PalmOne Treo 650/Rogers Voice and Data Plans

comprehab · Aug 22nd, 2005, 04:40 PM

I am considering the Treo 650 with Rogers as my next cell phone. I scrapped my plan with bell last week. I hate all cell phone companies but i think Rogers is the lesser of two evils. Does anyone here have the treo 650, or even the treo 600. Just wanted to hear some feedback on the phone. My second choice if the treo 650 turns out to not be for me would be the BT blackberry Rogers has on for 150$ right now. I want a smart phone so i dont have to carry around my palm (zire 71) and my cell phone, so im looking at either blackberry or treo. Also, any suggestions on a voice and data plan with Rogers. I have two family members with Rogers plans, one on voice and data, the other on voice. Any way i can share with them on a 'family plan'?
Any help/suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

oryxbiker · Aug 22nd, 2005, 07:26 PM

the rogers voice and data plan for the treo is like 90 bucks

comprehab · Aug 22nd, 2005, 07:28 PM

no, i think there are some cheaper ones, aren't there?

Bajan · Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:25 PM

My company uses the Treo 600 phone. We have an in-house palm application that the technicians use to get, update and close their calls. We have about 50 of these units.

As a data device the Treo is very good. I like the screen size and the GPRS network (Rogers) is fairly fast and reliable. Very bright screen. If you are used to using Graffeti you'll be disappointed and must installed an add-on application.

Now for the bad part.....The Treo 600 is probably the worse cell phone I have ever used. When making a call we have a 50/50 chance of a good connection. Lots of humming and buzzing and static noise on the line. When the device is next to a CRT, LAN phone or computer the interference off of the device gives everything from buzzing/static sounds to weird video effects.

The Treo 600 also gives us many problems such as random reboots (1 to 5 a day), unable to hangup from calls, unable to place calls, screen problems from no display to fading in and out.

We are in the process of talking with Rogers/PalmOne about all of these problems. After only 7 months we are not very pleased.

Also, if you have a problem with the phone then you are going to be in for a fun time. A call to Rogers is useless as they blame PalmOne and transfer your call to them. A call to PalmOne tells you that Rogers is responsible. I've called PalmOne 5 times and need to take the rest of the day off after dealing with their support team. The turn around time is about 3 days to get a "new" phone.

BTW....the Sales Team have Blackberrys and very rarely complain if ever.

comprehab · Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:29 PM

Ok, the treo 650 should fix most of the issues you suggest, but still 550$ for a cell phone is still a little rediculous. The blackberry might be the way to go then. The only feature i will miss is the camera.

Bajan · Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:35 PM

What you should do is go over to Howard Forums and take a look in the Rogers forum. Do a search for the 650 and Blackberry to help you in your decision making.

If you are going to spend a few hundred on a phone make sure you are getting one that suits your needs (and budget!)

Bajan · Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:37 PM

Oh yeah! The camera on the Treo 600 is about 0.8 Mega Pixel (it's pretty crappy actually). Not sure about the 650 but make sure you test one out before you buy.

VVA88IT · Aug 22nd, 2005, 09:11 PM

Hi comprehab,

Howard Forums has a wealth of information. However, don't take the reviews and comments you see there at face value. What is a good device for one is not for another.

You'll be happy with treo if you need a device that has average pda capabilities and average phone capabilities. Just be realistic in what you can expect from such a device.

My personal opinion is that at present, there is not a reasonably good converging device on the market (not on PalmOS and not on WinMobile). That is why I have a simple bt phone with Rogers and use that to connect my pda to the net.

Having said that, I'm keeping my eyes on the yet to be released treo 670 (WinMobile 2005) or the HP 6700 (WinMobile 2005 & GPS ... drooling)

In terms of data plan, I found that it doesn't make economical sense to subscribe to one if you're live in the city with lots of hotspots around.

btw, if you're going to get the treo, look at investing in a bt headset. It'll increase your enjoyment of the device tremendously.

Cheers

dona83 · Aug 22nd, 2005, 11:27 PM

I had a Treo 600, awesome phone. The OS seemed to crash from time to time for the weirdest reasons but like all Palms you're up and running again in 5 seconds.

The Treo 600 camera was a crappy 0.3MP (VGA) camera. The Treo 650 has a better 0.3MP (VGA) camera. Better quality, WAY better low light photos (compared to pitch black the Treo 600 would produce), and can record video in 3GP format.

The 600's 160x160 screen was adequate enough for the average business person. The new 650's 320x320 16-bit screen is GORGEOUS, I mean you gotta see it to believe it.

32 MB is low by today's standards yes but it was adequate for me... leave your core apps on the phone memory such as Docs To Go and Klondike Solitaire and leave less used programs on your memory card.

Data plans are expensive -- are you absolutely positively sure you need it? a basic 150 minutes plan + 3MB of download starts at $60.

Make sure your company does support the Treo and accessing company e-mail through your Treo. They do include a MyMail program that you set up on your office computer so your Treo pretty much shares e-mail access, but run it by your IT Dept to make sure it's ok. Most large companies religiously support Blackberry devices.

And as of today, there are no programs that natively read PDF files for PalmOS. There was Decuma but that was for Sony Clie only and they do not publicly sell the program. They do open just about any other common file format.

Oh yes battery life is awesome. Under normal use I could use my Treo for 3 days without charging it, and listen to MP3s for around 19 hours straight... but the Treo 650 has a faster processor but slightly larger battery, so people are pegging around 2-2.5 days between recharges and 14 hours straight of MP3 playback.

I broke my Treo 600 a few months ago, didn't bother fixing it yet, just moved on to a Nokia 6620. Great phone that runs on Symbian Series 60.

Up to you man. PalmOS is IMO the best mobile OS of the big three mainly because it is the best at organizing your life with PIM stuff and has a pretty good e-mail system, plus Bluetooth, EDGE, and all that fun stuff. Standalone PalmOS handhelds run between $179 and $699, so $550 for a cell phone with built in PDA (as opposed to those big chunky PDAs with built in phone) is a good deal if you think about it that way. My Nokia 6620 is definitely not filling in the gap created when my Treo 600 dearly departed, but just couldn't justify paying $550 for a phone this year when I bought my Treo last year for $600. Two years down the road perhaps I'll get a Treo once again.

dona83 · Aug 22nd, 2005, 11:30 PM

	Quote:			Originally Posted by VVA88IT
	Having said that, I'm keeping my eyes on the yet to be released treo 670 (WinMobile 2005) or the HP 6700 (WinMobile 2005 & GPS ... drooling)

I'm sorry but Windows Mobile just blows. Why would anyone want a mobile OS that tries so hard to replicate what is best optimized for a desktop computer? I got PalmOS right away and it's a powerful OS. I really got Symbian right away and it's not a bad OS. Windows Mobile? Powerful, yea I guess, but the UI just stinks like foot lint.

Aug 22nd, 2005, 04:40 PM	#1
comprehab Honourable Citizen Join Date: May 2005 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Posts: 2,139	PalmOne Treo 650/Rogers Voice and Data Plans I am considering the Treo 650 with Rogers as my next cell phone. I scrapped my plan with bell last week. I hate all cell phone companies but i think Rogers is the lesser of two evils. Does anyone here have the treo 650, or even the treo 600. Just wanted to hear some feedback on the phone. My second choice if the treo 650 turns out to not be for me would be the BT blackberry Rogers has on for 150$ right now. I want a smart phone so i dont have to carry around my palm (zire 71) and my cell phone, so im looking at either blackberry or treo. Also, any suggestions on a voice and data plan with Rogers. I have two family members with Rogers plans, one on voice and data, the other on voice. Any way i can share with them on a 'family plan'? Any help/suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

Aug 22nd, 2005, 07:26 PM	#2
oryxbiker Full Citizen Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Calgary Posts: 592	the rogers voice and data plan for the treo is like 90 bucks __________________ SaVe A tReE, eAt A bEaVeR

Aug 22nd, 2005, 09:11 PM	#8
VVA88IT Full Citizen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mississauga, Ontario Posts: 132	Hi comprehab, Howard Forums has a wealth of information. However, don't take the reviews and comments you see there at face value. What is a good device for one is not for another. You'll be happy with treo if you need a device that has average pda capabilities and average phone capabilities. Just be realistic in what you can expect from such a device. My personal opinion is that at present, there is not a reasonably good converging device on the market (not on PalmOS and not on WinMobile). That is why I have a simple bt phone with Rogers and use that to connect my pda to the net. Having said that, I'm keeping my eyes on the yet to be released treo 670 (WinMobile 2005) or the HP 6700 (WinMobile 2005 & GPS ... drooling) In terms of data plan, I found that it doesn't make economical sense to subscribe to one if you're live in the city with lots of hotspots around. btw, if you're going to get the treo, look at investing in a bt headset. It'll increase your enjoyment of the device tremendously. Cheers __________________ Motion LE1600 + LS800 Tablet PC HP i Paq hw6515 HP iPaq hx4700 Sony Clie UX50

Aug 22nd, 2005, 11:27 PM	#9
dona83 Honourable Citizen Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mission BC Posts: 5,243	I had a Treo 600, awesome phone. The OS seemed to crash from time to time for the weirdest reasons but like all Palms you're up and running again in 5 seconds. The Treo 600 camera was a crappy 0.3MP (VGA) camera. The Treo 650 has a better 0.3MP (VGA) camera. Better quality, WAY better low light photos (compared to pitch black the Treo 600 would produce), and can record video in 3GP format. The 600's 160x160 screen was adequate enough for the average business person. The new 650's 320x320 16-bit screen is GORGEOUS, I mean you gotta see it to believe it. 32 MB is low by today's standards yes but it was adequate for me... leave your core apps on the phone memory such as Docs To Go and Klondike Solitaire and leave less used programs on your memory card. Data plans are expensive -- are you absolutely positively sure you need it? a basic 150 minutes plan + 3MB of download starts at $60. Make sure your company does support the Treo and accessing company e-mail through your Treo. They do include a MyMail program that you set up on your office computer so your Treo pretty much shares e-mail access, but run it by your IT Dept to make sure it's ok. Most large companies religiously support Blackberry devices. And as of today, there are no programs that natively read PDF files for PalmOS. There was Decuma but that was for Sony Clie only and they do not publicly sell the program. They do open just about any other common file format. Oh yes battery life is awesome. Under normal use I could use my Treo for 3 days without charging it, and listen to MP3s for around 19 hours straight... but the Treo 650 has a faster processor but slightly larger battery, so people are pegging around 2-2.5 days between recharges and 14 hours straight of MP3 playback. I broke my Treo 600 a few months ago, didn't bother fixing it yet, just moved on to a Nokia 6620. Great phone that runs on Symbian Series 60. Up to you man. PalmOS is IMO the best mobile OS of the big three mainly because it is the best at organizing your life with PIM stuff and has a pretty good e-mail system, plus Bluetooth, EDGE, and all that fun stuff. Standalone PalmOS handhelds run between $179 and $699, so $550 for a cell phone with built in PDA (as opposed to those big chunky PDAs with built in phone) is a good deal if you think about it that way. My Nokia 6620 is definitely not filling in the gap created when my Treo 600 dearly departed, but just couldn't justify paying $550 for a phone this year when I bought my Treo last year for $600. Two years down the road perhaps I'll get a Treo once again. __________________ eMac G4 1.25Ghz (six years young) - Dell Vostro V13 Intel SU7300 - iPhone 3GS 16 GB Black Fido "There are only two great tragedies in life, one is to lose your heart's desire, the other is to gain it." -George Bernard Shaw.

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Aug 22nd, 2005, 07:28 PM	#3
comprehab Honourable Citizen Join Date: May 2005 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Posts: 2,139	no, i think there are some cheaper ones, aren't there?

Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:25 PM	#4
Bajan Full Citizen Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 399	My company uses the Treo 600 phone. We have an in-house palm application that the technicians use to get, update and close their calls. We have about 50 of these units. As a data device the Treo is very good. I like the screen size and the GPRS network (Rogers) is fairly fast and reliable. Very bright screen. If you are used to using Graffeti you'll be disappointed and must installed an add-on application. Now for the bad part.....The Treo 600 is probably the worse cell phone I have ever used. When making a call we have a 50/50 chance of a good connection. Lots of humming and buzzing and static noise on the line. When the device is next to a CRT, LAN phone or computer the interference off of the device gives everything from buzzing/static sounds to weird video effects. The Treo 600 also gives us many problems such as random reboots (1 to 5 a day), unable to hangup from calls, unable to place calls, screen problems from no display to fading in and out. We are in the process of talking with Rogers/PalmOne about all of these problems. After only 7 months we are not very pleased. Also, if you have a problem with the phone then you are going to be in for a fun time. A call to Rogers is useless as they blame PalmOne and transfer your call to them. A call to PalmOne tells you that Rogers is responsible. I've called PalmOne 5 times and need to take the rest of the day off after dealing with their support team. The turn around time is about 3 days to get a "new" phone. BTW....the Sales Team have Blackberrys and very rarely complain if ever.

Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:29 PM	#5
comprehab Honourable Citizen Join Date: May 2005 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Posts: 2,139	Ok, the treo 650 should fix most of the issues you suggest, but still 550$ for a cell phone is still a little rediculous. The blackberry might be the way to go then. The only feature i will miss is the camera.

Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:35 PM	#6
Bajan Full Citizen Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 399	What you should do is go over to Howard Forums and take a look in the Rogers forum. Do a search for the 650 and Blackberry to help you in your decision making. If you are going to spend a few hundred on a phone make sure you are getting one that suits your needs (and budget!)

Aug 22nd, 2005, 08:37 PM	#7
Bajan Full Citizen Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto Posts: 399	Oh yeah! The camera on the Treo 600 is about 0.8 Mega Pixel (it's pretty crappy actually). Not sure about the 650 but make sure you test one out before you buy.