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| palm Treo 680 Smartphone (AT&T) | 
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| Brand: Palm
Category: Wireless
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  39 reviews
Sales Rank: 5052
Color: Silver
Media: Wireless Phone
Battery Type: Lithium Ion
Display Size: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: 680
UPC: 805931024466
ASIN: B000KPY83K
Release Date: November 24, 2006
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| Customer Reviews:
 Cingular $100 phone rebate takes forever January 17, 2007
7 out of 11 found this review helpful
It was time to change my phone and I chose Treo because of its compatability with the Mac. My issues are :
1. Battery life is really short. Even if I don't use the phone the whole day and its just on stand by, I need to charge it everday.
2. PocketTunes. You have to convert your iTunes to mp3 format to be able to play on your phone or you have to buy the PocketTunes software to be able to play most file formats. Why can't they just all get along and set one standard? (I guess thats why theres the iPhone).
3. Camera is only 1.5 pixel. I know this is a phone not a camera but most phones now have at least 2 megapixels (nokia has 5).
4. REBATE: the 3 items above I can live with. I got the Treo because I need the calendar and phone book feature from my old Palm. I don't really need web access so pay per use is fine with me. I was told that inorder to get the Treo I had to sign up for the unlimited data plan of $49.99 and I can cancel this once I get the $100 rebate. I sent my rebate 2 days after getting the phone and guess what I would have already paid $100 of data plan and still no rebate. Lesson learned. I should have gotten the unlocked version, gotten my choice of color. I assume this is the same with all the other phones (Samsung Blackjack, Blackberry Pearl) which requires a data plan. So if you don't need web access, maybe it would be better to just buy the phone outright and not be tied to a 2 year agreement since you'll probably end up paying for the same amount. I paid $199 for the phone (does not include the $100 rebate so its really $299). The unlocked version is $399. I wonder if I sent the rebate via Priority Mail if that would have made processing faster? I got a text message 4 weeks after I mailed the rebate that they just received my rebate and in the process of "processing" it.
A disappointing upgrade January 16, 2007
7 out of 10 found this review helpful
I traded in a Treo 650 for this phone welcoming the slimmer, lighter design. Unfortunately, the usual Palm reliability had me replacing it during week 1. (I had to replace the 600 twice and the 650 once in the first month I had each).
I was disappointed to find that there were hardly any real upgrades. No stereo bluetooth and the new battery life is a joke. This phone should come with a permanent cord rather than a battery, the battery life is that short. The 650 would last for days, this phone barely makes it through the day before needing to be recharged. And don't even think about using Cingular xpress for email as it will drain your battery even faster.
If you want to use this phone as a poor man's iPod you can, but not without some challenges. At least the 680 comes with an mp3 player installed. (That is one upgrade from the 650) Unfortunately you still have to use a clunky adapter to listen to stereo. You even have to use the clunky adapter to listen to mono sound from audio books. You would think the mono sound would play through the bluetooth headset, but no such luck. You have to connect the headset to the external port with the clunky adapter even to listen to mono books.
In gereral a good phone, but not a great phone.
 So disappointed January 10, 2007
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
I really wanted to love this phone. I am longtime Palm user and decided to try the Treo instead of carrying two devices. I use my Palm for just about everything: calendar, music, ereader, web, email, etc.
As noted by other reviewers, the battery life leaves a lot to be desired. It drains even when you turn EVERYTHING off. Thinking it was a bad battery, I bought another one. Same problem. I googled the problem and found this a common complaint. I found a posting that suggested a "soft reset," which entails removing the battery for a few minutes and then recharging. This resulted in a slight improvement, but nothing significant.
The touchscreen is either too sensitive or completely unresponsive. I've recalibrated the stylus too many times to count. Using the center button may or may not work. While in phone mode, I couldn't get it to stay the on-screen dial pad. Sigh.
I guess it's back to two devices.
 where are the other service providers on this item? January 5, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
I passionately wanted this product after extensive reviews show it to be about the best Palm unit there is out there right now for the combination I need. But after Cingular changed my rate plan and tripled my monthly service charge without any notification early last year, then was quite rude on the phone as I cancelled my plan entirely (thank goodness THAT was possible), I would NEVER go with a Cingular plan ever again. ever. It's too bad. Why can't Cingular learn from some of the great service-models out there like LL Bean, the US postal service, and certain other service providers...? If your experience with Cingular is universally good, then go with this. otherwise, don't take the risk.
 If you need a decent battery life- this is wrong phone to buy! January 4, 2007
28 out of 35 found this review helpful
This may be the first unhappy review I've written on Amazon...but here goes: I 'upgraded' to this phone recently from a Treo 650 that had speaker and audio problems (don't all Treo 650's suffer from that within a year's usage?). I loved my Treo 650 despite the well-known audio problems that arise, so I expected something equivalent to the 650 when I upgraded. But what I got was a 'smartphone' with quite a stupid battery life. I have decided that there is definitely some glitch in design (some online geeks suggest it might actually be the SIM card) that is causing power to run right out of the phone, in a sharp decline, even when its not in use and all possible extraneous functions are disabled and every "trick" Palm and other users suggest to extend battery performance is utilized. Add to this the fact that Palm's website's online user group is not active right now (so no users can visibly discuss this among themselves),and they have made it next to impossible to reach them to complain about this, you don't have to think too long to conclude that Palm knew this either beforehand or pretty quickly afterward, when they recently dumped this cheaper "smartphone" on the market recently. Sorry Palm, I loved you for the Treo 650 and was willing to live with some glitches, but a horrible battery life on the 680 is not something easy to tolerate. So all I can say is pretty "stupid" and wonder if this was your last hurrah before planning to exit the "smartphone" market? [Despite the prior reviews on this page that were so glowing, anyone who is doubtful of my complaint on battery life, or think that its isolated to just a defective phone here and there, I suggest that you please do a search on the internet before buying this phone, and read the numerous blogs out there on this very same complaint!)
P.S.: search under these words exactly on Amazon: "palm Treo 680 PDA Phone (Unlocked)" to read other reviews of this phone stating similar battery life complaints. Whether locked (meaning tied to any one company like Verizon or Cingular) or not, a Palm Treo 680 is still the same Palm product.
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