Thinking about a used Treo 650

[gspointerohio]

Hello -

I am a total newbie to this forum and could use a little advice from some existing Treo 650 users (or past ones). I am close to getting a used Treo 650 for the Alltel network. The device is in great shape with a clean ESN. I have been reading review after review from many different sites and they are all across teh board. So, I thought that I would ask the user community a question or two and see where that got me from actual users. I am on the Alltel network and live in Northeast Ohio. I just read something which basically said that the Treo 650 phone is not all that great and that it has some roaming / connectivity issues (dropped calls, does not roam well, etc...). Can anyone confirm or deny that? I know that Alltel has a strong network in Northeast Ohio and I have been an Alltel customer for many years now and have been happy with their service just about everywhere I have travelled. Can anyone comment on the phone capabilites of the Treo 650 if I would be taking a step backwards in terms of sound quality and connectivity abilities from my current LG phone that I have with Alltel. Just looking for any information that I can get so as to make an informed decision.

I appreciate any help that anyone can give.

Much thanks!

Tom

[plunker]

The treo will work great for you. Some have had volume issues that I believe can be corrected by buying a program called volume care.

Mine roams and connects fine. Sometimes when I am re entering my home area it takes a few minutes to switch from roaming to my home network.

[gspointerohio]

Thanks, Plunker for your response. I greatly appreciate the time that you have taken to try and help me out.

The treo will work great for you. Some have had volume issues that I believe can be corrected by buying a program called volume care.

Mine roams and connects fine. Sometimes when I am re entering my home area it takes a few minutes to switch from roaming to my home network.

[stevetaz]

Hi Tom:

This is a difficult question as I am sure there are people who have great success with the Treo and others who might throw it off of a tall building out of frustration. Part of the problem, as I see it, is that the network you use can certainly dictate much of the success or failure you have.

Through the years I have had Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, Cingular and others. In my location, the north shore of Long Island, NY, cellular service is notoriously bad. The main reason seems to be that there aren't enough towers and that is often attributed to the NIMBY syndrome...We want more towers and better service, but Not In My Back Yard.

I have found all cell providers to be okay, but not what I would like to trust my life and safety with. I cannot see myself giving up a land line for the cell because of it.

That said, I believe the Treo has been pretty good compared to the other phones I have had. Is it the best cell reception? No, but it sure ain't the worst! My Treo650 has no problems with roaming and seems to handle that quite well. I travel around the US often and I have not run into an area where I was left without cell service, ever! My travels are usually to major cities and the immediate surrounding areas and I have found the Sprint network coverage to be pretty darned good. I also did not ever find the volume so bad that I had to install VolumeCare, but I know that is pretty common with the 650.

When I factor in all that the Treo is capable of, including the performance of the phone function, I would not hesitate to do it again. The fact that you have a strong provider and you are familiar with their network probably increases your chances of having good success with the Treo.

I hope this is of some help.

SteveTaz

[gspointerohio]

SteveTaz -

Thank you so much for your time in a great response. It is a great help.

Tom

[stevetaz]

Best of luck and I hope to see you on these boards frequently!!!

SteveTaz