Treo 680: Some Solutions For The "Anxiously Waiting"
From the emails that I have been getting in the past week I know that more than a few Treonauts are biting their nails (probably fingers by now) waiting for the Treo 680 to finally be released by Cingular.
Hopefully there will not be more than a couple more weeks to wait (rumours are flying about a Nov. 15 or Nov. 25 release) but in the meantime here are a couple of solutions if you just cannot bear the thought of waiting a moment longer.
The first solution involves getting yourself a copy of the recently released Now You Know Treo 680 Smartphone book currently available at Amazon and soon also in our Treo Accessory Shop.
According to Treonauts Forum Moderator ‘forgot’, the book offers a wealth of information and below are his thoughts about its most interesting points:
“It's a small paperback book of only 144 pages, and it can easily fit in a briefcase, purse, or large pocket. While it contained some information specific to the upcoming Treo 680, most of the information and tips apply to the other Treo smartphones as well.
From the looks of things, and as most readers know, the phone application has been changed to include contacts. Also, the Media application has had an overhaul, and they've added the Voice Memo application found on some other Palm OS devices. Some other changes that have been made to the Phone application include an "extract call" feature which, like the private feature, allows you to pull a single person from a conference call, have a side conversation and then rejoin the conference.
Another interesting feature is that you can now add a pre-determined number string to the beginning of a 4,5,6, or 7 number string. I know this sounds confusing, so let me explain. Say each person at your work has a 4 digit extension, but the same main number. You can just dial their 4 digit extension, and the phone will add the first 7-10 digits for you automatically. Also useful if you just want to enter a 7 digit string for local numbers and have the area code added automatically. Other additions such as an anniversary reminder to the Contacts application, also make the Treo 680 all the more interesting.
Overall the book is chock full of useful information for all Treo users. One of my favorite things are the little tips listed at the bottom of some of the pages. One of which is "To prevent hearing loss, don't ever place your ear tightly against the speakerphone." Thank you Palm, my ears were bleeding and I couldn't figure out why. 
If you are searching for a good source of Treo knowledge come to Treonauts.com. If you want to be able to carry that knowledge with you in paperback form, get the book. 
“
The second solution again taken by our extremely dedicated ‘forgot’ is to head to a Fry’s to at least get your hands warmed up with a Treo 680 demo unit… His comments below:
“Ok, I held one! It was only a demo unit, not even powered, but just to see it in person and get a "feel" for it was really cool. I will definitely be buying one of these as soon as it’s released. It fits in my hand a little easier than my 650 – I'm guessing because of the thinner form – but felt very sturdy. The side mounted card slot is really cool too, and it sure beats trying to catch my cards in mid-air when they suddenly decide to flee my phone as I remove it from its case. I'm a little depressed that I couldn't actually play with the programs, but I'll get over it…”
Since I’ve already had the opportunity to hold a Treo 680 in my hand (it was hard to let go) I will not personally be heading to Fry’s but at least the book is already on its way to me…
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Treonauts are always passionately dedicated… 
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Comments
LOL! "The side mounted card slot is really cool too, and it sure beats trying to catch my cards in mid-air when they suddenly decide to flee my phone as I remove it from it's case."
I've lost two cards (512/1gb) already before deciding that a piece of Scotch tape was cheap insurance. It really is a dopey design! Can't wait to get my '680!
GJ
P.S. I think you meant "its case" vs. "it's case"! (Sorry, it's the former English teacher in me...)
Give me a more powerful Treo that has the form factor of the 680 and I'm there. For now ... I do like my Palm 700p. (but that SD card slot is irritating - grrr)
Dear Andrew:
Given the rumors of cingular's release, have you heard anything about Palm releasing an unlocked version in the near future? I am a Cingular customer who is anxiously awaiting an upgrade (I used to have the treo 600, but had to give it up when the internal battery started to go and interfere with the signal). The fact that my screen broke on my current phone, I'm in dire need of an upgrade. But if the folks at Cingular will be less than willing to help me out with a discount, I would prefer the unlocked version.
Benny - yes, Palm has already announced that it will be releasing an Unlocked Treo 680 in four unique colours. Please see: http://blog.treonauts.com/2006/10/cingular_treo_6.html
Cheers, A.
Just talked to a Cingular Rep, they said the new release date is 11/24.
Thanks Andrew!
Do you know if the release on palm.com will occur at the same time of the release at Cingular?
Does the 680 offer better bluetooth headset capabilities?? Mainly the usage of the H700 headset and the ability to open the boom mike to answer calls.
I'll probably gonna upset a lot of people, but have you noticed that the Treo 680 is more feminine-like compared to the Treo 650? See the photo at the URL: http://smaato.com/cost.php
I'm so pleased with the 650 that I'm looking forward to give my wife the 680 for Christmas (hopefully Rogers Wireless will be have it available by then).
Don't get me wrong guys (and I'll probably end up shooting myself in the foot, in the future), but I don't see, yet, the need to upgrade from my 650. However, I see the 680 perfect for my wife to enter the Treo experience.
BTW, Smaato Cost, from the link I gave you above, is a free, excellent tool to keep track of your voice, SMS and data traffic. I've been using it for a week and it gives me far greater control over my data activity, compared to similar products, specially in due to the limited and expensive data plans available in Canada. Smaato's customer support is highly responsive, too.
Cheers.
I guess I just dont get it. I didnt think the 680 was a better phone than the 650. The battery life is shorter in the 680. I do like the fact that there is no antenna as for the card poping out... my case covers it and I dont that problem. I must be missing something.
Dear Andrew:
Thanks for all the great info. I had a question regarding SD cards. Before I get into it, I apologize for posting it in this thread, but I don't don't know if this site alerts you of messages in old threads, so I figure the chances of you seeing it here are much greater.
Anyway, I appreciate all of your info on SD cards, and I was hoping you could address the following.
I believe Palm claims that the 650 and 680 can support up to 2gig cards. However, I've read places that they can handle up to 4gig cards, but the OS needs to be reconfigured to do so. Is this true? If so, is it a pain to do, or does it compromise the stability of the device?
Second, Sandisk and other companies (Corsair, PNY, etc) are now developing faster SD cards, like the Ultra II & Ultra III that have read / write speeds up to 20 MBs / sec. However, I've heard that there are compatability issues with these? Have you heard anything about this, or if they are compatible, do the faster cards make data access more efficient on the Treo?
Do the Treos (650, 700, 680) have plastic or glass digitizer screens? I used to wear holes in my plastic PDA screens, while the glass ones held up beautifully. Is this even a problem with Treos as you're typing instead of graffiti-scratching? Thanks all!
Not sure how reliable this is, but I just saw someone selling an unlocked version of the Treo 680 for $565.50. While the price seems inflated (probably due to the lack of supply), the ship date is stated for 11/29.
So I suppose for all of you who are so anxious to get one, you may be able to preorder through him/her. As for me, I imagine that it would be at least $100 cheaper on palms website (hopefully around $400 -- but that's just me guessing).
Does Treo 680 supports AAC which is used for listening to music using Bluetooth headset?
I surrendered my desire to get a 680. How long ago did Palm announce this and how many times has the release date come and gone? This is where Apple reigns supreme: when you announce something, be ready to sell it. If I want vaporware, I'll go to Microsoft.
I got a Samsung Blackjack. I wonder how many customers Palm is losing due to their inability to keep tabs on their media leaks and inability to release their products within 15 years of announcing it.
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