Are You Really Happy with your Treo 680?

[Geo]

Hello. I am getting an itch to upgrade and I really do not want to go to a Windows based Treo, like the 750. Mac compatibility is important and more than one computer syncing is also. But I do like that wifi capability! Would be nice to someplace and check email with having to go to the room/office to open the laptop.

So, a small question for the members about your happiness with you 680. You might also want to share some of your program additions that keep you happy with it.

PS: I have been away for a while....and in my travels my Treo has kept me busy and happy with Solitaire, Calender, Appointments, Memos (lots and lots of them - I used memos as a note pad, to quickly take down an email, phone number, names, interesting points from a meeting, etc... treo alarm gets me out of bed early (on time), Avantgo to keep abreast of things and news, Deepweeb's F1 Season for 2007, DioPlayer for music, PalmShadow and Palm PDF and MiniTones.
I have a 650 that has been great and had little, if no problems.

[MleB]

Really Happy? Well, no. But as you're upgrading from a earlier Treo and you've been happy with that, then that's half the battle.

Treo devices are quintessentially 'A Jack of all Trades, a Master of None' - they're not particularly good phones (reception, volume) while the miniaturization of the screen and thumbboard make them less effective for all the PDA (and audio/video) tasks that they are capable of. Meanwhile, PalmOS smartphones continue to offer less connectivity (like wi-fi) out of the box than just about any other smartphone provider.

While they offer a all-in-one solution as PDA and phone, they are neither small enough to conveniently stash in a pocket, nor large and effective enough to be a 'must have'.

But you certainly know all that having run with a 650 - and while the 680 have had their issues (battery life, even worst phone quality, etc) I don't know that any of those things have been deal breakers for those determined to upgrade. Oh sure, there are those 650 to 680 upgraders who report they have missed some of the personalization they managed on their 650 which they have discovered may not be as available on the 680, but small potatoes really.

As for me, the only real personalization from one Palm to another I managed was to copy/beam over Notes, Expenses and Favorites from my TX, as I use them all and they'd gone MIA in Treo - and sadly, the Palm Desktop.

But honestly - Really Happy? Probably not.
Why, I'm even toying with going back to my 'old' very small and pocketable flip-phone (shifting important contacts from the Treo to the SIM before I do) and booting up my TX again - where its much larger onboard memory and far larger screen (all the better for my FairUse-ripped DVDs to be viewed on via TCPMP - not to mention Docs2Go, AvantGo and eReader) and wi-fi make it a far better Palm experience.

Oh sure, it won't be all-in-one and I'll have to juggle two items as once (or just pick and choose what I want to carry), but at least I'll be able to multi-task on them without either going to wired earphones, speaker phone or, or worse, with a bluetooth earpiece looking like either Lieutenant Uhura or a member of the Borg Collective.

But for users of a PalmOS Treo already - for those who like this sort of thing, then this is the sort of thing they'll like.

________________________

If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.

- Economist John Kenneth Galbraith

[Geo]

Thanks for the honesty. I hope that I am not getting a step down in technology by upgrading to a 680?
I was wondering what you meant by some 650 to 680 upgraders who are missing some personalization. Care to explain?
I do not use a wireless earpiece (no offense to Lieutenant Uhura) No real need, other than while driving a vehicle, but the speakphone has worked well for me in that instance. Also, people shout just as loud with them or into the phone.

[Justme]

I upgraded from a 650 to a 680. I am not doing back flips over the upgrade, especially because the the smaller batter in the 680, but I am not crying over the move either.
There are some cosmetic changes in the 680 programing/software, the shift key being reduced to only one button on the left, the use of the green key to send your call and red to end, but really, I think its all just in getting used to a new system.
I found that the phone quality actually was better on the 680, so I was happy with that.
I've only had my 680 for a couple weeks, I miss my 650 at times - she was stable as a rock, but I'm sure I will grow to love this system too. I am a palm gal......

[andrew_l]

i wouldn't upgrade if i were you, there's not enough reasons to upgrade, and well especially cause the battery life sucks, just stick with your 650, save your money for another palm model that'll come out later, it's just right now..it's not worth upgrading to the 680.