Getting the 650 to be all it can be...ideas?

[SaintNick]

To be honest, I've had my Treo 650 since February and I'm just now getting around to tweaking it and actually making it more than just a phone. But the world of software for it is somewhat daunting and I'm none-too-happy with having to buy a download just to get the volume to an acceptable level.

Anyway, I would be very grateful for any recommendations here...

1. I would like for my 650 to have individual real tones for certain callers. I've seen some software titles which allow for that. But are there any that allow for the user to edit a snippet from an MP3 and use that portion as the ringer? Or to take an audio recording and use that recording as the ringer?

2. I have to use a Mapsco map book for work and would like to load the CD-Rom on my 650, but the system requirements call for Windows. Because of the proprietary grids that Mapsco uses, I can't really use another brand of maps. Is there such a thing as a Windows emulator for the Palm OS that I can save on the card as well as the Mapsco CD-ROM and everything work together?

And for the dumbest question of all...

3. Is there anything that really boosts the ability of the antenna andimproves signal reception so that calls don't cut out or get dropped? I work out of my car and my Treo 650 gives me far more problems in that regard than any phone I've had in the last five years. Maybe someone has an idea here.

Thanks for the help. And thanks to you who run this place. It's been a great resource a "smartphone" idoit like myself.

[chris]

I would like for my 650 to have individual real tones for certain callers. I've seen some software titles which allow for that. But are there any that allow for the user to edit a snippet from an MP3 and use that portion as the ringer? Or to take an audio recording and use that recording as the ringer?

In order to use MP3's as ringtones, you'll need a ringtone manager. There are several on the market including:

• mRing
• Ringo Pro(see review)
  
• Lightwave
• CallFilter (just released, but was quite popular on the Treo 600 - (see Treo 600 review)

You add your MP3's to your SD card and then use one of the above programs to designate the ringtone for a specific caller.

I have to use a Mapsco map book for work and would like to load the CD-Rom on my 650, but the system requirements call for Windows. Because of the proprietary grids that Mapsco uses, I can't really use another brand of maps. Is there such a thing as a Windows emulator for the Palm OS that I can save on the card as well as the Mapsco CD-ROM and everything work together?

I'm not sure this is possible. There several map options and some allow you to create your own interest points, but there isn't a Windows emulator for Palm that I'm aware of.

Is there anything that really boosts the ability of the antenna andimproves signal reception so that calls don't cut out or get dropped? I work out of my car and my Treo 650 gives me far more problems in that regard than any phone I've had in the last five years. Maybe someone has an idea here.

I would just check Palm and see if you are running the latest firmware update for your carrier.

And thanks to you who run this place. It's been a great resource...

Thank you for becoming a member! Glad you find it useful.

-Chris