Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have owned a Treo 650 on and off and on again since this model came out. Initially, I was extremely frustrated by the phone's telephone performance and its lack of stability. Frequent reboots, freezes and dropped calls made it difficult to appreciate the phone. I ended up getting rid of it and relying on a separate palm and cell phone. Over time, PalmOne has released firmware updates (the phone's operating system) that have made the phone very stable. The improvements we so significant that they actually won me back. This review is for the GSM Treo 650. A word about Carriers: I only use GSM because I travel abroad frequently - this limits me to Cingular and Tmobile. I have used both, and I have found that Cingular's network coverage is more complete, especially in rural areas, but Tmobile's network sounds better. It's a tradeoff - with Tmobile, you'll drop the call more often, but with Cingular you'll say "what?" more often. Their coverage is about equal in big cities and along major highways. International roaming is less expensive with Tmobile, plus Cingular has a few hurdles in place that prevent you from enabling international roaming on your account if you've been with them for less than 6 months. Verizon and Sprint use a cellular technology that is US-only, and therefore no good for using your phone abroad. Here are the phone's pros: in your pocket, you have your address book, datebook, notes, e-mail, low-res still and video camera, a very nice sms interface that threads sms exchanges by contact, a web browser, and an mp3 player. The QWERTY keyboard makes typing much faster than a standard phone. The interface is unique and you will need a little time to get used to it, but once you do you will be as efficient at quick-dialing and keeping up with daily use as on any other phone. Also, this phone is a quad-band GSM which means that it will work very well abroad, unlike the more common tri-band GSM phones, which don't perform as well. (Remember, if you get a Treo Smartphone from Verizon or Sprint, it will not work abroad.) The screen on the Palm version is brilliant. The Windows version is not as sharp - a limitation imposed by the operating system. Also, GSM technology uses "SIM" cards, which means you can simply change out the "SIM" and use your phone on another network or another phone number, either domestically or while abroad. (You might have a phone locked onto a carrier's network until your contract commitment is complete, but that's something you can sort out on your own). Here are the phone's cons: I said "in your pocket" because if you mount this thing on your belt, the bulge may force you to make alterations on your sport jacket. Also, in an age of identity theft and information security, you should think long and hard about just how much information is in there. Believe me, the phone quickly becomes a place to store passwords, account information, customer information, etc. Consider how you will feel if you leave it in a restaurant, or if it's stolen. Here are lesser cons that can be worked around: The beauty of these palm phones is that they're so popular; other people have had whatever problem you might encounter, and they've written software to address / fix / work around the issue. For example, I found that the phone's volume is not loud enough. There is 3rd party volume software to fix that, as well as software that allows you to use the phone as a Bluetooth modem for your computer. Some software is freeware, some is shareware, and some is for purchase. The key is that there are so many forums and resources on the Internet that you can search around and find the answers that you need, and the phone allows you to install and uninstall with as much ease as with your home PC. Thoughts about newer Treo phones: The 650 now costs a little less because the Treo 700w and 700p have come out. This is a good thing, because I don't see the 700 having any new features that make the upgrade a "must". Other than a slightly redesigned appearance and interface, and higher resolution camera, the phone's features are basically identical. Also, as of the Summer 2006, the Treo 700 is only available on CDMA networks. The Treo folks have staggered the release of GSM and CDMA models to give the all carriers a turn at exclusivity. Looking to the future, there is speculation that the next generation Treo phone will be a GSM, it will be thinner, lighter, and the antenna will be internal - basically, it will more resemble a blackberry on the outside. These are much sought after features by Treo users. Maybe I'll upgrade then. In conclusion, only 4 stars for this phone because the product wasn't ready for market when they released it. It's much better now; if they had initially released the current product, I would have given it 5 stars. I hope my perspective helps you with your decision. UPDATE - Jan 08, 2007: the Treo750 (windows mobile) has come out in the UK with Vodafone, and here in the USA, the Treo680 (Palm OS) has been announced with Cingular. In forums on the internet, people have reported that the new 680 addresses many wish-list items for the Treo faithful: slighly thinner (a modest few millimeters), internal antenna, better keyboard, volume-too-low issue "sort of" resolved, better mp3 player (pTunes instead of Real), more memory, improved phone interface, EDGE instead of GPRS to double the data speed. Unfortunately, the camera has the same resolution (640x480) and the few millimeters thinner have meant a thinner battery. Treo 680 owners complain of poor battery life (1 day or significantly less for power users). As of Thanksgiving, every vendor pre-selling the Treo 680 was sold out (including Amazon). This tells me two things: many Treo users are looking to upgrade immediately by choice, not out of necessity. As a result, the market should be flooded with inexpensive used Treo650s, and no doubt merchants with 650 inventory will probably sell them inexpensively enough for people who have been priced out of the smartphone market to get their hands on one. Palm says the 680 is targeted to the every day person, not the power user. I suppose that means in a year we should expect another more expensive model that will be what the 680 should have been. I feel that Palm is releasing new models in a very slow and calculated manner in order to drive consumer spending. My recommendation: if you want a Treo, go with the 650. With an extended battery a power user (bluetooth, e-mail, etc.) can go 2 days between charges or 3 days with normal usage. Look for it online. The smartphone market has become very crowded with the slim Motorola Q (windows), the comparably sized and feature-rich Nokia E61 (legendary stability of Symbian OS), friendlier and proven Blackberry models, the Samsung blackjack (windows), and lately the MDA (windows) is getting rave reviews with all the features you wish you could have, including Wi-Fi. The Treo does a lot - it probably has the best SMS interface on the market, but the rest is just ok. For example, the mp3 player works, but not as good as a dedicated mp3 player like an iRiver or iPod. The e-mail application works, but the IMAP implementation is poor, and POP3 performance is inconsistent re: leaving or deleting messages from the server. If you want a good e-mail application on the Treo, you'll have to buy a 3rd party program that will be almost as good as the blackberry. But you will have to buy this app, and the more 3rd party apps you load, the less stable the device. What I'm saying is the Treo is a jack of many trades but it's a master of none (except SMS/MMS messaging.) While I am a Palm faithful, I'm afraid that if you want a *stable* phone, e-mail, address book and schedule, the blackberry is the way to go, but you won't have the bells and whistles (camera, mp3 player, 3rd party apps and touch screen) that come with a Treo. Yes, that means I now have a crackberry. It was a Xmas gift from a friend who was tired of hearing me complain about my Treo. Here is the bottom line: if you're getting this device as a business tool where missed calls or e-mails translate to lost money, get a blackberry. If you want a really cool phone with all the bells and whistles you can fathom and you like loading 3rd party applications and you like having a fun device to play with, then you will absolutely love the Treo.