Customer Rating:  
Summary: Palm has lost its way
Comment: This phone has many functions, but enough are poorly executed that if I had to choose again, I would get a different smartphone. The title of this review reflects my dismay with design bugs that should be obvious. For example, if you have protected yourself with a logon password, there's no way to get to your contact list when speaking on an incoming call. Instead, you need to hang up, logon, and call back to do this. If you enter a new appointment in your calendar on the phone, it automatically sets an alarm as a default that cannot be shut off. So you need to access the event details and shut off the alarm manually every time. When Palm introduced this phone, it also changed the Bluetooth settings so that some devices don't work on it, and the third-party companies that try to write compatible drivers apparently aren't able to get sufficient information from Palm to accommodate the Bluetooth changes. The best type of external keyboard for this phone, for instance, is not compatible. In the past, Palm offered a full-sized keyboard that was physically connected with the phone and much more responsive than Bluetooth, which seems a step backward into greater and unneeded complexity. With Bluetooth turned on, battery life is short. And Palm's desktop software can surprise you with a feature that automatically deletes most of your old calendar entries. This purge feature cannot be shut off. Then there's the built-in camera, which has such low resolution it's not worth using. The headphone jack is not the same size as you have with usual MP3 players, so you have to buy an adaptor that creates an imperfect and scratchy connection or buy Palm's version of stereo headphones. Finally, with AT&T's implementation, if you want e-mail access, you have to pay twice as much for that data plan with the Treo 680 as you would if you were using a less "smart" phone, like a Motorola Razr. Other than these few complaints, I'm delighted with this phone. When I'm due to upgrade, I'll check out Blackberry and Apple's IPhone and will finally give up on the Palm OS that I've used all these years.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice Palm OS Smartphone
Comment: I've had mine for about 6 days now. At first the battery drained very rapidly. Then I followed these suggested (by John from Monroe Township) preference settings:
Go to Prefs > Power and:
* Turn "Beam Receive" OFF
* Set "Auto-off after" a 15 seconds
* Set your "Screen Brightness" to a medium setting (3 or 4 clicks under MAX or even less)
* Set "Dim backlight after" to 30 seconds
Other settings:
* Turn Bluetooth OFF if/when you are not using a wireless headset or other BT device
* Go to Prefs > Date & Time > Set "Automatically set" to "Nothing" (this makes a very significant difference in power usage
After making those changes, the battery life is pretty reasonable.
I didn't have any trouble getting it activated (via AT&T) after it was shipped from Amazon.
This is my first smart phone. I had been a happy Palm Z22 user for about 1.5 years. So far, I'm very happy with the Treo 680. My favorite Palm applications are still KeySuite (Outlook sync program) by Chapura and Ultrasoft Money (syncs with MS Money).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great phone for Palm Fans-buy the extended battery
Comment: This phone is excellent in every way EXCEPT for the battery life, which is pretty short. Palm OS5 is pretty stable, and I have absolutely no problems syncing it with my MacBook. Windows users will have it even easier, being able to sync the pocket tunes application with Windows Media. I currently have a 2GB SD card in my Treo, and with TCMP (free download) I can watch itunes videos on my Palm. The organizer/calendar/voice record features are a lifesaver for both business and personal use. Best of all, 90% of the Palm applications out there from years ago will work on the Treo, so anything that you liked on your Palm IIIc you can run on your Treo! 2 things make this phone the quintessential Smart device: A good screen protector (just get a protector, don't waste$ on anti-glare) and the 2400Mah extended battery from Seidio. The one listed on amazon is not the Seidio battery, and no I don't work for them. I went thru a generic extended before searching and finding the 2400mah w/ extended door, and couldn't be happier. 50% brightness settings, phone on for 4 days straight, moderate calling, email sync every 30 min, and bluetooth on 16 hrs/day and the battery lasts. With the OEM I'd get a day, maybe day & a half. Great phone, just get the screen protector & battery.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Palm Treo 680 with AT&T Service
Comment: During the first month of ownership of the Palm Treo 680, I was getting to hate it and was sorry I signed up for a 2 year contract. I needed a secure e-mail service, which was provided by my employer. This didn't work well in the beginning, and AT&T could not figure out the problem. Also the AT&T technician didn't know that the phone access should be turned off every day for a few minutes or it will not work correctly.
I will say the technicians were very courteous and worked to get the phone working well.So now I am satisfied and have used it trouble free for about 6 months.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Regret this purchase, don't recommend this device
Comment: I purchased this phone because it was a model that is supported by my employer's IT department for Outlook integration. I have owned many phones and PDAs, and this ranks by far the lowest. Battery life is awful - need to change the battery by 1 PM each day. Bluetooth is not reliable - drops connection to my headset often where previous phones did not with the same BT devices. The device also locks up frequently and I need to pull the battery and restart it at least a few times per week. Also find the address book difficult to use, and the keyboard difficult. My previous device was an old "waffle" Blackberry which was much more reliable and easy to use, but alas my firm will not pony up for the Blackberry licenses. I used the older generation of Palm devices for many years until 2003 (when I switched to Blackberry) with success - this device falls far short of the reliablility of the previous Palm models, and is far worse than Blackberrys offering similar functionality. I am actively looking for a new phone to replace this one, and hoping it is not too late to send this one back.
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