[joshd]

Hey all, I've been thinking about getting the Treo650 since it came out on Verizon (even before) but had a few Qs:

1) Is it still considered the best smart phone on the market?
2) Does/will it support WiFi?
3) Can I upgrade memory card (e.g. 1GB) with any brand?

Thanks, Josh

[seaflipper]

I think it's the best on the market still and I have had several (PPC, Windows Mobile Smartphone etc).

[SoloAlpha06]

Hey all, I've been thinking about getting the Treo650 since it came out on Verizon (even before) but had a few Qs:

1) Is it still considered the best smart phone on the market?
2) Does/will it support WiFi?
3) Can I upgrade memory card (e.g. 1GB) with any brand?

1)Yes it is
2)for some it does work with the wifi sled
3)yes

[joshd]

Re:WiFi sled-Enfora only? Why does it work only "for some":

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=7479

Forgot to ask if it can record audio only (I know it can record video)?

Thanks, Josh

[grndslm]

Personally, if I were going to get the 650 on Verizon, I prolly wouldn't use it for data since it's $45/mo. But having the internet with you at all times is half the fun of owning the phone (the other half is the keyboard and the tons of free apps you can get for palm). If you're in the same boat of being a broke a$$ mo fo and can't afford $45/mo for data and don't plan on switching carriers....you could use an SD WiFi card without having to hard reset since you're not using the data, but it would be a major drain on the battery....or you could use the wifi sled....or you could use the reverse bluetooth DUN....getting WiFi speeds when you're within range of a Class 1 bluetooth usb adapter. But I like having the internet everywhere so I pay $10/mo with sprint for data and have the intention of doing the reverse bluetooth DUN part, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Spend too much time on this forum.

So...once again....I'd personally get the 650 with sprint!
And WiFi ain't got no place in phones unless you're on a college campus or business that's blanketed with WiFi - which is a VERY tiny population of these users.

[holmes4]

I don't think the Enfora sled works for anyone yet - as far as I know, it is still unreleased.

[grndslm]

Forgot to ask if it can record audio only (I know it can record video)?

Yup....you'll need to add a free app called SoundRec.

As to the wifi sled...I don't know if it's actually shipping yet...but I wouldn't recommend it since it's soo bulky, unless you couldn't use the other two options above.

[joshd]

https://www.enfora.com/shop/detail.aspx?ID=43 says coming soon

http://store.treocentral.com/content...ries/59-60.htm (says available "around 7/6" for 600 not 650 yet)?

Also what about recording audio only?

Much Thanks, Josh

[mediasi]

And WiFi ain't got no place in phones unless you're on a college campus or business that's blanketed with WiFi - which is a VERY tiny population of these users.

Or...

If you travel a lot and spend time in airports.

Or visit a B&N often (many now have WIFI)

Or a library that offers WIFI

Or... there are a slew of places now that are offering complimentary wifi service besides just airports and hotels.

Pamela

[grndslm]

Or...

If you travel a lot and spend time in airports.

Or visit a B&N often (many now have WIFI)

Or a library that offers WIFI

Or... there are a slew of places now that are offering complimentary wifi service besides just airports and hotels.

Pamela

Very true....I don't live in a very large city, so WiFi's not so ubiquitous around here.

Maybe the Treo 700 will have WiFi for your needs...but your only options for now are backing up to SD card then hard resetting, browsing with wifi SD card, then restoring your files again....or waiting for the Enfora sled. Both seem like too much hassle to browse for a few minutes in a B&N or airport. If I were a HEAVY traveler, I'd find the blueooth DUN more appealing since I wouldn't have to pay any extra for service...and if you use tabs in Firefox...you can download like 10 pages while you're viewing one page so that when you're done reading your next site is prolly done downloading....almost as good as wifi. Tabs are awesome!

[mediasi]

Very true....I don't live in a very large city, so WiFi's not so ubiquitous around here.

Maybe the Treo 700 will have WiFi for your needs...but your only options for now are backing up to SD card then hard resetting, browsing with wifi SD card, then restoring your files again....or waiting for the Enfora sled. Both seem like too much hassle to browse for a few minutes in a B&N or airport. If I were a HEAVY traveler, I'd find the blueooth DUN more appealing since I wouldn't have to pay any extra for service...and if you use tabs in Firefox...you can download like 10 pages while you're viewing one page so that when you're done reading your next site is prolly done downloading....almost as good as wifi. Tabs are awesome!

I've found my data connection via VZW so far is pretty darn fast, so I'm not "missing" any higher speeds seeing that I'm pretty much using PDA formats on sites and email. Not a lot of other things.

Pamela

[joshd]

Thanks grndslm & peeps, -food for thought there...I'll look into all that & probably post back with more pestering Qs.

-Oh I've read the speakerphone is quite good, do MP3s sound decent-can they play out of that same speaker like audio I would record with SoundRec?

Glib Q: Will it cause cancer if I only use the speaker phone on a table? (ok partially joking there-I actually do worry about this stuff)

[cadams]

You can connect through Bluetooth for internet access by enabling ICS on your home computer, works faster than National Access and it's free, just the range is nowhere near as good as WiFi. The best use I find for this is testing sites out to see how they look before you bookmark them so you don't waste KB's.

MP3 through the speakers does not sound that good but not bad per se, I just wouldn't listen to music that way but an audio book or spoken word recording sounds fine.

[grndslm]

MEDIASI: you will be "missing" that old 1xRTT network your browsing on whenever EV-DO/UMTS or Wi-Max rolls out!!

JOSHD: People have been talking on cell phones for thousands of minutes every month without getting tumors. But yes, if cell phone radiation did cause brain cancer, talking on the speakerphone will help out a bit. I tend to do it more often because it's more convenient for me. I think the speakerphone sounds terrific. When I play a song around my friends, they all gasp: "Wow, your phone is loud!!" No Ipod can play music as loud as mine without an external bulky speaker. I certainly would prefer the earbuds to the built-in speaker, though.

[slinky]

1. "Best" is a relative term. It depends upon what is important to you. I haven't used the latest PPC phones but they are looking, very very good. I have a lot of Palm software so it made sense to me to stick with what I had. Check out the benefits of both and then decide which had the best options for you.

2. WiFi does not and will likely not work on the Treo 650 with SD cards or similar. No question Verizon wants you to pay for Internet access by using its services as do other carriers. We'll see where this goes in the future...

3. While SoundRec is free and will record sound into your Treo, voice quality is frequently lousy unless you are at the right distance and volume at all times. It also only produces wav files (larger) and stores them internally. Do yourself a favor and buy Audacity's voice recorder and you'll be much, much happier. Voice quality is much better and there are a host of options where to store (on SD card) and in what format, compressed and at different settings.

[grndslm]

1. "Best" is a relative term. It depends upon what is important to you. I haven't used the latest PPC phones but they are looking, very very good. I have a lot of Palm software so it made sense to me to stick with what I had. Check out the benefits of both and then decide which had the best options for you.

Treo 650's the BEST, slinky, get over it. Anybody who thinks otherwise hasn't used a 650 for longer than a day, like yourself....or might actually fall under that relative mumbo jumbo stuff yer talkin' 'bout (but it's prolly less than 1% of smartphone users....give or take a percentage).

2. WiFi does not and will likely not work on the Treo 650 with SD cards or similar. No question Verizon wants you to pay for Internet access by using its services as do other carriers. We'll see where this goes in the future...

WiFi DOES work with SD cards or similar. The LARGEST thread on this discussion board is attributed to Shadowmite and Friends getting WiFi to work with certain cards. Only problem is that you have to hard reset to use your carrier's data again....which should be a problem if (a) you don't have a data plan or (b) have a backup solution: BackupMan/Buddy, Resco Explorer (highly recommended for backup and non-backup purposes (it's only $12), or VfsBackup (free). Hmm...we already saw where it went in the past. Carriers can stop Palm, but they can't stop hackers.

3. While SoundRec is free and will record sound into your Treo, voice quality is frequently lousy unless you are at the right distance and volume at all times. It also only produces wav files (larger) and stores them internally. Do yourself a favor and buy Audacity's voice recorder and you'll be much, much happier. Voice quality is much better and there are a host of options where to store (on SD card) and in what format, compressed and at different settings.

I think that if you tried messing around with the options in SoundRec, you'd find something that gives you the quality you're looking for. If you want quality, why are you compressing?? SoundRec most definitely allows you to store to the SD Card...I do it everyday. Do you really not understand why I get so frustrated with you slinkmeister?? You don't have any concept of trial and error...and I'm constantly having to beech slap you around and point stuff out to you that's right underneath your nose...right in the palm of your hand, even!

Sometimes I don't even know why I bother responding to you, slinky!! I guess I know you just don't know any better...that MUST be it. Or maybe deep down, perhaps, I'm really your secret admirer.

[slinky]

Treo 650's the BEST, slinky, get over it. Anybody who thinks otherwise hasn't used a 650 for longer than a day, like yourself....or might actually fall under that relative mumbo jumbo stuff yer talkin' 'bout (but it's prolly less than 1% of smartphone users....give or take a percentage).

A true scientific study conducted by this year's spelling champion.

WiFi DOES work with SD cards or similar. The LARGEST thread on this discussion board is attributed to Shadowmite and Friends getting WiFi to work with certain cards. Only problem is that you have to hard reset to use your carrier's data again....which should be a problem if (a) you don't have a data plan or (b) have a backup solution: BackupMan/Buddy, Resco Explorer (highly recommended for backup and non-backup purposes (it's only $12), or VfsBackup (free). Hmm...we already saw where it went in the past. Carriers can stop Palm, but they can't stop hackers.

I'm guessing that you really don't work in a large corporate environment since you have plenty of time on your hands to (a) be tempted to hard reset your phone and (b) foolishly rely upon any backup to just restore your phone to the same condition it was in. Read the threads here. I'm not the only one who finds that backup on VFS doesn't work in a consistent, reliable fashion. Reading more I've found that the WiFi "hack" is flaky and is probably more trouble than it's worth. It's also not built in and requires spending another $100 for a separate SD card as well. This is as opposed to simply buying a device that has it built in and is fully supported and will also interface with your company contact management and email without getting railed by your IT department that you've done something to your phone that they don't want to touch.

I think that if you tried messing around with the options in SoundRec, you'd find something that gives you the quality you're looking for. If you want quality, why are you compressing?? SoundRec most definitely allows you to store to the SD Card...I do it everyday. Do you really not understand why I get so frustrated with you slinkmeister?? You don't have any concept of trial and error...and I'm constantly having to beech slap you around and point stuff out to you that's right underneath your nose...right in the palm of your hand, even!

Perhaps I may have had an older version of SoundRec but the sound quality does not compare to the Audacity program, if sound recording is of value to you. I think that recording analog sounds to digital might involve a number of factors with the folks at Audacity took into account. Their specialty is apparently in this area and I found them when I first had my Palm Tungsten C modified with a built in microphone and they offered it. Very good people, great support and really a great working (not the prettiest) product.

Sometimes I don't even know why I bother responding to you, slinky!! I guess I know you just don't know any better...that MUST be it. Or maybe deep down, perhaps, I'm really your secret admirer.

grndslm... grow up. It's not impressive to sound like an obnoxious, spoiled brat. I question if you've ever worked in a large corporate environment and had to deal with the pros and cons of using each phone for business and as a potential blackberry alternative. You'd have a different attitude and "prolly" be far more respectful of others.

[mc2714]

3. While SoundRec is free and will record sound into your Treo, voice quality is frequently lousy unless you are at the right distance and volume at all times. It also only produces wav files (larger) and stores them internally. Do yourself a favor and buy Audacity's voice recorder and you'll be much, much happier. Voice quality is much better and there are a host of options where to store (on SD card) and in what format, compressed and at different settings.

The latest version of SoundRec (v1.07d) does record directly to the card. I'm pretty happy with the quality, actually. More then adequate for voice memos (try fiddling with the recording volume-- if its too loud, it will sound pretty bad). I've recently started using it to record my instructor during guitar lessons. It sounds like someone being recorded from the back of a medium-sized room-- as it should! I then convert the file on my PC to an MP3, put it back on my Treo and listen while practicing. Does the job-- maybe not quite as good as those in the classs with a dedicated recording device, but certainly good enough. Beats paying over $100 for a recorder and then carrying two devices!

[slinky]

I definitely agree with you there and that was my goal too. At the time, SoundRec was really mediocre quality (especially when you try to record things relatively close to you) and you couldn't choose sound formats or direct to card recording. I'll have to check it out although the Audacity software really is fantastic and gives you a whole host of different recording options (compressed) so that you can really record for a very long time!

I will say this much -- if you're using it for voice, make sure you get a good SD card that is fast enough to write. I've found that the cheap ones with a slow write speed are not optimal for recording purposes.

[mc2714]

The one place for me where soundrec falls down is that there doesnt appear to be a way to synch files with the desktop-- I have to pull them off with my card reader. For free sw. I can live with that I guess.