Treo 600 is a small, simple to use smartphone with a built-in QWERTY keyboard. It seamlessly combines a full-featured mobile phone and Palm OS organizer with wireless communication applications like email, messaging and web browsing, and even a digital camera-to simplify both your business and personal life. The keyboard, five-way navigation button and other cool design features make it possible for you to get more done in fewer steps, with just one hand, and without having to swap back and forth between applications. And it's still lightweight, stylish and small enough to fit in your pocket. CDMA Model: 800/1900 MHz nationwide coverage by Sprint
1 Very Poor Signal Strength
The Treo 650 I bought is ALWAYS two to three bars below other phones (at the same location) in signal strength. Sprint has been totally unhelpful in this regard saying they can find nothing wrong with the unit.
I would reccommend against the Treo 650 unless one is sure, very sure, they will never be in any but the strongest signal areas.
Sprint support has been a joke, except that I am not laughing.
2 The most perfect smart device I have ever used!!!
The New-Age Treo's are the best smart devices ever made! I have used the T-Mobile Sidekick, the AT&T Motorola MPX, a Nextel Blackberry, a Samsung i600, and even an older style Treo in the form of the Treo 300. And out of every smart device I have ever used, the Treo 600 and 650 are 1000 times better then any of them!
1# The Treo's have large color screens with full keyboards, but are still small enough to fit in your pocket.
2# The battery life is insanely long! Both of the new Treo's claim four to five hours talk time, I have found even longer. I often lay in my bed at night surfing the web for hours and hours, and by the time I am ready to go to sleep, my Treo 600 and 650 still have enough battery life to go a few more rounds.
3# Because the Treo's are so popular the prices for accessories, software, add-on's, ect are Much cheaper then those for the other types of smart devices on the market. There is even talk by Palmone to start using Linux as the Palmsource software core, so there will be even more software available. And because Linux is open source, the phones will eventually be cheaper then those running the Microsoft Pocket PC. With the added bonus of the dependability of Linux!
4# Because the Treo's are of the Candy-Bar style design, they are much easier to talk on. Because there is no flip, or antenna to fumble with.
5# There is a software lancher called "ZLauncher" which has many features for your Treo's software interface. One of which allows you to see the exact level of signal strength. By using this tool you can so how much better the Treo's antenna and related components work, compared to any other phone on the market. I get a great signal with Sprint, but with Sprint and my Treo, my service is even better! I get signals with my Treo in places where my Sanyo and LG did not. In fact, I get better signal strength with my Treo, then my friends get with their phones!
6# Palmone has a patent on a new design of smart device that they are working to bring to the market. A design nothing like the designs currently available. A PDA phone that will be thinner and still able to have a large full color screen and keyboard. SO the next generation of Treo's will be even better!
The only downfall to the Palmone Treo's today, is price. That is because they are still new to the PDA phone market. Once they start making more and more phones, the prices will come down. And once they restructure their PDA manufacturing and company purpose in general, the prices will come down. I don't normally write reviews on phones, because I used to be a Die-Hard Motorola phone fan, and I guess still am. But if Palmone keeps making phones this perfect, then I will only buy their phones for the rest of my life! I can not say enough good things about these phones! Try one and see what I am talking about. Use it with Sprint PCS's $10 unlimited Visions access!
Russell
3 Dropped Calls galore
I had another combo phone, the Kyocera 6035, a bit bulky but worked fine. I bough this and have constant dropped calls, no service, etc.
Very displeased with this phone.
4 Great useful phone, but not as high tech as you would like
I transitioned from a regular cell phone and a palm vx to this treo 600. The 650 was not available at that time.
This phone works great. It crapped out once and all data was lost (synch backup a week before). Otherwise it works great.
Pluses:
- Palm functionality integrated well with phone functionality.
- SD Card reader
- Camera
- backlight keyboard
Minuses:
- Very slow data transfer via synch - instead transfer via sd card
- low res screen
- camera is pretty poor in quality, but comparable to some first generation camera phones
- small keyboard buttons
- need adapter to use headphones
- very low volume speaker and poor quality speakerphone
- No graffiti pad
- Not bluetooth or Wifi (although I heard you can get a wifi sd card)
I would highly recommend you get a nice case to protect this phone and screen protectors to minimize damage to the screen.
5 Closest thing to what I hope they invent soon.
I really want the functionality of a palm/blackberry together in one package with a phone. The Treo 600 and 650 come the closest to accomplishing that goal of anything I've found.
The calendar and contact functions are first rate and it has some useful extras like software to store your usernames and passwords (but don't forget your password to get your passwords). The e-mail functionality still falls well short of Blackberry's real-time interface.
As far as the phone function and service are concerned, I have mine with Sprint and have found my coverage to be reasonable, but not great.
The camera on the 600 is lousy, which I hear they improved dramatically on the 650 - same thing goes for the keyboard.
Overall, I'd be happier with the phone if they could get it into a smaller (maybe folding?) package. This thing is still quite a brick to carry around, even though it does a lot.
Sooner or later, someone will get the phone/PDA combination right and I'll be all over it. This isn't quite it.
6 Get the insurance
Let's be clear: the feature set is great. The Palm OS 5 is amazingly good, the display on the Treo 600 is clear, and the usability factors are first-rate. The problem is that the Treo 600 is the most fragile phone I've ever encountered. A drop from even 12" will break the display, which isn't replacable or covered by the warantee. Your only solution: buy a new phone. Sprint are amazingly unhelpful here. They are more than happy to sell you a new replacement phone to fulfill your contract ($600), but that's it. If you press them, Sprint will sell you a "cheap" phone to continue your contract for only $150, but they will not repair a Treo 600.
Moving on to coverage, I found that in the San Jose area, Sprint had lousy coverage. When pressed, Sprint will insist that there are new towers coming on line every day, but over the course of a year I only saw the signal strength get worse.
If you must buy the Sprint version of the Treo 600, BUY THE INSURANCE. Over the course of a two-year contract, you will replace the phone at least once. Ask youself this: would you rather pay $5 a month for insurance, $600 to replace a broken phone, or $150 to buy out your contract and start over with a new carrier?
Bottom line: the Treo 600 is a great phone if you're willing to treat it like it's made of glass. When it breaks, you'll have to deal with Sprint's abysmal customer service. If Palm can solve their manufacturing problems, they'll have a winner. Until then, but the insurance and the best protective case you can find.
7 Down with Palm
If you like a loud buzzing to override all your conversations, then this phone is for you! I exchanged my first Palm with another, which, thankfully, does the same thing. Hey, gotta give them credit for consistency!
A phone that is as big as a poptart, loses connectivity without warning several times a day, costs a butt-load, freezes while using call waiting and switching between applications, and, ah, the buzzing! Yeah, this was the phone for me, and if you want a really expensive and really crappy phone, then it's for you, too! Cash in your daughter's college fund and buy one today!
8 OKAY FOR A FREE SAMSUNG I330 REPLACEMENT
First of all I had a samsung I330. Loved the style/color, the graffitti, the voice recorder, and 10 person voice dialer all of which my treo 600 does not have. The phone's camera is useless since it is not clear, no zoom, no brightness. The 600 slips out of my hand because it's too smooth. In order to feel it vibrate I have to expect to feel it vibrate (uuhhh...you tell me)And that flashing green light bothers the heck out of me at night (can this thing be turned off and phone still on?????????) A $$$$$ phone (good thing it was a replacement) with pitifull ringers (are we still in the classical age or what!!!) AND HAVE TO BUY BASIC SOFTWARE TOO!!!!! But thanks to sprint and their wonderful replacement program I have a palm phone that has a good address book/calendar, xtra memory and favorites buttons.(now, i had to travel an hour to the right Sprint store to get it)
However, in all of that I still thank God that I got it free and it is working as should.........looking to try another phone.
9 I hate this phone
I received my first treo 600 from the nearest sprint store (an hour away) last May for my birthday. The photos, which to me were important, were all blue. The reception was terrible. Nobody could hear me anywhere, even with several bars. I am unable to drive for physical reasons and was not able to return the phone until 15 days later when it was a weekend and my husband could drive me. The store would not return the phone cos it was one day late.
I had pruchased the relacement contract, but because I had not damaged it, lost it or stolen it, I was told that it did not apply (?????). I actually bought another one, (do you believe how stupid some of us <i.e. me> can be when we want something to work lol) and I didn't get the $150 discount - I had to pay a full $599. This one was barely legible. On top of that, it became apparant that unless I synced every night, when I woke up in the morning, all my addresses, contacts, appointments, etc. were gone.
Sprint was of absolutely no help. This time I dropped my phone. I got a replacement phone. Right out of the box the keypad didn't work. I returned it and was sent another one. I was informed that the replacement contract was only good for 2 times. This was the second. No more replacements, even though I was replacing a phone that didn't work right out of the box.
This one would not sync. I could not download anything. I couldn't back up anything.
I was at my wit's ends. I called up national Sprint and they sent me a brand new treo 600 in exchange for the one that wouldn't sync. However, they would NOT let me exchange the treo 600 for the new treo 650 that had just been released (and I'd pay the difference, of course.) Since I couldn't afford another $599 I agreed.
This one works okay but is nothing great. I would not recommend it. The pictures are awful. I am embarressed to show them. I still have frequent breakups and dropped calls and have yet to receive any credit. I would really love to trade up to a treo 650, looking at the reviews, but Sprint will not let me and apparantly Palm One can not "interfere" with Sprint clients.
In lieu of being able to get the treo 650, I wish I had had 20/20hindsight. I would have kept my really good LG 4050 (or something like that) and bought one of the dedicated pda's. But hindsight won't buy a cup of coffee. <g> I feel very stupid for buying 2 of these phones (actually thinking the second would be better, believing the sales manager that this was a new "improved" model of the 600)
I wish I could be like the first reviewer of the Treo 650 who was asked to upgrade by Palm One. I sure wish they would give me the opportunity to do so. I wish I hadn't sold my LG phone so cheaply to a store employee (guess where that phone probably ended up?). A lot of money to learn not to be so gullible or eager to buy what sounded like a dream. I feel like I paid to beta test the treo 600. Everything I found wrong (and more) was corrected in the 650. I feel all 600 users should have been given a chance to upgrade for a much more reasonable price, seeing as all the 600's were only 6 or less months old. Mine sure was full of manufacturer defaults.
Oh well, the way prices are going, maybe I'll get a 650 for Christmas (unlikely) or, if they continue to fall, maybe I can buy one after Christmas and sell my 600.
10 Thanks! I love it!
The Good :
1. Amazon made it easy - did have to go to the Sprint store to activate it - but it's been 8 months and I'm happy!
2. Sprint service in LA is decent. Certainly no worse than my Verizon I had for 4 years. When I travel the same is true...
3. The phone works great with a headset - The numbers are not too small...
4. Internet works quite well - can check email in about 30 seconds... very acceptable to me...
5. Camera is fun - but not great... It's just cool to email photos to friends right on the spot...
6. Sync's better than any Palm I've ever had (with Mac)
The Minorly Bad...
1. Without a headset - not so good - your cheek can actually hang up the touch screen.
2. Had several pixels go out 6 months in - Sprint replaced the phone no problemo.
3. The car charger is hard to get in and out with my headset... Minor...
4. Sprint customer service is in India... Hmmm... Not sure I really like that.
All in all - I love it. Can't wait to upgrade to the 650...
11 Some great features, some bad
One of the best features for me is the contact list. I was able to sync it up with my Address Book on my Mac (after installing a free conduit). This saved me endless hours of typing in contact info, and was the singles best feature for me when I first got the phone. It also syncs up with the Mac iCal application.
The phone reception has been great for me, and the sound quality has been very good, but the highest volume setting isn't high enough. It's hard to hear even in moderate noise, like small crowds where anyone is talking nearby.
Battery life has been excellent.
One pet peeve I have is that I can't use Graffiti. It has a stylus, but it's only used to point and tap. That was very disappointing to me. It makes the stylus almost useless, except that there are some things you can only do with the stylus. For example, if you set an alarm, the only way you can click on the alarm notifier (asterisk on the top left) is with the stylus. Also, if you are browsing the web, and you come across a page with a scrollbar, the only way you can scroll (as far as I've been able to discover) is with the stylus. I can't get the selection into the scrollbar portion to scroll without the stylus.
Speaking of web browsing, I have several complaints with the web browser provided. First, it provides some portals from the home page to find local things like restaurants. It takes you through the screens to enter your address or local (city, zip code, street, etc.) Once you do this and search, it just brings you back to the page to enter your location. It doesn't save it anywhere, so you end up in an endless loop, never able to find anything. This is completely useless.
Another complaint is that it provides some default links for downloading things like software or ring tones. But the only ones it points you to are ones that you have to pay for. You can't find anything that is free. It is particularly disappointing since the software that comes with this phone is the bare minimum.
The Sony Clie that I had before (T655), which cost much less, had tons of software included on the CD. Software to read Word and Excel documents. The Treo contains no such software, you have to buy it all on top of what you already paid.
One final complaint is that since the screen is a touch screen, when I get calls, it often ends up answering while it's still in my pocket. I wish there were a way to lock it so it wouldn't do that.
It is a very good phone overall, but considering the price, it has many holes and leaves much to be desired. If you can get a good deal on the phone though, it works well enough that it can be a very good phone. I just expected more for what I paid. The software that is included works very well (except for the web browser), and the keypad is nice.
12 so so resolution, so so camera, so so battery life.
Had it for a year, my title for the review pretty much sums up what I felt about this phone. Hopefully, the 650 improves upon those shortcomings. I know 650 has bluetooth, but don't seems to have wifi, that makes me want to go for a XDA III or i-Mate.
13 A perfect little phone
The Treo 6oo, with the SPRINT PCS service, is the perfect little phone. I don't have a single complaint. The battery life is many days on stand-by, the web browser is fine for a small screen (but the screen has to be small if you want a small phone). It is rugged and the SPRINT service is ideal. I tried Verizon, and the guy on the SPRINT commercials? He ain't kidding for once. Verizon sound quality was so bad the phone was almost useless. This could have just been my own area (Albany NY), so your experience may be different I suppose. But I was using a motorola digital phone with the Verizon service, so I think an apples-to-apples comparison is fair.
The phone syncs perfectly and seemlessly with OUTLOOK on my desktop, so I had all my phone numbers in the phone's memory the first time I linked it.
I find my PCS service and Treo 600 so ideal and reliable, I cancelled my land line service.
This phone would be better if it had blue tooth, so you could use the cool new headsets that appear pretty practical, but they were not around when I bought this phone, so I don't think it is fair to hold that against the Treo 600.
Also, the camera's resolution is poor, but none of the other phones are any better, so that is a wash. At least it is easy to use.
There is the full suite of PDA features as well. They all work fine.
I hightly recommned the rhino skin aluminum case. It is not much bigger than the phone itself, and it is inexpensive and bullet proof, leaving all the ports accessible.
I also recommend screen protectors. You have to press the phone's screen to your face (like most phones today), and unless you just got out of the shower, there will be a tiny amount of skin oil transferred to the screen and it will add up.
Altogether, this is an amazingly compact phone for all the solid performance it offers.
14 Phone stop receiving and sending signals after 5 months
I am really pissed off with this device, I can not express how much I lost because of this stupid device, at this point I am not sure this is sprint or handspring issue. Phone started troubling me after 5 months of proper functioning. My bad time I had moved to new apartment and I did not have home phone for a week and this device completely stop working when I did not have alternate ph no. My kind advice please do not buy this device with sprint service, though Sprint agreed to give a me new phone, I will cancel sprint service and buy some simple phone which works all the time
15 Fantastic Phone/PDA but has reliability issues
I have had this phone for about 9 months now and it is indispensible. I replaced my sprint sanyo picturephone / Treo 90 combo and the Treo 600 is way better. The only thing that isn't as good is the camera. The sanyo was marginally better but neither were good enough to do anything other than take snapshots in an emergency anyway.
Almost everyone I meet in my business circles has a Treo 600 and almost everyone has had to replace/repair their Treo at least once. I personally have had to replace mine twice. My friends almost like to brag about how many times they have had to replace their Treo 600.
When I first got the Treo600 it was great then after 3 months the signal reception seemed to drop noticably. I figured out it was probably the battery since signal strength improved when I plugged it in. It got worse and worse until it started resetting itself. Finally I took it into a Sprint store where they ordered me a replacement. The replacement turned out to be a refurbished unit which didn't work properly either. They were going to make me wait for another week when I demanded to speak to the manager and after making a big stink he gave me a new Treo600 which touch wood seems to be working ok for several months now. Battery life is pretty good you can talk all day.
I don't know if the reliability problems were mainly on the first generation units and have been fixed now, but beware and hotsync often just in case.
Other than the reliability, lack of Bluetooth and low res screen the Treo600 has no equal, until maybe the Treo610 when it comes out.
One more thing, you can use this phone as a pretty good MP3 player with the right software BUT it will NOT play though the phone headset, you MUST buy the special adapter or the proprietary Treo headset. If you try and plug a regular headset into it it can cause damage and battery drain.
16 Excellent phone
ok this is not really a phone, rather more of a three devices in one. I have this for over six months now and can't live without it. Especially if I am on the road and do not have internet connection. I can check email, calendar etc...
It will be great to have bluetooth working. Supposedly that is in the making. Also since a newer treo (650 ?) is coming in few months, this older model will probably be sold much cheaper than now. So you may want to hang tight for a couple of more months.
The reason, I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because I have had some hardware problem and recently my original unit stopped working as a phone. But sprint was very prompt and sent me another unit. So not much to complain there. :-)
**Update: Treo 650 is out now. It seems to have lots of things that I desired in 600. So hold on to your monery for that ***
17 It seems to be the perfect balance for me.
One thing I've learned is that all handheld devices (and cell phones) are based on a compromise between price, features, size, etc. You just have to find the one that doesn't compromise in the ways you intend to use it.
For me, the Treo 600 has been perfect. Web browsing, remote control of PCs, email, and having my contacts & schedule with me always has been perfect.
18 Best PDA and Phone
This is by far the best PDA I've ever owned. My first PDA was a Palm IIIe, then a Palm V. The Treo 600 is far superior.
I like the thumb key pad much better than using graffiti. The Treo600 is very lite. The ability to add a SD card is a nice feature too. You can move files and apps to it. I really did not want a camera phone, but I've found that I use more than I thought I would. It's nice to have a camera for those moments when you wish you had one. For instance when my son makes a huge mess and has that "What happened here" expression, I take a picture of him and send to my in-Laws. I like to download trial software and the base memory is only 32MB which limits how much software you can try at a time, but I added at 128MB card. After registering the Treo600 with Palm One, they sent me a link to download a free MP3 player. I also found out yeaterday that there is software to encode DVDs to play on the Palm. The web brower works find. I can access my bank account online and purchase from sites like Amazon. The business Connection software allows me to receive my email on my PDA. The battery lasts a decent amount of time. It has a larger screen, and navigation is basically the same as the Palm V and Palm IIIe. The phone works fine. The speaker phone works well. Before the Treo 600, I carried my cell and PDA. Now I carry one device on my hip that serves both my needs, a PDA and a Phone.
Palm One has done a great job.
19 Great phone - get it from Sprint PCS though, not Verizon
Well, as an early adapter, I guess I should be used to taking it hard. I bought Verizon's PalmOne Treo 600 the first day it came out - over a year after Sprint PCS released it. My plan is 400 anytime minutes, unlimited in-network calling, unlimited nights and weekend, and $5 for Internet access a month. Unless I go over, it should cost me $49.95 a month. I just got my first bill.
$1,641.66.
It turns out that the connection to the Internet doesn't shut off - even if you chose "Disconnect" from the web browser's menu. Even if you turn off the unit. It continues to ping the Internet looking for data every six minutes. Hence my bill show some 1023-minute calls.
Steve in Verizon's data division said they've received a lot of calls on this issue and isn't sure why they even offer the $5 web-only feature, when customers need to get the $49.95/month unlimited data transfer or deal with $1,000-plus monthly bills. When I asked if there was a way to stop the pinging every six minutes, I was told no, "it's a data phone first and a cell phone second."
Interesting, as my friends who have the phone with other carriers have never had this problem. Interesting, as I was never told this when I bought it. All I wanted was a freakin' cell/PDA combo, so I don't have to carry both with me, making me look like I'm sporting a chubby in two pockets at once. With Verizon, the cost for doing so is $44.95 plus your calling plan a month, which for me will come to about $100.
After 58 minutes, I was told my bill should be adjusted within 24 to 48 hours.
Also, on Verizon Wireless's PalmOne Treo 600 Smartphone web page it lists a 5 MB transfer for only $24.95. When I asked the technical rep about that option, he said getting it would still cause a Treo 600 owner's bill to be over $1,000 a month. He said it was up there for use with other phones. He had no answer when I said there are no other phones on that page.
Now, I probably could return the Treo 600 - except I already sold my old phone and Palm on eBay.
Of course, if I could just get a free minute for every time I heard "Oh, that's the new phone. I'm not familiar with it" none of this would be an issue.
Buy the phone from Sprint PCS and don't deal with the problems I had with Verizon Wireless. It is a great product for all the reasons listed in the other reviews.
20 DO NOT BUY THIS PHONE
I bought this phone about two months ago and it has been nothing but trouble. The features are great and the size is amazing but the thing has problems. The most significant problem is with the wireless aspect turning off by itself. Because the phone can be used for so many things other than a phone it lets you turn off the wireless (cell phone) aspect of the device. This saves battery power and lets you use the other features while in places that cell phones are required to be turned off (hospital and airplane for example). The problem is that the wireless turns itself off with any gentle vibration of the phone. This results in dropped calls at the least opportune moments. My co workers and clients HATE speaking with me when I am on the cell phone since the device continually turns of in mid-call.
When I went to my service provider to have the phone replaced they said I could send it in for repair. They would not exchange it or provide a temporary replacement. I subscribe to unlimited data usage and the highest minute plan my provider offers (and still exceed those minutes). I have been with the provioder since 1997. They want to take care of me but say that the policy with Handspring (manfacturer of the phone) is to send warrantied models back for repair.
I am going to get rid of this horible device and get a Blanckberry or some other such phone that allows me to have cell phone and email service.
21 Better PDA than most, but still lacks Phone power
I had the Treo 300 (1st Treo) and that was a good pda but not as a great cell phone. This is the same with the new 600. I actually don't think there's anything upgraded except the 600 is color and has expandable slots. The 300 had 8mb and I held about 400 addresses, phones, names plus games and it only used up about 4mb so with the new Treo 600 at 16mb (I think) it's more than enough. I depend on an scheduler, database for my work greatly and need it at a moments notice. This Treo has really come in handly for instant info.
The cons are:
- 1 or crashes/freezing a month. Not complete crash just frozen in time.
- The phone takes about 8 seconds to begin dialing which a regular cell immediately ring through. This is kind of disappointing because time is money and for $700 for this phone, you expect it dial a number when you want it too.
-I use my pda often and it definitely is drained at the end of the day.
-If you're needing a dependable phone, this isn't it
-Pros are:
-free applications out there. I compare this to the BlackBerry. Palm PDAs are PCs and Blackberrys are Macs. Palms are cheaper, free stuff, more applications but not as stable. BBerries are reliable yet more expensive.
- easy to use and find applications.
- quick to recharge. When it's 1/2 drained it takes about 20-30 mins to be fully charged.
- easy for beginner to learn how to use
- one of the only ones on the market with keyboard
- size is relatively smallest amoung PDA/phone combinations.
You don't want a small screen if you're going to work on the pda. There is a nice Samsung pda phone out there but it's way to small to use as a database. I would avoid a keyless-board pda because you'll have to learn the graffeti which means another language/style to input your info.
So far I don't think there's anything else out there that can provide for the on the go user besides the Treo. It barely had any upgrades from the 300 but it's sturdier which I like because the 300 just couldn't stand up to my useage.
Consider a car charger if you will use this unit for calendars and calls. Avoid the $16 charger, they sell it at BigLots/PicnSave for $1.00.
Contact me if you have any questions.
realhrt2@hotmail.com
22 Bad Product
I've used the Treo 600 for three weeks.
It's pretty good as a PDA.
But as a telephone, it is poorly designed. The only way to easily dial is through two handed use. True, you can save your favorite numbers for one handed use. But try to return a call from someone you don't know while driving. It is nearly impossible to do so safely.
I have many other complaints but I can live with them all. I can't live with a phone I can't use while driving.
23 Blackbery User - once skeptical now convinced
I've been a Blackberry user for the last 5 or 6 years. I use the email every day in my consulting business. It's proven to be a bulletproof email device. What's sorely lacking with the Blackberry is a decent web browser (yes I know there are some available and those with BES or 7510 can use reqwireless).
The Blackberry also has a major flaw in the lack of applications written for the device. It is primarily a one trick pony - that does that trick exceptionally well. By no means am I giving that device up - I love it for email. I tried the Treo because I was already a Sprint user and wanted to evaluate the unit as a backup to my Blackberry.
TREO PROS
-Sprint data plans are unlimited and inexpensive (included on plans over $100)
-Signficant third party applications
-Relatively stable
-Highly customizable through the 3rd party applications
-Does not generally require an IT department to configure to an Exchange Server
TREO CONS
-Battery not replaceable and the life is less than BB
-No automatic "push" email - you have to either manually retrieve, poll at an interval (with software like Snapper) or use a third party push like Seven or Sprint Business Connection
-Keyboard smaller, tougher to type than the BB
-Some users report the units have been fragile/prone to breakage
I've been pleasantly surprised by my Treo experience. I initially held back from evaluating this device because I'd heard it was unstable and crashed often. I have been evaluating this for three weeks under pretty heavy usage and haven't had any resets beyond my intial day or two when I was first loading in different programs.
There is rumored to be another more advanced model coming late 2004.
24 Fragile
Features are great camera sucks blah blah. Let me get to the point.
I've had several cell phones in my life. Never once has one of them stopped working. Since I got this particular phone 6 months ago, it has simply stopped working not once, but twice. Two times I've had to replace the phone with a brand new unit. Two times I've lost all of my phone numbers and software.
So why did the phone stop working? Not because I dropped it. Not because I mishandled it or downloaded bad software. No, it was because (as far as I can tell) I switched to the phone mode too fast after typing a text message. That's it. Really. The phone just froze up and that was that.
With all the hassle I've gone through with this unit, I definitely cannot recommend it. If it had only happened once, okay, it's a fluke. But twice? For this kind of money, I would beware folks.
25 Best PDA/Phone yet
While a PDA/Phone is not the thing for everyone, the Treo 600 comes closer than anything on the market. It is small enough to be held in one hand and the keyboard is usable, though only for short bursts, with one or both thumbs.
The full-featured PalmOS device gives you access to all phone numbers and email addresses in all built-in programs (no more limit of 20 or 50 or 100 like many phone only models.
Its camera will not be used for too many vacation photos. But, it is ideal for field work (real estate, client visits, etc.) because you can snap and send photos and then upload them easily to your PC.
The MP3 player (free with registration) is adequate, though I prefer my iPod for that. The reason is that the headset jack is poorly located on the bottom of the unit and requires an adapter (sold separately!) to use standard headphones.
The only other complaint of note is that there is not a way to add Bluetooth, WiFi or other alternative connections to the device.
26 Bad hardware but great product for PDA phone
I have had to replace our office Treos --- in one case three times and twice in another, as the speaker (ear piece) fails. Lack of voicedial and a tinny speakerphone are problems. Digital only service works fine in major metropolitan areas but is problematical when one travels to more "rural" parts of the US. The camera is extraneous and is worthless even when adjusted with software (after-market). Keyboard is great for email but the lack of Graffiti is irritating for us original Palm users.
Traded mine for a Samsung i500 and am much happier except for the lack of after-market add-ons or lack of stock. Samsung is tri-band so this is great for additional use in other areas where there is no PCS service. Samsung has voicedial and speed dials that exceed that of the Treo and I like that better. Size of Samsung i500 is much smaller and fits in my pocket easier, as I an not a man with large pockets. The fact that I can not play MP3s due to the limited memory of the Samsung vs. the Treo is not an issue as I have an Ipod. Ripping MP3s and slow load make the Treo not a great music player.
16mb of memory is more than sufficient for most, I never filled the Treo to the 32mb capacity except I used the memory card for books. Suggest that if you don't need to carry a lot of data, go for the Samsung as it is more reliable, has two batteries (7 hours vs. my continually charging the Treo from a short to moderate conversation).
Both are about the same price, so be cool and be one of the few who have a Samsung 1500 vs. the Treo. Samsung and Sanyos do have the best voice and sound for cell. I have a pre-paid unlocked SonyEriccson 610 with T-Mobile and that is fine for overseas or a cute but hard to use (joysticks are for the birds) phone. Ironically, I got the SonyEriccson as a trade for a free MS Smartphone that always crashed, locked and never worked right.
27 Treo 600: First True Convergence Device
I absolutely love my Treo 600 and consider it one of the best buying decisions that I've made in the last year.
I could write forever here about its qualities, features, functionalities, how it plays music, movies, games, radio, audiobooks, allows you to record voice memos, take pictures, check your email, send sms, synch your Outlook contacts, you name it the Treo 600 does it all!
If you'd like to learn more about the Treo 600's many features I can suggest that you visit this Treo 600 bloguide at http://blog.alteraxion.com/coolgadgets
If you'd like to learn about how the Treo 600 does entertainment: (...)Enjoy!
28 Resetting
Overall, great PDA phone. Would not want to live without it. The plusses are obvious and well stated by company and others. My cons and concerns are:
1) I have to do a soft reset (basically restarting a computer, so I lose no data) about once a week, or quirky things start to happen: I lose phone service, phone service disconnects after a few seconds, get network errors, or it freezes.
2) Major concern: I've had to do a few hard resets (actually the hard resets occurred on their own). All data was lost, but fortunately, I had hotsync-ed and all data was restored. After this happened a few times, I think I've discovered why this happens. While recharging, if I turn the phone on and disconnect the charger from the PDA while it is still on, the device goes into an automatic hard reset mode. This has never happened if I disconnect the charger while the PDA is turned off! Do it this way!
3) Company should either get rid of the camera or upgrade to higher megapixel! Resolution is horrible, as probably expected.
29 all the power of an old Windows PC...
... with all of the reliability too. The Treo 600 sometimes freezes when you want to make or receive a call. Mine also spent one day pretending to work but it wasn't accepting incoming calls and trying to dial out resulted in a "network error". A friend with the wireless provider standing in the same spot was able to make calls.
If you wear sunscreen and hold this phone up to the side of your face you'll find that the screen gets smeared with goop, unlike with a flip phone design.
30 Phone breaks very easily
I bought my Treo and really liked it. However after about 6 months of normal usage the cover snapped off. This happened from normal usage and not any type of abuse. Palm refers you to Sprint for the warranty. Sprint says there is no warranty unless you have purchased insurance. So after only about 6 months of usage I have to buy a new phone and organizer. This can end up being a very expensive phone if you have to replace every 6 months!
31 Two For The Price of One
Once I actually got around to buying a cell phone and an organizer a few years back, I was amazed. What I had originally written off as being something trivial and meaningless quickly became a necessity. So, I keep. The Treo 600 may soon stop that past time for me. You see, getting a phone number off a Palm and dialing a cell phone was a feat that I couldn't perform (I saw many do it on crowded streets or in busy malls). Well, Treo has solved that. It truly is the best of both worlds. The PDA has a bright, color screen with all your favorite applications at the ready (I was a bit confused that the address book is now a part of the Phone operation but, so what? It imported all the numbers and dialing any number is a snap). The cell phone gets excellent reception and although it is not as small as I'd like, it weighs next to nothing, holds a charge for quite some time, and with a camera, full PDA, great phone and web browsing capabilities, it is truly like having an entire office in your hand.
32 Had the Samsung I 500 and traded in for Treo 600
I had the Samsung I500 for a week and exchanged it for the Treo 600 and I like it so much more. It is much easier to use and more advanced. The sound is better, web capabilities are better. Even though its alittle bit longer than the samsung it doesnt weigh anymore.
Keyboard does take alittle getting used to but it was easier to learn than I thought it was. I exchanged my samsung for the treo thinking that I would exchange back to the samsung if I didnt like the treo but after 2 hours I knew that i was going to keep the Treo.
I havent had any problems with the speaker or the screen or the display. But I do have the replacement plan if there are any problems. And there are several stores in my area to take it back to if there are any problems.
33 Bought to Replace Tungsten W- Big Mistake
Got Tungsten W because of Palm OS- good concept bad execution- horrible phone because it always required the headset.
Thought PalmOne Treo 600 was the answer. Camera a joke- can't see any detail. Browser is useless because of screen size. Phone & Palm Dayplanner works fine -but so what. For the money I should have gotten a blackberry... The Treo is a big step forward- but NOT far enough. Must improve- camera, screen size , and must add bluetooth.
34 THE BEST piece of electronic I have ever own!
TREO 600 is a great PDA phone! I love all the features that comes with it. Lightweight and stylish design. Speaker phone ability (I can talk on the phone while driving without the earphone that never fits in my ear!) quick SMS typing with built in keyboard. My TREO 600 use SPRINT as provider. Sprint has a VERY good connection. It's my favorite wireless provider. (I've tried many other providers that just have lousy connection before finally staying with Sprint)
There's only one thing that I am not too crazy about. When I am on the phone and have the phone up to my ear, I'd accidentally turn on the speaker phone and scare myself! I guess I should have turn off the screen on the phone setting.
All things aside, this is a great phone for people on the run.
35 Simply the Best Smartphone Available (3rd Party App List)
This is truly a smartphone. Here is an example of some of the things I do with my Treo 600 using available 3rd party applications beyond the basics provided by palmOne.
-Streaming Audio (News, Music, Sports Shoutcast Internet Radio) using PTunes Deluxe
-FTP and Remote Desktop using VFS FTP, and Mobile TS
- MP3 Ringtones using Lightwav
- Unified Instant Messenger with Verichat (MSN, Yahoo, AOL)
- Remote Web Blogging using Vagablog
- Use as a wireless modem for your PC or Mac laptop
- Wireless Corporate Exchange E-mail with Good or Seven
- Record Video Clips with MovieRec
- Record Sound Clips with SoundRec
- Access my POP3 e-mail (Yahoo)
- Compose, view, send and receive Word, Powerpoint and Excel Documents in Native file formats usind Docs2Go
- Watch full length Motion Pictures with Optional SD card up to 1 gig in size with Kinoma Video Player.
- Access My Entire My Yahoo page in under 30 secs using WebPro Web Browser.
- PPTP VPN for corporate IMAP by Mergic
- Handmark Express Web Content and Maps and Yellow Page applications
- Get SMS Alerts from Yahoo
Move over crackberry.... Treo is in the new sheriff in town....
36 Great
Ignoring the PDA features this is the best phone I have ever had. Great phone book and amazing reception. I have had it for 6 months and I still love it. It works so much better then my previous pocket pc pda ever did.
37 A Very Solid Smartphone
Let's be straight, this is as much a laptop as it is a phone. The phone functions are very well done, with easy, one-button access to anything. This is also useful for applications. Here is a short list of stuff that this phone can do (and do well enough for regular use. I've had one since they came out last Fall).
Phone
PDA (calendar, to-do, contacts, memos)
Voice Recorder (works while using phone, need latest software update)
MP3 Player (512MB card is useful, also works with streams over the wireless connection)
SMS
E-mail
Internet Messengers (all of 'em)
Calculator
Flashlight (really, this is an 'emergent' feature, but I use it all the time)
Video Games (blah to Gameboy quality)
Movie Video Camera (still under development, but works with picure and sound}
Regualr Camera (decent VGA, can be tuned in software)
Video Player (Kinoma works for me. Simpsons on the Subway)
Book (see: Project Gutenberg)
Watch
Nice web surfing with blogging front-ends. Can load many sites and flies on ones designed for mobiles. Doesn't do flash.
The software also expands functionality, and uses the Net well for things like flight status lookup using FAA database, and name lookup with Mapquest links.
Also, and probably most useful to me, has been using it with Sprint's data service as wireless internet access (regular IP). Software allows the phone to work like an antenna and you get decent (60-70kbs) regular, full internet service.
All phones should have this last feature, which also allows the phone to charge via USB.
38 Smaller than most PDAs, way more functions than conv. phones
I am very happy with my purchase. I'm an early 20's male so obviously my favorite aspect is the fact that I can put TONS OF GAMES on it. There is a downloadable emulator to let me put all my favorite SEGA and Nintendo ROMs on it, in addition to all the Palm games already out. The only drawbacks I have about it is that I haven't found any handwriting recognition software for it. Being able to scribble on the screen was one of the MAIN things I expected when buying this! I found things to let me draw on the screen, but at resolutions way too poor to make legible words.
It's surprisingly small for a PDA phone, slips nicely in my cargo pocket. Battery life is AMAZING. I want to find out of the differences in the CDMA and the GSM version are merely software, or hardware, there is a SIM card slot on the back of the phone. I go overseas a lot and the REST of the world is hooked on far superior GSM technology.
39 Love the features/Hate the design
I was so excited to hear about the features of the Treo and that it was compatible with my Sprint service that I ran out and bought one soon after the 600 came out. It definitely does have all the features I want and need. I absolutely love the ability to get to the web and to sync with my computer at work so that I can have access to my calendar, phone list, etc. And it is especially nice that I don't have to carry both a phone and a PDA. I enjoy the bells and whistles. But the Treo 600 has (what I consider to be) some design flaws that are so irritating to me that I am considering replacing it or going back to carring both a phone and PDA.
First, I am over 40 and the letters are that keyboard are difficult to read, especially in the dark. And much as I have practiced, I cannot seem to get the hang of holding the Treo and using my thumbs to type as I see younger people do.
Next, when being used as a phone, the Treo is not designed to fit eaily in the hand and to hold to the ear. I seems I am always having to adjust where I hold it in order to hear the caller. Women will find that using the phone at the ear will result in smears of makeup on the screen.
I had voice command with my older cheaper phone-only cell phone and I loved it. But with the Treo, it takes two steps to get to the voice command feature and any safety offered (during driving, for instance) by dial-less calling is counteracted by having to look at the phone and press two buttons to get to the point of voice activation.
The touch screen does not seem very responsive, especially toward the bottom of the window.
Web access, while doable, can be very time-consuming.
Maybe it's just me. Perhaps I need some 20-something or 30-something to train me how to get the most from this phone!
40 LOVE IT
My brother in law owned it and I ws jealous fo rthe longest time. I finally got a great deal for it when I was renewing my cell plan.
41 Best Phone I've Ever Owned
I really love this phone. It does absolutely everything. I've learned morse code on this phone, I check my e-mail and synced my 500+ person phone book. I used to lug around a Pocket PC and a cell phone. I had to type the numbers from one into another. This solution is so much better and the one handed navigation makes it really easy and convenient to use. It drew me away from Pocket PC and I'm never looking back.
Keep in mind though, that you will end up spending lots and lots of money on decent software to run on the machine. I spent at least $200 more dollars on software that enhances the features. After you buy it, be sure to check out Treocentral.com for great discussion on all the different aspects of the Treo and software reviews.
All and all I highly recommend this phone. The reception rocks and you won't be sorry.
42 I was a little worried...
I have to admit that I was a little worried when I first got this phone. I'd seen some negative reviews regarding problems with the speakers and Sprint's service. Now that I've had the phone over two months I have to say that I am more than completely satisfied with it. Having a PDA and a phone in one unit is a awesome. Admittedly there are sacrifices made to keep it small, for example the almost useless camera, lower resolution screen, and tiny keyboard. Despite what others seem to perceive as shortcomings the balance Handspring has achieved with this product is actually quite good. The majority of my contact and scheduling data was entered on my computer and hotsynced to the phone, occasionally I use the keyboard when I'm away from my desk and while it isn't as easy using my desktop keyboard it is huge improvement over using a typical cell phone keypad to enter data. I've experienced none of the reported problems, either with the speakers or with Sprint. Some of the software available is phenomenal; if you like games try Warfare, Inc.
I rate this product 5 stars, if I could give it more I would. After using it for two months I can't imagine not having it and I really don't understand how or why so many folks have negative things to say about it. That has not been my experience at all, now I just wonder why I didn't get one sooner!
Good luck!
43 Treo600 would I buy it again if I know what I know now?
That answer would be no. However it is not a bad phone. Most people bring up the good first I will bring up the bad first, I think it helps you to decide faster and better.
The bad:
1. Palm OS meaning alot of stuff you need 3rd party software to run. And those 3rd party software is very expensive.
2. VGA camera that only works outside in bright light with all this limitations why even have it? If you want to buy camera phone this is not for you.
3. No decent case to hold it, looks like the case that came with the phone is the best out there.
4. If you are reading this review you already know how expensive this sucker is.
5. Speakers sucks it will stop working on you.
6. MP3 player software is good but you have to buy a "special adaptor" so you can use that MP3 function.
The Good:
1. Sprint's Business Connection offer is very good, you install software on your computer and leave the computer on. When you need to retrieve something (business email, files, applications) you can link up to the computer and download it.
2. The screen is very bright, easy to see and use.
3. Contact search is fast, hit a letter and it will jump to the contact start with that letter.
4. Though the keypad is inconveniently small, it is still usable. I would not dial out of my phone with the keypad I would just bring up the dialing key on the touch screen.
5. The speaker phone is very convenient.
44 Full of problems
I live in New Delhi, India. On a recent visit to the US I purchased a Palm Treo 600 from Airport Wireless at Terminal C at Boston Airport on May 19, 2004. I was told that this handphone which can be used with any SIM card all over the world. Within half an hour of using this handphone I discovered problems with the phone. I was unable to fix India as my Home City in the preferences menu. Any attempt to do that and the handphone programe would hang. Since my connecting flight was delayed, I walked back to Airport Wireless and asked them to replace the handphone. They did so. I was given a new handphone. I used this handphone in the US for four (4) days.
In India, my handphone developed the same problem as the one I had exchanged. I cannot change my Home City in City Time to New Delhi. It is fixed as Islamabad. I cannot change my timezone to India in the preferences menu. If I try to do that, the handphone hangs. All my efforts to contact PalmOne for help have been dissappointing. Airport Wirelss at Boston Airport is not responding to my e-mails. When I call them on telephone, I am asked by them to contact PalmOne. If I contact PalmOne I am simply advised to do a Hard Reset. A hard reset doesn't fix the problem. Finally, a technical support guy at Palmone Advised me that this is a known problem with treo. A software glitch.
Now recently, the handphone just hangs while working atleast once a day. I have to reset the phone on a daily basis. Palmone responds by saying "we can't to more. Go to Boston airport and return it to the shop you purchased it from. Complete waste of money on a product let loose by a completely unprofessional company.
45 Four and a half stars
I've now owned this phone for a month. I love it. I haven't (yet!) been plagued with the dead-speaker problem that many other reviewers have complained about, though those reviews did make me nervous about buying the Treo. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, I am enjoying having a PDA phone that easily fits in my pocket. The buttons controlling the screen, vibrate mode, wireless mode, and other functions are logically laid out. The keys are small but not hard to type on after a little practice. I love that I can browse ordinary web pages with the included Blazer web browser while on the bus to work. I can even use Yahoo Messenger, etc.
The only real miss is the camera, which is so bad as to be almost entirely useless. I have a "real" digital camera anyway, but it would have been nice to use this for quick shots. It would also be nice (if the camera were worth using) to be able to link photos to caller ID without those users having to be on your quick-dial list.
Pros:
One-handed operation
Ease of use
Size
Web browser
Cons:
Horrible, nearly-useless camera
Price (unless you get a significant discount)
No Bluetooth
46 Great Design -- software lagging WAY behind Pocket PC
I love the design of this phone. Unfortunately asthetics will only get you so far. Overall, this is a bust. The signal is greatly improved over the previous PocketPC Phone Edition, but the Palm OS 5 just falls WAY SHORT. If you have ever used a Pocket PC device, do not buy this phone. One thing after another keeps poping up. Things you just take for granted. Imagine that you have used MS Windows all your life and you switch to something that seems to look better. All the sudden, you can't view your files without a third party app, you can't transfer your files to a disk without a third party app. You have to jump through hoops to check your email or print and even then it's not reliable. Wouldn't that be awefull? I'm telling you, this Treo 600 phone is a BOMB! Looks great but a BOMB. It's light too... a light BOMB. It's cute and light not even heavy enough to make a good doorstop which would be it's best use.
47 Can't live without it ...
It's an amazing phone ... but you do need to purchase software for it to really get the full use out of it ...
For email - VersaMail (supports IMAP)
For chat - AIM (From aim.com)
I run an internet based business and I find that I can do mostly everything from it when i'm on the road.
There is a problem with the 1st generation of the phones with the battery being under 50ish% going into "Network Search" ... but Sprint replaced the phone for me immediately after I discovered this ... even though I had the phone for 7 months and I damaged the screen ... Sprint is best ...
48 Sprint PCS- Bad
Buyer beware... do not buy Sprint. I give them zero stars! I purchased a Treo 600 for metro Atlanta. Basically the service was very bad. I called to cancelled and charged me $112 and change. As a business customer or any customer why am I being changed for poor service. I am not going to speak bad about their customer service because they tried. But they do not understand about business relationships and how to assist the customer. If you intend to buy a phone from them get the least expensive plan first. Then will not loose as much monsy as I did for just 7 days of service.
49 Great device with minor flaws
Amazon has the best deal on this phone through Sprint. So far I have had a pretty good experience with their service. I love the fact that I don't have to carry a PDA and a phone. I had a Clie and never used it because I was annoyed with inputting info, but because of the QWERTY on the Treo, I use the PDA all the time. The very minor cons are: Low ring volume (difficult to hear in my purse), poor picture quality on camera (just don't use it), no voice activation. I just signed up with the personal business plan, and I have been receiving and sending e-mails without problems except that suddenly my battery seems to be draining very quickly. I guess it takes a lot of battery life. I've changed some settings, so we'll see how that goes. Overall I am very pleased with the phone. With some minor improvements this device will far surpass others on the market.
50 No service available, buy at own risk!!!!!
WARNING- BUY PALM & HANDSPRING DEVICES WITH SPRINT SERVICE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!!!
We have bought two handspring PDAs and then two Handspring Treo PDA/Phones. We have used their products loyally for over 4 years. Things have changed.
Palm/Handspring has a contract with Sprint. Palm/Handspring makes the phones but will provide NO SUPPORT. You must go to Sprint for help. (Try calling ANY Sprint support number BEFORE buying this product and you will quickly be convinced not to make the purchase. If you can ever reach a human, ask them a simple question such as the repair coverage on the item that you are considering buying. I once wasted 2 weeks trying to get a simple question answered by phone with Sprint. I never succeeded. I did hear HOURS and HOURS of recorded rap music.)
When the phone passes out of warranty SPRINT will refuse any repair or replacement service. They tell you that you must buy a new phone.
I just spent a half hour with a very nice, young, foreign sounding man with Handspring/Palm. Despite every effort to convince them to let me PAY them to fix or replace the phone or to tell me of anyone who could fix the phone they politely refused any help whatsoever. Sprint must provide that, they insisted.
If you check around, you will learn that the cover (the ear-piece of the phone) breaks off on the Treo 300 and Treo 270 on many, many users. Unfortunately these are devices that often require service.
If you buy a Palm/Handspring device with Sprint service and it is one day out of warranty and it breaks, you must buy a new phone/PDA without any of those nice new service incentive rebates.
You lose. Palm & Sprint win. I suggest you take your business elsewhere.
UPDATE- The actual user of the broken phone made one correction to my report above- the phone is actually still under warranty and SPRINT still refuses to fix it. They say the cover breaking off the phone is due to wear and tear and they won't fix it, we need to buy a new phone.
51 The biggest POS
I've had my Treo(s) for almost exactly one month and have had nothing but issues from day one. Random resets, calls dropping or not coming through at all, major echo heard by incoming callers (led to the return of Treo #1) and finally unable to hear anything unless on speakerphone or using headset (led to my final return of Treo #2). All of these problems have been experienced by 3 other of my Treo-using friends. The worst way to spend $600+, IMHO. Cool concept, poor execution. I'm going back to 2 devices.
52 Overall best phone I've owned
My title is a bit deceiving, however. Yes, it is the best OVERALL phone I've owned, and while I gave it 4 stars, it's more like 3.5, but I didn't want to give it a 3, since it would seem that this phone isn't as good as it really is.
Pros: Built-in camera, SD card expansion, Palm OS 5, spacious color LCD, built-in QWERTY keyboard, good reception, good organizational functions (from Palm OS), small size, easy-to-use keypad/keyboard functions
Cons: Low-res LCD, LCD difficult to see in sunlight, lack of Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity, certain Palm apps don't work properly, poor quality camera, ridiculously high price
While the Treo 600 has a TON of great features, screen is so bad that it really took away from the functionality of the phone. With technology where it is today, where almost all Palms and Pocket PCs have a 65,000 color hi-res screen, you would think that at this price (before rebates), they could have slapped on one the Treo. Certain Palm OS apps require a hi-res screen and the low resolution was a hinderance in viewing certain documents and most definitely was a pain when trying to view pictures. While it may not seem like that big of a gripe, one should remember that even regular camera phones that cost half as much sport LCD displays with a good enough resolution to enjoy your pictures. And if the poor screen resolution wasn't enough, it is also difficult to view in direct sunlight.
As for the camera, my complaint is NOT with the resolution of the photos. I knew that the pictures were VGA quality (640x480), which are obviously not intended for printing, and I already own a good digital camera, so I just wanted something to take pictures of on-the-fly to send to my fiance or post on the 'net. However, this camera is a piece of junk in low-light conditions. The pictures come out grainy with a lot of discoloration/artifacts in dimly lit situations. Even indoors, with artificial lighting, many pics come out blurry with a lot of noise. While most CMOS sensor VGA cameras aren't the greatest, this is by far the worst I've seen. The cameras in the Sony Clie TH55, TJ27, Palm Zire 71 and Nokia 3650 all blow away the camera on this phone and they are all CMOS VGA cameras. Again, while I don't expect much from a camera phone, I expected it to be better than this for the price I paid.
Those gripes aside, this phone is perfect for when I'm on the go and need to input contact information, write messages, browse the 'net wirelessly, play Bejeweled! and just generally keep myself occupied and productive.
Don't let my 3.5-star rating fool you--I don't think I'll ever find a phone that is a 5-star item and this is the best phone I've ever owned. It is a great marriage of PDA and phone with a lot of features to please people on the go who don't want to carry around two devices. It is no wonder that most online reviews (CNET and others) say that this is the best hybrid device out there, but I feel that for the premium price I paid, the screen and camera should have been better.
53 This phone / PDA rocks
I'm at a loss for words. After my Samsung I-300 died Sprint replaced it with the Treo. I thought the I-300 was the ultimate PDA/cell device when I first got it about three years ago. Boy was I wrong. This thing just rocks.
54 VERY SATISFIED WITH SPRINT AND TREO 600
I've been with at&t, t mobile, enough to feel strongly that GSM in the staties is just not there yet. att customer service was 20 min wait. sprint- always under 5, usually under one. They made good on their rebate, and the equipment replacement policy- (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR THE TREO!!!!) The reception is infinitely better than t mob and att. I'm on the phone while my non sprint pcs friends are yapping CAN YOU HEAR ME?? WHAT!?!? Sprint is on cdma- ...or Tdma...something...anyway- its alot better than GSM. Data speed is ample, and coverage for data is good. I'm a hard sell, and I have to say that I'm very satisfied with this purchase and service.
NEGATIVES- if you text outside the states often- sprint service will be problematic, as you cannot text internationally as yet. Peopl from overseas often have difficulty call my cel ph from their cel ph, not being able to get through. I called sprint and they told me that they just aren;t compatible with some overseas carriers. That's why I can only give 4 stars.
And really- the cool factor is off the charts rolling with this toy.
55 Jack of all trades, master of none.
Overall I am pleased with my Treo. The combination of features is very convenient. I like the fact that I can talk on the phone and look up a number from my contacts list, call a second person with the press of a button, and schedule a meeting on my calendar, all in the same conversation with one device.
It falls short on the camera function, however. I have found little use for the photos because they are of such poor quality. They are dark and grainy.
I also find the sound quality from the earpiece provided with the phone is poor.
The overall convenience more than makes up for the few shortcomings.
56 Novice really likes it
I had not used a cell phone much before I purchased this. It is quickly learned and logically made. The internet use is incredible. I cannot imagine this phone being improved soon. The price on amazon.com is amazing. I could not be more satisfied with this product.
Bruce Hines
57 It's great as long as you get some accessories
This is my 4th palm OS PDA and 5th cell phone, and I'm very impressed so far. I definitely recommend getting a cover that has plastic over the keyboard. It provides friction necessary for thumbnail typing. Using your nails is necessary for visibility because the keys are spaced so closely that a thumb covers NINE keys at once. But it's still significantly faster for me than graffitti. Also get the combination power cord/USB synch cable. This is a beautiful, small design that gives hou everything you need for your phone as long as you have your laptop with you. No problems so far, but it's only been a few days...
To the reviewer who thinks there is no number lock, just hit the option key twice.
Yes, the camera is silly. Also, the phone is hard to locate on your ear, thanks to a bulge rather than the standard recess. The good speakerphone mostly makes up for that. I would much prefer a flip phone style for ergonomics and durability, but the Krussel flip case I have makes up for at least the durability part of that. After using a Clie and a tungsten with hi-resolution screens, it's painful to go back to low-res, but not as much as I was afraid of. The screen is nice and bright.
My cell phone reception is as good as any of the phones I have used, and when it's in range, it sounds great. The phone has a nice, solid feel to it.
58 They Keep Geting Better and Better - Treo 600 Sprint
The best PDA - Phone combo yet. They keep getting better and better (this is my third one and I've had numerous Palms too). There are of course some drawbacks but it's a do it all machine and you have to pay the price that goes with that. The phone part is improved but dual band would be an even better improvement. The PDA is excellent if you like palm softwear and I do. I do have a couple of gripes! Why can't the industry get together on some standards??? It's so stupid to have to keep buying new chargers, car chargers, cradles, headphones and car kits every time a new phone comes out. The 300 cradle doesn't even work with the 600 ( well one of mine does to a degree but used too much force with the pliars on #2 - it broke). I also agree with some of the camera resolution complaints. Poor quality just makes it a toy. It will take hundreds of pictures in memory but who wants to save them due to the poor quality?
59 I can't live without my Treo!
I have used a PalmV, a Palm Vx, and then a Clie NR70, and the Treo is easier to use than all of them as a PDA... plus, it's a great phone.... plus it's an mp3 player...plus you can take pictures and short videos with it (yes video with free online software)...plus you can easily surf the net and get your email...plus you can send email and SMS messages...plus you can listen to Audible books on it...All that adds up to the greatest convergence device I have ever seen!! And a great community of Treo users online at treocentral.com to help if ever something doesn't work right!
60 Everything you need in one device.
As stated many times before, the Treo's keyboard is really too small, causing you to constantly correct your text. True, in most instances you do not need to use the keyboard and can opt to use the touch screen or the handy predefined function buttons to navigate, but it is greatly annoying to constantly be forced to use the backspace button.
Many of the previously mentioned limitations can otherwise be dealt with, through upgrading and adding additional software. Such as the camera's resolution can be increased to a fairly acceptable format (default compression by Treo is 65%), although the storage size each picture requires will increase as well. This is not a dramatic issue, since the device seems to have 24MB of space available and the SD memory card slot is upgradable to an additional 512MB.
The battery life is quite impressive and easily recharges witin a couple hours.
I have measured the internet connection to operate at 128k/sec according to repeated tests on bandwidth.com. It is fast enough to stream audio from sites such as shoutcast.com. The browser display will allow you to view Web pages either optimized (fitted to the screen width) or in wide screen mode, which utilizes the 4-directional navigation button and displays the web page in a "mosaics" format. This is a great option for those sites that just get too conveluted in the "squished" resolution.
Overall: this is a great device -- flexible and generally very user friendly and intuitive. Since it is running on Palm OS 5, there is plenty of professionally designed software and support out there. This device is e-mail client, web brower, phone, an mp3 player, a camera and offers your standard PDA functions. What more can you possibly need?
61 4 out of 5
I bought this smartphone because I wanted a newer phone and I also wanted a new palm pilot. I read reviews about the Treo 600 last summer and bought it in November.
I'm thrilled about this phone. Its the answer to all of my handheld needs. The reception is better than my older phone, the size and volume is good, its fast, easy to use, and has some great features. The camera and screen resolution could use an upgrade but other than that what's not there can be added by installing various software and there's plenty available for its Palm OS. However let me share with you the most annoying problem... the obvious issue of an exposed keypad. The keyguard feature with the Treo 600 was in fact not a "true" keyguard, in that 3 keys besides the center button would either silence and\or answer the phone erroneously. If I had the phone in my purse or pocket and one of those buttons were pressed when a call came in you'd never hear the phone ring because it had been silenced and answered by the depressed keys.
THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW.
1. if a call comes in and a button is somehow already depressed it shouldnt answer.. that should require a "change in state"
2. the Treo 600 keyguard is supposed to do just that... guard the keys from inadvertent key presses
This happened OFTEN and led to several embarrassing situations. To make matters worse I contacted Sprint on 3 separate occasions but their support seemed to know next to nothing about the phone. I then contacted Handspring and was told that this wasnt a design flaw but rather was "intended". FUNNY... I'd combed through the manual and it's very clear on the keyguard function. It states ALL keys except the center key are locked. There is no mention of those 3 keys (space, backspace and return) being active when keyguard is turned on. I was frustrated and on the verge of returning my Treo to Sprint. After getting blown off by the manufacturer I turned to the internet and user forums. I found that many more Treo users were having the same problem. Finally 3rd party vendors caught on and created a "fix" which I was happy to purchase. This is a fairly expensive phone. My problem is that Handspring or Sprint should have issued an official patch to owners as this IS a design flaw. I'm not thrilled with the marginal\poor support and owners should not have to comb the internet seeking support or high demand accessories for that matter.
If you dont mind paying a bucks for patch to fix the keyguard issue, are somewhat savvy in using the internet to seek out accessories or information, and are looking for a great smartphone this is the one for you.
62 High Praise for the Treo 600 and SprintPCS
I have owned and operated multiple PDAs and cell phones for over a decade with several different wireless service providers. After a disappointing experience in 2003 with ATT wireless and the Tungsten-W, (a fine PDA but unable to use the phone without the plug in ear piece, and exceptionally s-l-o-w refresh time for the web browser); I upgraded to the Handspring/Sony Treo 600 with SprintPCS. I write this evaluation after several months' usage in a dozen US cities from coast to coast and Canada. The Treo 600 is an exceptionally successful blending of technologies. Clear screen displays, "normal" phone usage (ear piece optional), excellent reception, quick web access, full PDA functionality, and very competitive service pricing. A truly superior product -- at the forward edge of technology as of Q1CY04 and very highly recommended.
63 Great HW, weak SW
One of the great things about the Treo 600 is that it runs Palm OS 5.2.1. While this means you can do fun things like play Scrabble, it also means you can dump ineffective Sprint software (like PCS Business Connection) and replace it with tried-and-true Palm OS apps like Eudora.
On the flipside, the Palm OS/PCS integration is sufficiently limited that emails don't immediately register or "ring" the phone, unlike the Motorola SmartPhones that my buddies use. As a persistent messaging device, I feel it's better suited to phone use and SMS (although I don't use SMS much). When traveling, it's a great way to keep tabs on email on an iterative basis (every hour or so), but it's a poor substitute for a Blackberry.
Overall, very pleased with the device, despite its limitations - it's the best converged device in the market to date, IMHO.
64 Really great phone but poor speaker quality
Only reason I gave it a 4 is because of the speaker quality...it could definitely be more clear and crisper. Otherwise this phone is one of the "BEST" investments I've made. I throughly enjoy it.
65 Terrible speaker problems-- BEWARE
I loved my treo for about 5 days. Then the speaker just went out-- I caould hear nothing without my headset. then a huge buzz developed in the headset. I had to wait 12 days for a replacement which came out of the box doing the exact same thing. After about three hours on the phone with various customer service folks, a THIRD treo was sent to me, and guess what? After two days I have no speaker and a huge buzz. What kind of phone is that?
On the pkus side, my email function works great, but I need the phone. I am in the process of waiting for a "senior executive" to call me, but haven't heard a word in 48 hours. I am not a happy camper. Do I dare to try a fourth unit???
66 Good, but web browser is disappointing
I bought the Treo 600 because of its much-touted ability to access any web site on the fly through its built-in Blaser web browser. Unfortunately, its actual performance did not live up to expectations. Many of the web sites I want to access are password-protected and it was not able to access a single one of those web sites. I was able to access the regular Yahoo! web site through the phone, but it took several minutes for the page to download over the Sprint PCS network. I then tried to access several WAP sites, but only received error messages through Blazer. As a last-ditch attempt to make use of this phone, I downloaded JBrowser (a WAP browser) from handango.com, but it would not run properly on the new Palm OS. I finally ended up returning this phone. Very disappointing.
67 A Love/Hate Relationship
First things first: I'm a Palm fanatic. I bought the first Pilot the week it came out. Since then I owned 4 Palm devices before graduating to the first generation Treo.
That first Treo was a marvel -- it was truly wonderful to have all my accumulated Palm data powering my phone. However, it was an unreliable piece of [garbage]. The backlight died, the sound quality was horrible, and finally the plastic around the hinge fatigued and the entire flip-phone cover (with the ear speaker) fell off. Technical support was atrocious.
So, fast forward to late 2003: I've been eagerly awaiting the Treo 600, monitoring release information on sites like Gizmodo.com. Against my wife's advice, I ponied up the big bucks to buy yet another Handspring product.
What's that saying.... "... twice burned, shame on me"? My Treo 600 has been a litany of problems, viz:
1) Crashing: even though I haven't loaded any 3rd party software on it, the 600 crashes about once a week, same as the old Treo did. Does your present mobile phone lockup in the middle of calls? Probably not -- be aware that this isn't a phone -- it is a computer wearing a phone-like outfit. You can't get away from that DNA.
2) Poor Mac Software Integration: Though Palm says that it works with Mac OSX, it doesn't work well (or at all, depending on your patience) with Panther. If you are a Mac user, be prepared for lots of headaches. I ended up digging an old PC out of my garage just so I could have something to synchronize data with. Which was smart, because...
3) ...Poor Call Quality: BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ WHIIRRRR CLICK CLICKCLCCIK. I've had an intermittent call quality problem since day one, which gradually increased over time, to the point where now callers think I'm calling from somewhere deep within the bowels of the Boston Big Dig. Last time I checked, a phone was supposed to facilitate communication with others. Palm had me do a "hard reset" (which wiped out my data and phone settings) to fix this problem. Which it didn't.
The only reason I gave this problem child 2 stars is that it looks so cool. It's great if you want to have a snappy conversation piece at cocktail parties. But, for the money, you can probably find something more reliable... like a vintage 1970's AMC Pacer.
Verdict: Nice wrapper, [crummy] internals, lousy reliability and support.
68 Expected better from Palm/Handspring
I was earlier using the Palm IIIC, and was very happy with it. Hence, when the Treo 600 came out, I was very keen to buy this. Reading the great reviews that the phone got convinced me and I bought it. Since then I have had major problems with the phone.
I am using this phone in New Delhi, India.
Phone:
One day, the ear piece just stopped working. When I make a call, the called person can hear me, but I cannot hear them. When I switch to speaker phone or hands free, then I can here them.
I checked with someone else who also bought the phone, and he is having the same problem.
I wrote to Palm Support, who wrote back to me asking me to do a hard reset on it - which I did but it did not correct the problem.
Software:
During initial set up, I went to preferences - date and time and selected city as New Delhi, India and time zone as GMT +5.30.
When I went to city time, it told me that the city I have selected in not in the time zone and gave me two other options of cities in Pakistan which is GMT +5.00.
I did not select any of the cites, but went back to preferences, where it is now not giving me the option to change cities, it does not even give me the drop down list of cities to choose from. It has taken home city as Altanta and does not let me change it.
Also, the call gets disconnected often while on a call. The phone hangs often and I need to do a soft reset almost everyday.
I really would not suggest buying this product.
69 Treo 600 Not quite there yet
I have used the Treo 600 since October. I have recommended the purchase 3 units for my employer and have 1 unit for personal use. Although the unit is a big step forward toward integrating the Phone and PDA it is not quite perfect yet. The bottom line is that I love the phone but it has had a few bugs that need to be worked out. Handspring got the basic design down pretty well but it needs more work. I can't recommend the phone for the average user but would recommend it for someone who likes cutting edge equipment and doesn't mind a few hassles. The phone is cool. It is the most capable phone out there. Below is a summary of the pros and cons.
Pros
1.The integrated feature are fantastic. No need to say more about this other posts explain this in detail.
2. size- for a PDA this one is very compact. slightly big for a phone. It fits in my shirt pocket ok.
3. querty keyboard is great. Considering the space limitations that they had. The design is very good.
4. The case is nicely done. Very solid feel to it. The buttons are very well laid out.
5. expansion slot is a nice touch and very necessary with this device.
Cons
1. Battery life with CDMA version is short compared to what I am used to. 2 days of reasonable use and about 4 days of standby is about all you can expect. I need about twice that. I might point out that I had to return 2 units due to failed batteries. I have heard of others having the same problem.
2. The screen needs better resolution. The screen is a bit washed out in high light.
3. The camera needs slightly higher resolution. I didn't buy the unit for its camera and realize it is a camera phone not a digital camera but it just isn't quite high enough quality to be of much use. A .5 megipixel would suffice.
4. The unit really needs Wi-fi and/or bluetooth. It would really enhance the capability of the phone.
70 MAJOR FLAW in this device - beware
I just got this phone and it's really slick but there is one very significant design flaw in the Treo 600 that will cost you a ton of money -- BEWARE.
It seems if you are on a call and your call-waiting goes off, there is no way to hang up on the first call and switch to the second. You can ONLY HANG UP ON BOTH CALLS! So what happens is if you tell one person you'll get back with them and then flip over to the other call BOTH CALLS CONTINUE TO RACK UP AIR TIME, regardless of whether the other person has hung up!
This is a huge design flaw, or maybe it's intentional so you wipe out all your minutes. Whatever the case, I can't figure out how to deal with it except if you have call waiting, you shouldn't answer it, or you should answer both, hang up on both, then call who you want to talk to. This is RIDICULOUS!! BEWARE.
71 Lots of hype, under-delivery
To be frank, I had high expectations for the Treo 600, after reading so much about it in the time leading up to its release. On actual use, I have been quite disappointed. Still, let me say up front that it deserves three stars for being a usable, pocketable smart phone.
My biggest gripe lies with the keyboard, which is too small and too minimalistic. It's very easy to press two keys at the same time, so whatever Handspring said about this being the best designed thumboard ever, don't believe it. The keys have a round surface, which hurts your fingers after a typing a little while. But the biggest problem again is the spacing of the keys, which are just too small and too close together.
Also, there are no dedicated number keys, which is extremely annoying. To add more woes to this limitation, you cannot num-lock the numeric keys, so you always have to hold down the number shift key to type in numbers. Someone clearly wasn't thinking straight when they put this together. Get this: it's easier to type in accented letters (which aren't used in English) than punctuations. That is just plain silly.
The screen is also too small, and the viewing angle isn't too good, which means unless you look at it straight on, you will have a hard time seeing what's on the screen. Compared to the silk-smooth screens on the Tungsten and Clie, this one feels crude and pixelated.
Now, if you plan to use the Treo 600 for web surfing, be prepared to be really disappointed. The internet speed is just plain pathetic. Loading Amazon.com's home page took over 3 minutes, and it's barely readable because the layout is all screwed up. Loading MSN's home page took even longer, although the pictures did come across nicely. For some reason I've not been able to open Apple's homepage at all. No error messages, just no page, either. MSNBC works fine, so does Yahoo and Sprint PCS's own home page (good thing, there!).
In short, I'm pretty disappointed with the implementation. A new model, the Treo 610, is rumored to come out soon, with a better screen and improved battery life -- but probably still the same slow Internet speed, which is more a problem with the 2.5G network than the Treo hardware per se. Anyway, unless you have lots of money to throw away and don't feel like giving it charity, I recommend you wait for the next generation of Treo.
72 How did I live without it?
I've had my 600 for about 6 weeks now and I find it amazing. Previously I had a S-E t68i GSM phone and a Handspring Treo 90 PDA and an MP3 player. I found I never carried my PDA, and had to carry my MP3 player around in my bag all the time. Having everything in one nice package makes it an indispensable tool for keeping in touch and always having my information at my fingertips. Battery life has been pretty good considering how much I use it, I recharge every couple days and could probably push it another day or two if I wanted to. However, since I have a combo USB sync/power cord, I typically charge it more than I need to in order to keep it synced. I looked at all the other PDA/phone combos and this seemed to be the best all around device by far. For one, it just feels solid, like a real phone. Reception has been mostly great, part of that is Sprint's exceptional coverage compared to AT&T's GSM network.
Downsides include the poor camera quality. I've used it for a few candid snapshots and they have mostly turned out really poor. Too bad, it could be a fun device. The screen resolution is less than that of the Treo 90 and I've noticed that cause a few problems, like the values for each letter on my Handmark Scrabble game are not readable. The screen seems to be brighter though. Trying to navigate menus during a call with the little buttons is a bit of a pain, including voicemail. That is mainly because I mostly do it one handed, if I wanted to pull out the stylus and use the screen instead of the keyboard, it would probably be easier. I've noticed some scuffs on the screen, I've been looking for screen protectors but haven't found any sized specifically for this device.
Overall I really love the 600, it's been a really long time since I've been as happy with a purchase as I have been with this.
73 Great PDA, Lousy Camera, Average Cell Phone
The Treo 600 is a good hybrid. The PDA is functional and easy to use. The QWERTY keyboard easy to use, except that the silver (number pad) keys are hard to read. The bundled software leaves a lot to be desired, in general not very functional. The calendar works very well, however. The email/message program works very well also. I like the idea of being able to switch from program to program, even while talking on the phone. The built in camera is really lousy. They could have left it out as far as I'm concerned. the resolution is awful. The cell phone works ok, but when I put a Sprint Sanyo 4900 and my Sprint Treo 600 side by side, the Treo was only "two lines" when it comes to receiving, while the Sanyo was "four lines". The reception isn't as good with the Treo, which frustrates me. I expected better. The speaker phone works very well, which I do appreciate. The size is about right, although the cheap case that comes with the phone isn't functional at all. I'm going to have to buy a better one. I don't like where they put volume control. It's on the side, near the antenna. It is too easy to accidentally change the volume. When on-line, the web browser works much better than that of the Sanyo I mentioned. It is compatible with many different sites, even Hotmail. Navigating in these sites is a bit tedious, but I'm just glad to be able to access sites that other Sprint phones can't access.
74 3 Flaws in Phone Functionality
As a PDA this device is great, but the phone has three major functionality issues that need to be resolved. I'm writing this in the hope that Palm will read it and make the necessary software changes.
1. 3-Way Calling. When the second call of a 3-way is initiated, there is no way to end this call selectively - i.e. you have to hang up on both callers in order to end the second call. This situation will come up very commonly if for example you realize that you needed to call a different second number than the one originally dialed. With a normal cell phone there is a red hang up button that allows you to end the second call without ending both calls. On this phone there is no such functionality. The only hang up button is a "Hang Up All" button that kills both calls. I have found this to be extremely frustrating.
2. Call Waiting. This problem is essentially an extension of the one I just described. If a second call comes in, and you choose to answer it, there is no hang up button to selectively end one of the calls. If for example you want to end the second call, and go back to the first call, you will find yourself unable to get rid of the second call. If you use the "Hang Up All" button, you will end both calls. If you simply say goodbye to one of the other callers without hanging up, the phone keeps one line open on hold, and double air time is accessed during the duration of the remaining call.
3. Voice Mail Notification. Most business users are accustomed to getting an aural alert when there is new voice mail, and this aural alert can be set up to continue at some interval of time (say every 2 minutes) until a button on the phone is pressed to acknowledge that you know there is voice mail waiting. This phone has no such functionality. It lets you select any ring tone and volume for the voice mail alert, but there is no option to have it repeat itself until it is acknowledged. If you happen to be away from the phone when the first alert is made, you will never hear an aural alert. This is not a major problem for many users, but it is a big problem for people using the phone for an occupation that requires them to be on call, and they can't afford to miss a voice mail.
75 Amazing
Like so many other users of PDA's I consider myself an expert. Afterall I've had 5 palms and the last 2 were Palm VIIx and the i705. I thought those were pretty damn amazing. But the TREO 600 is just the best "toy" I have ever had. Yes there are isolated aspects to it that could be better: a screen with better resolution or the camera but those are so so inconsequential to what a real person using the Treo as a mobile office values. You can do all your inputing with ONE hand. How cool is that. It's in color and it's bright and oh so readable. It's so much faster than the i705 that I don't know how I waited so long before. Ergonomically it is the best. I can take it to sleep with me it's so cozy and smooth. If I need to to research I can access the NY Times or High Times - it's all there. I miss grafiti but not that much anymore since I have mastered the tiny keyboard (and I have fat fingers). It does so much I still am learning about it. ANd for the most part the learning is intuitive. I have not opened the manual yet! SO if you read a review with complaints understand that these people have nothing better to do than find fault in a revolutionary product that makes work a simple and elegant pleasure.
76 Great Device - Price Prohibitive
Being forced to get another new PDA (see my Tungsten T review), I opted to combine phone w/PDA. There were a few options for me - but I went w/the Treo 600 since it seemed easier to operate PDA functions separately from the phone when needed.
The 600 is about the same size the Tungsten. A little thick, but manageable. After getting used to how the functionality works, I love this machine. I'm sure had I read the instructions, it would have been easier to acclimate myself to the Treo (but hey, I'm a guy).
I have used the stylus about 0.003% of the time. The directional key is much handier than in the Tungsten and you can easily operate one handed. Navigating from one program to the next is super easy. I love how you can dial anyone in your contacts list FROM your contacts list.
I thought the keyboard would be too small for my thumbs - and it's close, but after you get a rhythm down, there have been no issues. Phone reception is good and I seem to get calls in places they were dropped before. I like using the speaker phone when driving - very handy.
There are cons: the weight of the device. Almost too heavy to clip onto your belt - like you would a phone. But it's almost too smooth to carry around (I'm afraid of dropping it). I did get a carrying case - but it's so-so. The camera is a waste. The resolution sucks beyond belief - they could have done w/out it and cut $50 off the price. I'll never use it.
And though I never used the Bluetooth functionality in the Tungsten, Wi-Fi would have been nice on this. Supposedly a Wi-Fi card is coming out - but other reports say 'no'. I am a little peeved at not being able to use the old Palm version of Documents to Go - and it's not included on the software, but available for an additional price. Voice activated dialing is missing too.
Overall, a great purchase. I'm very happy w/it.
77 frustration with the Treo 600
The phone is cool, but wait until they get more of the kinks out. I love the capability of the Treo 600 (although the camera is so crappy it's a waste of weight.) However, the treo 600 got initially had a defective battery and so wouldn't hold a charge. The replacement treo was great but after a week the speaker stopped working so the phone only worked in speakerphone mode. The customer support was easy to navigate and fast to send a replacement treo. The only problem is the speaker of the replacement treo (my third at this point) doesn't work at all --in or out of speakerphone mode. Now the customer support folks are just frustrating and unable to escalate my case to make sure I get a working Treo. Furthermore, they have no way to credit the monthly fee I'm paying for cell phone service and can't really use (unless I want to make all my calls in speakerphone mode.)
78 Wait for Treo 610
I just received my Treo 600 last week.It is almost a perfect system. The capabilities are fantastic. Email from my PC using the Sprint personal edition software was easy to set up. The phone is clear and the speaker phone is acceptable. Only 2 major improvements are needed.The screen resolution is too low. Useable yes, but can be improved. There is no Bluetooth which is ideal for wireless headsets and connectivity. However, effective Mar 1, Treo announces the next model, the Treo 610. It has a high res screen and Bluetooth. My advice, order the 610 even if the difference is $200. This phone is as essential as my laptop and worth the additional cost to make up for the improvements.
79 Sprint is the Devil!
Phone is Amazing. It has made my life 2500% more efficient. I don't even mind the low rez camera or screen. The functionality and interface are GENIUS. I've dropped it a couple times and its still going strong. The only con I have is SPRINT! Sprint encompasses all that is unholy. So many hidden charges, you really have to stay on top of them or they will rape you with a smile(lube is a $5.00 hidden charge). The average wait to talk to someone at sprint is around 15 minutes. And what ever you do, DON'T USE DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE!!!! It's 1.25 everytime you use it (racks up BIG TIME). Last time i used it, they gave me a number to a fax machine and my left eardrum exploded. I heard the AT&T version isn't much better. If at all possible, go on e-bay and get an unlocked phone. PEACE!
80 good and bad
I have really enjoyed my Treo 600 on the whole. 10 days ago my speaker failed and I must wait 2 weeks to get a replacement from Handspring. I offered to pay extra since my unit is under warranty, but it was not allowed. I can't hear on the phone, unless I use the hands free headset which I hate. They promised a replacement in one week, but it is now 10 days. I am not very happy. The device is good, but service is less than desirable. I will NOT buy another Handspring due to this.
81 The Smartest Kid in the Class
The Handspring Treo 600 is the answer to many of my every day problems.
As a full time college student with a job and internship, I needed a device that would help me stay on top of an inordinate amount of tasks. Initially, I purchased a dedicated PDA. My pockets were packed with a set of keys, a separate cell phone, my wallet, and a PDA. I felt both uncomfortable and a little silly with my pockets packed to the brim.
My more long term need was expandability. Being that I am graduating soon to the corporate world, I wanted the ability to stay up to date with technology. The SDIO slot satisfies this need by enabling the device to facilitate a myriad of technologies, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
After using the device, here's my appraisal of the Treo 600:
What's Hot:
The Phone: The is comprable to that of a dedicated cell phone. There is an abundance of phone features that are simple to use. The clarity and reception are very good.
The PDA: Let's face it: it's a Palm. It is intuitive and easy to use. The various features don't require the manual. There is a seemingly endless amount of great apps available for the Palm OS. Apps, Apps, and more Apps. (Handango.com)
The Features: There are great features like speakerphone, polyphonic ring tones, and picture caller ID. The web is much faster than I thought it would be. Using the navigation button makes using the PDA and all its feature very easy. With the addition of SMS the Treo ensures you can stay connected through several avenues.
Upgradable: The SDIO slot allows for various add-on accessories. The latest version of the Palm OS ensures the latest applications will be available for your Treo.(Palm OS 6 is in the works, but won't be out for a long while, late 2004)
The QWERTY keyboard is great. No more pressing buttons a dozen times to spell out a simple word (makes "predictive" text look like a bad joke). Email, messaging, and recording tasks, appointments, and notes is a snap.
The Looks. The phone is very sleek. I have gotten quite a few oohs and awes.
What's Not:
The Display: It's not bad, but it's not top of the line. When using the camera indoors, the screen is disappointing. It does look good when using the internet and other apps. It is also pleasantly bright.
The Camera: The camera is a cool feature, but it has limitations. Forget about taking a decent picture indoors. Outside does look fine, though (in bright light). The pics look better when transferred to the desktop. There are, however, several great features that integrate the use of the camera.
BOTTOM LINE: This is THE BEST smartphone out there. The Treo 600 has it all for today's world, and the world to come.
Go SJSU Spartans! COB!
82 Multi-Tasking Treo 600
I've been using the Treo 600 for a couple of months now and do enjoy its multiple personalities. As a PDA, the bright screen overcomes its somewhat narrow format, and all of the functions seem to be well-integrated.
As a phone, the Treo 600 works as well as my previous model and I prefer the mini-brick format to a folding phone. Voice quality seems good, and adjusting the volume can be done one-handed.
The expansion slot is wonderful for add-on cards. The built-in camera is not ready for prime time and could've been eliminated.
More valuable might have been a voice memo feature, although you can call yourself and leave a voice mail.
I've found a clip-on belt holster for the Treo that works well, but would've been more secure with a loop instead of a clip.
83 A much awaited PDA phone but still, it could be better
Basically, there is not much of a complain but a joy to welcome the new Treo 600 into the family of PDA phone at present. It is just the right size. The physical keys/buttons are user friendly and can be managed single handedly. It operates on the latest Palm OS ie. the 5.2 version.The memory is expandable with a SD card. That's really great ! Everything else is just like operating a normal Palm PDA. The set back are the low color resolution which in fact does not support some high color resolution games and it also affects the clarity and color resolution of the in-built camera. Also, why didn't they include bluetooth ? The phone ringing tones are just too soft even though maximum volumn has been set. Many a times, I have missed my calls simply because I didn't hear the ringing tones. And I can't stand the antenna sticking out. It is quite annoying. I realise the latest XDA II O2 doesn't come with a sticking out antenna. The material used for the body casing is also rather slipery and at times, I have nearly drop it, phew !Like I said, it can be further improved and I hope the manufacturer or designer will look seriously into these short comings in the future and then, I am quite sure, the next generation of Treo PDA phone would be a world class design long awaited for.
84 phone excellent - Sprint service not so excellent
If could get Verizon service were I live, I probably would have opted for the Kyocera 7135 because of the way it handles and folds, however I do like my Treo. I have had it for three weeks and these are the pros and cons I have run into:
PROS:
Space Saver - This was the main reason I bought this phone; to have a colored PDA, phone, camera, web browser all in a four inch space in my purse.
Desktop Upgrade - I had a Handspring Visor PDA before this. Upgrading the desktop software was extremely easy. All my data transferred with no problems.
Hot Sync - Synchronizing the data is easy and has never failed. I also like that the hotsync cable will also charge the battery.
Battery Life - I am very impressed at how long the battery lasts.
Speakerphone - I love the speakerphone. I use it when I'm driving
Camera - I love the camera built into the caller i.d. This is really nice. I can see who is calling from across the room without trying to figure out the number. It is also nice when I am driving.
Games - The games weren't a factor for purchasing the phone, but I really enjoy this feature when I am in a waiting room at the doctor's office or at the airport, sitting in traffic, etc.
Durability - This phone is easier to handle than I expected and there are not too many buttons.
Web Browsing - It is very convenient to check my e-mail, stock quotes, online banking from almost anywhere. This was another main reason for purchasing this phone.
CONS: The first irritation I ran into was when I took the phone out of the box and tried to set up my service with Sprint. I was disconnected twice and was finally put through to a person who spoke very little English. I could hardly understand what she was saying. When the process was finally over, she was to transfer me to another department to confirm my two year agreement and she placed me to the wrong department. I had to hang up and start all over. This was extremely irritating coming from a communications company.
I am paying an extra charge for PCS Business Connection. So far (almost three weeks) I have not been able to log on.
Keyboard - I think Handspring could have sacrificed the keyboard for more screen space. I liked the graffiti better, but if you prefer the keyboard, then you won't mind this.
List of Calls - There is a caller i.d. feature, but you have one chance to call back. There is not a missed calls list. If I am wrong, I apologize, but I have not been able to find one.
Sound - Occassionally, my sound goes off. I have to go back into preferences to turn it back on. I haven't figured out how this is getting changed, but I have missed a few calls because of it.
Carrying Case - The carrying case that comes in the box is useless. There is no clip, no handle or even a window to see who is calling. This wouldn't be so bad if there were a caller i.d. screen on the top of the Treo. However, handpsring sells better cases on its website, just don't get too excited about the one that comes in the box.
Overall, I love this item, I'm just not too crazy about Sprint and the lack of calling area where I live, but I knew that before I bought the phone. When I bought it, after rebates it was $249. I don't know that I would pay $700 for it. Amazon was quick about the delivery. I got it about 6 weeks before the estimated arrival. The usermanual was easy to understand and the built in tutorial on the Treo is easy and I enjoy having that built in (another space saver).
Before I bought this, I compared it with a few others and this was the one that fit my needs. I noticed that some of the IPAQs did not have a "listen" feature on the phone, rather they had to use speakerphone only or earpiece device. If you are considering an IPAQ, check that out first. The Treo works just like a phone. I can hear all my calls clearly and no one has complained yet that they cannot hear me.
Despite the cons, I'm glad I have this.
85 REBATE TEASER
Amazon.com does not honor their rebate offers. Order through a reliable provider.
86 It's different from Black Berry, it's better..
It changed my life... I use it every day...it becomes part of my life already.
web browsing, email, read e-books, play games, read and edit word and excel documents, keep personal info,... I also installed a detailed map of my city - it can spot the location of every single address!
So convenient...so powerful...!
I love palm.
87 No voice activated dialing, no voice memo
Would you pay [money] for a phone that does not have
voice activated dialing and no voice memo ?
This phone is a perfect case study of flawed design
of engineering. So many things are in this device
with low quality, while features which are really
important and used every time do not
exist.
88 Great Phone/PDA
I've owned my Treo 600 since Nov. 2003 and have not been disappointed. The phone reception is clear. PDA is typical Palm OS, easy to use and intuitive (I upgraded from a Handspring Visor Pro). Battery life is excellent. I get at least 4 days with moderate Phone/PDA/Internet/Text Message use. The keyboard is small, but amazingly useful with some practice.
Only drwabacks are the ring volume (you may not hear it from a pocket or on your waist) and Sprint customer service (abysmal). I suggest the Palm belt clip with the clear plastic front. It has protected my Treo's screen, but enables me to use the stylus and the keyboard.
Overall, an excellent device!
89 Fantastic
The Treo is Fantastic. I've had mine for about ten days, and couldn't be happier. The call quality is as good if not better than verizon (here in SF bay area) with fewer dropped calls. The speaker volume is also really loud. The screen is amazingly bright, much better than my Sony NX70. Although resolution isn't hi-res, the quality is still surprisingly good, for pictures and video. Email and web access is very fast on the sprint network, and the PDA seems very stable. With the rebates, it's an awesome value. Now that I have all my contacts accessible, I keep in touch with people more. Get it.
90 Best yet!
I purchased the Handspring Treo 600 about 3 months ago and I haven't been disapointed. Sprint's customer service is agonizingly slow but when you do get them on the phone they usually fix it quickly. The phone has only three drawbacks. 1) The screen gets dirty and fingers smug it way to easily. 2) The keypad is small, but I am learning it. 3) The camera is very low quality and needs a steady hand and a lot of light. It is very intuitive and I learned to use it quickly. Most things can be done without using the keyboard at all. I love that I can see my schedule and get my emails all from a phone with a built in camera and picture ID. Realistic battery life is one solid day plus with fairly heavy use. The unit is solid and handles drops well. Buy the case and the car charger.
91 Everything's Awesome (except the camera)
Thank goodness I did not buy this for the camera. Tried to take some shots at a co-worker's baby shower, just for sharing online afterwards. Took 15 shots and not one was worth a darn. This camera has issues with focus, low light, good light... it's just a gimmick.
But when you get down to the rest of the phone... I am loving it. The form factor is good and fits my hand well, and though I thought the buttons would be too small for my hands (I'm a 6'0" male), I'm doing pretty well.
The sound is good, and the reception has proven good along the commute from home to work (Lynnwood, WA to downtown Seattle, WA). I got PDAnet and that's just an amazing thing. For those who aren't aware of it, it's two applications (one for the PDA, one for your laptop) that turns the phone into a cellular modem and lets you surf the net on your laptop at up to 145kbps (nearly 3x dial-up speed) on Sprint's CDMA network, depending on signal quality.
Other than that, it's a Palm quality PDA and it's made my life easier (1 piece of equipment replaces 2).
92 It is awesome when it worked
I love this phone, it has all the right combination of features that you read in the review. But there're some serious quality issue with this phone (check out Handspring support site and various users comment on the web). Mine worked for about a month, then it suffered from power reset problem (not due to downloaded software). Something inside also came lose (as reported by another user here). After using for 6 weeks, this phone went dead. The strangest thing is that if I plug the charger into it, it powered itself up but that's about it. Can't use it. If I disconnect the charger, the phone went dead (battery indicator showed that it is fully charged). I went to a Spring store and they replaced it with a Samsung i500.
93 Greatest productivity tool since the PC.
I have eliminated so much paper (address book, bible, calender, expense tracking, budgeting ..... the list goes on) Using the wireless functions dedad time is now productive time I can read and reply to email ... track my exercise program etc. Also it get rid of another device the pda. I now have one less thing to carry.
The picture camera helps me to remeber names at church or else where. The pictures look better on the PC than the phone, using the sprint share feature I can send a picture to anyone with an email address in seconds. When taking pictures just be sure the sunject is well lit.
Battery Life is ok, just keep a charger or backup power at hand.
The real productivity improvements come from the Palm PDA, the applications availalble for PAlm exceed the Pocket PC by far.
I can get a listing of movies, weather, news, exercise program, measurement convertion, calculator etc. I can have every version of the bible, books on the best seller list etc. With the SD Card the options blow the mind.
Great app, with a better battery easy 5 stars without 4.5 stars
94 Great Phone and Service
I recieved my new Sprint Phone in early December. Sprint helped me set up all the features I was looking for. Got the internet set up and I use it daily. I work in a factory that has 56 acres under roof. I can get service on my phone and internet until I reach the offices in the center of the main building. In my supervisors office, ( in the center of the main building) I can go to the doorway and get a signal good enough to surf the net.
My only complaint is that I was using a M/S operating system on my PDA and switching over to Palm Software will take some getting used to. I feel the Treo 600 should be featured with a program pre loaded with Word and Excel Features.
Overall, I would highly recommend the Treo 600 to anyone that can get a signal with Sprint PCS.
95 Everything is excellent except the Camera
I recently purchased Hand spring Treo 600 and had been very pleased with all the features offered. I have since made full use of the emails, web search and all the add ons programs. However when come to taking pictures, I was very disappointed that it is not clear, it is hazy and not sharp and needs very bright light to be visible. Would the manufacturer please comment and how to improve the viewing and picture taking. Is this due to the .3 Mega pixel resolution and can this be upgraded?
Does some one else experience the same thing as me. I tried other G3 phones and the pictures are much clearer than the Treo 600.
96 Problem Phone, LOUSY AMAZON CUSTOMER SERVICE
I was very excited when the opportunity came to switch my serice from Verizon to SprintPCS, until I had to deal with both of them. This phone is ok, when it works. The first phone Amazon sent me had a display screen which was way off center. No problem, Amazon replaced it. No problem except that I couldn't use the phone! This because for some reason SprintPCS opted to send every call from whatever cell I was in to m phone. My phone rings NON-STOP with calls that aren't mine. My voicemail is filled up EVERYDAY. This has been a problem since the end of December - no fix in sight. Then my second phone had a problem. Something came loose and is rattling inside. My SECOND bad phone from Amazon, only now they refuse to replace it, and want me to contact Sprint. Sprint wants $35 to replace this BRAND NEW phone with a refurished unit - after I've had an unusable phone for 30 days. Bottom line - HORRID customer Service from Amazon, don't switch from Verizon to SPrintPCS.
97 Fantastic all in one device
Like many of you I have had a great experience right out of the box. I have only had the Treo 600 for a week, however I do not remember what life was like before it. The phone integration is great with Sprint, I live in a semi rural area and still get great reception. The web access while a little slow, is still usable while on the road. As for the email, I purchased Snapper Mail from www.snappermail.com and within minutes of installing it on my Treo I was email accesible with full use of attachments.(Sorry to sound like an ad there but it is that easy and that good). The camera while pretty weak is still very cool for setting up ringer images on your phone. The rest of the Palm functions are just like any other Palm device on the market but much faster. Even though I got the great rebate deal here at Amazon, I would say the Treo 600 is worth the full purchase price for shear convenience alone.
98 Device is great, Sprint is not
I bought this device a week ago. It took me only one day to understand all its functions and get comfortable with it. It would have taken longer had I not been using a handspring visor for past couple of years. I liked the device and all the capabilities - I can trade stocks via ameritrade, read news from various sources, search google and send emails/IM, without having to worry about wires and a seating place. The keyboard is comfortable and although I never thought I would type a word without a typo, I was surprised how easy it is to type on that little keyboard. The camera is there to raise the price-tag IMO, as it is totally useless given the resolution and lighting requirements to use it effectively. So as a wireless PDA - it gets 9 on 10 on my scale.
Now for the bad part : Sprint. The $15 a month for unlimited wireless internet got me. Seeing that I would be using the internet features the most, I took Sprint service on that. Besides, being CDMA I thought it would run faster than other wi-fi services. I get full strength signal only when I am at the 5th floor of my office, in a room with glass walls. It is useless at my home, where one of my friends laughed quite hard when his call dropped a good number of times in couple of minutes. I am lucky to get a single strength signal at my home. I even tried stepping out of there, but no good - thanks to the cloud cover over Santa Clara which doesnt seem to go away any soon. I am waiting for sunny days to see how good it works. I am tied to a 2 year contract with Sprint due to my impulse purchase. So, if you want to buy the Sprint version, think again. I do not know anyone who has a non-sprint version of Treo 600, but I bet they are more happy than I am. My friends liked the device, and have plans to buy it soon. They sure wont buy the Sprint version after seeing my fate. When used with Sprint, its like a Ferrari, only with a Geo Metro engine to run on :)
99 Awesome Device
The future is here...80% of human knowledge in the palm of your hand. Excellent phone and workmanship. Downside...slooooow net speed & frequently no net/email access at all.
100 The Best Phone / PDA Combo Hands Down.
Whatever disadvantages you can find with this phone - it more than makes up with all it's advantages. I've been using it for a month now and I can't ever imagine being without it ever again.
Get the Krussel Case with non-swivel clip option - it's the best.
