vB Easy Archive - p910 versus treo 650 pros and cons

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p910 versus treo 650 pros and cons
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Posted by: mrbill

been reading up on both sony p910 and treo 650 and cannot decide which to get. Could someone please post its pros and cons on both models for me,.
Thank you

Posted by: Baseballfanz

If price is no object, I would take the P910 hands down.

Posted by: 100thMonkey

P910 is probably better as a phone. Treo 650 has more 3rd party apps and EDGE. Both have thumboards and Bluetooth. Treo has far better Outlook sync with 3rd party apps

Posted by: mutantblack

For me, I will get the Treo. I don't own the P910 but I do have P900 and Treo 90. I just love the keyboard on the Treo 90(90 and 650 has similar layout). P900 and P910 is not that difference I think. Treo has better keyboard layout and more softwares plus changeable battery. But I don't like the Treo size. It is a pda size. Not suitable for one hand. Not easy to carry around. Just my 2 cents though.

I love my P900 but if I have a choice, I will go with Treo650.

Posted by: haritia

Wirelessly posted (T's P910a: SonyEricssonP910a/R2A SEMC-Browser/Symbian/3.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.0)

For me, the only advantage the Treo has is its application base. In all other aspects, even the P900 is better.

Posted by: seebeyond

Tough choice. Treo not only has EDGE but also Quad band. I think Treo might have a bit of an edge, technology wise.

But I would go with P910 as only view people know about this phone. Treo will be more popular which means more peple will have it.

Posted by: bugladydi

I owned the Treo 600 (and returned it after two weeks) and as tempted as I am by the 650 I would not purchase it. After reading the forums on Treo Central it is pretty clear that the phone still has problems. Call quality is pretty bad. Check it out before making your decision. And if you do buy it, make sure you get it from a place where you can return it without a penalty.

I have been using the p910 for awahile and it is rock solid and the call quality is excellent.

Posted by: WirelessAndy

My thoughts are sort of the same.

I've seen the Sprint 650, and while it is impressive too look at, it's just far too early in my book to declare a winner. The p910 just seems to have a better pedigree at this point (longer track record).

I'll choose substance over style any day.

Posted by: bugladydi

Hey WirelessAndy:

Did you ever make up your mind which phone to get?

Posted by: JONK

I am starting to agree with the P910 crowd. I got a 650 and while it is a great device there are a few MAJOR flaws the biggest is the bluetooth which is very crippled and unstable on the 650. And it just does not work with the BMW car kit which annnoyes the hell out me.

I may be moving to a 910 but I still have 20 days to decide.

Jon K

Posted by: Airkat

Quote:

Originally posted by mutantblack
Treo has better keyboard layout and more softwares plus changeable battery.

The Pxxx series don't have changeable batteries?

Posted by: mutantblack

Quote:

Originally posted by Airkat
The Pxxx series don't have changeable batteries?

Opps. My bad. It does have changeable batteries. Yes. It's my mistake. Well...I myself use Sony Clie UX50. So I am so used to keyboard. Plus I am a huge fun of Palm OS. Because it's easy to use and better and free applications. That's the big reason I am leaning toward Treo 650. But I still love my P900.

Posted by: WirelessAndy

Quote:

Originally posted by bugladydi
Hey WirelessAndy:

Did you ever make up your mind which phone to get?

Well, if it's between the Treo 650 and P910a, it'd be the P910a.

Of course, I've just never gotten around to it! I guess I'm waiting to see if there's a dumb-phone on the horizon that might suit my needs without spending the $$$ on a P910a.

Posted by: rohan123

if you want a phone only for businees, get the treo 650. if you want it for normal use, get the p910.
mainly because, i hate the treo display, the treo600 display was really bad and the treo 650 display is not as good as the p910.

according to me, the p910 looks much better than the treo650. i hate the treo antenna too

Posted by: integron

The Treo has EDGE and is Quad band, two big things missing from the P910a. Also, the P910a is a bit sluggish, performance wise, but i've heard similar complaints about the Treo.

My only gripe with the P910a is having to open the flip to use the phone in PDA mode (with the flip closed, the phone loses much of it's PDA capabilities).

Also, the p910a is much more expensive.

Posted by: mutantblack

Quote:

Originally posted by integron
My only gripe with the P910a is having to open the flip to use the phone in PDA mode (with the flip closed, the phone loses much of it's PDA capabilities).

I have to disagree with you on the disign-wise. With P910 flip, you can actually use as 2 devices in one. You can use as a pda or you can go with more phone type. You don't like the flip, go ahead and remove it. There you go, you got a more pda style. Can you do that with Treo? No. I like the Treo. Not the design but the keyboard. P910 design is stunning.

Posted by: integron

Quote:

Like i said, it is a personal gripe. With the flip closed, the few apps that are present are crippled. For example, the device does not display all the contact info with the flip closed... it only displays phone numbers and email. If you want to see ALL the info, like their address etc, you have to open the device. I like having the keypad attached, so removing it is not an option. i just find it annoying that i am constantly opening and closing the device. With the Treo, and MS based smart phones, you have full access to an apps functionality. I just wish the device behaved the same with the flip open and closed.

Also, can anyone figure out how to make the P910 vibrate?

Posted by: mutantblack

If the P910 is the same with P900, just open the flip, select the speaker icon at the bottom of the screen, then you will see the vibrating alert, just set it to On if you want it to vibrate. Hope this helps.

Posted by: integron

Quote:

If the P910 is the same with P900, just open the flip, select the speaker icon at the bottom of the screen, then you will see the vibrating alert, just set it to On if you want it to vibrate. Hope this helps.

That was quick... you're right, it works now!

I had logically assumed it would be in the SOUNDS and ALERTS section of the control panel. Add that to my list of gripes!

Thanks again for the assist! I could have used it last week when i was in NY... i had a thick jacket on, and could not hear the phone ring in my pocket. Lots of missed calls, and lots of angry clients

Posted by: integron

By the way, i had to OPEN THE FLIP to turn on the vibrating alert! You see, that's why i was griping! I should have full access to my control panel with the flip closed.

Posted by: mutantblack

Yes. It is different than any normal phone but it's all good. Glad that I can help you out.

Posted by: simonseize

I've been looking at getting a P910a but I'm worried because I have heard that synching with Outlook 2003 is variable and unreliable. For me that is a key requirement and a deal breaker. Can anyone clear this up? How easy is it to get a 910a to sync? How does it compare to a Treo 650 for this?

thanks,
Simon

Quote:

Originally Posted by 100thMonkey

P910 is probably better as a phone. Treo 650 has more 3rd party apps and EDGE. Both have thumboards and Bluetooth. Treo has far better Outlook sync with 3rd party apps

Posted by: supraman215

The treo has a lighted KB which would be VERY nice on the p910a. And EDGE which I would LOVE.

The most annoying thing about the p910a is when using the phone in the car to make a call when mounted in any kind of holder is difficult to say the least. You can use the numbers to find someone's name but if you have multiple numbers for them you have to reach over with your right hand and try to scroll the dial. There's no way to select one of the alternate numbers without using the dial very annoying.

Posted by: jmufarrige

With the flip closed on either the P900 or P910, hold the "C" (clear) button down for 2-3 seconds to toggle silent/vibrate and audible mode. You can also press the menu button and turn on silent.

I personally am anxiously awaiting the P990, supposedly April-June 2006. Has fixed keyboard in the body so it stays even if you remove the flip, and the screen has been slightly redesigned to work with the new UIQ 3.0 so that apps work almost identically either flip open or closed.

Cheers,
John

Posted by: supraman215

the p990 will be sweet with the edge and 802.11g however, it does have a smaller screen because the KB is attached to the body.

Posted by: Wrk_InProgress

Quote:

Originally Posted by supraman215

the p990 will be sweet with the edge and 802.11g however, it does have a smaller screen because the KB is attached to the body.

It doesn't have EDGE and the WLAN is 802.11b.

The P990's screen is 42 x 57 mm.
The P910's screen is 40 x 62 mm.

You are losing VERY little screen real estate, esp. considering the increased resolution in the p990.

Posted by: supraman215

it has the EDGE equivalant though I think like 3g or something.

Posted by: Wrk_InProgress

Quote:

Originally Posted by supraman215

it has the EDGE equivalant though I think like 3g or something.

It has UMTS which is a 3G network/service.

EDGE is 2.5G network/service.

Posted by: SRALPH

Quote:

Originally Posted by supraman215

the p990 will be sweet with the edge and 802.11g however, it does have a smaller screen because the KB is attached to the body.

P990 is tri-band and will not have a North American varient, so no 850 band. This means that North American carriers are unlikely to offer it, so you'll have to pay full pop for unlocked hardware and live with it. I find that a bummer, so I am more anxious to see how the Motorola Q compares

Posted by: seebeyond

p990 doenst seem to have edge. it will come with umts - which is better but still limited. and early review on p990 is not so good.

Posted by: Wrk_InProgress

Quote:

Originally Posted by seebeyond

p990 doenst seem to have edge. it will come with umts - which is better but still limited. and early review on p990 is not so good.

What reviews ? Every preview/review I've read has been pretty high on the P990 with the only downside being the fact that the prototype firmware has been pretty unstable.

The downside is partly the reason that NO Symbian 9.0 devices have yet to be released as of yet.

Posted by: seebeyond

There are 4 part reviews from mobile-review. You probably have read it. http://www.mobile-review.com/review...n-p990-en.shtml. The one I will be missing the most would be the 5D jog dial which is being replaced with 3D.

The good thing is the OS seems to be more capable and it has a lot more of internal memory.

Posted by: heavyduty

I've had the 650 for almost a year now and have played with 910 on a couple of occasions, and the choice is very simple: I'd stick with my 650 any day. The 910 just feels very limited compared to the Treo in terms of usability and software wise.

I am waiting for the 990 though, but by that time the new Treos will be out so it won't be an easy choice.

Posted by: gene9

I had the P910i, loved it but wanted a Palm OS device because of the software and the 650's form-factor and keyboard was appealing, so I switched to the Treo 650.

The 650 crashed too often, requiring reset, especially if I tried to run background programs like IM. Even when I didn't have background programs running, the 650 seemed to crash and self-reset too often (Murphy's Law, every time it was really important to use it, it seemed to crash).

The overall call quality was vastly inferior to the 910i and the Ericsson T39m and T29w I've had previously. Too often I had problems with connection quality where it was difficult to carry on a conversation without the other person and I repeating each other. I need a good solid phone first and foremost rather than a PDA, so out of frustration I started using my T39m again, eBayed-off the 650, and purchased a 910a (not wanting to wait for the 990).

Also, being a Mac user, the 910 works best with it (iSync is perfect and I can browse the 910's file folders via bluetooth), where with the 650 I had to get a 3rd-party program for decent syncronization and could not browse the Palm's directories (making it difficult to exchange media files).

Posted by: SRALPH

I have heard many people mention that there are fewer programs for the P910. Not sure what you are looking for that you cannot find out there, but simply saying there are less without accounting for duplication and poor quality apps isn't a fair comparison.

After using the phone for over a year now and evaluating many programs, the main things I added and kept were instant messaging, profiles program, music player, acrobat reader, Google local, Opera browser, PDF reader, and a task manager. The things I would like to add are Blackberry client (not available for Treo) and bluetooth GPS program like TomTom Mobile.

Simply saying there are more applications available is a bit off...that used to be said about Palm versus Pocket PC when Palm owned the PDA market. Things have changed quick in just a few years and the Palm OS is facing a limited lifespan.

Simply put, the P910 is an awesome phone first, PDA second and its appeal is probably more to those who like to tinker a bit more. It also hardly EVER crashes on me and has great battery life.

Posted by: Frosty_Power

I have both phones and prefer the P910. The P910 does everything I need it both business and pleasure. Push email capabilities for business and excellent sound quality. The problems I had with the Treo were that the sound quality was terrible and you needed additional apps to improve this. The phone would always crash, at least once a day(the more apps you add, the more it will crash) and it was not very reliable. The design was very nice and the keyboard is much better than that of the P910. It was a bit on the bulky side but overall a nice phone. Battery life was also not very good with the 650. I've had both phones loaded with all the apps that I need for business and pleasure and they are set up they way I like them and with that in mind, I would choose MY P910 over my Treo 650. Just my 2 cents...

Posted by: Frederick Asher

I'm surprised by all the users who seem to admire the p910i. Within two weeks, the whole thing fried. I was in Singapore, and SonyEricsson only would repair it in the States, where I purchased it. They did finally replace it. Then the keypad got quirky. I'd push, say, 4, and 7 would show on the screen. Once again they replaced the phone. I'm now having the same problem with my third p910i, and they want 60 days to repair the phone! So I plan to buy either a gsm Treo 700 when it comes out or a K-Jam.

Posted by: SRALPH

[QUOTE=Frederick Asher]I was in Singapore, and SonyEricsson only would repair it in the States, where I purchased it. They did finally replace it. Then the keypad got quirky. I'd push, say, 4, and 7 would show on the screen. Once again they replaced the phone. I'm now having the same problem with my third p910i, and they want 60 days to repair the phone!

Sorry to hear you've had a bad run with this phone - my experience has been very different. I bought mine in Canada and while in Europe I dropped it anddamaged the screen. I dropped it off at SE UK on Monday and they had it back to me by Friday. In any case, this comparison thread is moot now as the p910 is at the end of its life span.