Palm Treo 300
Average Ratings
Better than IPH300
Used the Samsung IPH300 for 6 months. Switched to the Treo300 because Samsung screen got scratched twice so graffiti wouldn't work. Treo keyboard is GREAT..I can really use it for email and Instant messenger. Other PROS are fast 3G internet access. It really works! I use the speakerfon ALL the time...works great. Speed dial buttons plentiful and easily accessible. The search system in the OS sync'd contacts is the best I've ever seen! Instantly pulls up by first, last, or first initial and last...then you punch the jog to dial home, office, or cell. Have added 3rd party s/w with mixed success. VeriChat is GREAT for MSN and IM. Wireless Avantgo is my favorite...I keep up on news from all over...waiting in airports and even on the flight since it's downloaded info. Color games Vrally, Chess, Zap2, PhotoAlbum etc. work fine. (I love using Photo Album when I travel to bore friends with family picture slide shows!) I also have the whole Bible in 2 languages (searchable), a full length Chekhov novel, 2000 contacts, WordSmith for carrying and fully editing documents with fonts etc.
CONS include: Can't replace internal battery...and now mine lasts less than a day (used to be 2!) No recourse but to toss the phone...pretty expensive $300 battery replacement! No BUILT-IN Email or Messaging (I added Eudora and it works fine, but come on Handspring..for $300 you could give us the s/w!) Messaging I still haven't added it; I know there are 3rd party apps, but I've had enough problem with some such apps to make me squeamish. No polyphonic ringers, ear bud plug is non-standard, rebooting 2-3 times a day. Biggest problem I have is that when power goes and you're on the road, you lose everything. Should be keep it even if it won't turn on so when you get back to hotel or car with charger you can still have your data intact. This is very bad if you're away from you laptop for a week at a pop! I also wish it had analog.
Forget the Rest. Go with the BEST!
This phone is the best purchase I have ever made. It is easy to use and the Palm functionality is so well integrated that you feel like it's part of the phone, not that the phone is an afterthought. The screen is one of the best lit I've ever seen, and the sound quality is exactly what it should be during a call. The silent/ring switch is the simplest and yet most brilliant innovation I've seen on ANY phone. Then there's the QWERTY. I know it's been a Handspring staple for awhile, but I just don't know how anyone could use Graphitti and not love this keyboard. I had an I-300 for 12 months and data input never got as easy on it as it was on my Treo300 the FIRST DAY! The phone is a part of my life now and I couldn't live without it!
Now on to the "I hope the people at Handspring read this" section. The phone NEEDS, SHOULD, MUST support two-way sms on the next model. The QWERTY is perfect for that! I know it's probably partly SprintPCS' fault too, but don't let it happen on thenext model. Secondly, there NEEDS, SHOULD, MUST be an expansion slot on the next model. The only real problem with this may be size constraints, but I'm confidant that TeamTreo can overcome! And finally, can we get a little Bluetooth compliance here? I should not need to wear an adapter to use my Freespeak! Not on a $500 phone! Let's be reasonable. Overall though it is still the single greatest purchase I've ever made.
Overall pleased
I have been surprised by how satisfied I've been with my Treo 300. I had read about screen problems, software problems, hinge problems....but I have had none of them. The screen is bright, uniformly lit, and has saturated colors. The thumboard has been easy to adjust to, even with my large hands. Integration of the address book and the phone functions has been a joy! I routinely use the phone to check e-mail and browse the web. Very straightforward and functional! I have had to do a soft reset twice in four months (during software installs), so stability has not been a problem. Sprint's Vision has worked flawlessly, although it is not quite as fast as I had hoped.
I'd like the phone to be able to handle JavaScript and video playback, but that will have to wait for the next version, I guess.
