSTED BATTERY and LOTS of teeth marks like a starved Rhino chewed on its housing. I usually do a fair amount of Shopping on amazon cause I think its a pretty safe, it has good stuff on sale. So I was most SHOCKED when the piece of JUNK arrived posing as a used phone. DISAPPOINTING.

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1. Posted: Jul 16 2008

   Don't buy this phone. It's a nightmare. I had the 650 then the 680 and now i have the 750 It's incredible how each one was worst than the other, but the 750 is so bad I don't get mad anymore I just laugh! It has the worst operating system (windows mobile) Palm was 1000% better. The battery is just plain stupid, I had to buy a 2400mAh just to get thru the day! If you install goodlink then your phone will run at half the speed! If you want to check your email you will have to press option plus send button! I mean, I'm driving and I need both hands to check my emails!????? Speed dial on the today screen will accidentally dial your contacts....all the time! If you want to dial a number, don't think of just dialing it! If you want to dial a number, don't think of just dialing it because that will get you nowhere, you first have press the send button, then move the cursor up until you reach the dial pad menu, then press enter and then you can dial the number, but you have to do it every time!!!!! Ahhhhhh! If you open the explorer to check out some stocks, be careful if the screen goes to stand by you will have to do the whole process again because the treo 750 will bring you back to the today screen every time your mobile phone powers down. I could go on and on and on but I really don't have time. If you want a good mobile phone get a blackberry or the iphone. If you need a Treo get the 650! I almost forgot, all of the treo phones have very bad speaker volume, it is so low that you can buy a software that will let you pump up the volume for only $25.00 dls. I am going to get an iphone and ship this one to a friend in Afghanistan

2. Posted: Jul 9 2008

   I've owned a Palm 750 for less than two months and it's becoming one of my worst purchases I've made in years. I'm soft resetting the phone in excess of 10 times a day - and thats only so I can use the phone for basic in/outbound calls. Every other function (email, text, whatever) has basically become useless. For some reason I cannot explain the phone is freezing up constantly. No, the problem is not with third party applications (I'm not running any) or with me having alot of large files stored on the phone (which is ALWAYS the answer that you will hear from tech support or with other defenders of the faith), the problem seems to be somewhere in the Palm software or the OS. The phone has just decided to start locking up constantly and from what I can see is there's absolutely no explanation for it. Even making phone calls can be difficult - especially inbound calls - because when you hit the 'answer' button the phone will lock up (yet, it will keep ringing, and ringing, and ringing... almost as if to taunt you that you're not worthy of answering the call). At this point my phone has become a drag on my productivity and my business. I would rather be using my old motorola fliptop from 1988. Do yourself a favor and dont buy this phone.

3. Posted: Jun 24 2008

   I've had about 8 different Palm Treo phones running the Palm OS over the years, and finally I "upgraded" to the Treo 750 running Windows Mobile 6. I also use the Goodlink software on it for corporate email/calendar/contacts. What a piece of junk this phone is. I hope it breaks soon so my company will give me something better. Microsoft really blew it with WM6. They basically added nothing new in terms of features, and the performance is so lousy the machine is almost useless. It crashes and hangs up all the time. This is even after a fresh hard reset. It doesnt keep up with calling activity. When a call comes in, by the time it paints the screen with the caller info, the phone has been ringing 2 or 3 times. Then when you hit the answer button, the lag is so bad, you may not realize you are connected, since there is no visual cue to tell you the phone knows you pressed 'answer'. So if you press it again, the call goes to hold. Unbelievable. When you call someone that is not in your contact list, the screen shows "Unknown Caller". Very stupid, since it's not a caller, it is someong I am calling. But it looks like someone is calling you since it says "Caller". In emails, it can't keep up with my typing, and when it catches up, it drops random keystrokes so I have to back up and correct it. The bluetooth barely works with Acura Handsfreelink in the car-- it starts working, but then if you get out of the car and walk away, the phone thinks it is still connected to the handsfree, so when calls come in, you miss them, and when you place calls, people can't hear you. You have to turn off Bluetooth and turn it back on. Turning on/off bluetooth, which is a keystroke or two on most phones, takes several navigation steps to perform on this phone. Unbelievably, Microsoft hasnt added any new games in several years of Windows Mobile development. The product manager at Microsoft who is responsible for Windows Mobile should be replaced immediately. I can't wait until I can get rid of this piece of junk. If you want an ugly brick that can run some fairly mundane applications, and also perform as a lousy phone, then this is the device for you! Your mileage may vary...

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