Law Office Technology

Treo 680 Review

The Neutral

The format of the phone is like the Treo 700 available for Verizon and Sprint.  The Green button is not a power button, but more like an execution button.  Move your cursor over a phone number and click on it, and it will dial the number.  The Red button is the on and off button.  The menu button is at the bottom right hand corner of the phone.  I have not noticed the battery life being any longer.  All my software that worked on the 650 works on the 680, although I have heard the TomTom Navigator 6 does not work with the 680 because the software cannot identify the phone.  The version 5 works like a charm.

The Bad

Instead of having 5 pages of favorites, you only have one, and there is only one column.   There is no reset so you have to take the battery out, if the phone locks.   

The Good

There is no antenna and I have not noticed any change in reception.  Without the antenna, it is much easier to fit in your pocket.  It is a lot easier to get to the call log.   The square keys make typing much easier.  Your memory card is now on the side, and is closed in, so it can't accidentally pop out.  I think "Documents To Go" is free with the phone, which includes Word, Excel and PDF.  I have just purchased it for $50, for the Palm 650.  At Cingular, the 680 only costs $200 (after $100 mail in rebate) with a 2 year contract.  If you spend over $75 a month on your bill, Cingular will let you out of your contract after a year. 

Conclusion

I had to get the 680 because my 650 died after 2 years of wonderful service.  If my 650 worked fine, I would not buy the 680.  The 750W should be out for Cingular now, but there is no release date from the 750P, and no one is sure if there will even be one. 

GPS on the Treo

I just saw that google has released google maps for the palm device. I think this will be a helpful feature and I am going to download and try it out. However, this piece of news reminded me of something I wanted to blog about.  I have been using TomTom software on my Treo 650, connected with a Bluetooth GPS receiver, for sometime. I decided to go this route after I got a ticket for speeding. I was trying to get to a client’s office in a remote location, and was looking at my printed maps and not at the speed limit signs.

I am using TomTom Naviagtor 5 along with the RBT-2010 Bluetooth GPS Receiver and the vehicle mount. I purchsed the entire package from Houston based Seidio.

I made sure that the version that I bought is compatible with the Treo 650 and 700. I like having the Bluetooth receiver separate from the mount, so I can put it in my pocket and walk around with it.

If you have your contacts linked with a practice management software, like Amicus or TimeMatters, you can click on a client’s contact and get instant directions to their office.

The Palm version still gives you the voices that say directions like, “At 100 Yard turn left." I use the American Women’s voice, but have been tempted to download the gangster voice, so when I miss my turn on the interstate, I can hear a wise guy say “forget about it”.

The TomTom software will tell you how many miles to your destination, how much time remaining, and what time you will get there. This is always extremely accurate. I am no longer worried about being late for an appointment or wasting 30 minutes trying to find the place.

On a side note, before I jumped into the world of legal consulting I used to own a map company that made street atlases of various cities. I can really appreciate how accurate TomTom’s maps are and the level of detail they put into their program. TomTom and other software like it was the main reason I got out of that business, because their product was so superior, and in the long run , it was cheaper than anything our company could produce.

Delete all Contacts, To Do, and Events in a Treo

I recently had a problem with my Treo 650 where all my To Do's, Contacts, and Calender events were duplicated multiple times.  I changed my Hotsync settings, so the desktop would overwrite the palm, but the duplicates still stayed.  I found this program called FileZ which will allow you to go into the palm and delete all these items without doing a hard reset.  Instructions can be found at this blog.

Locking your PDA

I have a lot of confidential client information on my Treo 650.  Password, IP Addresses, etc.  I have noticed that some of my clients have started to input sensitive information into their PDA's as well.  This could be a huge problem if you were ever to lose the device.  I found the security on the Treo 650 to be lacking, specifically, I did not want to type in a password every time I wanted to use my phone.  I recently discovered this program called mSafe  (16.99).  If I lose my treo 650, I can send a text message to it which will either wipe it or lock it.  If the wireless mode of my treo is shut down, the phone will automatically lock as will it if my sim card is removed.  This program will even lock my SD card.  I think this is a must have for anyone with a PDA phone.  I know there are equivalents for the Blackberry as well.

The Camera-Less Treo 650 Exists!!!

I have clients in several courthouses, and I always get busted trying to sneak in my Treo 650, because it has a camera on it.  I try to explain to the deputies that I am not even going to the courtrooms, but they don't care.  Actually, quite a few have yelled at me.  I then have to run back to my car, stash my phone, and race back, very sweaty and very late to my appointment.  I always ask the employees at Cingular Stores if a Camera-less Treo 650 exists.  The usual reply was no, why would you want a phone without a camera on it anyway.  My response that I had a bad "Paris Hilton like experience" elicits few laughs.  Well, I did my research and found a list of carriers that have a camera-less Treo 650.  I don't know if they have camera-less 700's yet. To review  what  providers have camera-less phones, go here:  http://kb.palm.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,kb=PalmSupportKB,CASE=obj(35038),ts=Palm_External2001
To order one for Cingular, you need to call their business services at 888-444-4410.