Treo 650

Treo 650
	File:Newpalmlogo L.jpg
Manufacturer	Palm
Type	Smartphone
Lifespan	November 2004
Media	MMC, SD
Operating system	Palm OS 5.4.8
CPU	Intel PXA270
Display	320x320 16-bit passive LCD
Input	Keypad
Camera	0.3 Megapixel
Touchpad	WM9712 AC'97 digitizer
Connectivity	GSM/GPRS/EDGE, CDMA, Bluetooth
Power	Battery

The palmOne Treo 650 is a combination hybrid PDA/cellphone officially announced on October 24, 2004 as the successor to the company's hugely successful Treo 600. It began shipping in November of 2004, and although still available has been superceded by the Treo 700p and Treo 700w.

Specifications

Mobile phone, GSM/GPRS/EDGE model with 850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands, CDMA model with 800/1900 MHz bands.
Intel™ PXA270 312 MHz processor with Intel XScale Technology
32 MB onboard DiskOnChip storage with 7-10 MB allocated as compressed ROM and the remainder as user-available stored non-volatile memory (the partitioning depends on the exact ROM version) [1]
32 MB onboard SDRAM split between uncompressed ROM, dynamic memory and cache
Removable rechargeable lithium ion battery
Palm OS® Garnet at 5.4.x
4.4 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches (11.3 x 5.9 x 2.3 cm)
6.3 oz. (178 grams)
32-bit Color 320 x 320 TFT touch-screen display
Supports SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCards, up to 2 GB in size with built-in driver or 4 GB in size with unofficial FAT32 driver
Built-In Bluetooth 1.1 Compliance
0.3 megapixel (640x480) VGA digital camera with 2x digital zoom and video camera capability

Carriers

In Release Order

Sprint PCS (USA)
Cellular South
Cingular Wireless (including AT&T Wireless customers) (USA)
Unlocked GSM
Rogers Wireless (Canada)
Verizon Wireless (USA)
Earthlink Wireless (USA)
Bell Mobility (Canada)
Telus Mobility (Canada)
AllTel (USA)
Centennial Wireless (USA)

The following carriers are NOT compatible with the Treo 650 as of the August 2, 2005 update:

Nextel (USA)

T-Mobile (USA) is compatible with the Treo 650, though you need an unlocked GSM version of the Treo 650 to do so. There has been no word when a T-Mobile-locked Treo 650 will be coming out.

Main concerns

The following were issues that power users had with the initial release of the Treo 650 due to its new FAT-based Non-Volatile, Flash-Based Memory System :

Slower-than-usual loading times
Larger-than-usual file sizes* (Details here)
Unusual difficulty transferring files from previous PDA Platforms based on Volatile Memory Systems.

An interesting discrepancy worth mentioning is that while the Treo 650 had the same amount of memory as the Treo 600, the Non-Volatile File System uses a different algorithm that forces even the smallest piece of database to take at least 512 bytes of block space (See NVFS).

While Palm clearly stated that the key benefit of NVFS being that data and handheld information is retained even if it ran out of battery charge, the new file system was the subject of much complaint from power users. Palm (at the time palmOne) responded to the controversy by giving out, on request, a free 128 MB SD flash card to Treo 650 users. However due to a ROM update for the Treo 650 those problems have been resolved.

Other main concerns surrounding the Treo 650 (during its initial release period) were as follows:

Nearly all users experience random resets at one time or another. Although the cause was unknown, a complete reset via the Reset button on the back of the phone under the battery door could keep the phone stable and running most of the day.
Some users also reported problems with the unit's microphone. They claimed that voice clarity on the recipient's end of the connection was poor, akin to talking "inside a cardboard box." (koreth, Slashdot). Users have found that bluetooth-enabled wireless headsets or fixed headsets seemed to be an effective work-around.
Another problem people reported is that the handset's earpiece made it difficult to hear in loud environments. Using a bluetooth-enabled wireless headset would also take care of this problem.

Firmware solutions

On March 22, 2005, palmOne released a first ROM/Firmware Update (v1.12) for Sprint-branded phones which alleviated the NVFS inefficiency, random resets and the microphone problems. This was followed by a second firmware update on June 16, 2005. The Unlocked GSM Firmware Upgrade (v1.13) was also released on the day of the second Sprint Treo 650 firmware update which also addresses the problems first fixed with the first Sprint Treo 650 firmware update. The Rogers Wireless Treo 650 Firmware Update was quietly posted at the Rogers Wireless Treo 650 support site, and like the Unlocked GSM Firmware Update, fixes the main concerns during the initial release period. The initial release of the Verizon Wireless Treo 650 and the Earthlink Wireless Treo 650 already has the main concerns assessed, including the NVFS Memory System fix. On July 19, 2005 the Verizon Wireless firmware update was released. On July 25, 2005, Cingular released firmware version 1.15, and updated to 1.17 on November 21. Unlocked GSM 1.20 was released Mar 2006. All Treo 650 users are encouraged to deploy the latest possible version of the Treo 650 firmware.

Treo Ace

The Treo Ace was the rumored code name for PalmOne's Treo 650 smartphone introduced at the October 2004 CTIA Conference in San Francisco. The rumors for this product began on June 27th, 2004, when TreoCentral posted detailed specifications and mockup drawings for the product. That article started the flow of hyped demand and interest for the Treo's launch that fall. (The original rumor)

The current firmware updates for the device contain a directory by the name of Ace_Update, confirming the original internal code name. A string inside the Bluetooth driver file indicates that another internal code name may have been "Ace Ventura", a reference to the movie of the same name.

The Treo 650 in fiction

In the fifth-season of 24, Jack Bauer has made many uses of a Treo 650 such as remotely detonating a terrorist's explosives and downloading thermal satellite imagery of terrorist positions to the phone.

External links