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Palm Treo 650
Rated 3.0 out of 5 FREE Wireless Bluetooth Headset with purchase of the Treo 700W(Value of $79.99)! Smart phone users will love this major upgrade of the popular Treo 600, including a giant color display and redesigned keyboard. A faster processor and new email client eases Exchange Server 2003 integration. New software improves Word, Excel and PowerPoint editing. Top it off with a better camera, Bluetooth and a nice MP3 player and you have possibly the best personal communication device in the world.
Features of Palm Treo 650:
- backlit qwerty keyboard
- built-in bluetooth wireless technology
- buit-in digital camera with video capture
- camera phones
- car cord powers your phone and recharges the battery while on the go
- charge from any usb port, vehicle, electrical outlet
- chargers & power adapters
- combo & starter kits
- comfortable earbud, mini shirt clip optimizes microphone placement & eliminates cord weight pull
- compatible with palm treo 650 and tungsten t5
- compatible with palmone treo 650
- data connectivity
- e-mail phones
- email access to microsoft exchange server 2003 using versamail
- full access to microsoft outlook exchange and pop3/imap4 email clients
- fully integrated phone and pda with digital video and camera capabilities
- fully integrated phone and pda with digital video and vga camera capabilities
- genuine full-grain leather carrying case with clear plastic front protects the display and keypad
- improved backlit qwerty keyboard
- includes cigarette lighter adapter, leather carrying case and hands free earbud
- innovative backlit qwerty keyboard
- integrated bluetooth technology
- integrated bluetooth technology and expansion card slot for sd and mmc-based memory and expansion cards
- pda phones
- portable; no need for extra cords
- power and charge your phone anywhere
- rapid synchronization between your pc and your phone
- unlocked for use with your existing gsm 850 mhz, gsm 1800 mhz, gsm 900 mhz or gsm 1900 mhz service provider and sim card. note: this phone does not come with service or a sim card.
- unlocked phones
- vibrant 320 x 320 touchscreen display
- video phones
Reviews:
| Cingular Service is great, but the phone...well.... | Rating: 4 |
I have had the Treo 650 for quite some time, and if the following were changed, I could live with it...
1) Volume, can't live with it being this low and crappy. I have a 3rd party program on here to try and fix the issue and it is no help. 3 different bluetooth headsets, no help either.
2) Stability, this thing does a reset for literally no reason other than it wants to.
If/when the 700p or the rumored Hollywood makes it's debut on GSM, then I might consider it, otherwise I might switch to a blackberry 8700c, but paying 44.99 for the blackberry data plan is highway robbery vs the 19.99 I play for the unlimited media plan, and it is the same thing...
I will say this, if you are thinking about getting a Treo, it is a crap shoot on whether you are getting a stable phone. It is a great device that allows you to have everything in one place: phone, contacts, data, email, etc...however the platform stability is horrible...
Good luck if you buy one...
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| Both Palm and Cingular STINK !!! | Rating: 1 |
I am coming from a palmTreo 600 with AT&T service to a palmTreo 650 with Cingular service. First, the phone. I originally gave the Treo 600 three stars. The PDA was great, but the reception was just o.k. I did not experience any of the dropped call problems or crashes, but maybe I got lucky with the unit I bought. The main reason I am giving the new Treo 650 only one star is because palm is cheating their customers for no reason. In designing the Treo 650, palm has changed everything from the 600. While change is ordinarily good, here the phone is pretty much the exact same (at least in function). There are no new bells and whistles that require an upgrade from the 600 to the 650. (I had to change phones because my AT&T plan ran out and Cingular would not let me use AT&T "equipment" - rip off !!!) What really bothers me about the Treo 650 is that nothing from the 600 is compatible with it. They changed the interlink port so that the battery charge, car charger and anything else that hooks up to the phone is different. Absolutely nothing between the 600 and the 650 is compatible. They even changed the dimensions of the 650 slightly ... just enough so that the expensive sleeve I bought for the 600 does not fit on the 650. How ridiculous is that??? What a waste. Palm shafted its returning customers with sand paper. I will never buy another palm product.
As for Cingular, I now know that every job seeker that could not qualify for a job at Denny's has been hired by Cingular. These people are useless in helping the consumer resolve problems. I was on the phone for 2 hours explaining that I did not need two family plans simultaneously that charged $89.99 and $49.99 per month. Duh ! Why was this so hard for them to comprehend. Part of the problem is that each phone has its own contract. So, even though you sign up for a family plan, your phone needs to be separately negotiated from your wives phone. What genius thought this system up. Anything to make life more difficult for the consumer.
As for actual phone service, it is too early for me to tell how that is, but with the negative comments I have read thus far and the level of service I have received, I do not have high hopes for the Treo 650 or Cingular.
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| World's worst phone | Rating: 1 |
I have had seven (yes seven) Treos; four Treo 600's and three Treo 650's. My mental health would no longer allow me to deal with these devices. Since 600's are no longer available, this review will focus on the 650's.
1) I upgraded to the 650 in the hopes that problems would be solved. If anything, they got worse. First of all, it is darn near impossible to convert data from the 600 to the 650 without crashing the phone. It took 9 hours and 3 telephone calls to get it done. (You have to ask for a level 2 tech and scream until you get one.)
2) The phone is horrible. Can only hear while holding it to your ear and not well then. There is a 3rd party program that you can buy to increase volume, but it creates such an echo that the other party can't hear you. Earphone jacks never work. Out of all the Treos I had, only 1 had an earphone that worked. Bluetooth is no better; I had 3 different Bluetooth devices and you can't hear out of them either. When I finally got smart and got another kind of phone, it was like a miracle! I could hear! The earphone worked! The Bluetooth was crystal clear! But on the Treo, you can forget any of that.
3) The phone crashes constantly, even while just sitting on the desk.
4) With each of the 3 Treo 650's, tech support finally gave up and just told me to go get another one. I drew the line at getting number 4 in a 2 week period.
Do yourself a favor and get a real phone. Don't mess with the Treo. It's a great device, but so poorly manufactured as to be useless.
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| not perfect, but one of the BEST | Rating: 5 |
The PalmOne Treo 650 is one of the best, if not the Best, Smartphones out there. I can do almost everything I want to on it. I can watch DVD movies (TPCMP) that Ive put on the SD storage card , I watch some TV with my MobiTV program, I can listen to MP3's, streaming internet radio, podcasts (ptunes), and with my FM Transmitter (Belkin) plugged into the earphone (buy the 2mm to 3mm adapter)I can listen to all of those over any FM receiver such as the speakers in my car. I can send and receive email (chatteremail), entertain myself in waiting rooms with games, print (palmprint) to my bluetooth printer (HP 450cbi) , read books and html pages(isilo), send sms and mms messages, take pictures and small movies with the built in camcorder, Surf the web and unzip downloaded compressed files and programs.
The palm os is very stable and tons of programs are out there and many of them are freeware.
I suggest buying the PalmOne Bluetooth handsfree earpiece, PalmOne cradle, Seidio extended battery, and the auto charger.
-The best Ive ever had, and Ive had, baby! |
| Love it! Hate it! | Rating: 4 |
Finally, a PDA, phone, and MP3 player all in one. And the Treo 650 delivers, if it weren't for the bugs!
The Palm portions work as you'd expect, the screen is awesome, and it syncs with my Linux box faster and more reliably over Bluetooth (http://www.newt.com/debian/treo650.html). (So I don't care much if the unit can't read Microsucks documents.)
The system used to reset itself daily, or sometime require a manual reset when you couldn't turn it off, or on, or when it hung. Most of these resets disappeared when I ran the dbScan software that comes with DateBk5 to remove deleted records. You can get the dbScan software from the DateBk5 site. I read another review here that the 1.20 firmware update helped the stability too. I'll have to try it.
The VersaMail application as well as the Bluetooth and Network preferences pages have some usability issues. The VersaMail application reverted to factory defaults--losing my mail--twice over the past six months.
The Palm Wireless headset sometimes doesn't pick up calls, but when it does, the sound appears to be pretty good. Wish I could turn up the volume more though. Sharing the same power cord with the Treo is a welcome feature.
The phone is surprisingly robust. It's taken a lot of lickings and keeps on ticking. However, it took its last fall last week (and it was a beaut--it leaped out of its case while I was sprinting across a street) which rendered some of the phone operations inoperative. Tip: Don't get the Covertec horizontal pouch case which rotates and dumps the phone nearly every time you get out of the car, or releases the phone when you run.
Someone mentioned that the text was hard to read. I'm over 40 and can read the crisp lettering just fine without my glasses. The keyboard is nice too: I could use Grafitti very well (I wrote a trip journal for two months in Grafitti!) but can type a whole lot faster and more accurately with the keyboard.
Despite the problems and well-deserved criticism with the phone, I will be replacing my dead unit with another 650. I don't use the phone heavily, so if the 1.20 firmware update improves the stability, I will be content. |
| Good for managing agenda and files | Rating: 5 |
For the people who wants to understand this equipment here is my comments:
This is a great tool for executive people. Reason:
1.you don't need to get the hole office in a conference room or outside the office, just consult your files with a SD 500MB and share doc's with others, for me it's helpfull consulting important info in the act!
2. You can manage your agenda, contact and notes with Outlook (if you want to) and now I have WiFi solution in www.palm.one product name: Enfora WiFi for 650, so I send, recieve e-malis and very friendly software chat named: Verychat IM for palm (instant message)
3. Lets talk about phone skills: this is a non full day phone for the people who job depends 120% of phone calls, you may understand this equipments help you to get integreted solutions in one. For me its tremendous becouse all I need in a phone is dialing and recieving calls, nothing else.
OVERALL, I feel comfortable with the palm OS, it's simple and not requires a lot of windows open, this feature protect the processor, not the same with pocket PC's that you need to reset continuously for used RAM capacity, beleve me, I had a HP2400 pocket PC and that was my problem.
See you.
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| NOT WHAT YOU BARGAIN FOR | Rating: 2 |
THE CONCEPT OF THE PHONE AND ITS ABILITY IS GREAT BUT PALM JUST
CANNOT MAKE A RELIABLE PRODUCT. I HAD OLDER TREO REPLACED BY REMANUFACTURED ITEM 3 TIMES IN 18 MONTHS.
FINALLY GAVE UP AND WAS TOLD THE 650 WAS MUCH BETTER. QUIT WORKING 31 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE. SPRINT REFUSED TO REPAIR OR REPLACE UNLESS THEY WERE PAID 85.00 OR GO TO TREO. FINE BUT TREO SAYS ITS SPRINT, SPRINT SAYS ITS TREO. APPARENTLY SPRINT HAD SUCH BAD EXPERIENCE WITH THE RELIABILITY OF TREO THEY QUIT WARRANTY AND YOU MUST PURCHASE INSURANCE IMMEDIATELY WITH IT OR
"GOOD LUCK" |
| Sadly, I'm leaving Palm | Rating: 1 |
I have had this phone almost 6 weeks (40 days). At 3 weeks the middle row of keys stopped working (a, s, d, f, and g, etc). I was told to call Palm in India, which I did, and they told me the keys were not covered under warranty.
I truly wish I were making this up, because I have really loved Palm. This is my fourth Palm device, though it will likely be my last. I run a small real estate company which works with wireless telecom providers throughout the nation. My hope for this device was that I could stop carrying three devices (my cell phone, my Palm T3 and my laptop). And then, that all my guys could stop carrying all these devices around.
Of course, when I took the phone to Sprint, they said it was Palm's responsibility to repair. When I raised a stink with them they just looked at me with blank eyes, as they always do. Sprint seems like they are in the business of trying to run customers off.
I called India back and raised enough of a stink, that they said they would give me - this one time - a "free return and repair," meaning I would be without my phone for 5-10 business days. They also gave me the option of paying them an additional $25 to get a refurbished replacement, complete with a 90-day warranty (which I now know means nothing). These people honestly acted like they were doing me the biggest favor by offering me this repair.
I was then effectively called a liar by Palm / India when I had to re-emphasize that the keys just don't work, and that I needed something immediately. I don't understand how I can be made to feel like a criminal when I deal with these people, or how I can be made to feel like they're doing me a favor by standing behind their product. I am the customer! Doesn't that mean anything anymore?
I am also not sure I understand how customer service in general has become so bad (though Amazon's remains very, very good). When a person spends $400 on a phone, or any device, it should work longer than a few weeks. But when it does stop working, the company that sold it should stand behind their product, instead of looking for ways to squirrel out of their responsibility. Subsequent to this occurrence, other friends / colleagues have told me how they had problems with their Treo 650s, as well.
There are other issues with this phone. Out of the box, the power/sync cord did not work. I returned that to Sprint and got a tremendous hassle in trying to get it replaced. (I ended up buying a Seidio charger/cradle, which works fine.) The sound is pretty bad - I am constantly having to adjust the volume. Every so often, the phone just resets itself - can't figure this one out at all. Also, when someone calls in on Call-Waiting, you cannot disconnect your active call without disconnecting the incoming call; in other words, when you accept the Call-Waiting call, it automatically means two calls will run simultaneously, even when the first party hangs up. This plays heck on your monthly minutes.
Also, there are limited, non-intuitive ways you have to power on the phone. And don't get this phone for its camera: cell phone cameras are only good for placing pictures on that cell phone.
Otherwise, all the Palm applications work as they should, and as they have for the past number of years. Expect nothing new and different from the Palm OS part of the Treo.
All in all, I am firm in my opinion that I will never own another Palm device. My company will stop using Palm, and we are going to slowly migrate away from Sprint (when contracts start to expire).
My apologies for the rant, but it simply seems that these companies have become much bigger than their customers. Excuse me if I just let them move on without me.
Are there any companies out there that provide good customer service anymore? I know mine tries to; otherwise, we're out of business.
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| Better than I had hoped for | Rating: 5 |
I had researched phones for Sprint since my current phone was getting ready to die. I was looking at the Blade (thankfully I said no just for the fact of the $35 additional per month for internet and text messaging) but then something steered me towards either the Treo or the Smart Device. After reading every review I could find, I decided on the Palm. I am glad for many reasons.
Palm software is the same - basic and easy to use. The Treo offers tons of extras, the basics are included. Without any extra cost, you have a book or two to read. You can also do PDF files on there plus loads more.
It is more techie than the usual phone of course so if you aren't inclined that way, it may be quite difficult. Even if you are, there can be problems. The first day I tried loading my work Outlook to my Treo but it just hosed up VersaMail entirely. It took forever to get the right tech support (typical cell company thing) but the guy researched it and helped me perfectly. They seem to have a decent knowledgebase there. Also, there are lots of forums on the net that can help too.
This phone great. I am very happy with my choice!!! |
| Great Product | Rating: 5 |
Pros -
1. Great organization tool for Calendar, Memos, Tasks, Contacts, etc. This Treo works very well with both Palm Desktop & HotSync Manager (PDHM) and/or MS Outlook. I have 2 computers, on one I use Outlook, on the other I use PDHM. I rarely have issues with synchronization, even going between 2 computers.
2. Solid MP3 Player. Works great. The sound quality is good and it is easy to use.
3. Clear screen. The high resolution screen is really nice. The digital pictures I transferred to the my phone look great.
4. Good reception. Call sound is great. Volume doesn't have to be up all the way to hear other the person you are speaking to.
5. An improvement over the Treo 600 (Better keyboard, screen, design, and internal OS). I had a 600 and it crashed, a lot. The 650 rarely does, and the only times it did was due to a third party application that I purchased separately.
6. Long Battery Life. I don't have an exact figure, but when I use it all day (e.g., I'm using the phone, applications, etc. about 60% of a 10 hour work day), I will need to recharge it that night. If I use it sparingly throughout the day, it can go days without being charged.
7. Good speakerphone quality.
8. Great third party support (software and accessories). There are dedicated websites for Palm products, with a particular emphasis on the 650. There are literally 100s of software applications!
Cons
1. Camera - Low res. No flash. There is a zoom feather but it has limited capabilities. If you are wish to take quality digital pictures, this device will not satisfy your needs.
2. Limited internal memory - If you wish to use the MP3 player, you will need to buy an SD Card.
3. Bulky - Due to the array of features, the device is a bit bulky for some.
Overall -
The best phone I have ever had, beating out the Treo 600 and Blackberry 6230. The only phone that might surpass it, could be the Treo 700p. |
| Great Phone, too much 3rd party needed | Rating: 4 |
| I just purchased the Treo 650 with AllTel (not specified here on Amazon) and have loved it. It took me a couple days to get used to the feel of the bulkier PDA phone compared to my smaller LG, but once I got into it, I love it. The only complaints I would have are that it does not come with a docking station (must be purchased separately) and the only way to make it a "great" phone from a "good" phone is to add close to $100 worth of various 3rd party software. While it's a lot of money to bring it up to speed, the flexibility and having options are nice. Nothing's perfect, but so far, so good (and AllTel has a 30day money back guarantee or exchange deal, so nothing's lost here). |
| Very cool, but be ready to work for it... | Rating: 3 |
Well, I've had my Treo 650 for almost a year now, and the good news is that it's the coolest all-in-one device out there (keeping in mind that I've been a big fan of the Palm OS for years). The things I do on a daily basis with Treo include:
-Phone calls (of course)
-Check email
-Web Browsing
-Manage calendar/appointments/contacts
-Listen to MP3's & my favorite podcasts
-Watch converted DVD movies
-Watch my favorite TV shows
-Listen to Internet radio
-Read ebooks
-Work on Microsoft Word/Excel documents
-GPS mapping
...and more.
The bad news is that the Treo 650 doesn't do any of the above particularly well out of the box, and you'll need to spend a small fortune on third-party software to get it to that point. For example: Pocket Tunes Deluxe for MP3's & internet radio (the included Realplayer is lousy), Missing Sync if you're using a Mac or want to sync iTunes playlists, Kinoma Producer & Player EX to convert/watch videos, etc. You even need to spend $30 for a seperate program to set an MP3 as your ringtone (something that even the cheap "freebie" phones at the cellular stores are capable of nowadays) and another program to tweak settings such as volume to a usable level. Thankfully Verizon includes Documents To Go and VersaMail in their bundle, but they make up for it by crippling the Bluetooth functionality of the phone (no using this phone as a Bluetooth modem - you are stuck with Verizon's data service, which is slower & WAY more expensive than all the other carriers).
The other bad news is that the Treo 650 isn't a particularly good phone - I was always a Nokia devotee before, and I think I experienced a total of 2 dropped calls over a period of seven years. People were usually really surprised that I wasn't on a land line when I was talking on my Nokias. With the Treo, probably 30% of my calls get dropped or have horrible reception. (This is my second Treo 650, so it isn't a bad unit). If possible, I would carry another phone exclusively for calls and the Treo just for the data plan, but Verizon no longer allows you to have two handsets with one number, and I'm not paying for two seperate phone contracts every month (they won't allow you to get the Treo without phone service). To be fair, reception & data speed are MUCH better when I'm travelling west of the Mississippi. But personally, the phone functionality is probably the LEAST important thing for me - I just don't talk on the phone that much (and yes, the Treo is my only phone.)
I realize I've highlighted a lot of negatives above, but the fact is if you want one device to replace your phone, Palm, MP3 player, GPS, media player, laptop, etc., the Treo 650 is your best bet. If you're a gadget freak like me who wouldn't stop buying new software and tweaking your Palm or cell phone anyway, it's great. If you're just looking for a basic phone with some simple calendar/datebook apps, this isn't for you... |
| The worst phone ever | Rating: 1 |
The Treo 650 is a great connected PDA, but it does not cut it as a phone.
I have been using my Treo 650 with Cingular service for quite some time. When it comes to using it as a regular phone, it is the worst phone I have ever owned. The quality of the line, the number of dropped calls and the user interface are all significantly inferior to any other phone I have used.
If all you care about are data services and / or PDA functionality, go for it. If, you mostly need a phone, go for another device.
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| Great organizational tool for busy moms | Rating: 5 |
It seems like there is a review from every possible angle, so I am adding my opinion from a point of view of a busy mom. (I am a former business professional, now a stay-at-home mom who likes to volunteer). I have used smartphones for five years - Treo is my third one - and this one is my favorite by far. I have had it for a year. I always stick with Palm OS which makes the most important tasks and functions extremely easy and intuitive.
I don't understand how people still walk around with a separate phone and even a - gasp! - paper calendar. Having everything in one place forces me to be organized. Here are my favorite uses and some dislikes:
* I plan family activities while I am on the go (which is about 10 hours a day). This is rather easy even while you are on a call with the Treo: put someone on speakerphone with a click of button on the screen and pull up your calendar.
* I check and send quick emails: it could not be any easier. I download emails in one step; I fill in email addresses from my contact database (no need to retype it). I find that my email works great even where my reception is poor.
* I send quick text messages to let people know if I am running late or if I have a quick question about something.
* Typing is very easy. The new Treo 700p makes it even easier.
* I snap up pictures of the kids throughout the day and instantly email them to family and friends. Just a click on an icon helps add an audio recording to the picture - this is very much appreciated by the grandparents!
* My favorite software is Documents To Go - I drag and drop my documents into the appropriate folder on my PC and the next sync will save it on my Treo. I used it to keep key reference documents for my meetings as well as some recipes with me. This software is included on the Palm CD.
* My other fav: ZagatToGO - I downloaded the Zagat guide (for a fee) for five cities onto my Treo and use it quite often - I can finally search easily based on any criteria; it even shows a decent map of restaurant locations.
Although I am overall quite happy, there a few minor annoying things:
* The oval center scroll button is easy to use for left/right and up scrolling. I find that I often hit the keyboard letters when trying to scroll down (and I have pretty dainty fingers!). I quickly tested the 700p and the scroll button on it seems to have addressed the issue.
* Browsing the web: forget it. Too slooooow. The 700p is supposed to be functional in this area b/c it accesses EV-DO broadband network.
* Checking my voicemail: I cannot automatically dial into my voicemail to listen to it. With the voicemail button, I essentially have to call my own phone, hear my voicemail and time my finger to press the tiny pound button at the right time to be prompted for password and another pound sign. Even using the screen for typing doesn't help as it adds an extra step for pulling up the dial pad.
Most other phones give you an option to program your password into voicemail dialing. I wish I could just hit the voicemail button and hear my voicemail without the constant password entry.
I have not had any technical issues with the phone and the Verizon PDA-phone customer service was very knowledgable and helpful when I had questions. Overall, I think this is a great phone that will help you stay on top of your life. |
| Great Product | Rating: 5 |
Pros -
1. Great organization tool for Calendar, Memos, Tasks, Contacts, etc. This Treo works very well with both Palm Desktop & HotSync Manager (PDHM) and/or MS Outlook. I have 2 computers, on one I use Outlook, on the other I use PDHM. I rarely have issues with synchronization, even going between 2 computers.
2. Solid MP3 Player. Works great. The sound quality is good and it is easy to use.
3. Clear screen. The high resolution screen is really nice. The digital pictures I transferred to the my phone look great.
4. Good reception. Call sound is great. Volume doesn't have to be up all the way to hear other the person you are speaking to.
5. An improvement over the Treo 600 (Better keyboard, screen, design, and operating system). I had a 600 and it crashed, a lot. The 650 rarely does, and the only times it did was due to a third party application that I purchased separately.
6. Long Battery Life. I don't have an exact figure, but when I use it all day (e.g., I'm using the phone, applications, etc. about 60% of a 10 hour work day), I will need to recharge it that night. If I use it sparingly throughout the day, it can go days without being charged.
7. Good speakerphone quality.
8. Great third party support (software and accessories). There are dedicated websites for Palm products, with a particular emphasis on the 650. There are literally 100s of software applications!
Cons
1. Camera - Low res. No flash. There is a zoom feather but it has limited capabilities. If you are wish to take quality digital pictures, this device will not satisfy your needs.
2. Limited internal memory - If you wish to use the MP3 player, you will need to buy an SD Card.
3. Bulky - Due to the array of features, the device is a bit bulky for some.
Overall -
The best smartphone I have ever had, beating out the Treo 600 and Blackberry 6230. The only phone that might surpass it, could be the Treo 700p. |
| Case does not fit treo 650 | Rating: 1 |
| The case that was sent was marked as though it should be for the treo 650, but did not fit.... sent it back. |
| I should have read the reviews before ordering this... | Rating: 1 |
| I just received this product yesterday (5/18). A good idea badly executed. My Treo 650 can't sync with my computer using this cable. I'll probably wind up buying an extra charger and HotSync cable from PalmOne. I am returning this thing. |
| Worthless | Rating: 1 |
| I thought the other reviews were complaining too much for a cheap accessory, but I should have listened. It fell apart after about 12 uses and is now worthless. |
| Junk | Rating: 1 |
Those that said this is junk were right-it didn't work out of the box. I should have checked here first.
Jason Brady |
PalmOne Part Number Treo 650 |
The Mobile Phone Saving Network
