[treoinbrooklyn]

I was always a Sprint user and never had many problems in my area (NYC), but I wanted to upgrade to GSM for work reasons (travel, etc.) and tried the Cingular version of the 650. Of course, many problems occurred and I became very frustrated.

Problems I had were service related, such as dropped calls and bad voice quailty, and soon I determined that Cingular was not right for me. The techs at Cingular also confirmed that for some reason, the areas that I used the phone in the most, like my home and work, were not in the greatest coverage areas (go figure).

So, back the phone went to Cingular.

Now, I've went back to Sprint and the difference is night and day. There are still some problems that are product related (I've already had my first reset yesterday) but the voice quality is improved and this was my biggest problem before. Plus for some reason, the product feels a little different in it's use and it seems more 'tighter' if that can be used to describe the new Treo. With Cingular, the rep and I tried 3 different phones over the course of a week and we all knew in the end it was more Cingular than Treo.

Overall, the product is great and I would recommend it to anyone but check out your coverage first. Many problems may be carrier related. Now only if Verizon would carry it....

[daniel2mi]

I was always a Sprint user and never had many problems in my area (NYC), but I wanted to upgrade to GSM for work reasons (travel, etc.) and tried the Cingular version of the 650. Of course, many problems occurred and I became very frustrated.

Problems I had were service related, such as dropped calls and bad voice quailty, and soon I determined that Cingular was not right for me. The techs at Cingular also confirmed that for some reason, the areas that I used the phone in the most, like my home and work, were not in the greatest coverage areas (go figure).

So, back the phone went to Cingular.

Now, I've went back to Sprint and the difference is night and day. There are still some problems that are product related (I've already had my first reset yesterday) but the voice quality is improved and this was my biggest problem before. Plus for some reason, the product feels a little different in it's use and it seems more 'tighter' if that can be used to describe the new Treo. With Cingular, the rep and I tried 3 different phones over the course of a week and we all knew in the end it was more Cingular than Treo.

Overall, the product is great and I would recommend it to anyone but check out your coverage first. Many problems may be carrier related. Now only if Verizon would carry it....

Thanks a lot for the information at the right time and at right place. You have done a wonderful job by sharing this with forum visitors.

-Daniel.

[richard371]

Unfortunatly some of us have to have GSM if we travel abroad or like to carry a small and lighter cheaper phone at times.

[650now]

GSM Treo 650 for the improved BT if nothing else!

[treoinbrooklyn]

Yes Richard, you are right. I wish I had the GSM version working for me. I travel for work and getting phone cards, etc. is just not convienient for me anymore.

For now, it's the one for me and I hope it gives me at least a couple of years of productivity! Thanks.

Thanks for the kudos as well Daniel!

[Joebar]

Unfortunatly some of us have to have GSM if we travel abroad or like to carry a small and lighter cheaper phone at times.

What kinda rates do you GSM people pay when "roaming" 2000 miles outside of the US?

[TonyH]

With prepaid SIM cards, you do not roam. You pay local prices. If you decide to use Cingular or TMobile international roaming then you're looking at $2~$2.5 per minute. Too steep.

[hberbout123]

When i use to have sprint treo 650 i alway have full bar in my house but the bluetooth was bad specialy when using the head set its the sound not loud enough also i had problem with sending and recieving text massege from outside the US per sprint CS its not supported.

so i switched to GSM cingular i barely have on bar in my house but the sound via bluetooth is amazing( with the same hbh-660 that didnt work with sprint 650) i can hear people now even im in the car compare it with sprint treo650.
the intersting thing is the bluetooth stability in treo650 IS superior compare it with my PDA2K PPC, MPX300 AND P900.

the buttom line is chosing the treo 650 it depend what is your priority??? then u decide what gsm or cdma, for me was text massging

[midmofan]

The sprint "Roaming" patch not only solved my roaming problem, but greatly improved my signal strength in the Sprint service area itself. A number of spots that were at it was hard to get a signal, now are 1-2 bars better than before.

Been with Sprint a number of years, before that I had Cingular and was not happy with the signal, the voicemail or their billing which was always screwed up.

As to the 650 itself. Its not perfect, but its the best tool AND toy I have ever owned

[Japorms]

well, if you live in asia( cept s.korea n china,japan) or europe, people will look at you funny if consider any other system other than the trusted GSM.

[meyerweb]

With prepaid SIM cards, you do not roam. You pay local prices. If you decide to use Cingular or TMobile international roaming then you're looking at $2~$2.5 per minute. Too steep.

I'm curious. Is there really that big an advantage to getting a pre-paid SIM as opposed to just renting a pre-paid phone when overseas?

[DHart]

"With prepaid SIM cards, you do not roam. You pay local prices. If you decide to use Cingular or TMobile international roaming then you're looking at $2~$2.5 per minute. Too steep."

It really depends on where you are going and how you need to use the phone. I have lived with this for the past year. I travel to Mexico a lot for business.

Yes, rates can be very high ($4.99/minute in Kyrgystan and Botswana - but if you go there, you DESERVE to be charged $4.99/minute). For other countries the cost is lower - but not cheap ($.99 to 1.99).

The issue is - Will you need to receive calls on your home based number? If so, rent a phone or pay the piper with your Treo. If not, rent a phone or get a local SIM and pay local rates.

Cingular has a special deal for Mexico - 9 cents/min from US to Mexico, 79 cents Mex to Mex and Mex to US. I signed on with Cingular because of this, but their poor customer service grades have been confirmed by my experience. T-mobile had very good customer service, but they wanted $1.49/minute for calls to, from and within Mexico.

[freit5]

I was always a Sprint user and never had many problems in my area (NYC), but I wanted to upgrade to GSM for work reasons (travel, etc.) and tried the Cingular version of the 650. Of course, many problems occurred and I became very frustrated.

Problems I had were service related, such as dropped calls and bad voice quailty, and soon I determined that Cingular was not right for me. The techs at Cingular also confirmed that for some reason, the areas that I used the phone in the most, like my home and work, were not in the greatest coverage areas (go figure).

So, back the phone went to Cingular.

Now, I've went back to Sprint and the difference is night and day. There are still some problems that are product related (I've already had my first reset yesterday) but the voice quality is improved and this was my biggest problem before. Plus for some reason, the product feels a little different in it's use and it seems more 'tighter' if that can be used to describe the new Treo. With Cingular, the rep and I tried 3 different phones over the course of a week and we all knew in the end it was more Cingular than Treo.

Overall, the product is great and I would recommend it to anyone but check out your coverage first. Many problems may be carrier related. Now only if Verizon would carry it....

I've had the exact same experiences you describe except with Sprint.

I tried activating a Sprint phone from my bedroom and the call just kept dropping. While the call was dropping I was looking at my other Cingular phone that had 4 bars.

Sprint totally sucks in this area (Port St. Lucie, FL)

Obviously different providers have better coverage in different areas. So check the coverage before you commit.

[Joebar]

For other countries the cost is lower - but not cheap ($.99 to 1.99).

Hmm didn't know it was so expensive. This is one of the main features GSM promoters talk about, but a dollar a minute? No way!

[Otter Emperor]

What kinda rates do you GSM people pay when "roaming" 2000 miles outside of the US?

expensive. but I never go that route. I purchase a pay as you go SIM from a local carrier. Company pays for this if its a business trip. And if its not, its still cheaper than renting a phone with all the extras I need like email, sms, etc.

hmmm.. I shouldn't say never. I "roamed" into Canada onto Rogers AT&T. That wasn't cheap.

But it was convenient...and fun . and work paid for part of it.

[Gabatta]

well, if you live in asia( cept s.korea n china,japan) or europe, people will look at you funny if consider any other system other than the trusted GSM.

Thank God that most of us on this forum live in the good old US of A!

[floater]

The really great thing about travelling with a GSM Treo is that you can get your email almost anywhere in the world and it costs very little. Although calls are expensive the data for email is very cheap. I spent a couple weeks in Europe recently and checked my email a few times every day and the total bill was less than $20! And since cell coverage is so good in Europe you can check in (or use chat) just about anywhere and anytime.

However, if you pop in a prepaid local card you generally cannot access data, so sometimes the best route can involve swapping SIM cards and that can be a pain.

floater

[DHart]

Hmm didn't know it was so expensive. This is one of the main features GSM promoters talk about, but a dollar a minute? No way!

The major problem (at least for me) is that while I am traveling I still need to be able to receive calls on my original phone number. This means an in country SIM does me no good unless I have a 2nd phone. Kinda defeats the purpose of the global smartphone concept. My 600 was unlocked. After real life experience, I realized it didn't make any difference - at least in my situation.