Remember when people claimed that someday a computer would be as easy to use as a phone? As some wit said (wish I could remember who), folks weren't counting on phones becoming as difficult to use as computers, or as buggy flawed.
I just got a replacement for my Treo 650 phone/PDA. The first one had a habit of slowing to a crawl in performance -- click a key, wait 15 seconds for a response -- and forcing me to reboot it.
PalmOne's support people kept trying to tell me it must be the third-party software I installed. So I unloaded everything except the software that came with the unit. It still suffered the slowdown. I did a total reset: restoring factory settings, then reloading only my contacts and calendar data. Same problem.
At this point, the company's support person suggested a hard reset but leaving my data off the phone, just to see what would happen. I explained to him that this was an absolute non-starter of an idea, and asked to speak to a supervisor. He immediately changed direction and said he'd send me a replacement phone, which he did.
The replacement arrived the other day and I haven't had the slowdown problem since then. I've even restored Pocket Tunes, the music player that has allowed me to replace my iPod with the Treo when I'm on long trips. (I have a 1GB SD card in the thing, which holds more than enough music, around 10 CDs, for a cross-country flight as well as storing backups of my data.)
The new Treo also has a removable battery, unlike its predecessor, the 600 model. The battery life seems pretty good, but I'm going to get a spare.
Over the next few days I'm going to start adding back the software, or at least the latest updates from various sites, that I was running on the 600. I'll report back to you on whether the dreaded slowdown reappears.
I'll take credit (though I may have borrowed it myself). For years I've been using this bit in my speeches to business audiences and it's always one of the biggest laugh/groan lines:
"When Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh in 1984 he promised to make computers as easy to use as telephones. What we did instead was make telephones impossible to use. How many of you can transfer a phone call at work? 'I'll try to transfer you but if I lose you please call back...'"
I guess I'll have to update it with a reference to cell phones. If Dan Gillmor can't make them work, we're all in trouble...
Posted by: Michael Rogers | April 07, 2005 at 09:21 AM
Dan Gillmor-
This device will work on my service Cingular so I am interested in replacing my basic Motorola V600. Quick question for you if you read this. Since you use the Mac PowerBook like me what is the sync like between them in terms of address, email, calendar and phone info? I took a look at the Palm software website and the top sellers are syncs to MS Outlook. Nothing for Apple Mail etc...This is a make or break for me. Any comments?
Posted by: Joe I. | April 07, 2005 at 09:32 AM
How does the size and weight of the Treo compare to your iPod? I have a Treo 600 and a Rio Force which is absolutely a piece of crap with a completely unreadable display. I have been debating whether to get an iPod or to use the Treo. The one feature of the Rio is that is weighs very little.
Posted by: jerry | April 07, 2005 at 09:48 AM
Joe (and Dan),
I would definitley check out treocentral.com, and look at the message boards- there's even one specifically for "Mac and Treo". I've been threatening to get a 650 for months now, and this the is the place I go to get updated news, reviews, and reports on various technical and non technical issues regarding the Treo.
Posted by: Mike | April 07, 2005 at 09:56 AM
I love my Treo 650. LOVE MY TREO 650! I have it tricked out to the max and also load it up with music, podcasts, and heaven knows what else. But Dan, do you find Pocket Tunes better than Realplayer? I bought Pocket Tunes to play WMA files, but for sound, I can't tell the difference. Is it my lame headphones?
Concur on treocentral.com -- nice site.
Posted by: K.G. Schneider | April 07, 2005 at 10:33 AM
Ed Dijkstra, IIRC...
Posted by: Brad DeLong | April 07, 2005 at 10:49 AM
The sync with my Mac could be better, but it's not unusable. (Now there's an endorsement.)
For example, in iCal I have locations for events, but they don't show up in the Treo. The notes field does show up, however, so I have to remember to put the location there as well. Annoying, but totally typical in the tech world.
Posted by: Dan Gillmor | April 07, 2005 at 12:19 PM
From my old AT&T Research Lab book (Bjarne and I used to work together)
"I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish has come true - I no longer know how to use my telephone"
Bjarne Stroustrup
April 1999
He may have said it before then - this was sitting in his office.
Posted by: steve | April 08, 2005 at 07:54 AM
Palm has some serious calendar problems for a company that practically invented the (mobile) PIM application space!
(http://timehascometoday.blogspot.com/2004/10/why-doesnt-palm-get-it.html)
Posted by: Tim | April 08, 2005 at 01:39 PM
I bought a Treo 650 which I believe to be the greatest smart phone - organizer, ever put together.
Unfortunately the tech support people appear to be as ignorant of the unit's complexities as we, the users, buyers.
I'm going on my third replacement which appears to be right so far, I was lucky to run into a tech support ndividual from Cingular, Mike, who told me to do this and that, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Posted by: LUIS | April 16, 2005 at 07:29 PM
Nice Journalism Blog . Journalismus und PResse Medienbeobachtung mit Ausschnitt.
Posted by: Medienbeobachtung.net | May 03, 2005 at 05:44 AM
Hier auch noch etwas zur Medienbeobachtung
Posted by: Medienbeobachtung | May 03, 2005 at 05:45 AM