1 never use sprint again
This review has nothing to do with this phone. I am very unhappy about their service.
1. You have to pre pay for a month of service and they are rude enough to refuse to prorate you last month service. You are definitely going to be ripped off on average of half month of your service fee. (about $45 for me, could be more)
2. Their coverage is bad. Constantly drop signals. I came to a sprint shop, they said I need to upgrade my software. After that things are not improving ...
2 Treo 300 Review
The item looks more like "used refurbished" than "like new" as described, but works good and came with lots of accessories. Overall great value. Thanks.
3 Ups and downs, overall great economical PDA/cell
The keyboard format is awesome, because I can't stand graffiti. My cover has never broken, but I would advise anyone to purchase a case for this phone. The battery isn't easily replaced, but a little googling and you'll find websites that sell replacement batteries for $25 and include instructions for installation. It's not rocket science, trust me. Otherwise, some people get their undies in a twist over the lack of voice-dialing, but I don't mind. I just use the shortcut keys for the speed dial option. It's not a great driving phone. If you're a commuter cell-phone chatterbox, this is not your phone. If you're a professional or a student with PDA experience, a little patience, and a budget, this would be perfect for you. Don't buy it new...MAJOR RIPOFF. Get it used here or on ebay.
4 It is a prototype not a real consumer product
This phone is a great concept but a terrible implementation. I've owned this phone since it first came out. First, the cover breaks so easily that I had it replaced three times before my insurance provider canceld my insurance. I'll qualify this with saying that I'm an above avarage careful person and have never broken a phone before. The cover is a well documnetd issue in other reviews but this is only the least of my dislikes. For instance, the battery is built in and after a couple of months of use the average battery life goes down to about 20 minutes of talk... I do not believe that this phone is allowed to be sold as a $450 real phone and not a prototype?
I hope the Treo 600 has gone through some phenominal improvements to rise up to an acceptable level.
I've owned a Keyocera 6500 5 years ago and I loved the intelligence and careful thoughts that were put into that thing so early on in the PDA evolution days. If I have to guess, their newer PDA phones must be way better, although I have not owned it myself. I've also heard that the Samsung i500 is a hot product.
5 Did not like it at all !!!
I returned the item the same day I received it. The company Performance PDA was not very helpful with the money back warranty. I am still waiting for my credit. The phone its to big, and difficult to manage.
6 *** PLEASE DONT BUY THIS PHONE *****
I've been using this phone for 11 months and I'm waiting for one more month to get over so that I can go for another phone without breaking the contract.
Pros:
Reception is good.
Cons :
This phone gets reseted automatically, if there is no charge left .. and it has reseted about 10 to 15 times past 11 months... So i have lost most of the contacts cos it erases everything... Ofcourse u can sync it with computer and have those contacts saved, but u dont want to sync it with computer every time u add a contact expecting the phone to get reseted anytime...
I have got problem with missed calls and voice messages, sometimes it wont indicate that there is a missed call or voice mail....
It is very big to be a cell phone and sometimes it sucks....
I'll highly recommend people not to buy this set, I'm not saying this just by using for 2 or 3 months, I have used close to one year and had lots of bad experiences with this phone...
I'ld have given 0 stars if they have one ....
7 A terrific way to see what smartphones are about...
Ever since my last long motorcycle trip to the West, where I had to beg or borrow other people's computers to handle my e-mail and update my weblog, I've yearned for a compact device with which to access the Internet.
My first thought was the PalmPilot Tungsten C, which uses WiFi to connect.
Then I discovered the Handspring Treo family of smartphones. While the Treo 300 is obsolete - it's been succeeded by the Treo 600 and just this month by the Treo 650 - it's still a heck of a neat device. I already had a Sprint cell phone account, so the Sprint Treo 300 looked like the perfect way to get the functions of a cell phone and a PDA rolled into one - Plus, the Treo 300 accesses Sprint's always-on internet connection. Forget having to seek out a WiFi hotspot that may, or may not, be an encrypted pay-as-you go arrangement. If I'm able to make a Sprint PCS phone call, I can also be online, for as long as I want without incurring any additional charges.
The beauty of the Treo 300 is that it's no longer the cutting edge of smartphone technology that it was a couple of years ago. The biggest difference between the 300 and 600 is that the 600 has a built-in camera and doesn't have a flip-up clamshell design. So if you don't care about your PDA/cell phone having a camera and want to get what used to be a $500 phone very cheap, scout around for a Treo 300. I picked up a used one for $70 and have since found a ton of free software for it online.
If you're already a Sprint customer, or are considering becoming one, it's a no-brainer.
8 You'd be better off with a tin can
Sprint should be ashamed of themselves! Their service is just horrible. If you're outside on a clear day, their phones work nicely. But if you're anywhere inside (house, apartment, business office) you know you will be cut off during the middle of an important call. I have gone through three phones with this company and not one of the phones are reliable. The free evening and weekend long distance minutes are a joke because you cannot get a signal to patch the call through.
The Treo 300 is beautifully designed, but it's like a gorgeous body without any soul. The phone calls are an embarassment (as is Sprint's customer service) to modern technology. The Sprint Vision Internet service is slightly better but you have to wait long periods of time to connect and often the phone shuts off and you have to reset because the Internet failed!
It's not just Sprint's fault though. The Blazer Internet service that the Handspring Treo offers is often not able to provide any results in your on-line searching and since it doesn't have Java Script capability, you have limited choices in what sites you can use.
The stylus has problems as well in that it doesn't always "pick up" what is on the screen, the screen itself being so delicate you're almost afraid to apply anything to it.
9 I love this thing
I love this item. I have had it for about 3 months now. I paid about 100 dollars with all the discounts. Being 16MB is pretty good considering the price and dual function. The phone function is really nice, though I wish the speaker phone was a bit louder. It is very easy to hotsync software to the phone. Only thing I have been having problems with is installing new ringtones, but that is a trivial issue.
As for the customer service, I have never had an issue. I had every issue I had handled quickly. Always have with sprint and handspring.
10 Great device...Terrible Manufacturing
I owned the Treo 300 for about three months before I started having problems. I mean, sure it worked well and did everything I wanted and needed it to do, but after awhile of use, the hinges that hold the earpiece on broke off. This happened only after normal use (opening and closing the lid). It was a disappointment to say the least. Another thing about it was the fact that it was alot bigger than I had expected (not having seen it live before because I bought it on the internet). This is not necessarily a bad thing, just inconvenient at times. So overall, if you can overlook the broken hinges and the oversize, it is a good phone. I do not recommend it!
11 Lack of customer support
I just recently lost my earbud and cannot seem to easily get it replaced. The problem is that only one works with the phone. Even the Sprint people don't have the skill sets or knowledge to understand that only the one earbud provided works. The most amazing thing is that if you go onto their own website, Sprint will be happy to sell you an earbud that won't work with the phone!
12 Great product; lousy support (from 3 different companies!)
The phone works fine (but only with the earbud -- without it, the volume is inaudible); the PDA is great; the two together simplify, and improve life. Between them, however, Handspring and Sprint (and now Palm) make it hard to get simple questions answered, and impossible to answer hard questions. Why can one only get a replacement earbud from Handspring, and not Sprint? Why wouldn't two different Sprint store managers know that? Why would they keep giving out Sprint earbuds -- for free! -- that don't work? Why would they need to keep the Treo 300 for two days to figure that out? Don't get me started on the week it takes to get a replacement earbud via Fedex! Not to mention the unavailability of replacement styluses! Exclamation points! Still and all, good is better than perfect, and I look forward to upgrading to a Treo 600 when they get the backlog problem sorted out and the cost comes down.
13 Good phone, great price.
I paid $100 for the phone with Sprint/Handspring discounts. Works fine with a Mac Powerbook. Wireless modem connects my laptop to the internet anywhere I get phone service. I can receive and send emails through snappermail. Palm Desktop works great. The phone does not get the best signal, and the speaker phone is not loud enough, but if you are looking for a cheap phone that has email, wireless modem, internet browsing, text-messaging, and Palm OS for less than $400, this is a good way to go. Setup could be impossible for computer illiterates. Sprint is not helpful, but it is possible and the software will eventually all work.
14 Do NOT buy this product
This product is one of the worst designed, and most troublesome
handheld device I have ever owned.
Biggest problems with it are:
: The phone and phone features are an afterthought, and hence
terrible in user interface design and usage.
: It sucks up batteries so fast that I am going from charger
to charger
: The power attachment, stylus socket are all poorly designed.
I have lost 2 sylii, and have bought atleast 3 car chargers
($20 each)
: The mail service (Treo Mail) is abominable. Now they're
moving users to Visto, I hope it'll get better
The only positive thing I have to say about this is that the
address book integration & sync to Outlook are pretty good.
I bought it because it was heavily discounted, big mistake!!
15 poor quality
This handset was terrible. It automatically erased memory twice for me, and the cover fell off once for no good reason. I would not reommend this product to anyone.
16 Jack of all trades...
...master of none.
The positives: The speaker phone, the web browser, POP mail. The quality of Palm OS games. The ability to handle large email attachments and open word docs in QuickWord and pdf in Adobe reader.
The negatives: Delicate construction of flip top. The size requires a new lifestyle. Seeing Treo 600s and wanting to crawl under a rock in shame.
Basically it does everything well, but nothing perfectly. It doesn't email as well as a blackberry, web surf as well as a computer, or slip in a pocket as easily as a little cell phone, but it does do ALL of that.
Your friends may laugh at you for talking into a Palm Pilot, but secretly they are jealous.
17 Handspring Treo 300
I've had this phone for 3 months. It is my first PDA. I love the PDA capabilities combined with a cellphone. I've had no problems with battery life. I am disappointed over how difficult it is to figure out how to access my email account. One has to download Eudora(or similar program) to access your email. Yet, in my case, it still does not work. (I called Sprint tech support several times, and no one seems to know how to make it work!). I also am disappointed about the browser not being able to read Java script. Also, the flip-top lid is now cracked right below the hinge. I've read past reviews about the delicacy of the lid, and I have been extra careful with it, and I have not droppped the phone. So, the breakage may be from wear and tear? I disappointed that this occurred after only 3 months. Overall, I like the idea of a PDA/cell phone combo. But, this one needs more work!
18 A fantastic value
This was my first cell phone purchase, and I've been absolutely delighted with it. Using the Hotsynch feature, I can import my appointment calendar and my contact list (this has been a real lifesaver). I can surf the web (the keyboard is small, but functional). The speaker phone works better than I expected. The games are great. Everyone I show it to likes it, although the phone is bigger than some people are accustomed to. Try it, and you will probably love it.
19 Use Treo 300 as a wireless Internet for your Laptop
Just get this one for free now and download PdaNet, the software will drive this phone as a wireless modem for your PC using the HotSync Cable. Get 144K Internet speed.
20 checkout Treo 600!!!
for the price and the functions this is a nice buy... but looking at the new model you may want to spent more $$ to get the Treo 600. but still a good buy~! from Amazon of course :)
21 Awesome!
This is the best damn product to come out in a very long time, from any manufacturer, making anything. Vision is the FASTEST web browsing service available and works great with the Treo (other providers don't even claim to be better). I have had the product since the day it was available and have used it extensively since then. My wife has one too and uses it even more than I do for running her business and loves it. We both can't wait until the faster, smaller, more functional (apparently it is possible) Treo 600 to come out this fall. No, I do not work for Handspring or Palm. Thems the facts, Jack.
22 Awesome!
This is the best damn product to come out in a very long time, from any manufacturer, making anything. Vision is the FASTEST web browsing service available and works great with the Treo (other providers don't even claim to be better). I have had the product since the day it was available and have used it extensively since then. My wife has one too and uses it even more than I do for running her business and loves it. We both can't wait until the faster, smaller, more functional (apparently it is possible) Treo 600 to come out this fall. No, I do not work for Handspring or Palm. Thems the facts, Jack.
23 good device
This is a good device to replace my Visor and phone. One thing to charge and keep track of.
24 good device
This is a good device to replace my Visor and phone. One thing to charge and keep track of.
25 A Very Good Product
The Treo isn't the best at all the things it does, and that's OK. What is does do well is pull together several applications and allow the user to accomplish of number of tasks with one device. For those of us who don't like carrying a lot of hardware around, it's a welcome compromise. I've found over the last 8 months or so that I've had the Treo that I use it heavily, and to me, that is the test of a useful product. The only complaint I continue to have is with the battery life. Since the device does not allow for battery changeouts, it does limit the time between re-charging. Other than that one complaint, I think the Treo is a real step forward.
26 A Fine Product
Yes, I was one of those guys who resembled a Techno-Nerd: cell phone and PDA on the belt. Now that I use the Treo 300 with Sprint service, I resemble an "undercover" Techno-Nerd.
The Palm OS platform is very stable and there are a lot of applications made for it. The whole package (email, web browsing, seamless Microsoft Outlook synchronization, and telephone) works very, very well.
As far as Sprint customer service is concerned, well, all wireless companies have questionable service. This is coming from someone who has had accounts with Verizon, Cingular, and AT&T...So, I believe I know what I'm talking about.
Yes, the Wireless Web on PCS Vision is slow. Mine seems to run at about 28,000 most of the time. Hopefully, in time, these transfer speeds will pick up. But the Treo 300 wasn't really made for hardcore web browsing. If that's what you're into, get a laptop with a wireless card and service...
Simply put, the Treo is a great unit that combines everything the mobile, on-the-go person needs. My only real concern is the battery. It will last for an entire day on a full charge, but not much longer than that. Props to Handspring and Sprint.
27 Handspring Treo 300
Had 2 of these Treos, both defective in one function or another. Try wrestling with Handspring for help.
Sprint PCS vision is so slow it's completely worthless.
28 It works for me....
When the Treo 300 came out, I started looking for a decent price. I had decided to wait for a price decrease when I saw the rebate offer from Amazon.com. I purchased it immediately. The features for me, a low volume cell phone user, are great. The combination of a cell phone and PDA truly lightens the load on my belt. I've gotten used to no grafitti which was my biggest adjustment. Downside? Sprint customer service ('nuff said).
I won't be going on the web with the unit, so the problems with the browser don't concern me. The speakerphone is loud and clear, learning to use the keyboard was easy and programming the phone was a snap. I do have some concerns about battery life as the battery charge indicator takes a fall rather quickly during calls. However, after subtracting the Amazon.com rebate, the Sprint rebate and selling my old PDA, this baby is hard to beat.
29 Pretty Great... Probably a Year Away from Awesome
I'm holding in my hands both the new Palm Tungsten and the Handspring Treo 300. I upgraded from the 270, as it has been my experience that GSM is horrible at best, at least in the LA area. Sprint customer service is truly abysmal -- my service has been suddenly turned of for non-payment TWICE in the FIVE DAYS I've had this unit. It takes a long time to talk to an actual person, and the website is often down. However, coverage has been great with Sprint, and that's the most important thing. The new Vision plans are great -- unlimited web browsing and email, and good deals on minutes. THE BEST THING about the phone is that I finally only need the one gadget, instead of having to grab my Palm and my cell phone. And it works with OSX, while the 270 did not. Syncing has been easy and consistent, and I can actually hear people talking on the other end (the 270 was impossibly quiet). THE WORST THING about the Treo 300 is the lack of SMS text messaging. I really don't understand how it could be missing... apparently you can receive but not send. And receiving has been very inconsistent for me, but at least that should be fixed eventually with revised software. Color is nice, and the resolution is OK to browse and look at photos with, but once you've seen the Tungsten screen... well, if you're considering the Treo don't look at a Tungsten screen. It will just make you depressed. If this had Bluetooth and the Tungsten screen, it would be a perfect product. But because it combined my two most used gadgets in one elegant, functional design, I'd have to say it's the best gadget I own. Ok next to my iPod. Ok after Tivo.
