Discount Treo 650: Upgrading the Old Formula with the Treo 650

PalmOne took the winning formula of the Treo 600 and added several new and improved features to come up with the Treo 650. The Treo 650 looks just like its predecessor. They both measure in at 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches and weigh practically the same at 6.3 ounces. The 650 also has the same stubby antenna that users have gotten used to on the Treo 600.

SPRINT PALM PALMONE TREO 755 755P BLUETOOTH CAMERA NR! US $13.52 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 21:19:59 PDT Add to watch list

Palm Treo Pro (Sprint) US $51.00 (13 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Thursday Sep-02-2010 22:11:37 PDT Add to watch list

Palm Treo 755p (Sprint Nextel) - No Reserve! US $1.25 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 9:09:23 PDT Add to watch list

Palm Treo 680 Unlocked US $56.00 (18 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 10:12:24 PDT Add to watch list

PALM TREO PRO FULLY FLASHED TO METRO PCS GUARANTEED!!! US $73.00 (2 Bids) Auction Ends: End Date: Friday Sep-03-2010 11:59:59 PDT Add to watch list

The 2.5-inch, 320x320 pixel display on the 650 sports 65,000 shades which is a whole lot more than the 3,375 of its predecessor. This translates to brighter and more colorful images without the fixed-pattern noise that the 600 has. The 650 offers a full QWERTY keypad. However, to make them all fit, the keys must be closer to each other, resulting in a cramped keyboard. PalmOne decided to keep the five-way navigational button on the Treo 650. This makes one-handed operation possible. There are also dedicated buttons for different functions, including Send and End. On top of the camera is an MMC/SDIO card slot along with the dedicated switch to change the alert mode of the phone: either ringer or silent mode.

Powering the Treo 650 is the 312MHz Intel PXA270 chip processor. The chip has more than enough power to multi-task. However, the storage space is a whole different ball game. You only get a pitifully small 22MB of usable memory. To make matters even worse, PalmOne’s new file system makes file sizes larger. Combining large file sizes and small memory capacity is never a good idea. Having a large capacity SD card is almost a must if you plan to get the Treo 650.

Internet surfing can be done via EDGE or GPRS. Unfortunately, the 650 still has no built-in Wi-Fi. To connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot, you would have to shell extra cash for an SDIO Wi-Fi card. Treo lovers who crave for multimedia goodness would love to hear that the Treo 650 can now play MP3s out of the box, thanks to the bundled RealPlayer. Also bundled is VersaMail 3.0. It can support up to eight e-mail accounts, POP or IMAP. It also supports ActiveSync for Exchange which will allow you to connect to your company’s email server.

The Treo 650 is a quad-band phone, and call quality in general is excellent. Battery life is rated for 6 hours talk time while standby time can go up to 12.5 days. One welcome improvement is that you can now swap batteries without losing data – something lacking in the Treo 600. Overall, the new features make the Treo 650 an excellent upgrade. Just make sure you get a big SD card with the phone.