Treo 650; is it the Pocket PC Wannabe or the Convergence King?

OK I admit it!  I was actually pretty excited to get the Treo650. I know it may sound a little strange coming from a Windows Mobile die-hard but I was getting so frustrated and bored of using the very limited Blackberry 7100t platform. The Treo650 simply blows away my Blackberry but how does it do against the stronger Windows Mobile platform device? My plan is to just keep a running journal over time about how I feel about the device as I use it over time. I may not be a Palm-OS expert but I am certainly a mobility enthusiast and how can anyone not LOVE the form factor? In my opinion if you want an integrated keyboard it is one of the best form factors combining small size along with a high resolution screen and great phone functionality.

So what is right for you …. Windows Mobile Phone Edition, Blackberry or a Treo?

It isn't really fair to compare the Treo 650 to the Blackberry platform because it is hands down a total winner in that area. The high resolution touch screen, the superior Palm-OS, the thousands of 3rd party apps, the fantastic form factor combining elegance and functionality of a truly powerful converged mobile device makes this a real contender. Can it be the Convergence King of handhelds or just another Pocket PC Wannabe?

Well it can be a tough call to make depending on what you feel is most important to you. If you are looking to simply get email on the run and feel that “push” email is important and you can deal with the limited attachment support plus if you have a thumb muscle that is need of some exercise not to mention an immensely poor phone user experience then go get a Blackberry and spend the large monthly fee to connect to a BES server. Can you tell I am not pleased with my Blackberry experience?

Is "Push" hype?

"Push” means you receive your email on your device anytime your server gets it without any user intervention. I think “push” is a TOTALLY overblown marketing spin that the enterprise has bought into. I don’t ever sit at my desktop just waiting for the moment an email arrives from the server so I can take immediate action on it so why do I want that while I am mobile outside the office? I think that type of a work atmosphere is comparable to taking a phone call in the middle of a meeting that you are leading. Do you want the technology to run you or be your tool? I just feel there are very few times that “push” is actually needed. Of course Microsoft will follow suit and has already announced that they will have a similar feature in a future release of Exchange.

So for me the Blackberry isn’t meeting my needs compared to a Windows Mobile device. Granted I am not your typical user because I expect more productivity and efficiency from my mobile device. I think many people have a “love” for their Blackberry’s because they are comparing it to life without any mobile capabilities as opposed to a PDA converged product like the Treo 650 or a Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition product.

So what about this Palm-OS Treo 650? How does it compare against some real competition like the Pocket PC Phone Edition? I will report on this and more specifics as I use the device full time for a while.

I purchased the Treo 650 that was the unlocked GSM version which at $699 is certainly on the very high side compared to the functionality one gets with a comparable Windows Mobile product. I am using a Samsung i730 which is the closest thing to size and feature set as the Treo 650… plus it is the hottest thing getting ready to come out against the Treo. I will have First Looks article out on the i730 a little later.

  The Treo 650 (left) next to the Samsung i730.

This shows the Treo 650 and Samsung i730 side by side. Although the i730 is slightly thicker, it still good in the hand. The screen resolution of the i730 (240 x 320 pixels) is less than the Treo (320 x 320), however the i730 displayed my webblog in better detail. (Click on the image for a close-up) The Treo is a great form factor but the hidden keyboard of the i730 really gives this a WOW factor. I love the fact that the i730 gives me choices for doing input by using the QWERTY thumb keyboard or directly writing on the touch screen using the powerful handwriting recognition capability, which isn’t available on the Treo.

I have always been jealous of some of the coolest Palm-OS form factors. I really like the look and feel of the Treo in my hand. SWEEEETNESS! I remember when the first 600’s hit how much it reminded me of being jealous for many of the awesome Sony Clie designs wishing how cool it would be if I could have those form factors in a Windows Mobile OS version. As cool as the hardware was the older versions of Palm-OS just didn't hack it for me. Well with the release of the Treo 650 now supporting the Exchange ActiveSync made me turn the corner because now I can get my email and calendar functions directly over the air like a Pocket PC Phone Edition... almost. It is too bad the contacts don't sync too but you know Microsoft had to hold something back from the competition.

Accessories

Fig 2 WriteSHIELD being installed to protect the screen There are a couple of must-have accessories for any of my mobile devices. I was super pleased to find out that my buddies over at Pocket PC Techs have WriteSHIELDS available for the Treo as well as the Lil' Sync™ Retractable Sync-n-Charge Cable. The Treo was supplied with a screen protector in the box but it is the typical cheap disposable version you get at a retail store that doesn't last. I have found the WriteSHIELDS are practically lasts a lifetime under normal use.

The only thing missing is the service they have done on many of my Pocket PC’s of being able to do an internal RAM upgrade to 128MB. Out of the box the Treo doesn’t come with any kind of a protective case or holder. I ordered one from EB Cases that is a belt loop holster style. I prefer the flip top play through style case but I couldn’t find one with magnetic clasps so the holster was the next best thing.

Comments

[yolk]

The treo 650 should have a resolution of 320x320

********** 6/6/2005
yolk, You are so right on! Thanks for the correction.
-Dale

[Dave West]

I think "push" is a must-have for the non-technical user. The typical user expects to just get their email, not to have to ask for it. As somebody said to me once, I don't have to ask if I have any voicemail.

Everybody in my house has been using the Treo since it came out, and while I could gripe about quality control it's been the best PDA I've ever used.

I support these as well as some PocketPC devices, and my customers seem to have the same experience: about 90% of 'em are on Treos, just a few on PocketPC.

********** 6/7/2005
Hi Dave! Just a simple point.... I can use a time schedule to sync my data every 5 min during the work week so it isn't technically "push" but I can get it without manually doing a thing. So the voicemail analogy doesn't really apply. IMHO; I am not saying that "push" isn't a good thing... just that "push" is over hyped and it doesn't really matter as much as Blackberry users makes it out to be.
-Dale

[Antoine]

I look forward to hearing more about your compairson. Being a PalmOS guy, its always good to hear how someone is blessed on the other side of the device pond.

Peace and blessings from Mobile Ministry Magazine.
~Antoine

********** 6/7/2005
Mobile Ministry Magazine? Now that is interesting... I haven't heard of that one. :-)
-Dale

[BobR]

I know what you mean, Dave, about the sweetness in the hand and the great form factor. I thought the small screen would be a killer for me, but the device is winning my heart. It's just plain fun to have and to hold and to use. I'd love a bigger screen, but maybe not enough to give up the form factor. As-is, it works naturally either as a PDA or a phone, and the keyboard is twice as useful as I expected.

[palmsolo (aka Matt Miller)]

Dale,

I gave the Treo 650 a try for 2 months and loved the hardware, especially the one-handed keyboard integration. In the end though the extremely low speaker and speakerphone volume resulted in my giving it up. I have been a Palm user for 8 years, but felt limited by the OS when it came to multitasking, PDF support and other high end applications.

I had PUSH email with Chatter Email and was too addicted to it. I was reading emails and found a drop in productivity since I was letting email control my routine.

I look forward in reading your thoughts on the 650 and think palmOne will do well with it. I hope MS integrates the keyboard more in later WM versions since something like the HP Communicator with Treo functionality would rock.

************** 6/7/2005
Hey Matt! You make some excellent points with the biggest one for me right now being the speaker volume is extremely low and in fact is unusable here on the TechEd show floor. You can't make out what people are saying with the low level of background noise. I tried using the speakphone so that the volume would be maxed but it also isn't loud enough. However I am committed to using it full time though to learn all the positives about it too.
-Dale

[richard]

the comments about push are covered but what about battery life 650 v Blackberry?
for me always on and 3 days between recharge are the killers.
And more java software coming all the time.

Richard

Written on a U50 which I had high hopes for having had Palms for a long time. Sadly on balance Blackberry wins for me.

********** 6/7/2005
Richard, your are absolute correct. That is a definate major strength of the Blackberry 7100t in its long battery life. Of course that is all due to the poor screen on that particular model. Any of these handhelds with using the bright TFT screens will experience a significant drop in run time.

[fil]

Dale,

Unlike us geeks, the draw of the BlueBerry and 7100t BlackBerry are that they simply get e-mail sent to them.

No passwords, no configuration issues, no [obvious] security issues with the BlackBerry, etc. it just works.

This is the reason why most of the [old foggies] US Congress, House of Representatives, and many sales people carry them.

********** 6/7/2005
Fil, you have a valid point. If that is all you want then the Blackberry does it's job. However IMHO I think the Windows Mobile Smartphone does that job for a whole lot less money...
-Dale

[John]

I tried a Treo at a store, but the tiny keyboard was clumsy for data entry (I do lots of notes and other text input while I'm away from my desk). I note you also have an i730 -- I'll be extremely interested in how each of these phones does on their own merits and compared with each other.

I must question the "stronger Windows Mobile platform" line above. I have a Dell Axim, Palm T3, and Sony TH55. I like them all, and take the Axim and one of the Palms with me daily. After 3 years away from WinCE using the PalmOS, I bought the Dell mostly because I kept hearing how WM was "better." The Dell is certainly different, each unit has their strengths, but WM2003SE isn't stronger than PalmOS 5.xx. With units on both platforms, I'm obviously not a fanboy pimping a particular OS; I just want the best possible handheld computer. Dale, we talked at the Windows Mobile Tour in Pittsburgh some months back. I listed a couple of things I was doing with my T3 that I couldn't figure how to do with WM. You said these were Palm strengths/WM omission at that time. I'd really, really like to hear how WM (current version) is so much "stronger" than Palm.

********** 6/7/2005
John, when I said stronger in the preview it was in relationship to the Windows Mobile being stronger competition than the Blackberry is to the Treo. Time will tell who I think will win out the title of Convergence King of the handheld arena. :-)
-Dale

[Levi Wallach]

Dale, good to get the insight and feedback of someone who is from the Windows Mobile side of things, since many of us Treo guys have been exclusively PalmOS for years.

Although someone else mentions it, I wanted to suggest you look at Chatter Email. I know you said push doesn't matter to you, but I find it very useful. Sure, most of us don't have to see mail the instant it comes in, but Chatteremail runs in the background and collects mail as it comes in, avoiding the need for your device to spend a minute or two or more downloading messages (during which time you wouldn't be able to do anything else including making or recieving calls). PalmOS 5.X.X is still single-threaded, and so you can't switch between apps as you could on a PC, and I assume you can with at least the more recent versions of CE?

Looking forward to hearing more from you as you get used to your new device. I've written a bunch about the Treo 650 and some hardware and software for it in my blog FYI.

********** 6/7/2005
Levi, the Wiindows Mobile OS has been multi-tasking from day one so switching between apps has been there. The downside had been that truly closing all those apps on demand running in background has been kluggy. There are some great freeware apps to make it much easier such as WisBAR.

I simply auto schedule the email for now and have been pleased for the most part. I am getting an intermittant issue though with sync. It seems my VersaMail resets the Treo during an autosync for some reason... not all the time just varying times.

[James]

You commented that you can't use graffiti on the palm. There is a freeware program called graffiti anywere that wil allow you to use graffit anywere on the screen. There website is at www.escande.org/palm

*********** 6/7/2005
James you are so right! I had the PalmOne rep come up and mention that to me today here at TechEd. I don't know many of the Graffiti strokes... I wonder if there is an app that let's me do the same kind of thing but uses normal letter and number recognition. I think there has to be one out there somewhere.
-Dale

[James A]

you should look at www.good.com as an alternative to blackberry to run on windows mobile or Palm.

********** 6/7/2005
That is a good point because "Good" is good {what a punster I am :-) } for companies that have a mix of PDA's (Pocket PC and Palm) and haven't got Exchange Serve 2003.
-Dale

[Ink]

You said your blog didn't display as nice on the treo as on the PPC. This isn't an accurate representation. All you need to do is change the font to a smaller size on the Treo to get as good if not better visual. Try it and update your blog.

********** 6/7/2005
Ink, thanks for the tip!

I tried it using the "small" text setting and it certainly provides more text to be viewed than the default "large" text setting. The default setting of "large" is what you see in the image I have in post. It sure would be nice to tighten up the line spacing. I looked but didn't see an adjustment for that one. It looks like it is using double spacing between the lines.

However the Treo browser is still unable to view the detail as shown on the Pocket PC. It appears that the horizontal pixel resolution of 320 isn't be fully utilized on the Treo compared to the 240 horizontal pixel resolution of the Pocket PC.

-Dale

[Ian]

Glad to have you back Dale!
I have been using a Sprint 6601 for 5 months now and really like it. Used a 650 for 2 weeks for fun because everyone I knew loved it. Great form and screen but I hate the os a lot. Too each his own!
I do miss Push mail though. I use it for tracking stocks 5 days a week. I keep thinking of going for an exchange account from a web host rather than doing the auto check every 5 minutes as I do now.

[drbjstern]

I look forward to your experience the the Treo 650. I bought a Verizon version 2 weeks ago. Prior I had an Audiovox 6600. I liked it a lot, but had a lot of software incompatibilities and could never get my bluetooth GPS unit connected. Yes, it was large but I did indeed enjoy it.

Well anyway, I traded it in for the Treo, tired of waiting for the I730 to become available. It was strange coming back to Palm OS in the beginning. But with the right 3rd party software, I have grown to love the thing.

The screen is nicer to look at than the Pocket PC phones. The integration of PDA and phone is far superior also. One handed operation is indeed possible most of the time.

I can do alot with it. I watch beautiful (and small) movies. Ebooks look great. Auible books work really well. MP3's sound great. I found a free audio recorder that works well on the Treo. Backup Man is truly great backup software.

I had to perform a hard reset just several days into using the Treo. No backup yet. And lo and behold, everything returns to normal when I hot sync it. All my programs, prefs, everything. way different than my Windows experience.

So, I am very interested how you compare the Treo with the I730. I might pick up one and give the Treo to my wife.

But for now, I really really don't want to part with this sweet device.

********* 6/8/2005
Hi drbjstern! I moved your comments from the TechEd post since it looked like you meant for it to be on this post.
Let me know what you what must-have Palm-OS 3rd party software you use. Also I wonder what you mean by the integration.
-Dale

[Mark Rejhon]

Hi,

While BlackBerry may not be for everyone (the 7100 is definitely not my favourite model, but more the 7290 which has the brighter screen than the older 7230/7280), I maintain a BlackBerry FAQ for BlackBerry users that help make the BlackBerry experience a lot less painful: http://www.BerryFAQ.com

It would be worth noting there are other advantages to a BlackBerry such as surviving a 9 foot drop to concrete (the 72XX series though which is less fragile than the 71XX series, a story on this drop was posted at BlackBerryForums among other feats), much better end-to-end secure hardware with realtime encrypted memory (disassemble the BlackBerry and CIA can't even grab info off the chips -- it was reported a couple years ago they were impressed by this), battery life, superior stability, etc. (Assuming you've upgraded your 7100 to operating system 4.0.0.234 ... the 7100 isn't known to be the most stable BlackBerry unfortunately, so you got a rather bad example)

Granted, they do not make good multimedia machines yet (video, music, etc), and limits on things like memory cards, can be an annoyance to certain markets. Eventually, RIM may spin off a consumer division to keep the secure BlackBerries separate from whatever consumer brand they may create. Hope they do.

I still carry around my iPaq as there are a lot of advantages to it, digital photos, ThinkOutside Bluetooth keyboard, videos, but the BlackBerry is now my PDA (i.e. it's the one I sync my PIM to) since it now serves the purpose much better and I can use my memorized full-QWERTY key shortcuts much faster than use a stylus on an iPaq (and I did 40.1 WPM Block Recognizer in one of Fitaly's past Dom Perignon contests... which was pretty fast.)

Not fond of the 7100 too either. But I disgress...

[Todd W.]

Dale,

You make some good points in this article but I can tell you this.
When you are the Exchange on-call for a company with over 10,000 users and something breaks, it's good having that instant notification. I still miss a touch screen though.

[scottj]

Just got a verizon 650 2 weeks ago when they came out, next day started reading about i730. Use the device first as a phone, so it has to be good doing that. Just returned 650 since 15 day 'trial' period is us. Liked it, only complaint was that voice was not loud enough. Don't really care about win vs palm.

However, i730 has evdo and wifi (supposedly), and I figure if I am upgrading from a standard flip phone, why not get more than 1x for the data.

Am very interested to hear how the 2 compare from a useability point of view, the treo was nice as a phone, also nice as a pda!

Will try an i730 in a month and see.

[Robert]

1. Blackberries are not allowed for work use in my company, which is a military contractor. The idea is that the BES server resides near the border in Canada. Any info that goes through foreign hands contains a higher security risk. Think about it. There are no US anti-spying laws that are really enforcable in Canada.

2. My Ipaq 6315's phone function doesn't have good voice quality. I'm quite disappointed with the GSM performance, and I'm considering going back to Verizon, which is CDMA and has superior coverage and building penetration. Even though you could be a Verizon subscriber and have superior reception/service, you could have a crappy phone that has poor voice quality. Samsung has had a reputation for having poor sound quality, and I'm wondering if the i730 has that problem. If it doesn't, I'd seriously consider it!

3. My ancient Palm IIIc crashed far less than all of the PPCs I've owned. The stability of the Palm OS was what I always loved.

4. When put side by side, feature for feature, the PPC could do a lot more for a lot le$$. That's what made my migrate to PPC. I just accepted the frequent resets and crashes to be a fact of life. I'm at a cross roads, and looking at both the Palm and Samsung, so I'm eager to hear how your Palm experience goes, Dale!

[drbjstern]

Dale, thanks for moving my comments to the right place. I just read your response (posted June 8)so sorry for the delay.

I am really enjoying my Treo 650. I stated the integration of phone and pda were great, and that impression has only grown as I have gotten to know the device.

It's just very easy to use. And to use one handed. This is such a joy after years of Pocket PC use - pulling out the stylus for nearly everything.

Now I rarely need to use the stylus. A much better way. It is very easy to place calls to contacts in the Treo - all one handed.

Third party software I wouldn't want to live without:
Agendus: great improvement of Palm Date Book/Calendar. Really good one handed operation. I really like it.
ZLauncher (includes the ability to Quick Launch any program from anywhere and a really good file manager)
Butler
Audible
EReader
Backup Man (great backup program)
Pocket Tunes (Real Player is really limited)
Sound recorder (free recorder)
TCPMP (to watch movies)
Palmary Clock (wonderful timer, stop watch, world clock and alarms) Great program
Documents to Go - makes document transfer and word processing a much nicer experience then Pocket PC World even using Textmaker.

Even though the Treo doesn't have full multitasking, many programs play in background like Audible, Pocket tunes and Palmary Clock. The experience of using the Treo has become fantastic.

The only thing I am not doing with it is GPS. The 2 available programs available are fairly pricey. There is much more GPS programs available for PDA's and the prcie is much more reasonable.

On the the downside with my past Audiovox XV 6600, I could never get a good bluetooth connection with my GPS receiver so GPS use was moot anyway.

You know, I didn't really like the Palm OS experience when I first got the Treo. But with time, and the right programs, it has worked out beautifully. I really enjoy. I love the screen compared to QVGA devices.

Also, the battery life is great. I just took the Treo on its first cross country flight and it took heavy use all day. I watched a movie. Talked on the phone a number of times spent an hour with an Audio book. Listened to some tunes. Read some ebook. The outcome. I still had nearly 50%battery left. My last PDA (which I returned) was the Axim 50V. The battery life was truly pathetic. The things we put up with and accept. It is nice not to live in fear of running out of juice.

I also like the speaker. I often listen to audio books thru the treo speaker and its loud enough in fairly quiet places. the Axim speaker was so quiet I don't even know why they had one.

THere are some things I don't like. THe volume on the phone is too low. You seem to have to turn up system sound to max to even get the phone to the highest level. Then I have to listen to all the system sounds which I rathe not hear at all. I am sure some other tlittle things bug me. Just can't think of them right now.

I'd love to hear more about your experience with the Treo and with the I730.

Take care and thanks for your great site.

Bryan

**********6/27
Bryan, absolutely great comments about your experience. Thanks for sharing. I agree with many of your comments. Some things I have found to be still a little aggrevating is the lack of multitasking, volume (even on speakerphone maxed I get "low" volume and a bad hiss), and the sync to the Exchange Server 2003 randomly causing soft resets! It is enough to drive me mad but the tons of other positives about the Treo 650 is keeping me from dumping it. I really do miss not having Microsoft VoiceCommand features on the Treo650 such as calling any of my contacts, etc. However I REALLY like the form factor (it just looks cool to me),camera, battery life, and the volume mute switch (great to have as a visible reminder of status of the ringer while I am at church) as just of few of things I like.

[~Angel~]

Have you tried VolumeCare for the Treo? My husband says that it increased the volume tremendously. I'm planning to download it today.

I own a Dell Axim x50 and bought a Treo 650 a couple of weeks ago and although I hate the OS, I'm still going to keep the Treo AND the Axim. I love the screen, battery life, and since I'm an internet addict, the instant access to email and the Web was a deal breaker.

**********6/27
Let us know what you think of VolumeCare. I am finding out that I keep the Treo and a Pocket PC also right now.

[startagl]

I have used Palm and CE devices for about 10 years. I have had far fewer problems with the Palm devices than I have with the CE devices. The killer for me was the loss of data on the CE devices when the battery was dead. Both devices were used until dead, after recharge the CE had to be totally reloaded, but the Palm just worked. This happened several times. So when looking to finally merge my phone and pda - the only choice was a Palm OS device. I also agree low volume is a problem on the T650.

[drbjstern]

I purchased Volume Care and it does indeed help the Treo's volume.

[Jack Miller]

I just purchased the i 730 and am wondering if I made a mistake by not buying the Treo 650. I don't intend to use my handheld much for internet connection....and I don't travel, so I don't see me using wifi much. I am concluding the Treo is abetter PDA overall.....with the difference really being the wifi feature on the i 730. Which one have you concluded is best for you?

[Jay Wahl]

Having been a Palm M100,M100 and Vx user I had a natural preference for the Treo 650. However from the period of time I discontinued using my Vx and I bought my CDMA Sprint Treo 650 I tried out all kinds of devices, Blackberry 7280, 7290, Treo 600 GSM, and several Pocket PC's, Dell Axim X5, Compaq Ipaq. So I was really versed when I made my decision. After reading numberous reviews about the 650, I decided to spend the dough and get one, I have not regretted it since.

I would say that the major advantage of the Palm OS over the PPC is the third party applications. I have not found a situation yet where I wished I could perform some function with the Treo and was able to find some program that had been developed to solve my problem. Also it seems almost impossible to screw up installing an application, either you transfer it to a memory card or open it and "Quick Install" puts it in the que for the next HotSync.

In regards to the Blackberry I would say that they are seriously lagging behind by not offering removable media storage. I know when I got my Treo I immediatley wanted to put songs, videos and documents on the device and having a 2GB SD Card to do that with has made it very easy, not to mention with Pocket DVD Wizard you can get about 3 DVD's on a single 1GB SD Card. I know this has been a major point of contention for a fellow co-worker and I, he has a Blackberry 7290,Apple Video Ipod,Mini Ipod and a High End Flip Phone just to be able to get the same functionality I get out of my Treo.

In regards to the Email situation, I am not using any of the pre-programmed email accounts or Exchange. I simply setup the 3 email accounts I have with my company as IMAP accounts and the Treo sync's automatically at different intervals for each account, based on how much I use each Account. I work for 3 different divisions and I have to keep the emails seperate so for me the Treo was a phenominal choice.

The other main thing to mention is a case, without it the Treo is very vunerable. But I bought a rubberized case from Speck Products, and now I have the Hummer Treo, it has almost 3/16" of rubber around all the critical "drop" points and makes the Treo almost impossible to drop because the thing sticks to your hand like glue. Here is the link, it also has a hard plastic screen cover so you are safe placing the treo in a satchel or bag without worrying about a stray pen or key spearing your treo though it's display screen heart. http://www.speckproducts.com/treo650ts-ds.html

[cooper]

If your org. uses Windows 2003 servers w/ exchange 2003 there is an "active-sync" tool for Palm/exchange 2003 that provides the "push" email that some want...