I’ve been using Palm PDAs for almost 10 years. My current unit, a Treo 600, has been acting up lately, draining the battery for no reason or freezing at random times. I think I’ve dropped it once too many times, and time for a new one. That’s OK.
I checked the prices for a Treo 650 - $600?? And as far as I can tell, unless I want to sign up for a new (different) cell phone plan, I have to pay the full amount. That’s a bit steep for me. Maybe I’ll just get a simple cheap cell phone and a separate PDA. A normal PDA would have a larger, better screen anyway.
Then I look at the Tungsten T5, but it has terrible reviews. It appears the battery life is pretty bad. It has bluetooth but no Wi-Fi - perhaps not a big deal, but some sort of wireless connectivity would be nice. The LifeDrive similarly has poor reviews.
Then I looked at the SONY Clie models. The ones with built-in Wi-Fi look good. But then I notice they haven’t come out with a new model in over a year, and none of my local stores carry it anyway.
So that leaves me with… nothing. Or am I missing something, and/or making too much of the negative points?
I absolutely love my Treo650. Yeah, they’re expensive unless you can sign up with new service… but if you can swing it, you can get some good prices. I got one for Mrs. Lightnin’ and I for $250 each off of eBay, with new account activation. Our old Sprint account was under her name, this one’s under mine… so, technically, it’s a new account, even though it’s the same two people.
The only drawback to the 650 is that there are just so many accessories I want… uh, NEED to have. Today I’ve got a brand-new Seidio cradle and a high-end headset waiting for me at home… can’t wait to try 'em both.
I wish I could do something like that. But I need to keep my Sprint phone number because I’ve been using that as my main phone number.
BTW it looks like I got the T5 reviews confused with the T3 - it appears the battery life of the T5 isn’t too bad. Most complaints seem to be about features in T3 that were left out of T5.
I guess I’m off to the Sprint store to see how much more expensive the Treo-650 is compared to a Tungsten-T5 + regular cell phone.
Back from the Sprint store. The Treo 650, if I buy it now (less than 18 months from when I first signed up), would cost me $679. :eek: Their cheapest phone is $189, so I can buy that plus a Tungsten T5 (with a free WiFi card, if I buy now from the Palm Store) for $538. Tough choice…
I’ve been a Palm PDA user since about two weeks after they first hit the market.
I just bought a Treo 650, and it is excellent. It is my first smartphone. I’ve compared it to a friend’s Treo 600, and the 650 screen is a significant improvement over the 600.
I presently use a Zire 72. Nice, with lots of features. Too many for me in fact. Turns out I go places where cameras aren’t allowed. The built-in camera in the Z72 causes me problems. The bluetooth is nice-I sync to my BT equipped Mac, but I could live without it. So, I would go with the T5. That will be my next PDA. I sometimes get laughed at juggling an PDA and a cell, but it is very worth it to me to have the two separate. I can optimize each unit to do what it does best.
So go ahead and split the functions, it works just fine.
Oh I am so so very jealous. I have to wait until Oct. 1st for a bonus to get mine. Im replacing a HP2215 I think that I had stolen a year ago next month. The Treo 650 has some pretty cool options. Man, I cant wait.
How do you manage the phone list (contact list)? I’ve gotten spoiled by my Treo 600, being able to call any number on my Palm contact list just by clicking on the number.
My other concern is how to carry both. I feel silly (and awkward) having two things on my belt.
On the other hand, there have been times when I’ve been on the phone (i.e. talking on the Treo) and needed to check my calendar or address book. Separate units would work better for that.
In addition to basic phone and PDA capabilities, I want a better screen than the 160x160 thing on my Treo 600. I use eBooks and off-line web browsers a lot. Other than that I don’t have a very demanding set of, er, demands.
I use Agendus on my Treo 650, and there is no problem whatsover in using my calendar or to-do list while on the phone. The Treo 650 has Bluetooth, and a speakerphone.
I have the T5 and it’s the first PDA I’ve ever owned so I can’t compare features and performance to other PDAs. I can tell you it does something that bugs the crap out of me. Several times a week it will decide it needs to be reset. It pukes up an error message then shows a reset button to press, sometimes pressing it works, other times I have to use the reset button on the back. Given the length of time Palm has been making these devices I figured that kind of thing wouldn’t happen. Aside from that I’m really pleased with it. I got it bundled with a wifi card which is the deal you seem to be looking at. If you have a specific question about this model I’d be happy to try and answer.
<off topic>
It might be the software you have on your T5, rather than the T5 itself. Have you installed any software on your T5 that didn’t come with it?
</off topic>
You can switch carriers and still keep your phone number if you can find a place that has a cheaper phone. You can get a wireless headset (bluetooth) so your conversation would still be private and you’d be able to use the other functions of the phone.
(I just got one as an early birthday present and it is awesome. So very much better than having separate devices.)
Oh, I just thought I’d post a link the moblog that I make with my Treo650. Um… 'cause it’s vaguely appropriate to this thread, but mostly because I don’t think anyone actually looks at the damn thing other than myself.
The system’s pretty good- I take a picture with my phone, and mail it into a particular email address (with a few comments from me). When their system receives it (usually immediately), it’s posted onto my blog with the comments I’d attached. Yeah, I’m a geek.
Do you mean transfer the current number to a new carrier? I heard some talk about allowing this but I didn’t realize this was possible. Is this possible with all (or many) carriers? I assume there’s more to it than going to Best Buy (or wherever) and saying “I want that phone, and transfer my Sprint number”?
Yes, in the US you can now transfer your existing cell number to a new carrier who will work harder to win your business. The ability to retain your old cell number has been great for consumers. Thank you, FCC. More information is here
That is certainly an advantage of one tool. As for me, I handle it the old fashioned way. Look up the number in the Z72, type it in the phone. It is a disadvantage, but worth it for me. Besides, I have the Sprint voice command so if I expect to need the number more than once or twice, I enter it into the web site and I don’t have to remember anything except who I am calling.
It did it the first day I had it so I don’t think so. I’ve also since read a couple reviews and others have complained of the same thing. It might be worth a complete wipe/restart though. Perhaps if I’m feeling up to it one weekend I’ll give it a shot.
