Help! My trusted ATT SX56 had a screen accident...not covered by warranty. I have had this gadget for 4 years and have grown to depend on it, especially the PDA portion....access to my calendar and email is essential, and lately my workgroup has been using both Yahoo and AIM instant messengers, which I can also use on the phone. I just bought a wireless IR keyboard for it this week!
My question....even though I am used to the PocketPC format, would the Treo serve my needs? It's cheaper, has a real keyboardl....or should I spring for the Imate....or even wait for the Samsung i730 and temporize with just a cell phone or someother gadget?
Has anyone had experience with both the treo 600 and one of the pocket pc phones like the sx56,imate or 6600?
I recently been using 600, SX66, JAM, and started with a 650. I got the unlocked 650 at $349 (P1 Roadshow price).
Just a brief background, the 600 served me well as it was much more stable than my then iMate & better battery life, much more so than the 6315, did most of what I needed and supplemented well when I used PDAnet with my notebook.
Went to the SX66, had trouble in stabalizing the B/T issue, gave up & bought the JAM from MB, had it upgraded to 128M and couldn't be happier, it is by far one of the most stable PPC based devices I have used, since I don't use wifi much on a handheld, it was a non-issue.
Now the 650 showed up from P1 after 4 months, I fired it up and just didn't get the same positive feeling I had when I did the JAM - the KB is nicer, keys are lit brighter, screen is better, etc. but the in-call volume is marginal at best (reminds me of the MPx220 issue). I didnt mind I had to get new cables & software for it, but the new NV file system is chewing up more precious resources than before, worst yet is the B/T part, I have all MOTO headsets, and none of them worked 100% with the 650's implementation, in that I mean outbound call would not transfer to headset automatically, I have to press the button on the headset (there're a few other brands would work fine according to P1's FAQ), and on inbound calls, there's no alert on the headset, so I would miss a call if the ringer is low, etc.
Having said that, if I had to pay full pop for the 650, I would not have done so since I don't believe it is such a worthwhile upgrade, especially considering all the changes in cables & software, as well as case. OTOH, the Treo design is much better in the SIM card slot, makes it much easier to swap SIM's/devices.
I keep going back to the JAM, it is just that much better IMHO.
I tried a 650 for a while. It is nice, but in the end the Jam won out for me due to the size. I put my phones in my front pocket and I really like a thin phone. The jam is thinner than the 650. The sound volume on the 650 was very weak. I used the keyboard on the 650 for IM mostly. But I also have an IR keyboard that I use with the Jam for when I do heavy emailing or IM.
In the end the Jam was my favorite. It is one of the most stable PPC I've owned.
FWIW.
For the sheer size factor, I definitely find the Jam intriquing. However, I already have a PPC phone, (Audiovox) as well as a Treo 600. I own PDAs from both platforms as well, and my foray into the "converged" device world was the SX56. In fact, I still have a couple of them around. I stopped using the SX56 when the issue over the 850 mhz came about. I got a Treo 600, used that for a few months, then got a PPC4100 because I wanted to return to a PPC phone. My PPC4100 has been stable from an OS point of view but I have had trouble answering calls. (never had that problem with the SX56) The ring on the caller's end is not congruent with the ring on my end, so I frequently have been unable to answer the call in enough time before it goes to voice mail. In fact, it will ring like one and a half times maybe before it stopped-too small of a window of time to answer much of the time, so I was missing quite a lot of my calls. It does this regardless of what setting I have it on (i.e. auto pickup option). I have not had problems with the device freezing where I miss calls, so all in all, it's been a good device. (I did soft reset every 2-3 days out of habit just to offset potential memory issues-all my PPC devices have ended up with that)But it was getting too frustrating to not be able to answer calls. Since it is also my phone, it defeats the purpose to not be able to answer the call! I was frequently having to call people right back. No problem with connection and call quality there. But this was too much of a hassle, so I switched back to my Treo 600, which rings in congruence. I also like the way better battery life. In terms of my needs, phone and calendar and some programs/games are my main use, so either OS platform works. But for now, I'm much happier with my Treo 600 because it does everything it is supposed to with no hassle. (it helps to be able to get my calls!!) It cost $550 less than a year ago, so it might as well get good use. The 650 I'm sure is cool and all, but the 600 suits me just fine.
General question to JAM users-this is just my curiousity: Do any of you have trouble with answering calls-get the message "unable to answer call", find that it doesn't ring long enough? How often do you have to soft reset?
I've been using my Jam for about a month now. I've soft reset it once after I initially installed all my favorite apps. Other than that I haven't needed to reset it.
As for the ring issue, I've never had a problem with not being able to get to the phone. It consistently rings approximately 4 or 5 times before going to voicemail.
I've never had any errors associated with incoming calls either. So far it's been a great experience.
brosson: Thanks. Sounds like the Jam phone part works just fine. It really does make me wonder if it's some sort of hardware issue with my Audiovox PPC. It's too bad since I really do like the PPC4100 otherwise, but I'm not the only one who has had this issue. Someone on the PPC4100 topic had started a thread about being unable to answer the call, and this got me pondering more about it. I had been trying to just live with it, but it made sense to switch back to a device that I already own which does the job! Anyway-the Jam looks like a nifty device. Keep enjoying it!
You know I had the same problem with a 6315 that I owned. It wasn't as bad as you're describing but often I would get 1 or 2 rings and then miss the call. When I initially switched to the Jam and didn't have the problem so I thought that it might have something to do with the processor (200 MHz vs. 416MHz), but your PPC4100 runs at 400 MHz so that can't be it.
I've owned a Tungsten C and a Treo 650. Both devices were very fast and responsive. It just seems that the Palm OS is so much lighter than the Windows Mobile OS.
If the Treo 650 had PPC OS, that would be my final device. I have used the 650 for the past few months, and love the reception, form factor, keyboard, etc... Don't like the occasional resets during an active call, no multi-tasking means I can not run my BT headset on a call, use my CoPilot BT GPS and be entering notes all at the same time. With the JAM I can, and very reliably.
Size wise, they are virtually identical. The JAM is slightly thinner than the 650, but dimensionally, they are the same if you do not take into account the Treo's antenna.
I use SPB Full Screen Keyboard on the JAM and it works OK. With the smaller screen it is easy to mis type, but it is more reliable than Transcriber.
You have to get MS Voice Command if you elect to go with the JAM. It adds so much functionality to the device.
So in conclusion....Give me a Treo running PPC or a JAM with the Treo KB. But for now, my vote goes to the JAM.
Will be selling the T650 with accessories next week.
Login
Panel
