Treo 680 Accessories Guide: Review Part 5
While the Treo 680 smartphone is undoubtedly going to appeal to millions of new Treonauts the fact is also that a great many others will be getting one as an upgrade to their existing Treo 650, 600 or 700p.
Evidently, combining the Treo 680 with the right Treo cases and other accessories in our Treo Accessories Shop will be essential to your overall ‘Treo Experience’. New Treonauts will come here looking to find out which accessories are best while existing Treonauts will be wondering which of the ones they already own they will be able to reuse. I will try to answer both these questions (to the exception of Treo 680 cases) in this fifth part of my review below.
Treo 680 Accessories In The Box
As I pointed out in my Treo 680 Review Part 3: Unlocked GSM In My Delighted Hands Palm does include four accessories in the box:
- Mono corded 2.5mm headset
- USB HotSync cable (does not charge via USB)
- [Cingular Treo 680 Version] Wall Charger. [EU Unlocked Treo 680 Version] Wall Charger (bulky & heavy) with four international plugs including Europe, UK and US.
- One Universal Screen Protector (which needs to be cut to size)
Upgrading What’s In The Box
A few Treonauts may find the above four accessories to be sufficient and only look to complete the set with a Treo case (also see my Top Treo Cases) while others will at least want to upgrade this basic kit to something much better so:
I have never personally used a Mono corded headset but the most popular upgrade for this is the Jabra C250 ($14.95). The next level up in the corded category are my favourite Seidio 2in1 Retractable Stereo Earbud Headset ($34.95) that has a built-in microphone, Call Answer/End button as well as volume control (ideal if like me you listen to music on your Treo regularly). Going wireless without a cord at all has also become the preferred choice for most Treonauts with a Bluetooth headset such as the Jabra JX10 ($99.95), Palm Compact Wireless Headset ($49.95) or Motorola H700 ($69.95). Additionally, I highly recommend always to have one or two 2.5mm Stereo Adapters ($5.95) to be able to use any existing standard 3.5mm headset that you might already have.
In my opinion having a USB cable that can only HotSync is a complete waste since an identical one can Sync AND Charge ($15.95) or even better go with my favourite and bestselling Retractable S&C Cable ($12.95) which is the smallest and lightest solution that you’ll find (it should probably be voted “Best value for money Treo Accessory”). 
The included Wall Charger in the box is not bad per se and you will always be able to use it as a spare one at the office or at home but if you plan on travelling frequently with your Treo the bulk and weight of it (104g for Cingular and 179g for the Unlocked inc. plugs) is just ridiculous considering that the SPE Compact Wall Charger ($12.95) weighs only 48 grams.- The very last thing that you want to happen on your Treo is for its screen to become scratched and it therefore makes every sense to always have Screen Protectors ($15.95) at the ready.
Please note that existing owners of any of the Treo accessories listed above will be able to continue using them with the Treo 680.
Enhancing Your Treo 680 Experience
1. Power: The standard battery on the Treo 680 is 1200mAh compared to 1800mAh on the Treo 650 and 700p. Although this has not affected the rated 300 hours of Standby Time (see Treo 680 Comparison Chart) the Talk Time of the Treo 680 however is 4 hours compared to a standard 5 or 6 on the Treo 650 (6 to 7 hours with its Extended Battery).
You will therefore want to 1) ensure to keep your Treo 680 charging as frequently as possible and 2) get a spare battery as soon as they become available [ETA is mid-Dec.]. I will recommend four charging solutions:
At your PC: If you’re frequently on the move, use the Retractable S&C Cable ($12.95) which plugs into your USB port that I mentioned earlier. - At work: Use the Retractable S&C Cable above, the SPE Compact Wall Charger and/or get a cradle such as the Palm Cradle Kit ($39.95) which will also double as a spare battery charger.
At home: Use the Wall Charger provided in the box and also consider buying the above Palm Cradle Kit if you decide to buy a spare battery.- In the car: You’ll always want to have a car charger such as the SPE Compact Car Charger ($12.95) if you’re frequently on the phone while driving or simply need to top-up your power.
There is also an all-in-one USB solution for Wall+Car+PC which is achieved by combining the Mobi Products DuoCharger ($14.95) and the Retractable S&C Cable ($12.95) – a combination which is particularly useful when you want to travel light. Additionally, if you travel internationally frequently I can highly recommend the World USB Adapter ($24.95).
2. Data: There’s no doubt that one of the greatest joys using my Treo 680 daily is that it has the capacity to use external SD Cards of up to 4GB (8GB will hopefully available by the end of the year). I have stopped counting but I probably have over 20GB of storage spread across numerous SD cards which store my music, movies, photos and business files. Naturally, in order to transfer files from my PC to my SD card I personally always use my MobileMate SD Card Reader ($19.95) but the Mobi Products Mini Reader ($14.95) has become extremely popular as well.
3. Protection & Care: Aside from the screen protectors I also always have a cleaning cloth in my pocket such as the 3M Microfiber ($4.95) to rid my Treo of dust and dirt as well as the finger and facial oils that regularly accumulate on it.
3. In The Car: Regular readers will already know that I am completely hooked on GPS navigation with my Treo (see Travelling With A Treo GPS In My Pocket). At present I have only managed to get my TomTom Navigator 5 GPS Bundle ($249.95) to work with my Treo 680 but unfortunately the Palm GPS Navigator 2 with TomTom 6.0 ($289.95) software currently appears to be incompatible.
The TomTom GPS Navigator 6 Bundle ($249.95) has also just been released but I will not be able to tell you until next week if it works with the Treo 680. Additionally, I recently reviewed a new GPS service called Telenav that works over-the-air (OTA) and costs $9.95 per months but still requires a separate GPS receiver.
Whether you decide to use a GPS solution with you Treo or not I also highly recommend that you install a vehicle mount such as the bestselling Arkon CM910 Vehicle Mount Kit ($29.95).
4. Unusual Extras: Other Treo 680 accessories available to a few Treonauts who need to meet special needs include Bluetooth Keyboards (from $99.95), Bluetooth Speakerphones (from $49.95), the Solio Solar Charger ($79.95), an FM Transmitter ($39.95), Cassette Adapter ($12.95) or even the Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder ($139.95).
Incompatible Treo 650/700p Accessories
The very good news for existing Treonauts is that there are actually very few if any accessories that are incompatible with the Treo 680. Only the Treo 680 battery and stylus are different and because of its slimmer and antenna-less form-factor there will also be a great many of the existing cases that will not fit (I will review compatible Treo 680 cases shortly).
On this front, as I mentioned before in a few weeks you will have the option to purchase additional spare Treo 680 batteries and styli as well as new cases that have been specifically designed for it (such as the newly released S680 Skin Case).
Finally, you can easily view all the accessories that are currently compatible with the Treo 680 by simply using the pull-down “Select Your Treo” menu at the top right corner of the screen at the Treonauts Accessory Shop.
Treonauts always have the right gear… 
Treo 680 Review , Treo Accessories Guide
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Comments
Does the 680 support SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity)? My understanding is this new standard is not backward compatible.
Rob - I don't yet have an SDHC card to test but I will let you know when I've had a chance to test one.
Cheers, A.
Josh - WiFi cards do not work on any PalmOS Treo smartphone - only the Windows Mobile Treo 750w.
Cheers, A.
andrew;
i got my treo 680 last friday and i set my "background" as one of the pictures that came with the phone. (you know, like one that palm had on it) and i woke up the next morning and all the palm pictures got erased??! Can you explain that? am i the only one that has had that happen?! thanks.
Andrew,
Do you know if Cingular will be releasing another Treo like the 750 Lennon anytime soon? If they are going to release it is it going to be palm software or windows? I want to upgrade mine and Ive been waiting but I dont know if I should wait longer or just buy a 680. Any suggestions?
austin - Palm will not be releasing a PalmOS Treo 750 anytime soon. Cingular will release a Windows Mobile Treo 750 within the next two months though. If you need GSM and prefer PalmOS then I'd definitely recommned the Treo 680.
Cheers, A.
Thanks Andrew,
I just want to say I love your website and visit it everyday hoping to see a Treo 750P. haha Keep up the good work!!
I know your comment is an estimated 4 hours of battery time on the new Treo 680. But I'm not seeing anything close to that. I have had the Treo 680 for 6 days now and have used a total of 74 phone minutes - 48 incoming/outgoing calls over the 6 days - averaging 1.54 minutes per call. I have noticed that the battery drains very quickly, going from full charge to 20% or 30% left after what I would consider a few calls. Like today so far, I placed and received 9 calls plus probably 10 minutes of other "palm usage" time, the battery level is down to 49% (after charging overnight). Yesterday I had 16 calls plus palm usage and when I plugged it into the charger last night, the 680 was at 28% charge left. Note: my other "palm usage" the past two days has been mostly looking up phone numbers and several calendar entries - not much.
It's looking like if I get a call, like a business conference call, that would last for 25 or 30 minutes, I'm going to run out of power - a lot less time than the 4 hours claimed. Which raises a concern for me.
I'm going do try a couple of tests in the next few days to see how the battery life really stands up.. Has anyone else seen this or am I the lucky one with a bad battery?
Cheers!
Mark:
The battery on the 680 sucks. It's almost (but not quite) as bad as the battery on my old moto Q. The battery drains very quickly. With moderate usage, the battery might last one full day. I cannot wait for a 3rd party extended battery to be released. Hopefully, the extended battery will only be heavier (and not thicker) than the standard battery.
Guyz,
The good thing about the 680 is that you can use all the chargers you previously used with the 650. Personally I have only had the 680 not charging for a couple of hours each day. I use my 650 charger at work, my 650's car charger when driving and the 680's charger at home. For those upgrading from a 650, I suggest you do this for now until a TP vendor like Seidio or SPE releases an extended battery, which I believe will be a best seller much like an aftermarket stylus will me.
Kenyanaut
The battery life sucks here too. It is very sad. My Treo 600 would go for most of a week at a time if need be, I had drained my 680 from 100% -> 2% in a single day (albeit with a good bit more data usage than on the 600.)
I also find my USB sync cable charges. I'm using the sync cable for charging at home and the charger at work. I'll probably pick up a car charger as well because the battery life is that bad.
On the plus side, the reception does seem improved to me. I have been able to place and receive phone calls as well as browse the web (slowly) in the basement where I work. It has always been very hard to get a usable signal down there in the past.
I'm also still struggling with Versamail. I have been unable to sync to my work's OWA/OMA server or to GMail reliably. I'm afraid I'm about to toss in the hat on it but I don't really want to pay 40-60$ for a usable piece of mail software.
Andrew, how about a comparison of the software/feature differences between the unlocked and cingular versions of the 680?
Andrew, love the website! Many, many thanks for this series of reviews on the 680. I finally gave in today and ordered mine from Cingular... waiting impatiently now! Thanks again for running the site - I've bought many things and find your reviews on target...
Reports from some of the lists state that SDHC does not work with any of the existing Treos.
TREO 680 BATTERY LIFE - I am having the same battery concerns expressed here, in fact I actually exchanged my battery for another today in hopes there would be some improvement. But so far there does not appear to be. My 650 could go 2-3 days and still have 20% charge before I recharged it, the 680 doesnt appear to be able to make it past 1 day. (same usage: some calls, music, games, text msgs, little or no internet) Even my Treo 600 had better battery life. This is really disappointing. I feel like Palm, in 2 years since I bought my 650, has done almost nothing to improve the Treo. I still bought one, mainly due to the form factor and the 4GB SD capacity, but other than that, not much has improved in 2 years? Even though I love the Palm OS and my Treo, I cant help but wonder if Palm has fallen too far behind their competitors. Unless they have an outstanding surprise Palm OS device (Treo 800?) coming out by mid-2007, I'm afraid they may be toast, and may lose me to another operating system, albeit reluctantly.
Another thing I've seen in the 4 days of 680 ownership has been a lower quality signal, and more loss of coverage than my 650. Could the antenna make that much difference?
Anyway, The battery situation is really a letdown, and I may return the device within the next few days.
Anyone else have anything to add about the battery, Andrew, what has your experience been?
I have also seen exactly the same with the battery - 1 day of not charging 100 -> 30% (no phone calls made). This is shocking and nothing like the 300 hours I was expecting. This is my first treo, my tunsten c had a bigger screen and lasted days even weeks without a charge. Also I have tried a 4GB card (ORA memory) and it did not work in the treo. If anyone does know of a make that works I'd love to know.
Jenny - as I state in my review I currently use the Dane-Elec 4GB SD Card and it works perfectly fine on my Treo.
http://shop.treonauts.com/content/accessories/7-124--1052.htm
Cheers, A.
BATTERY: As I point out in my review, while there is no doubt that the talk time on the Treo 680 is lower than the Treo 650 I firmly believe that the battery offers more than adequate performance for one full day. Regular charging and a spare battery will undoubtedly keep you talking for hours more.
In my opinion any battery concerns is a very small price to pay for the much improved form-factor of the Treo 680. As I've mentioned before it's all about making certain compromises.
Cheers, A.
how do you disconnect from the web on the treo 680? there is not a ''disconnect'' link on the menus like on the 650. any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks!
You know, I was looking for that myself last night, then had this sudden realization: "Duh... you have UNLIMITED data now, Renee"! I will see if I can figure it out for you, however.
aha! i found it! to disconnect from the web it's kinda like going thru a maze, but it works. if you are connected, and want to disconnect, you have to go to the home screen, and go to . next go to the item. from inside there you can disconnect the web. kinda weird they dont just offer the disconnect drop down button from the blazer tab. if anyone else finds anything easier, let me know!
hmm, it erased part of my msg above...from the home screen, go to "Prefs" and then go to the ''network'' item listed inside. the rest is in the post above.
I have taken my Treo 680 through 10 charge and discharge cycles and agree with everyone about the battery life. I made a 7-minute phone call today and my battery went from 100% to 95%. That would be 2 hours and 20 minutes of talk time if the phone is judging it’s battery life perfectly. I used to charge my 650 every other day, but I am at 20 to 30% by the end of the day and I don’t even have a data plan! If I had to choose, I would want to keep the poor battery life and the thinness. I do, however, plan on buying a high capacity battery the second one is released because I want it all, form and functionality.
I am wondering about the streaming audio capacity of the 680. I've tried to get live radio off radio sites on my 680- and while I can listen from my laptop, I keep getting a 'can't connect now' message from my 680. Is this not possible on the 680? (If not, a major bummer, because that's one feature I was looking forward to enjoying.)
(Having never had a smartphone or BB before, I am ecstatic to be in a meeting downtown and on the subway and checking my email - that's the best!)
This is disappointing to hear about the battery. The whole reason why I gave all of my import phones were due primarily to the short life of the battery capacity. I certainly hope that this will not be the case with the Treo 680.
Off topic a little, but does anyone know if the 750 will come in multiple colors like the 680 when it's released?
Additional Battery Information:
We may be looking at some serious false advertising by Palm regarding the battery standby/talk times.
How can the battery be 33% less capacity (1800mAh on the 650 vs. 1200mAh on the 680), and yet they advertise the same standby time and 1-2 hrs less talk time? It appears that the phone's radio may be doing too much communication with the network. 300 hours standby is 12 days! I can actually watch by 680 battery go down 1-2% in 15 minutes without even using any features except bluetooth being on.
Another thing, has anyone else had this happen? I charge the 680 overnight, and before I pull the charger at 8am in the morning, the battery reads 100% and the green light is solid. IMMEDIATELY upon pulling the charger plug, the battery now reads 93%-96% and starts going down from there!!! This is unbelievable. I know there could be some issues with the power manager that could cause incorrect or unstable readings, but this coupled with the poor battery life is just too much. By 9am without any calls the battery is at 80%.
My opinion is that with a 33% smaller battery the unit shouldnt be having this poor performance.
I have a feeling that there could be some software issues here, and I encourage everyone experiencing poor battery life to call Palm and let them know what is happening. Their quote of 300h standby / 4h talk time is either false advertising or they have some serious battery issues to work out.
I am probably going to return my unit and wait for either a firmware update, or a rev. 2 unit that may address these issues.
Funny thing is, I really do not use the phone that much, and my battery is done by 7pm. What is a power phone user supposed to do? You cannot charge the phone all day. And whats worse is all its takes is one long unexpected phone call when youre caught without the charger and then you're done.
I love the Palm OS, and have had a Treo 180, 270, 600, 650, and now a 680, and I must say that the Treo 680 has been for me both the most anticipated and the most disappointing unit so far. I hope Palm can come up with something.
The CEO should be ashamed, and if anyone from Palm reads this forum or others, they better investigate this situation. Dont be surprised if within 30-60 days there is a breaking story about an update or fix similiar to the magnitude of the Treo 650 memory issue.
Justin - I am sorry to say that I find your complaint about the battery somewhat unfounded.
For clarification:
1) The 'Standby Time' is rated at a 'best time' of 300 hours (on all Treo smartphones) with the Phone off and only the PDA functions on.
2) The 'Talk Time' is rated at a 'best time' of 4 hours with both Bluetooth and Wireless Data switched off.
Having said this, some reviewers have actually been able to beat the 4 hours of rated talk time by up to 1 hour more. Evidently everyone will have a slightly different battery performance depending on usage.
No part of the battery life should make a Treonaut not consider the Treo 680 - it is an absolutely terrific device.
I hope this helps.
Cheers, A.
Just ordered the unlocked 680 and want to switch to T-Mobile when I get it. Is it compatible with their MyFaves plan? If it is it would make the switch to T-Mobile a lot easier.
Andrew....can you please provide links to the reviews where users are beating the 4 hours or rated talk time by up to 1 hour more? Our company just cancelled an order of 1000 units of Treo 680s due to reading all the negative press on battery life (plus I think our manager believes Palm is still in the dark ages with their NO WiFI policy that baffles pretty much everyone).
There are many of us that desperately want to like Palm, but they give us so many reasons not to. Clearly, you love Palm no matter what they do or what they produce. I think we're all fanboys of something and that's ok, but where are the truly great smartphones?
Remo - I absolutely do NOT "love Palm no matter what" as can for example be clearly seen in my "Phone Application Review" http://blog.treonauts.com/2006/11/treo_680_review_1.html
Please also remember that some comments by third-parties here may not always reflect a 'true' picture as there are evidently a great many people who would like to see Palm fail and will continue to spread FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt).
I think that before cancelling any order your manager should either base his decision on my earlier battery comment or buy one new Treo 680 for himself and test the reality of this.
Cheers, A.
Got my 680 on Wednesday from Cingular. Love it so far. Re charging options, The USB cable that came in the box appears to charge my 680 too. Which is nice.
Andrew, I read your review and see how you mention being frustrated with the phone app, but then you say you "categorically love it". And then there's the fact that you own how many Treos? A bunch, right? It's cool though. Like I said, we're all fanboys about something (I'm a total apologist for Apple and LandRover and six different guitar makers).
As for him trying the 680 before canceling the order, he did. That was the final straw. He got the same type of battery life that everyone here is reporting (as well as other sites). He said it was unacceptable and cancelled.
By the way, you didn't provide the links to back up your data. Can you do that, please? Thanks. I know we'd all be interested in reading what you've read.
Remo - from CNet's review of the Treo 680:
"The Palm Treo 680's battery is rated for 4 hours of talk time and 12.5 days of standby time. Despite the smaller battery, we were still able to get 5.2 hours of talk time on a single charge."
Cheers, A.
Thanks for the link. I wonder how they eeked out that much time. I'm still seeing lots of posts like these though:
How does the 680 and 750 fit into Palm's hardcase? I like that case, but if the 680 is thinner it might bump around in there too much...
Eric - the next part of my Treo 680 review will address the compatibility of my favourite cases.
Cheers, A.
BATTERY update - I posted some previous comments about the battery life (or lack thereof)on the 680. The battery life is actually improving a bit now that I've owned the 680 for a week (and still loving it). I spoke to my local Cingular store and the rep did say that it takes a few days for the battery to come up to speed. I had no choice but to upgrade since I dropped my 650 and the screen burst (and I lived with a screen full of black blotches for a month until the 680 release). As soon as the extended battery is available, I will buy one and I'm sure all will be good. So hang in there everyone who is basing the choice of purchase or not purchase solely on the battery life. The Treo 680 is fantastic!
Please don't get me wrong and I love treo theoretically. But after hearing so many 'frustrating' experience of poor battery life, I'm pretty disheartened to get one myself. What's the point of going 'mobile' when you have to attach the device all the time to the charging outlet? I have a nokia symbian phone right now and the experience is the same. It could only last for a day even with simple usage whereas I use to remember the old nokia phone could last 3-5 days without charging. With all this wonderful innovation, why can't we move forward with better mobility experience including extended life? I don't want to lug around with an extra battery or a charger just because I want to go to a party after work or simply hanging around at your friend's place overnight. If Jack Bauer uses Treo 680 - dang!
linoox + others: As I have pointed out repeatedly here I'm not seeing a battery 'issue' of any kind aside from the basic one that the Treo 680 talk time is lesser than that on the Treo 650 (something we've all already known for a while).
I hope to put this entire battery matter to rest later this week after running various tests under different conditions in one of my posts.
In the meantime, having used a Treo 680 for nearly two weeks I categorically do not feel that the battery life should be considered a reason not to buy it.
Cheers, A.
I am following up because I don't want people to be scared away from at least trying the 680. Personally, I still find the Treo 680's battery performance weak compared to past Treo's. It is certainly manageable as long as you aren't using the data network all day long but it is definitely a handicap. Let me repeat; I don't feel that it kills the phone but it is a handicap. The problem can be managed by having an extra charger or two. I will also keep an eye out for the extended battery (whether I buy one or not is still up in the air as cost is always an issue.)
Overall I find the 680 to be far preferable to my 600, even with the weak battery. I also find the form factor to be MUCH nicer than the 600/650/700's. Give it a shot and try it for yourself. Everyone else's comments here are just opinions and some people obviously have biases or incentives that will play in.
G'luck.
I typed in "Treo 680 battery sucks" in Yahoo search and found this site. It is *almost* a relief to know that I am not the only one experiencing this problem. I have had my Treo 680 for exactly 1 week and I am VERY disappointed in the battery life. It sucks. I made one 5 minute phone call today and by 3pm I had 40% charge in the battery. What would happen if I was using the internet or listening to music? Geez... I paid big bucks for this and I am paying big bucks for monthly service and for what? I could have just kept carrying my Tungsten and kept using my Samsung flip phone. The whole idea of getting a smart phone, to me, was to eliminate the need to be carrying aroung a bunch of equipment. Now I have to buy a bunch of charging equipment, an extra battery, or an aftermarket battery? I'm hoping I can take this thing back and get a refund, but I already sent in my rebate form from Cingular. Am I screwed or what? I was hoping to become a Treonaut, but maybe I should be a Treo-not!
[Battery sucks] Oh yes, this has got to be the biggest disappointment ever. I read these postings while waiting for UPS to deliver. So I got a little ancious, but were calmed by the "manageable" and "not kill the phone". However, having received the phone yesterday, I'm not so sure anymore.
I left it on my desk yesterday evening at 11 pm, fully charged and with the phone (and screen) turned off. Eight hours later - without having used it for anything - it was drained to 52%!
So, I didn't have the time to charge it, and have been attending a conference all day. At 2 pm - the phone died. No surfing, no phoning (it was turned on at 7 am), and only 4 text messages later. No gaming, no camera, nothing...
That is 15 hours or nearly no actions! Come on!
Hopefully they'll come up with a software update within short time - otherwise I'll go back to my PalmV and my Nokia (both lasting for week(s))...
A comment about battery life: If you read the thread over at mytreo.net (http://mytreo.net/forum/index.php/topic,42982.0.html) you'll see that you can greatly improve it by setting the network to 'manual' from 'automatic'. Also, if you turn off the infrared and bluetooth, you should get much better results.
On another note, Andrew, when you write your review on cases for the 680, can you distinguish between which ones are specifically for the 680 and which it will happen to work with. I see a lot of cases in your Treo Shop that are supposed to be for the all the models from the 600 on up. I don't understand this when the 680 is a different size from the others.
Thanks
Hi Guys:
This is my 1st time as a Treonaut, I've been a Compaq iPaq user for 6 yrs so I chose w/ Cingular the 8125. And right after the 1st few days I was going nuts with all the issues already pointed on several reviews (mostly sluggishness). LUCKY enough I was never such a big fan of Palm OS (this was my 1st pda in '99) then moved to ipaq) unitllll the 680 was released, it got me as client! I just got it last Dec 2nd (in Puerto Rico sale began the 1st) and I'm in love. NOW- has anyone set their Exchange account in VersaMail for Corporate email yet. I called Cingular and they just bounce me back to my IT dept.- which is clueless since the 680 itself is totally new and my IT dept is Blackberry oriente- ANY HELP!?? I've changed so many settings and it's still not working. POP3 is not an option for my company's LAN for security reasons. Well txs and keep on Treanauting!
#49
An update on the battery situation. It has improved severely. It has now run for ~24h and its only down at 87%!!
Some things changed since my first discharge/posting:
- A second (!) recharge
- Having set network to manual
- Took out my 32 megs SD card
- Disabled "DateBk6 handles alarms"
And I guess bullet 1 and 2 has a lot to say - I was probably too quick to judge my lovely 680! :-)
i'm not finding how to set the network to manual setting. can someone help out? thanks!
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#52 - see posting #49 or just:
http://mytreo.net/forum/index.php/topic,42982.0.html
But I think I read somewhere that this is only possible with the "unlocked" version - that is, not the Cingular?! Anybody can confirm that?
Just a quick comment re the usb cable in the box...
"USB HotSync cable (does not charge via USB)"
I've actually found that my usb cable that shipped with my Treo 680 here in Australia does indeed charge the Treo..(maybe it's because I'm using a powered USB hub??)
Indeed, the Treo 680 manual says it will trickle charge through the sync cable but you should only do it if you are running your NB on mains power or it will help drain the battery....
The Treo 680 is a great smartphone with improved functionality. I am like most recent owners of 680 VERY dissapointed with battery life.It simply leaks. If you ask me Palm rushed the release and expects Third Party battery manufacturals to release extended battery life.
Question:
1.Has palm made a deal with third party manufacturers?
Or perhaps they have an extened battery wating to be released by them. It will explain the heavy emphasis on getting extral battery and need for frequent charging in the User Guide and the reason for the lower release prize, because they will be getting the money back from Palm addicts who will be forced to buy the extral battery- "a God sent answer from Palm." It is a marketting antic.
2.If not when will a solution be provided?
3.For Smartphone released with a view to attract more new users, it is difficult to understand why more Non- palm addicts will be interested in a phone that runs out of life half the day.A decent phone / pda should be designed to last irrespective of usage till bed time when one should put the PDA to sleep as it were and wake up with it ready for the day. That was what it was with my 650 which often lasted 3 days.
Bad move with the battery. It is like having a computer without memory.
bp
I have a feeling that the short battery life is, at least in some cases, connected to the fact that there is no way to disconnect from the Web. The Network option in Prefs says that you can "Disconnect" but when you click on it the conntection is NOT broken. Separately, my Network Option is set to Manual and the battery still lasts under a day. A day is an absolute minimum to me so I may have to return (sigh).
Looking at either the 680 or a Nokia e62. Question: why wouldn't Palm's own wireless keyboard work the the 680? I've called Palm and they said "no". I just don't get it. Any info would be appreciated.
Also, the BT keyboards found on this site do not work with the 680 - there are no drivers for it; at least what I've been told by the companies themselves...
I can't set the network to "Manual"
- Phone menu, Options, Select Network , and set to manual
I get into "Options", but I don't see the "Select Network" part. I have the Cingular version - does it mean it's never in Automatic?
Martin, how do you do the second recharge? Do you have to run down the battery twice?
And how do you disable "DateBk6 handles alarms"?
And finally, last battery issue with my 10-day old 680.
After the first 4 days battery no longer charges to 100%. I charge it overnight with included charger and now it only gets to 92%. This morning it only got to 83%!!
Only 7 more days left until total failure. :(
If anyone can squeeze 3200 mAh into the slim 680 case, I'm buying two.
Did anybody have does this problem?
I have had my TREO 680 for 3 days. I am also extremely disappointed with battery performance. It simply wont get through the day if I spend more than 30 minutes of talk time. I keep reading hoping for an easy solution, and occasionally there is a glimmer of hope, such as entry 51 from Martin (which sounds like a remarkable improvement!). I am trying all of the tips provided, but the number of negative entries has me worried.
I would REALLY like to have GPS on my new Treo 680 w/o the Telenav subscription. Can anybody tell me which GPS bundles that are available from Palm or a third party function with the Treo 680? Thanks.
to 818Guy, [deciding between E62 & Treo 680]:
until reading this series of comments I was set to [grudgingly] return my E62 for a 680. The main reasons were the extremely inadequate default calendar app on the E62, and the lack of a touch screen. I thought I'd be able to get past the touch screen issue, but when scheduling new appointments, having to enter/ bypass fields in a serial manner makes for too many button pushes. One other concern is the occasional sluggishness when going between applications. Other than that, I find the E62 to be a FANTASTIC smartphone. Obviously I'd like onboard wi-fi like the E61, but it wasn't a deal breaker for me. The hardware [top notch materials!], elegance of the interface [the screen is truly extraordinary, and the applications are extremely well presented], and top rank QWERTY keyboard combine to make the E62 a serious contender for all-in-one mobile device. As it stands, I think I will end up simply using my existing Motorola V551 along with my Palm TX PDA until a completely satisfactory smartphone comes along. I don't really care for the keyboard on Treos. Until reading about the battery issue, I figured I'd just get used to the cramped keys and try to focus on the bright spots [such as the gargantuan amount of quality 3rd party apps floating around for Palm OS]. But it really seems like Palm is content to roll out underwhelming "upgrade" phones so long as we keep buying them.
-Erin
one more thing- the push email on the E62 [Blackberry connect] works like a charm. This is another area where, if I'm not mistaken, the Treo 680 falls short.
If only the Loox T830 were quad-band GSM, all would be good in my world.....
Andrew states:
At present I have only managed to get my TomTom Navigator 5 GPS Bundle ($249.95) to work with my Treo 680 but unfortunately the Palm GPS Navigator 2 with TomTom 6.0 ($289.95) software currently appears to be incompatible.
The TomTom GPS Navigator 6 Bundle ($249.95) has also just been released but I will not be able to tell you until next week if it works with the Treo 680.
Does this mean I can get a Tom Tom GPS 5 Bundle and it will work? What about the Tom Tom GPS 6? I don't want to add a Data Plan plus the additional $10 per
month to my cingular service for a GPS service on my
handheld that won't even work when I am camping in
areas that are out of range of GSM towers.
Any help would be GREATLY appreciately.
My wife has been using her new 680 for two days and each time she removes it from the charger she is unable to turn the unit on. The only thing that seems to work is removing the battery (a soft reset?)This necessitates setting up the screen each time as well.
She is also experiencing the battery issues expressed by so many others. After the last charging/reset episode she only had 85% charge left.
Any suggestions on the failure to power on problem?
I found a real fix for my Treo 680 battery life problem.
My new 680 had the same disappointing battery life mentioned by others, but it's fixed now. My probelm led me to the web where I saw someone state that the problem is not a battery problem. The problem is a battery meter calibration problem. If you've noticed, your phone will work for a long, long time on little or no battery life showing. Don't believe the meter. To fix your Treo you need to recalibrate your battery meter and it's very easy.
Simply plug your phone into a wall charger while AND THEN do a soft reset by taking the battery out. Leave it out for a bit and then put it back in. Let the phone reboot. This soft reset WHILE PLUGGED INTO THE WALL, will reset the battery calibration. I did that yesterday, charged the phone all night, took it off the charger and have used it fairly hard today for 12 hours I'm still over 50%.
I did turn Beaming off yesterday too, but that's it. My Treo now shows great battery life, similar to what my 650 would show over this same timeframe. I ordered a larger battery and if theis keeps up I'll return it when I get it. It's such a relief and feels like an absolute miracle....try it!!!!! :-)
Oh, forgot to mention. The battery does take a few weeks of use to reach it's full capacity. But try the battery meter calibration mentioned above it really does work.
LOL
You say that the 680 is compatible with Jabra JX10, is that a tested fact or an assumption. I found the 680 to be very picky about bluetooth. Palm will hide behind the fact that this or that model BT is not on their compatibility list. The new Motorola T305 car speaker which works fine with 650 comes garbled with 680. If you have tested the jabra jx10 w/680, and it works, I will consider it. Thanks
OK... if you are frustrated that the Palm GPS Navigator 2 with the Tom Tom 6 Bundle doesn't work with the Treo 680 without hacking one of the binaries on the SD Card, or if you are just fed up with Tom Tom maps being so out-of-date.
I highly recommend Garmin Mobile 10 or Garmin Mobile 20. The software looks the same thing they put in the NUVI units. The Mobile 10 can be carried with you while hiking/camping while the Mobile 20 has the
bluetooth receiver integrated into a the suction-cup
phone mount that will charge from a cigarette ligher
and chain the power to your treo with an add-on cable.
I got the Mobile 10 and have been playing with it for
a couple hours and was very pleased.
PLEASE NOTE: you need to download the latest update
from Garmin support for the "Mobile XT" software.
The latest version has some fixes for Treo 650 and 680.
It is NOT true that out of the box hot synch USB cable does not charge. I know because I just charged my 680 using the standard hot synch cable that came in the box. I guess one less things to buy... whew!
I have a treo680 from Cingular. At first when I put my SD card in it worked fine. When I put it in again a second time the phone froze I couldn't even make or receive calls. Cingular blew it out with canned air and had me do a hard reset but it still didn't work. My phone is still under warranty so Palm is sending me a new one. But for now I have a loaner phone from Cingular, some crappy LG that has a mirror on the front. No comparison to my treo 680: (
While I don't remember if the manual says anything about it, and you say that the USB synch cable does not charge the Treo 680, it actuall DOES. At least mine does.
There are three things to do to make you battery easily last a full day. I have done them and my battery works for a full 16 hour day with heavy use. They are:
1. "Condition" your battery meter.
It has therefore emerged that the Treo 680 battery ‘meter’ – not the battery itself or the power consumption of the smartphone – is the real cause and Palm Technical Support has now provided a solution via a very simple ‘battery reset’ [Thanks for the tip Wanderer].
“If you encounter a poor battery life on your Treo 680 and you have to recharge very often even if not using the Phone function, the issue might have been caused by an incorrect first charging of the device.
Please follow the steps below to solve the issue:
1. Connect your Treo to a wall charger.
2. Remove the battery from the Treo and wait for at least one minute.
3. Remove the SIM card from the device and wait for another minute.
4. Put the battery back into the device (without the SIM card) then let your Treo charge for at least 4 to 6 hours and for this duration:
Do NOT press any key after reinserting the battery.
Do NOT switch your TREO On or Off either, it will do so automatically after a short time.
Do NOT enter the SIM card PIN if prompted to do so, just wait!
After this procedure, which can be performed and repeated any time, you will now dispose of the full charging capacity and the display of the remaining battery power will work correctly.”
2. Install the Battery Patch:
Palm has identified that the Treo 680 device can experience reduced battery life when the camera is used. The camera may continue to draw power from the battery when the device is in standby mode. Treo 680 users should install the Treo 680 Camera Update to address this issue. Patch for Cingular is at:
http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/treo/680cameraupdate.html
3. Optimize settings to reduce battery drain. Tips are at:
http://kb.palm.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=PalmSupportKB,ts=Palm_External2001,Case=obj(42764)
I charged my Treo 680 to full ie until the red led turned green and plugged out the wall socket power. checked the battery meter and it indicated 96%, plugged in power and charged it until green.plugged it out and checked battery meter was 98% called palm support was told battery is full and this was just a error in the battery meter. Support said the battery will stabalize after 1 month. Anyone else notice the issue with battery indicator ? already ran the camera update.
Does anyone know how to get Microsoft Office Calendar to sync with Treo 680? Everthing else will sync.
The USB cable that came with my Rogers Treo 680 charges the phone. You may want to double check this Andrew. BTW love your site!
Treo 680 Firmware has a bug. It doesn't turn off the camera. It drains power even in stand-by mode. A patch is available and it works. The battery life is still short but it improves dramatically with the patch. The phone doesn´t flotates the battery it connects and disconnects the charger, that's why you don't get the full charge. Disconnect the charger plug it back in, led will turn red and will go back to green in a few minutes, then you'll have 100% (for a minute or two)
Different problem - Treo 680 displays red lite and red bolt when no connections are made. When the red goes green, the red bolt changes to blue (over the battery). Battery, when you tap the icon, shows either 100% or 98%,repeatedly till it dives several hours later. I've done hard and soft resets. Exchanged for refurb Treo 680 - set up without 3rd party software. Added 3rd party. Worked fine for roughly a month, then back to the same old thing
What now?
Andrew,
So I sent my Treo 680 (Cingular branded)(Unlocked for T-Mobile) for repair as it seemed to not be working. I received an (AT&T branded) Treo 680 in the mail. I'm not sure if the new phone has been unlocked but when I insert my foreign T-Mobile Sim card, I don't get a "Sim not allowed" display. On my old phone, I purchased an unlock code and received that message to unlock it when I inserted my T-Mobile Sim Card. For some reason, this new phone doesn't give me the message and simply doesn't connect to a network. In the top left corner, all I get is "No Serice - SOS Only)
My battery life indicator is not working. No matter how low the battery is it always indicates 99% until it just dies. Then no matter how short or long the charge time it still indicates 100%. What can I do?
Software Specials
Treo WM Games