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General discussion

Treo650 or Treo600 ??

Dec 5, 2004 3:25PM PST

I have waited forever to buy Treo600 PDA phone (GSM) and now I was getting ready to buy it and what do I see come out ? That's right, Treo650 ! So is it better than 600 ? How much better ? How is it better ? How much more does it cost ?

Is there a better alternative ? I do want a PDA phone not PDA and phone seperately.

Thanks in advance.

Discussion is locked

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 5, 2004 8:43PM PST

I have a problem with this model. An ongoing discussion about a broken function in the PalmOS has some developers in a bad way. So be sure you check with any additional addon software if they've tested on the 600/650. Hint: the function call is a database delete record call...

Read my former replies at:

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6140-0.html?forumID=57&threadID=47647&messageID=565153&tag=
http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6140-0.html?forumID=57&threadID=48613&messageID=577702&tag=

Why WiFi is never to happen is a mystery to us still.

Its a lot of money if you wanted third party applications or Wifi.

Bob

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 8, 2004 2:59AM PST

you won't be disappointed with the 600....well, the camera is apparently slightly better on the 650. If you expect to keep your pda/phone for say 18 months, go with the 600. Now tried and tested, more owners, more programs
...of course you'll have the problem then of saying, treo 700, or 750...;0)

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 11, 2004 12:34AM PST

Actually, you will be disappointed by the 600. I have a 650 and there is a very big difference.

- Higher resolution screen makes much more difference than you think in every single application you use. All of them.

- You can read the keyboard much easier and it is easier to use.

- the camera is not just a little better - it is night and day. Literally. The indoor lighting settings on the 600 are terrible and the 650 is very usable. Trust me.

Unless you need to save $200, get the 650. Especially if you agre goint to keep it for 18 months or more. The 600 is already long in the tooth. The 650 is a much better investment for the long term.

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 11, 2004 12:05AM PST

First of all: do you want to switch cell companies? Because you stated you're looking for a GSM version, and the 650 is currently only available in CDMA. I figure that a GSM model is coming, but there aren't any guarantees as to when or with which carriers.

I've been using the 600 since it came out last year (the CDMA version with Sprint PCS). I looked at the 650 when I first heard about it, and it does look nice. However, I didn't feel for my needs that it was worth the cost of buying a new phone at premium prices - it's more of an incremental upgrade.

Having said that, there are some special considerations for other users.

* Do you frequently forget to recharge your phone? The 650 has non-volatile memory and a removable, replacable battery. If it goes dead, you don't lose your data, and you can swap out the battery for a spare. The 600 has a good battery life, but I am a frequent charger, while some people (like my wife!) often forget and have a dead phone all too often. If the 600 goes dead, you lose any data inside. You can re-sync, but any new data entered between syncs will be in data heaven...

* Do you really, really like Bluetooth gadgets, like wireless headsets? The 600 has no Bluetooth capabilities, while the 650 does. Caveat: some carriers restrict the Bluetooth capabilities to disallow using your phone as a modem for your computer or to swap your pictures out to your computer. They'd prefer you used their more costly hardware and data services for those functions. (Sprint PCS was pretty steamed when PDAnet software came out for the 600 - users could use their phone as a WAN cellular adapter for a computer and pay nothing extra for unlimited use, while Sprint sells cellular PC-card modems for beaucoup bux and charges $80-90 for unlimited service!)

* Are you big on snapping pictures with your phone and sending them to people? The 600's camera is inferior to the 650's - but my workaround is to carry a slim megapixel camera with zoom and flash that uses SD/MMC cards (superior images to BOTH phones)! I slip the card into my phone and attach photos to emails. However, this does mean carrying ANOTHER gadget, something that some people don't want to do.

If none of those things mean enough to you to justify spending an extra $200-300 for a 650, then just get the 600 and you'll be happy. Use the extra cash to invest in a large memory card for the memory slot and get MP3 software and a minijack adapter instead!

The minijack adapter is FANTASTIC! In my car, I slip a cassette adapter into my tape deck and place the 600 in a universal dashboard mount. I can play MP3s from the phone in my stereo - but better, when I get calls, the ring tone and the incoming audio ALSO plays through the car stereo! Best damn speakerphone you'll ever hear! The touchscreen's onscreen buttons are easy to use while driving, too - if you keep it mounted close to the steering wheel and in easy viewing range.

And if by next year you decide you really wanted that 650, it'll probably be marked down to what a 600 costs now because the 700 just came out... but then you can just wait for the 750... or the 800...

Also: since it appears this is your first smartphone - LOOK CAREFULLY at the cost of data services. Some carriers (like Sprint) have cheap flat-rate unlimited-use plans, some (like AT&T) have costlier flat-rate plans, and some charge per megabyte of data - a very costly way to get Internet service for a phone that's so data-friendly.

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 11, 2004 12:46AM PST

I have used a 600 for about a year and have had no problems (other that leaving my first on the bumper of my SUV and driving off. lessen = get the $4 mo. replacement insurance.) I have used a number of Pocket PC products and had lots of problems.
The only problem I had was trying to use the Jabra Bluetooth (for non-Bluetooth phones) headset with the 600 . It does not work. I am looking at the 650 for the Bluetooth and extra battery life. (My with will get the 600).

I would disagree with your statement about Sprint being steamed about PDAnet software. Sprint sells software from SnapSync and Sprint tech told me about it and how to set it up. I used used it with my Sanyo 4900 and got 80k to 100k. I have not tried it with my 600 but I am going to check it out as well at PDAnet.

I did a lot of research and chose Sprint. I have a 2500 minute plan with three phones for $115 mo. I have had a few problems with Sprint but they have always been responsive.

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 11, 2004 11:33AM PST

I also have a Treo 600 and bought the Jabra BT200 for non-bluetooth phones. I was very disappointed to find out the answer/end feature did not work without disconnecting the call. When I called support the tech told me about CallFilter for Treo 600. Go to www.velocityware.com and download Version 1.2. After installaton, click ENABLE on the main screen and Enable fix for Jabra BT200 under phone preferences. For less than $30 dollars, you will have a Bluetooth phone without the upgrade cost of the Treo 650.

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Treo 600
Jan 22, 2005 11:26AM PST

'in a universal dashboard mount'

What do you use?

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 12, 2004 11:30AM PST

I used the 600 for the past 8 months and I was pleased. however, the imporvements in the 650 are substantial. For instance, the Camera is much better...actually functional compared to the 600 which was worthless. Blutooth is nice in the 650. Changeable battery is great. Camcorder feature is AWESOME (not the best quality picture, but what a handy feature to have, i.e. kids). Faster processer is good.The best improvement is the higher resolution screen. MAJOR improvement!

If you were considering REPLACING a 600 with a 650, then that should be determined by your financial situation. However, since you have yet to purchase either, then i think it would be a mistake NOT to get the 650...it is that much better. Go to a Sprint store and actually see the differences.

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Re: Treo650 or Treo600 ??
Dec 13, 2004 9:05AM PST

Thanks for all the replies guys. No, I have never owned a PDA and I am anxious to get one but as you can imagine I'd like to get the one that I won't regret getting afterwards.

I asked for GSM because I wanna be able to use the PDA phone from Europe or Asia (predominantly GSM market), when I am travelling abroad but it's really not a "must". So I *could* settle for CDMA i.e. Sprint. I thought T-mobile also provides Treo (prolly just the 600) which would be a GSM network, no ?

Anyhow, it sounds like I would be better off with a 650 than 600. Extra couple of hundred bucks is not a problem. Agree ?

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No contest
Dec 18, 2004 5:50AM PST

The Treo 650 is much better. They fixed just about every complaint people had with the 600. There is software available now to fix the memory problem of both the 600 and 650.

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I wonder
Dec 19, 2004 3:28AM PST

If Treo650 that works on GSM network ever gonna be available in US. Anyone knows ?

Thanks for the replies guys. Keep them coming.

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US GSM Treo 650
Feb 27, 2005 9:27AM PST

Cingular and PalmOne launched their version over a month ago (late Jan 05), though a Google search will show there's a bit of a brou-haha over initially listing the GSM Treo 650 for $599. Reportedly after a day the price was bumped up to $699 (for an unlocked version, I assume, that could be used on any carrier), and PalmOne issue a response that it was a pricing error. The $700 price seems to put it into a whole new category now for a lot of people.