Palm Treo 180 / 180g
Average Ratings
Great phone, but a little lacking
After weeks of trying to decide what I wanted, I went out and got a Treo last Thursday evening.
Like everything else, it's got it's positives and negatives.
On the plus side, it's got the Palm stuff built in.
-For a techo-geek like me, it's great. With all the Palm software out there, and the PQA web-clipping things, that gives it a lot of added functionality. It's certainly a lot more than just a cell phone.
-It's pretty easy to use, and the keyboard is nice for typing in short e-mails & entering other text. (Much more so than a graffiti pad, at least for me)
-Wireless internet, email, web clipping. GREAT! I love being able to hop on website & check the weather, driving directions, etc etc. At this point GPRS is not available, so you need to dial up an ISP. I've been having trouble making connections, but that's probably a problem on my end. When GPRS rolls out, it'll be pretty slick.
On the down side, there are some limitations.
-The screen is ok, but not great. But then I was never a big fan of the backlighting on the Palms.
-A big drawback when trying to use this thing under low-light conditions is the lack of backlighting for the keyboard. Get in a dark room, and it's practically unusable. (I suppose you could use the built in keyboard applet on the screen)
-Batter life is pretty poor, but I'd read that going into it, so I knew what to expect.
-Reception on my unit is not especially good. I have heard mixed reviews from others. It is nowhere near as good as the reception on my Nokia 3390.
-Awkward. With the large flip top, it feels a bit awkward making phone calls. (Nearly like holding 2 palm pilots to your head). Not really a problem, just an annoyance.
-Flimsy? I don't know for sure, but it seems to me that the flip top might be easily broken if you drop the unit while it's open.
Phone can Handspring to the bottom of Lake Erie
3 Words to sum this phone up:
HighPrice
Enron Stability
AOL connection
Arguh!
If you can find the 180, don't bothering getting it . Get the Treo 600 or 650.
I have used the Treo's 300, 600 and now the 650. Not to mention a T-Mobile Sidekick, the AT&T Motorola MPX, a Nextel Blackberry, a Samsung i600, and Treo's are the absolute gods of cell phones!!! The Palm source OS software is very stable, much more then Microsoft's Pocket PC. The battery life on the Treo 600 & 650 is insane! Often times when I'm home laying in bed, I will search the Internet for hours and hours and these phones will still have more then enough battery power to go for a few more hours. When it comes to talk time I have gotten more then five hours talk time on the Treo 650. There is so many programs for the Palm source software, that you will be able to max out the performance on these phones. I use a program called "Speedy 5.0" which allows me to check the MHz rating of the processor at any given time, and most of the time I am running 310MHz, and can peak at 325MHz which is faster then the 312 MHz listed as the standard. I also use a program called "ZLauncher" which allows me to see the exact signal purity in any given location, and I have found I get signals in places where my LG and Sanyo would not. And because I use Sprint PCS's $10 unlimited Visions access with my Treo 650, I never have to worry about going over any data plan rate. I just purchased my Sprint Treo 650 the other day, and I am so mega happy with it! I will remain a loyal Palmone and Sprint PCS customer for a long time to come!
The only problem I have with PalmOne is over price. I wish the Treo's were cheaper. Other then that, I have never had a major problem with my Treo's.
