Upgrading from the Treo 650 to the Treo 755p

The short version: I'm glad I did it.

The longer version:

I've been using the Treo 650 on the Sprint network for more than 2 years now. I've been using various Palm OS devices for amost 10 years, so when I decided to start thinking about upgrading, I wasn't about to switch to a windows device or even the iPhone. The Palm OS devices does everything I need and more (it does everything the iPhone does and more and in some cases better but it just doesn't look as slick).

The big reason was the fact that over the past couple of years, Sprint had upgraded it's network to EDVO and my old Treo 650 couldn't take advantage of the higher speeds. In fact, I was only getting about 70-80 kpbs on the old device. On the 755p, I'm getting 200+. It makes a huge difference, especially when using Google Maps. (You can test the speed of your mobile browser with this speedtest: text.dslreports.com ) I use Google Maps all the time now, without hesitation and it's great.

I had some initial problems when I received the device - a couple of the buttons were simply not working (including the "Applications" button and one of the side volume buttons). Exchanging it at my local Sprint store was relatively painless once I had the proper paperwork - but required two trips to my local Sprint store (grrr).

Syncing up my data to the new phone was as easy as it's always been... I didn't need to upgrade anything on my desktop (Palm Desktop hasn't changed in a VERY long time).

My only problem after syncing was that my caller Id didn't seem to be working completely. A little internet research revealed that it might be a problem with one of my apps - Ringo. Sure enough, removing that app removed the problem. The newest version of Ringo has 755 support and it's been working fine since I installed it. I love that each one of my friends and family (and colleagues) have their own unique MP3 ring.

The reviews I read about the 755 talked about better sound quality... I haven't noticed much of a difference, but then again, I didn't ever think it was too bad on the 650 except for when driving. But I drive a Jeep Wrangler - it's always too noisy and I never hear anything well.

The redesign is nice... the big antenna is now internal which means it fits better in my purse! (A geek-girl has to think about these things, you know!) The fact that the buttons are slightly different just means I need to get used to something new. Also no big deal.

The improved camera is nice. The quality of my indoor shots noticeably improved. I'm also now able to take advantage of services like ScanR.com which let you take pics of business cards, whiteboards and documents and return a vcard or pdf.

The fact that it came with a Voice Memo application is nice. I really think it's time for voice dialing and other voice applications to come standard on these devices.

...and except for the minor hiccup with Ringo, all my other old apps are running just fine.

All in all... I'm a happy camper.