Treo 650 Updater 1.20 for Unlocked GSM

Palm’s latest upgrade for the Treo 650 Unlocked GSM was released a couple of days ago (currently only available for Windows users with a Mac version due shortly) and after spending some frustrating hours installing the new Updater 1.20 earlier today I can now finally claim that it is complete.

Before I get into the details of the installation I’d like to say that this is the worst documented Updater that I’ve ever had the displeasure to deal with.  Were it not for the fact that I remembered some of the tips provided with the previous Updater 1.13 I would have been at a complete loss as to what to do next – I can only imagine the thousands of Treonauts who will have given up altogether or called Palm’s support team for directions. 

The whole issue that I encountered is relevant to any Treonaut with less than 14 or 15MB of free memory on his or her smartphone – which I imagine is a pretty large percentage of people.  To check your available free memory go to Applications > Menu > Info which should read “Free Space: xx.xMB of xx.xMB”.

On the Updater 1.20 page, Palm states simply that “This update permanently takes up about 0.6MB (600KB) free space. If you use a lot of memory on your device, you may need to remove some data or applications or store them on a SD card before installing the update.” 

However, if you have less than 14MB of available memory I strongly recommend that you do NOT remove any data or applications at all.  Instead, FIRST read and follow the very simple “Alternate instructions for users that cannot clear 15MB of free space on the smartphone” starting at “Create A New, Blank User Profile” which had been provided by Palm for 1.13 but not for 1.20 (?!?!) – I guarantee that it will save you both time and hassle – such as repeated cancelled installs telling you that you do not have the required free memory on your device…

UPDATE: It appears that Palm has now deleted (??) the above support page which explains how you can go about creating a blank user profile and I unfortunately did not copy the page for my own benefit or yours so I’ll do my best to explain the steps here below:

1. Backup your Treo by performing a Hotsync (plus for safety also backup to SD card using a backup utility such as Resco Backup [free trial available])
2. Read further below about the “things you should know before you proceed with the Updater 1.20”
3. Hard reset your Treo (read how) which will erase all of your data and make room available for the Updater
4. Follow the Updater instructions – you will be asked to choose the “Treo User” you would like to Hotsync to.  Select “Create New User” and call it anything you like (for example: Updater2)
5. Let the Updater 1.20 run fully on your Treo and complete installation then check to see in Phone Info that the upgrade has completed successfully.
6. Hard reset your Treo again so as to delete the temporary new user that you created.
7. Hotsync your Treo again and this time choose your old username to synchronize data with.
8. Your Treo should now be fully restored and running the 1.20 software.

[NOTE About Using A New User Profile: The only thing that I did after creating a ‘Temp’ user name was to set the HotSync to ‘Do Nothing’ for all my Calendar, Contacts, Tasks and Notes (right-click to ‘Custom’ in HotSync tray icon) a small additional step that saves time and ensures that the updater stays away from this critical data.  Also, a minor detail, in the instruction Palm does not tell you how to then go about deleting the ‘Temp’ user name that you created but it’s only a very simple two click process which is explained in “Change or delete your device's User Name”.]

Other things that you should know before you proceed with the Updater 1.20:

• Turn off the phone and perform a soft reset
• Make sure that you have an Unlocked Generic GSM Treo 650 smartphone as this Updater is NOT compatible with any carrier branded Treo 650 smartphones.
• You’re running Windows 2000/XP (or Mac OS 10.2.6 to 10.4.x when the Mac Updater is released)
• Are using HotSync Manager 6.0.1 or greater (Windows), or 3.2.1 (Macintosh). This is part of the Palm Desktop installation included on your Treo 650 smartphone CD.
• Your Treo 650 battery is fully charged.
• You have at least 0.6 MB (600k) free memory on your Treo 650 smartphone.
• No SD or MMC expansion card in smartphone. If you run the updater while an expansion card is inserted, you will see an error message.
• Must be installing the update on a computer with which the Treo 650 smartphone is synchronised (i.e. a user folder for the smartphone exists on the computer).
• For Exchange ActiveSync (EAS, or wireless Outlook) users: This updater requires you to delete your EAS account, then re-establish it after the update.
• Finally, make sure your data is backed up!!!  Perform a Hotsync before installing the Updater.  Also, if you don’t already have a backup utility installed on your Treo you may want to download a free trial of Resco Backup and make a backup on your SD card for added protection.

Having said all this, once you know what you need to do creating a ‘Blank User Profile’, taking basic precautions and otherwise following the instructions provided by Palm then the actual installation process thereafter is surprisingly quick and smooth – I was done in about 20 minutes.

Palm promises that the Updater 1.20 delivers many performance enhancements on top of the ones already incorporated in the previous Updater 1.13.  I haven’t yet been able to put all of Palm’s performance enhancements to the test but I can tell you that:

• Improved memory handling for opening larger web pages: TRUE – now very large pages load much faster in Blazer.
• Optimized Bluetooth performance and added support for additional headset or carkits*: I’ll need to test all of my favourite Bluetooth headsets again but I quickly paired my Jabra JX10 without any problems.
• Improved voice quality: TRUE – although it doesn’t happen often, the one person who always complained about voice quality on my Treo 650 was my brother and naturally he was the first person that I called to test.  His verdict: MUCH better.
• Improved device performance for heavy data usage such as email or web downloads: not yet tested.
• Includes Versamail 3.1E, the latest version for the Treo 650 smartphone including an updated Mail Service (ISP) list which includes Gmail support: not yet tested.
• Added support for Gmail attachment downloads via web browser: not yet tested.
• Improved performance and increased stability with third-party email solutions that are offered directly from carrier partners: not yet tested.
• Added support for wired carkits: TRUE – now after you pair a BT headset you get the option to choose either ‘Headset’ or ‘Car Kit’ profiles.
• Updated carrier settings for data connections and MMS or when roaming internationally: not yet tested.
• Masked password entry in browser to increase privacy: TRUE – now you get the ****** showing instead.
• Improved customizable voice or sound recordings for specific callers: not yet tested.

Overall I’m feeling rather happy today to have a newly upgraded Unlocked GSM Treo 650 which promises to perform even better in the future – a very nice way to start the weekend.

Treonauts always love to be upgraded…