Nice device but shop around first
Written: Feb 26 '03 (Updated Jun 23 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: all in one device, color, speakerphone, Palm OS, keyboard
Cons: pricey; no email, voice-recording or expansion slots; battery
The Bottom Line: It is a great product but it is not for everyone. Do a lot of research first before deciding to buy it - it might not fit your needs
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| net_wizard's Full Review: Handspring Treo 300 Handheld |
I had the Treo 300 for about three months now and am satisfied with. I got this device for free from Sprint PCS as a replacement for an older PDA phone but the list price ($499) is definatly pretty high.
I am computer person and had a PDA of some form or another for over four years. I started off with a simple Sharp PDA and eventually moved up to Palm IIIe. Since that I had a Palm Vx and a Kyocera 6135 Sprint phone. The Treo is the fourth Palm device I have used and it has been the best of all four. Since I carry my PDA and my phone on me at all times, it made a lot of sense to get a all-in-one device.
The features that attracted me to the Treo was the fact that it was a color PDA, it ran Palm OS and it has support for the Vision high-speed data feature from Sprint. Tbe built in keyboard was a pleasant plus as well but not as important. It has been working great for the past three months however there are plenty of research you must do before putting down $500 for it.
First of all, just like some of the other reviewers have mentioned there is not support for email out of the box. Also, SMS support is only one way - you can receive but not send. In order to use email, you must download a third-party program (I use Eudora Internet Suite v2.1 which is free). Moreover, you must have your own email account and your own provider. Sprint's servers only work half the time. In order to get SMS to work in both directions, you must buy a third party utility called Treo300SMS from PDAapps.com. If you call up Sprint PCS, you can probably convince them into giving you a service credit for the amount that you spent on it. HOWEVER, keep in mind that neither Eudora nor Treo300SMS, or any other third party program is supported by Sprint, so if something goes kaboom, you are stuck on your own. For extra $5 or $10 per month, Sprint offers email through their Business Connection program but I never tried it.
About a month ago, Sprint's network had major problems and only the web browser in my Treo worked. No other application that used the Net - email or SMS worked. When I called up support, they told me that third part apps are not supported. Beware of that when you consider this product.
I was also able to connect the Treo to my laptop and use it to connect to the Internet. However, that requires a third-party program called "Wireless Modem" and a LOT of tweaking - I would not recommend it unless you are or know a computer expert. Additionally, due to the slow processor in the Treo the speed is limited to 40 kbs instead of the 144 kbs that Vision provides. Keep in mind also, that Spring PCS officially does not let you use any 3G phone in conjunction with a laptop.
Second, there are not expansion slots in this device AT ALL. No additional RAM, no SD, no Compact Flash, nothing. Even the battery is not removable which is extremely annoying. At the battery last only a few hours if you use the data features. I myself bought an external battery pack which recharges the Treo using 4 AA batteries but it is not an ideal solution. The battery also heats very quickly when using data features. Also, unlike my old Kyocera Smartphone, the Treo has no voice recording capabilities which has been really annoying.
Third, there are just minor annoyancies. The paint started peeling off, the screen is unreadable in sunlight and talking on the phone leaves smudges on the screen. There is not Grafitti screen or support, but you can download a program from Handspring's site which lets you write Graffiti straight on the screen which can be very annoying sometimes.
However, considering all of the positive and negative aspects of the device, I am satisfied. For my needs, it is perfect - a Palm OS device with thousands of applications I can load into it, 16 MB of RAM which is more than the regular Palms have, Vision support which lets me get email faster and have unlimited data for $10/month, all-on-device which is convinient, built-in keyboard which is great and many other things. With all those great features, I am willing to overlook the negatives.
Also, a MUST for anyone who considers the Treo 300 - check www.treocentral.com first, especially the messages in the forums.
Update - June 24th, 2003
Two things to watch out for - very bad battery life and bad reception. Unless you absolutly desire the combination of Palm and phone, do not get this product. The battery is not removable and has gotten much worse over the last few months. The reception is not so good also.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 500
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Epinions.com ID:
net_wizard
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Location: Baltimore, MD
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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