Palm Treo 270
Average Ratings
Six month user
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Having used the 270 for three months in the Bay Area with Cingular, the findings are rather mixed:
Pluses:
The overall user model merging and linking PDA and telecom functions are very good. Although voice activation and bluetooth support would be welcomed, the basic integration of lookup, dialing, last call logs, caller id linking to the address db are all well thought out.
The ability to easily link the data with Palm and/or Outlook data works very smoothly. So backup, update, and editing adding new data using the PC (or in my case an OSX Mac works perfectly.
Going from two devices (PDA and Mobile Phone) to one is an asset for a road warrior type. And, coupled with one of those cords that synch and charge the device off of the USB port precludes the need to traveling a charger for anything but my laptop.
Great keyboard for SMS messaging. Very useful feature on this device.
Oh, and there are a lot of good Palm apps out there - and they all seem to run just fine (except for Java - see below)
Minuses:
Well it's flaky. Very. Mine locks up now and then, needs to be fully rebooted and then all of the data needs to be replaced from my laptop.
Still no GPRS from Cingular. This is not a Handspring/Treo fault. T-Mobile support the GPRS upgrade. But Cingular in general has the worst coverage (Bay Area) and is furthest behind on technology, support, plans, etc. Very unfortunate that the device is linked to the provider. I WILL be swapping to T-Mobile (or perhaps AT&T GSM after my 1 year contract).
No support for Java, no MUTE function (!) (I guess it is coming with the GPRS update whenever that is), handset and earpiece volume is too low, battery life is just adequate.
So many good things. So many questionable ones. Very high beta coefficient. If you JUST need a phone, look elsewhere.
Buy a Blackberry these PalmOne Phones SUCK!
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By far the worst phone, pda, and service I have ever experienced.
Most of the fault lies to with my provider Cingular. Their lack of support for this phone on their network combined with a terrible customer service attitude toward its phase out. They left me with a $500 paperweight. Why the hell do they sell 900/1900Mhz exclusive GSM phones when most of there network is 850/1800/1900MHz.
PalmOnes attitude was no better. How hard would it have been to offer a 850/900/1800/1900Mhz phone. Motorola and RIM do! After countless emails, phone calls, and letters they decided to give me a $200 rebate towards a new phone. GEE thanks! You couldn't pay me enough to use another PALMOne device. I eventually sent the device to the CEO of Palm, Inc., Edward T. Colligan
, as a gift. I presented it to him so that he should use this device as his sole portable device to see how poorly it performs. Of course they sent it back to me saying call tech support. I'm still waiting too hear back from the last certified letter I wrote to tech support before I sent it as a gift. PALMOne is a horrible company when it comes to customer service.
I had three of these phones RMA'd to me the flip kept breaking with normal usage(I'm not brutal on my equipment). Aside from that, the service would drop out for no reason, most of the time when I was using it as a phone. Sometimes it would cause the PalmOS side of the phone to lock up and I would have to hard reset the device. Thus loosing all my contacts till I re-Sync'd the device. Not bringing my computer along when I travel was the WHOLE reason I bought this phone.
Needless to say I have a Windows Mobile 2003 PDA and a Blackberry. Of which I love both devices. PALMone and Cingular can go to HELL!
Disappointed in coverage
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I was in the market for a PDA to replace my old-fashioned appointment book. My boss had a 270 new in the box that had been sitting in his office for nearly a year. I asked if I could use it on a trial basis. That was nearly 3 years ago.
When I got the 270 I fully intended to make it my cell phone as well. The only problem was that I discovered our area (Madison WI) didn't have a service that supported the 270. I talked to the folks at AT&T (before they joined with Cingular) and they said it was coming soon.
6 months later, it was supposedly still coming.
6 months later, they joined with Cingular. Still coming.
About 8 months ago I was thinking about changing phones again. I checked with Cingular. No plans for our area to get service that supports the Treo 270.
PROS:
Compact
Durable
Easy to read screen
Programs run well
CONS:
Coverage
Good functionality / Poor reliability
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I've used this phone for over 1.5 years.
Pros:
-pda
-nice screen
-decent sound quality/speakerphone
-qwerty keypad
Cons:
-Poor battery life. I get 10 minutes talk time on a full charge.
-the lid and the screen backlight breaks
-reception
-size it too big
I would not get this phone again in the future. First, the fact that you cannot replace the battery is a poor design hy handspring. I know 3 other guys with the same phone with the same problems I'v experienced.
The functionality of the PDA is very nice. If handspring can shrink the size, make the package more durable and have a replaceble battery, the phone would get a 5 starts.
If you can find the 270, don't bothering getting it . Get the Treo 600 or 650.
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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.
Good PDA Phone
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I only used this phone for a brief time on T-Mobile and it was excellent with sound and everything. I do wish it was easier to find the main menu, but it only took a few minutes to locate it. I was also at one time tempted to upgrade it to a Treo 600, but when I heard it had a permanent battery it turned me off. I would recommend this to someone who's used to or willing to adjust to Palm OS. I personally do not like it on a phone. I hope this gives you some insight as to how good this phone is.
phone is good service is bad
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the phone is awesome..no complains...features are amazing..its jst that the service sucks a lot. i can hardly get any signals wherever i go. if ur goin to sign up with a cell provider, i recommend NEXTEL and T-mobile.. most of my friends have those providers. i never heard any complains from them.
poor backlighting
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Yes, it is a PDA and a Phone, however, I don't particularly like the one little light bulb that is in the upper right hand of the display. If you observe the other displays of its class, you will see that they'll have up to 7 or 8 bulbs to act as a backlight. Now, I hear in WirelessWeek that they are recalling the phone because of a "technical glitch". Whatever that means, right?
Also, when is handspring going to support GPRS so we can access the net and email faster? Currently it is what we call Circuit Switched device which requires a separate ISP if you want to Pop your emails--unless you have a corporate setup.
My two cents.
