# Calling all Treo 650 owners



## Bigshadow (Feb 8, 2006)

I own one these cool devices and I really find it very useful!  I would like to know who else owns one and what they think of them.


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## Kreth (Feb 8, 2006)

Well, I've made my opinion known in the Cell Phones thread. Windows (Im)Mobile users please note that the topic is Treo *650*...


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## Monadnock (Feb 8, 2006)

opcorn:


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## Bigshadow (Feb 9, 2006)

Kreth,

I have noticed that my battery life is a little longer since the last update.  Maybe those memory fixes have helped.  Well, it is either Pocket Tunes update or the last OS update.  I use ptunes when I am at the gym in the mornings during my workout.  So it is playing for about hour as I workout.  I have noticed that the battery usage is significantly less.  I didn't charge it last night and went to the gym this morning.  My battery didn't get any lower than about 80%.  This is pretty good.

Now if only my Moto HS850 bluetooth headset would last as long as they said it would.


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## Kreth (Feb 9, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Kreth,
> 
> I have noticed that my battery life is a little longer since the last update. Maybe those memory fixes have helped. Well, it is either Pocket Tunes update or the last OS update. I use ptunes when I am at the gym in the mornings during my workout. So it is playing for about hour as I workout. I have noticed that the battery usage is significantly less. I didn't charge it last night and went to the gym this morning. My battery didn't get any lower than about 80%. This is pretty good.


I think my battery consumption is about the same. I've been playing around a lot with data (Blazer, Snappermail), and I think that along with BT puts a good dent in battery life. It does seem to me that data throughput is slightly better since I updated last night.



> Now if only my Moto HS850 bluetooth headset would last as long as they said it would.


I read a lot of bad reviews on the Motorola headsets, so I ended up going with a Jabra BT150. Bestbuy had it for about $50.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 9, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> I read a lot of bad reviews on the Motorola headsets, so I ended up going with a Jabra BT150. Bestbuy had it for about $50.



Good choice!  I got mine as a christmas gift, so I will hang onto it.  However, I feel that BT has a ways to go yet and I still prefer the wired headset over the BT one.  Plus my wired headset is also a stereo headset that I can listen to music with.


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## Kreth (Feb 9, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Good choice! I got mine as a christmas gift, so I will hang onto it. However, I feel that BT has a ways to go yet and I still prefer the wired headset over the BT one. Plus my wired headset is also a stereo headset that I can listen to music with.


I'm looking at the Seidio 2-in-1 headsets. I'm planning to throw a 2Gb SD card in my Treo and register pTunes shortly, and it will be nice to be able to listen to music and switch to an incoming call wihtout having to touch the Treo.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 9, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> I'm looking at the Seidio 2-in-1 headsets. I'm planning to throw a 2Gb SD card in my Treo and register pTunes shortly, and it will be nice to be able to listen to music and switch to an incoming call wihtout having to touch the Treo.



My headset is like the Seidio 2-in-1, but it is an el-cheapo from ebay.  I want to get a 2GB SD card as well.  I have a 1GB in there now, but I don't have much room on it.


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## AceHBK (Feb 9, 2006)

I love mine. I need the stereo heaphones and havent been able to find one's here that lets me listen to music in both ears.
I will just order the headphones from Palm itself.
Battery life is great on its own.
On the other hand battery life is terrible if u use bluetooth, damn near not worth it.
I love it and use sprit but would love to switch over to Verizon and get the Treo 700.

What all software do u guys have for it?


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## Kreth (Feb 9, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> What all software do u guys have for it?



TakePhone - dialer with better features than the built-in one
BackupBuddyVFS - backup/restore to SD card
Card Export - Treo acts as SD card reader for PC
Central - a whole bunch of small utilities
Dir Assist - Mapquest directions and more
eReader - ebook viewer
FileProg - file explorer
mLights - turns off keyboard backlight during the day, dims screen at night
mRing - mp3 ringtone manager
PocketTunes - mp3 player
QuickNews - RSS reader
SnapperMail - POP/IMAP client


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## Bigshadow (Feb 9, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> What all software do u guys have for it?


Adobe Acrobat Reader
Pocket Tunes Deluxe
SnapperMail
TCPMP  (video player, I have feature length movies for my Treo)
PasswordsPlus (from DocsToGo)
DirAssist
FileCaddy
FileZ
BackupMan
Blocks
FreeJongg
IdeaPad
MineField
Memorix
Pegs
ProgZipper
AvantGo
CacheMate (Geocaching journal)
KeyGTime+  (for use with password locked PalmOS, allows you to see date/time, batt, signal, etc, without entering the PW to unlock)  I recommend this if you have your Treo locked.


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## Kreth (Feb 10, 2006)

As I browse the various Treo sites, it seems that my wishlist of accessories and software is steadily growing. The latest addition is a $300 car mount/GPS bundle... :uhyeah:


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## Bigshadow (Feb 10, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> As I browse the various Treo sites, it seems that my wishlist of accessories and software is steadily growing. The latest addition is a $300 car mount/GPS bundle... :uhyeah:



I want to get that too!   Ever done any Geocaching?  Check out http://www.geocaching.com

It is alot of fun!


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## Kreth (Feb 10, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> I want to get that too!  Ever done any Geocaching? Check out http://www.geocaching.com
> 
> It is alot of fun!


Looks interesting, and there's 128 pages of caches within 100 miles of me!


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## Kreth (Feb 13, 2006)

Well, I received my Seidio holster today, and I have to say I like it a lot better than the POS "case" that I picked up at the Sprint store. It has a low-profile belt clip (bonus for a big guy like me who already has enough width), and the Treo clips into the holster face-in, with the screen against a soft pad of a suede-like material. I've read that Seidio has done some redesign of the holster to smooth out the inner surface of the top clip, so it doesn't scuff the Treo. It does seem very smooth, with no obvious rough edges. My Treo seems to clip in smoothly, in fact, at first I kept checking to make sure it was actually secured in the holster since it went in *so* smoothly. Unfortunately, soon after ordering this holster, I started jonesing for a  Vaja case. I think it's only a matter of time before I buy one. Excellent craftsmanship, if a little pricey.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 14, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> Well, I received my Seidio holster today, and I have to say I like it a lot better than the POS "case" that I picked up at the Sprint store.
> ...
> Unfortunately, soon after ordering this holster, I started jonesing for a  Vaja case. I think it's only a matter of time before I buy one. Excellent craftsmanship, if a little pricey.


Cool!  That is the one I am  oing to get also.  Mine is the case like you get at Sprint.  I don't like it at all.  

I have seen the Vaja cases, they ARE very nice!  Also they are VERY expensive.  I prefer something that is more utilitarian.  The Vaja is so expensive you would want to get a case for it, so IT doesn't get scratched or damaged! :rofl:


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## Kreth (Feb 14, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Cool! That is the one I am oing to get also.


Actually, I checked it out after you mentioned it in the Cell Phones thread. 



> I have seen the Vaja cases, they ARE very nice! Also they are VERY expensive. I prefer something that is more utilitarian. The Vaja is so expensive you would want to get a case for it, so IT doesn't get scratched or damaged! :rofl:


The thing about the Vaja case is that it's not just leather. It's a precision-molded ABS shell also, which means more protection for my expensive new little buddy. On the down side, at least one of the future accessories that I'm looking at (the Seidio GPS bundle), will not work with a cased Treo, and I think even a form-fit case like the Vaja will loosen up over time if I'm constantly taking the Treo out to throw it in the GPS cradle. Seidio *has* come out with a Vaja compatible version of their Innodock cradle, so they may do the same with the GPS cradle.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 14, 2006)

It would be awesome if this was inside my treo 650. 

http://www.informationweek.com/industries/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=180200754&articleID=180200754&sa_type=&section=industries&subSection=News+By+Vertical+Industry


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## Kreth (Feb 14, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> It would be awesome if this was inside my treo 650


Nice, but I prefer flash in a portable device. Skipping is bad, mmmkay?


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## Kreth (Feb 17, 2006)

Well, another payday, and more stuff for my Treo. I ordered a spare travel charger and 2-in-1 headset. I also registered MagicButton (lets you answer calls from the headset), mLights (power saver, dims keyboard or backlight based on schedule), and Pocket Tunes. I also bought a "thumbscreen" skin for pTunes that features large buttons (great when you have mega fingers like I do).
I also upgraded from BackupBuddyVFS (SD card backups) to the Blue Nomad Security Suite Plus. It features BackUpBuddy (desktop backup conduit), RemoveIt (uninstaller), and Swordfish (password manager); as well as the SD card backup app.


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## AceHBK (Feb 17, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> Well, I received my Seidio holster today, and I have to say I like it a lot better than the POS "case" that I picked up at the Sprint store. It has a low-profile belt clip (bonus for a big guy like me who already has enough width), and the Treo clips into the holster face-in, with the screen against a soft pad of a suede-like material. I've read that Seidio has done some redesign of the holster to smooth out the inner surface of the top clip, so it doesn't scuff the Treo. It does seem very smooth, with no obvious rough edges. My Treo seems to clip in smoothly, in fact, at first I kept checking to make sure it was actually secured in the holster since it went in *so* smoothly. Unfortunately, soon after ordering this holster, I started jonesing for a  Vaja case. I think it's only a matter of time before I buy one. Excellent craftsmanship, if a little pricey.



For cases I have a Rhino case (i think they call it that) that I got from CompUSA.  I can drop it and nothing will happen to my Treo.  Works the best for me.  I am more scared about something happeneing to it when I drop it.


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## AceHBK (Feb 17, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Adobe Acrobat Reader
> Pocket Tunes Deluxe
> SnapperMail
> TCPMP  (video player, I have feature length movies for my Treo)
> ...



How is your video player??
I have Smart Movie which is nice.
How is the resolution and does it run smoothly??
I wouldnt mind watching movies on mine as long as it it runs smooth and not choppy.


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## Kreth (Feb 17, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> For cases I have a Rhino case (i think they call it that) that I got from CompUSA. I can drop it and nothing will happen to my Treo. Works the best for me. I am more scared about something happeneing to it when I drop it.


Rhino does have some nice cases. They should, they've been making cases for Palm devices almost as long as they've been around. There's a company called Smartphone Experts that has a pretty rugged-looking magnesium case. It looks cool, I just prefer to have quick access to my Treo.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 21, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> How is your video player??
> I have Smart Movie which is nice.
> How is the resolution and does it run smoothly??
> I wouldnt mind watching movies on mine as long as it it runs smooth and not choppy.



It looks great.  It has a full-screen mode and seems to be very nice.  The resolution is GOOD and the movies play smoothly.   now if you rip a wide screen movie, the full-screen mode doesn't make it full screen, vertically.


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## Kreth (Feb 24, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> I ordered a spare travel charger and 2-in-1 headset.


I've been using these two items for a few days now. The travel charger is actually a retractable sync/charge USB cable made by Seidio. It's tiny when the cables are retracted, and definitely saves a lot of space in my laptop bag. It doesn't charge as quickly as in the cradle, but it's definitely handy to have. 
The 2-in-1 headset is nice. I can listen to pTunes, or take a call without having to change anything around. I noticed one minor inconvenience. If I talk on the phone, when I hang up, I only get audio in one channel. I'm not sure if this is the headphones, pTunes, or MagicButton (the software that lets me control pTunes from the headset). It's easily resolved by pulling the headphone jack out and reseating it.
I was also able to hook my Treo up to my car stereo. I picked up a 2.5mm-3.5mm converter and a 3.5mm-RCA cable at Radio Shack. Then I had to order a connector for my car head unit. It's a Pioneer, and they use a propietary connector called IP bus for auxiliary input.
I'm still waiting on my SD card. I ordered a 2GB Sandisk Ultra II from a Pricegrabber storefront, but the card was DOA. I contacted the seller, and he replied back in under an hour (and this was at about 10pm), that he was sending me a replacement, and gave me RMA instructions. So I have to wait before I can start loading a whole lot of songs on the Treo.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 25, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> The 2-in-1 headset is nice. I can listen to pTunes, or take a call without having to change anything around. I noticed one minor inconvenience. If I talk on the phone, when I hang up, I only get audio in one channel. I'm not sure if this is the headphones, pTunes, or MagicButton (the software that lets me control pTunes from the headset). It's easily resolved by pulling the headphone jack out and reseating it.


I have a feeling it is the MagicButton. I don't use that software and my headset works fine with PTunes and taking calls. I get a call and PTunes will pause and when I hang up, PTunes will continue playing. It is very simple. I never have had that problem with the channels. My headset is a cheap one from Ebay. 

However, the problem I have is occasionally the Treo thinks the headset is plugged in. I usually have to blow into the jack of the phone and tap it to get it to function correctly. I suspect my cheapo headset is the culprit, because I never had this problem when I used the PalmOne adapter, but have had this problem ever since I have been using this cheap stereo headset. I guess I will be purchasing the seidio one soon.


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## Kreth (Feb 25, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> I have a feeling it is the MagicButton. I don't use that software and my headset works fine with PTunes and taking calls.


I'll probably experiment a little this weekend and see what happens.


> However, the problem I have is occasionally the Treo thinks the headset is plugged in. I usually have to blow into the jack of the phone and tap it to get it to function correctly. I suspect my cheapo headset is the culprit, because I never had this problem when I used the PalmOne adapter, but have had this problem ever since I have been using this cheap stereo headset. I guess I will be purchasing the seidio one soon.


I hate to say it, but it could be the headset jack. The 650s are notorious for having the jacks go bad.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 25, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> I hate to say it, but it could be the headset jack. The 650s are notorious for having the jacks go bad.


Could be, I am on my 3rd Treo 650 and all of them because of problems with the jack.


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## AceHBK (Feb 26, 2006)

Can one of you all recommend a 2-in-1 headset?
I bought like 2 or 3 and i had the same problem ith all of them......
Music only played in one ear.
I know Palm seels a steroe headset that lets u listen to music in both ears as well as answer a call.
I got tired of buying and returning stereo headsets that only played music from my real media players in one ear.
Do I need to use a different music player on my phone than the built in Real Player?  I know it isnt the jack b/c I got a stereo headset from the Verizon store and tried to listen to music on it and it played in one ear again then I put my SD card in one of their phones in the store and when I plugged the headset in, it did the same thing.

Thanks in advance for the help.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 26, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> I know it isnt the jack b/c I got a stereo headset from the Verizon store and tried to listen to music on it and it played in one ear again then I put my SD card in one of their phones in the store and when I plugged the headset in, it did the same thing.



I really think that you might not be plugging it in all the way.  I have never had any problems with that.  However, I do remember that the first time I plugged it in, I had to make sure I had it good, because it wouldn't work properly.


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## AceHBK (Feb 26, 2006)

Yeah I plugged it in all the way and got help from an associate in the store and we tried it on one of their Treo 650's and it had the same problem.
I dont know what it is, but it bugs the hell out of me.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 26, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> Yeah I plugged it in all the way and got help from an associate in the store and we tried it on one of their Treo 650's and it had the same problem.
> I dont know what it is, but it bugs the hell out of me.


That is weird. Maybe Kreth can give you a report on the Seidio he has. Mine is a cheap-o stereo headset made for the Treo 650 from ebay. Cost me about $11 to my office door. Although, I don't think the sound quality is as good as a Palm or Seidio but it is definitely stereo.

The Palm adapter I bought works great with my stereo headphones I kept from a CD Player I got a couple of Christmases ago.


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## AceHBK (Feb 26, 2006)

Cool..thanks alot for your help. I greatly appreciate it.
I thought it was weird too..lol


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## Kreth (Feb 26, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Maybe Kreth can give you a report on the Seidio he has.


I've been using the Seidio 2-in-1 Over The Ear headset for about a week now. The sound is decent. Of course, I'm not one of those audiophile snobs who aren't happy with anything less than a set of $300 Bose headphones. The only problem I've had, and I think this is a software issue, is if I get a call while listening to music, I only have sound on one channel after I hang up. I can get stereo sound back by unplugging the headset and reseating the jack. Other than that, I've been happy with the sound. I also got the retractable version of the headset, which means less cords to tangle up.
Regarding your sound issue, it's probably the headset jack. It's a common problem with the Treo 650. If you're still under warranty, swap it out for a new unit. If not, Seidio also makes a headset adapter that attaches to the universal connector on the bottom of your Treo.


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## AceHBK (Feb 27, 2006)

thanks alot for the info.
I will definately check it out and let you all knw what happens.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 27, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> The only problem I've had, and I think this is a software issue, is if I get a call while listening to music, I only have sound on one channel after I hang up. I can get stereo sound back by unplugging the headset and reseating the jack.



Did you say somewhere you have a middle app between the phone and pTunes?   I have pTunes deluxe, and it seems to deal with calls perfectly by itself.  I have yet to have the audio channel issue.


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## Kreth (Feb 27, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Did you say somewhere you have a middle app between the phone and pTunes? I have pTunes deluxe, and it seems to deal with calls perfectly by itself. I have yet to have the audio channel issue.


I have pTunes Deluxe as well. I'm using MagicButton, which lets you answer the call using the headset button. I don't like auto-answer, I like to be able to screen my calls. MB also lets you FF, Rewind, Pause, etc with sequences of headset button presses. You can also set MB up to launch apps or dial preset phone numbers instead of using it to control pTunes.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 27, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> I have pTunes Deluxe as well. I'm using MagicButton, which lets you answer the call using the headset button. I don't like auto-answer, I like to be able to screen my calls.



Now I understand.  My headset has a button for answer/hangup.  I don't use the auto-answer (I screen too).


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## AceHBK (Feb 27, 2006)

Do you all not like the real player that comes with the Treo?


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## Bigshadow (Feb 27, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> Do you all not like the real player that comes with the Treo?


To be honest and frank... I hate/loathe Real Player.  I never liked it on my computer and I certainly detest it on my Treo 650.  

Pocket Tunes Deluxe is far superior in interface and playlist management.


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## Kreth (Feb 27, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Now I understand. My headset has a button for answer/hangup. I don't use the auto-answer (I screen too).


I haven't had a chance to experiment with disabling MagicButton. The developers have a forum over at mytreo.net, so I may register over there and see if they have any suggestions (once I've done some troubleshooting).


			
				AceHBK said:
			
		

> Do you all not like the real player that comes with the Treo?


RealPlayer is bloatware. In addition to what Bigshadow said, pTunes also lets you stream Shoutcast stations on your Treo.


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## AceHBK (Feb 27, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> RealPlayer is bloatware. In addition to what Bigshadow said, pTunes also lets you stream Shoutcast stations on your Treo.


 
I will agree I hate RP on my pc and deleted it off...lol

I will definately check out PTunes then.
What is shoutcast?


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## Kreth (Feb 27, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> What is shoutcast?


Shoutcast is streaming MP3. If you have pTunes on your Treo, you can click on the "Tune It!" link for a Shoutcast feed in Blazer, and it will automagically open in pTunes (after prompting you, of course). Once it opens in pTunes, you can bookmark it, or add it to a playlist.


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## AceHBK (Feb 27, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> Shoutcast is streaming MP3. If you have pTunes on your Treo, you can click on the "Tune It!" link for a Shoutcast feed in Blazer, and it will automagically open in pTunes (after prompting you, of course). Once it opens in pTunes, you can bookmark it, or add it to a playlist.


 
Sweet.  I will definately have to go and get PTunes then

I have sprint and since the Treo 700 is out I am tempted to switch to Verizon just so that I can have the phone.


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## Bigshadow (Feb 27, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> In addition to what Bigshadow said, pTunes also lets you stream Shoutcast stations on your Treo.


 
It also streams nicely from Live365.com.


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## Kreth (Feb 27, 2006)

Wellllllllll, I think I found the cause of my bug by accident. I saw that there was an update available for Volume Care, so I went to the developer's forum over on Treocentral to see what was changed. Apparently a bug was found that, guess what, doesn't properly transfer stereo sound to a headset in pTunes after hanging up a call. I updated, and ran into a similar bug in the new release, Volume Care doesn't boost when returning to pTunes after a call, but a quick pause and play resets it. In any event, it looks like I was blaming the wrong app, MagicButton is blameless...
Oh yeah, and I just picked up my Cardo Scala 500. It's charging now, I can't wait to try it out...


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## AceHBK (Feb 28, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> Wellllllllll, I think I found the cause of my bug by accident. I saw that there was an update available for Volume Care, so I went to the developer's forum over on Treocentral to see what was changed. Apparently a bug was found that, guess what, doesn't properly transfer stereo sound to a headset in pTunes after hanging up a call. I updated, and ran into a similar bug in the new release, Volume Care doesn't boost when returning to pTunes after a call, but a quick pause and play resets it. In any event, it looks like I was blaming the wrong app, MagicButton is blameless...
> Oh yeah, and I just picked up my Cardo Scala 500. It's charging now, I can't wait to try it out...


 
Glad you found the correct cause.  Let us know how the Cardo Scala works.

I just got Verichat and I am starting to love it.
I need to go back and see what other software you all have.
Any top recommendations you all feel I shouldnt go without?


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## Kreth (Feb 28, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> I need to go back and see what other software you all have.
> Any top recommendations you all feel I shouldnt go without?



An uninstaller - This should be your FIRST install out of the box
VolumeCare - fixes low volume issue on the Treo
Custom ringtone software - I like mRing.
A backup solution - I use Backup Buddy
Directory Assistant - Exactly what it sounds like. Look up phone numbers, addresses, and get MapQuest driving directions.
eReader - e-book software
A file manager - Filez, and FileProg are both good
KeyCaps - makes text input (caps and alt characters) easier on the Treo keyboard
An e-mail client - Many people quickly grow to loathe Versamail. Bigshadow and I both like Snappermail. Chattermail is another popular client.
TakePhone - Enhanced dialer app
PowerUp - handy little app that automagically powers on the phone after a reset
and of course pTunes Deluxe
Some of these are free, and most of the commercial apps have a fairly decent trial period, so you can test drive them (SnapperMail, for example, gives you a 30 day trial).
My advice is to get an uninstaller app first. This will come in handy when you install an app that doesn't agree with your Treo's digestion. Then install software one app at a time to try out. This way if you have problems, it's fairly easy to figure out the culprit.


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## AceHBK (Feb 28, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> An uninstaller - This should be your FIRST install out of the box
> VolumeCare - fixes low volume issue on the Treo
> Custom ringtone software - I like mRing.
> A backup solution - I use Backup Buddy
> ...


 
Thanx ma!
I will get some of the stuff and keep you posted!


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## AceHBK (Mar 6, 2006)

Ok..I told u all I got Verichat which I love and now I have pTunes.
How do u listen to streaming music off of pTunes?

You guys have a lot of software and that stuff is not cheap. 
<REMOVED: Reference to Warez is not allowed per forum rules>

Now thanks to you all  I now want snappermail. and the other things you have suggested.  How long did it take for u all to accumulate all that software?  While I try to find a way to open up snappemail, is there any freeware worth having?


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## Kreth (Mar 6, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> Ok..I told u all I got Verichat which I love and now I have pTunes.
> How do u listen to streaming music off of pTunes?


I explained how to do this previously in this thread. Basically, with pTunes installed, you just need to click on the Tune In! link for a Shoutcast stream. It will automagically open in pTunes.


> is there any freeware worth having?



FileProg or Filez - freeware file managers
KeyCaps - improved text entry
Documents to Go - Not really freeware, but the Treo comes with a full version.
There's a lot of freeware for the Palm here. You just need to be careful that the software is compatible with OS5.


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## Kreth (Mar 10, 2006)

So, I'm a happy camper now. I had ordered a SanDisk Ultra II 2GB card, which was DOA. The vendor refunded my payment (apparently they had received a bad lot), and I opted to go for a plain SD "blue" 2GB card with another vendor. So, now I've got ~700MB of mp3s on my Treo, and climbing. I just need to save some room, as I'm thinking of getting a TomTom GPS unit next (with John Cleese providing voice directions).
Latest cool thing I've done with my Treo: I was on the way home from a remote office the other day, and realized I had forgotten to make a car insurance payment. I fired up Directory Assistant, looked up the phone number for my insurance agent, and made a phone payment. :ultracool
Oh yeah, almost forgot... You can read my review of the Scala 500 here.


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## Bigshadow (Mar 10, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> Latest cool thing I've done with my Treo: I was on the way home from a remote office the other day, and realized I had forgotten to make a car insurance payment. I fired up Directory Assistant, looked up the phone number for my insurance agent, and made a phone payment. :ultracool


Isn't that awesome?!  Often my son and I go to the movies on Fridays when I pick him up after I get off work.  I have the default page of my browser pointed to my mobile.yahoo.com web page.  From there I have all the local theaters as my favorites accessible from the main page.  So often we don't know what is playing, so we will look them up from anywhere.  It is really cool.  Can even watch the trailers if necessary.

My only complaint is... a little slow, I can't wait for broadband speed.


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## Kreth (Mar 10, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> I have the default page of my browser pointed to my mobile.yahoo.com web page. From there I have all the local theaters as my favorites accessible from the main page. So often we don't know what is playing, so we will look them up from anywhere. It is really cool. Can even watch the trailers if necessary.
> 
> My only complaint is... a little slow, I can't wait for broadband speed.


I have Blazer set to start on a blank page so it opens quicker, but I have Yahoo Movies bookmarked. I'm also experimenting with Xiino. It does seem a littler quicker to load pages than Blazer, but I don't know if that justifies the $30 price tag.


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## Bigshadow (Mar 10, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> I have Blazer set to start on a blank page so it opens quicker, but I have Yahoo Movies bookmarked. I'm also experimenting with Xiino. It does seem a littler quicker to load pages than Blazer, but I don't know if that justifies the $30 price tag.


Xiino appeared to be faster, but I didn't like the interface very much.  It seemed to not be very robust, seemed more like a work in progress or a prototype.   Blazer is slower, however it seems to be much more robust in features and interface.


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## Kreth (Mar 10, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> Xiino appeared to be faster, but I didn't like the interface very much. It seemed to not be very robust, seemed more like a work in progress or a prototype. Blazer is slower, however it seems to be much more robust in features and interface.


Yeah, I don't really care for having to open a menu to enter a URL. One other option would be to go with a custom ROM and install the newer version of Blazer. I saw some references to it on TreoCentral and Shadowmite's site. And while I'm at it, I'll probably add the FAT32 driver, which is supposed to show big r/w gains over the current driver, as well as provide support for SD cards > 2GB. But, I wanted to wait and see if this promised big firmware update from Sprint materializes before I load a custom ROM.


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## Bigshadow (Mar 10, 2006)

Kreth said:
			
		

> Yeah, I don't really care for having to open a menu to enter a URL. One other option would be to go with a custom ROM and install the newer version of Blazer. I saw some references to it on TreoCentral and Shadowmite's site. And while I'm at it, I'll probably add the FAT32 driver, which is supposed to show big r/w gains over the current driver, as well as provide support for SD cards > 2GB. But, I wanted to wait and see if this promised big firmware update from Sprint materializes before I load a custom ROM.


I am with you there on the custom ROMs.    I was looking at Shadowmites site and saw the FAT32 driver.  It sounded good.  I would rather see those implemented in an official rom update.


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## Kreth (Mar 10, 2006)

Bigshadow said:
			
		

> I am with you there on the custom ROMs.  I was looking at Shadowmites site and saw the FAT32 driver. It sounded good. I would rather see those implemented in an official rom update.


I would too. I dunno if it will happen, though. I'm wondering what this rumored firmware update will consist of. Bluetooth 2.0 would be nice. I'd also like to see them incorporate the Voice Memo recorder from the LifeDrive. I found that on TreoCentral as well...


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## AceHBK (Apr 27, 2006)

what security software for the treo do u recommend.  The security that comes with the phone of course is bare bones.  Any recommendations for any other software that has more security features that the one that came with the phone doesnt have?


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## Bigshadow (Apr 27, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> what security software for the treo do u recommend.  The security that comes with the phone of course is bare bones.  Any recommendations for any other software that has more security features that the one that came with the phone doesnt have?



Well, I don't know.  I use the default security.  However, I downloaded PasswordPlus from Dataviz (I think it was them).   They offered it to me for free.  Actually, I really like it.  It is a secure way to store all sorts of secure information.  I use it to keep track of all my website logins for paying bills and so forth.  Server passwords, secure and private website info.  Things of that nature.  It is very handy.

Kreth might have something recommendations for you.


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## Kreth (Apr 28, 2006)

I think he's talking about being able to lock the Treo, as well as clearing data with an SMS trigger if lost or stolen. Central and Butler both offer this feature.


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## AceHBK (Apr 28, 2006)

thanks you guys.

I recently got MobiTV for my Treo and it is amazing!!
Framerate is great and the number of channels that you can have is great as well.  It will come in handy this weekend since I will be out of the house as the NFL draft starts.  Now I can turn to espn or nfl network and watch live coverage of the draft.


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## Kreth (Apr 28, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> thanks you guys.
> 
> I recently got MobiTV for my Treo and it is amazing!!
> Framerate is great and the number of channels that you can have is great as well. It will come in handy this weekend since I will be out of the house as the NFL draft starts. Now I can turn to espn or nfl network and watch live coverage of the draft.


I think MobiTV is highly dependent on signal strength. Given the way my signal varies here (lots of hills), I haven't bothered with it yet.


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## AceHBK (Apr 28, 2006)

yes I will agree with that, signal strength does matter.  Here in Texas it is flat and in Dallas singal strength is not a problem. Framerate is good as well as quality.  I notice that ESPN slows down some but other stations such as MSNBC and others are right on time.  I think I have heard some say there is like a 10 min difference in between regular tv and the time u see it on your phone.  I have no issues with that at all.


Now I am trying to find a good Bluetooth headset to go with mine.  I refuse to do another motorola b/c the last one I had, I returned it due to the poor sound.
I have been looking at the Jabra BT 500, Cardo Scala 500 & Plantronics.  
ANy suggestions?


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## Kreth (Apr 28, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> Now I am trying to find a good Bluetooth headset to go with mine. I refuse to do another motorola b/c the last one I had, I returned it due to the poor sound.
> I have been looking at the Jabra BT 500, Cardo Scala 500 & Plantronics.
> ANy suggestions?


I have a Scala 500 and I like it. I wrote a review over on Everything Treo. Cardo also has info on their website about a Scala 700 and 750, but they don't appear to be available yet.


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## AceHBK (Apr 28, 2006)

A salesperson at compusa told me about the scala and I have been researching it amongst others.  I had a Motorola HS820 and I hate the "dangling over the ear" thing and that makes me worried about purchasing the scala.


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## Kreth (Apr 28, 2006)

AceHBK said:
			
		

> A salesperson at compusa told me about the scala and I have been researching it amongst others. I had a Motorola HS820 and I hate the "dangling over the ear" thing and that makes me worried about purchasing the scala.


I prefer headsets with earhooks. They just feel more secure to me. The Scala 500's hook is very comfortable. I'll quite often forget to take it off when I come home from work, until my gf asks me if I'm expecting a call.


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