Treo 650 won't support WiFi

Don't get us wrong, we'll be snapping one up as soon as possible, but are we the only ones who feel like palmOne skimped a little bit on the specs of the new Treo 650? It was already frustrating enough that they didn't amp up the camera (it's still VGA quality, not 1.3 megapixels like had been reported previously) or the memory (they kept it at a mere 32MB), but now you can add one more thing to the list of disappointments with the new Treo 650: it won't support WiFi. Not only will it not be compatible with palmOne's WiFi SD expansion card, apparently palmOne isn't even planning to work on a driver or otherwise add support for SD WiFi cards. We'd already given up hope about adding a WiFi card to the Treo 600, but we figured that maybe they'd have gotten it right with the Treo 650 and sorted out all the power consumption and radio interference issues that are supposedly involved. It's not like other smartphones don't have built-in WiFi.

[Wuddel @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

PalmOne is comitting corporate suicide IMHO. First the T5 now that.

[010111 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

i waited how many months again for the Treo 650? putting off buying a PDA or a new cell... just because it looked soooo promising. but i NEED wi-fi. i *assumed* the slot would work with the Palm wi-fi card... you know since they were going through the trouble and time of updating the thing and all. how could they NOT support it?!!? gaaaarrrrr... screw you Palm! screw you right to the fifth ring of hell!! ... now where's the link to that BenQ PPC thingio again... *goes to look for it...

[roo @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Sounds like a typical .5 update. I'll guess we won't see the good stuff until Treo 7.0

[TheZodiac @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Pretty soon - Palm1 and Palmsource are going to find their stocks dropping mighty fast(er). IM beginning to think, that is a device similar to the Treo or benQ P50 were to be released with a Linux/java OS, it would kill. Especially since its open source and, with wanting to get the product suported as quickly as possible, it would include as much as possible. If that makes sense. I tihnk I would get a Linux device before a Palm/MS one anyway. Dosnt look like such a thing will come out from a major player, except maybe Moto... tack a KB on to that A780 and ill buy :)

[Spoons @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

The specs aren't quite what I'd hoped, but the lack of WiFi capability, even with a card, is the biggest bummer. WiFi would have been a great way to keep data costs under control. I had decided not to use Sprint because of the bluetooth crippling issue, but now I may have to reconsider.

The other likely carrier in my area is Cingular (Verizon's data prices being outrageous), but Cingular sells data packages in 5MB, 10MB, 20MB, 60MB, and unlimited packages. They get expensive quickly. The problem is, I have no idea how much 5MB or 10 MB is when we're talkin about data usage on a Treo. It doesn't sound like much.

Any Treo 600 users out there have a better handle on how much data is enough?

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Don't take this the wrong but..

Probably better off buying a laptop.

[leo prieto @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Spoons,
I have 15 MB for my P900 and I barely reach it every month.

My P900 checks for email every hour and I use it as a modem for my PowerBook every weekend while I'm at the beach.

Re: Treo 650:
Not having Wi-Fi is a terribly bad idea, but simple things as not being able to use an MP3 as a Ringtone makes me think that the Telcos tell palmOne "jump" and they say "how high?".

[antmelnat @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Remember this is a phone and the carriers have a lot of say so in how the device will function on their networks.
As far as the Treo goes, the carriers are palmOne's customer, not us.

[Tom @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

..The bluetooth is 'crippled'. Only headset and hotsync profiles. To me, this is a dealbreaker.

[Kevin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I use Sprint with 600 and I'm pretty happy considering my alternatives for data.

I don't talk on the phone as much.
I use Hand/RSS to read news all the time (I hate Blazer). I also use SnapperMail to get my SMTP account mail.

So, data is very important to me. Thus, I went with the unlimited data plan. The other carriers have no competitive data plans for the 600.

I too feel screwed that Sprint has disabled bluetooth. Truly this sux.

As for the wi-fi, I have been waiting for this as well. If the wi-fi card worked, I would not need an unlimited data plan. I live in Austin and we have free wi-fi hotspots everywhere. So, wi-fi is very nice to have around.

I'm also disappointed that the camera still sux.

At least the higher res screen is an improvement.

[Marvin Price @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

First the dropped support for Macintosh. Now no WiFi. I'm headed for the Siemens SX-66...

[Morbyd @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

That's why the European/Japanese phone developers are so much better... the technology and consumer demand drives what's in the phone, not the desires of each and every phone company.

Not putting WiFi in this phone (at least with the SDIO card) with the BenQ P50 on the horizon was just plain stupid. Palm really had a chance to jump ahead of the SE P910 (super-expensive, proprietary memory card) and Motorola Mpx (goofy, sure to be fragile dual-hinge design) but they flubbed it with their inferior camera and no WiFi. A SE P900 owner, I was almost converted to the palm cause, but now I'm waiting for the BenQ.

[me @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

what do you mean "dropped support for Macintosh"? i thought this was a palm product? how does it not support macs?

[Sam.T @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

So the new Treo won't have WiFi... WHAT ARE THEY THINKING.Well if they want to dig there own grave good for them. Anyhow, I'm going to wait for a Smartphone that has WIFI, BlueTooth, a useable keyboard & a half decent operating system.

[Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

No built-in WiFi is fine. But, it won't even support the card? Could Palm be any more lame here? WiFi has been built into other popular smartphones for what... almost two years now?

Who are they trying to please? It's not like WiFi is going to unleash a crowd of wireless VOIP users ditching their cell plans.

Maybe they're just dragging their feet 'til those integrated GSM/BT/WiFi software-defined radio chips come out.

Guess I'll prep for another 6 months with my IIIxe.

[Kiran @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

This is from news.com:
"Asked why the Treo 650 does not include support for Wi-Fi, PalmOne President Ed Colligan said the company will eventually make its add-on Wi-Fi card work with the Treo 650. However, he said the company still has to write drivers to make that possible, meaning Wi-Fi support won't be there when the device launches. "We do plan on bringing that out," Colligan said."

So...yeah...

http://news.com.com/Want+a+Treo+650+Better+Sprint/2100-1041_3-5425737.html?tag=nefd.hed

[Editor's note: Weird, here's what it says over at TreoCentral: "Regarding WiFi: There is no out of the box WiFi card at launch says Greg Shirai. PalmOne has no plan to support a WiFi card on the Treo 650. Shirai noted that it is a lot more complicated than updating the Zire 72's driver software, as the radios interfere with each other." Sounds like there is some conflicting info out there.]

[Glendel Bondoc @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

When cameraphones are reaching 5 megapixels, the 650 is stuck at VGA. What happened? When storage means 256MB and up, only 22MB can be mustered. What happened? When cell phones have been used as a modem for years, BT is crippled. What happened? When other smartphonesphones/pda's at least have had the option to use a WiFi SD card if not built-in, the 650 has neither. What happened? When their was a desire to make the best phone/pda combo where style met function perfectly, Handspring came out with the 600. With the 650 treated as the 2nd coming, what happened?.....I know! Palm bought Handspring. Eventually, the original innovators left, hence innovation dissipated. Granted with the 650, we were all expecting just simple improvements to keep up with the times, which there were several, however, they were more cosmetic and not substanstial enough to keep up with other smartphones. The 600 was so great because it broke all the rules and was ahead of the game in their relative product. When something is so successful, it wants more of the same, maybe it's because "they" felt they missed the so-called ipod explosion mentality with the initial short supply of the 600. The 600 was successful, because there was no other device like it. Now, there are several already competing for the top spot as the treo killer. Is this supposed to be round 2? It's more like the dreaded Windows upgrade. Are my expectations too high? Am I dreaming for something impossible to have? The funny thing is that awhile back I was asked to fill out an extensive survey regarding my opinion of my newly purchased 600, giving in detail what I liked and didn't like about my treo. A year later, I have to ask again. What happened?

[Sharon Phone @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

650 bucks for the stupid 650 and those jerks can't include Wifi??

[Know-It-All @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

Dudes, stop your bleeding whining. Shut it! The reason it doesn't have Wi-Fi is because a lot of the carriers find Wi-Fi-enabled phones to be less desirable since VOIP would then possibly reduce the usage the carrier's cellular network sees. I don't think it's an entirely baseless fear, but PalmOne is just trying to make something that enough carriers will be willing to carry that you'll actually be able to buy this. Go look at how many units the other Wi-Fi-equipped cellphones have sold -- it's like, pathetic, because the carriers won't push them (and some won't even carry them). So, before you go bitching about PalmOne committing suicide, first consider bitching about how much control over YOUR gadgets the cellular carriers exert. THEY are your culprit...now sic 'em!

[Sharon Phone @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

You may be right but STFU anyway :)

[Greg @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I say PalmOne who? Because that is what people may be saying a year from now. Looking at the latest specs on the Treo 650 you have to wonder what the engineers were thinking. Still low resolution compared to competitor devices, toy camera and of course the biggest disappointment NO WiFi. Let me see, will I pay Telco's vast sums of money for Internet access using GPRS or some other lame communications protocol as opposed to WiFi? or buy a device which gives me freedom of use. You do the math!. My current Treo 600 is now an expensive paper weight. I see no reason to even track PalmOne product development or invest in them further until they catch up with the real world!! Even then it will take a serious leap of faith.

[Aaron @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

First time on this popular blog. Don't see what the big deal is. A bunch of misinformed whiners.

1) PalmOne will support SD WiFi cards and their development. Take a break from the porn sites and read the current news releases.
2) There are no better phone/PDA combos in the US marketplace than the 600, much less the 650. IOW, a unit that is user-friendly as a phone (IPAQ brick is not a phone), can access and write e-mails/Word docs/Excel sheets (enough screen size), and is user-friendly as a PDA, and can fit in a shirt pocket. And, the 650 is significantly improved.
3) IMO, significantly better screen resolution, built in MP3, non-volatile memory with removable battery (!), Bluetooth, and SD WiFi are significant additions to the 300/600.

I am a current 300 user and held off from buying the 600 because I didn't think it was a significant improvement (plus I prefer the flip lid design of the 300). I will be buying the 650.

[Gary H @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

"1) PalmOne will support SD WiFi cards" Just like the 600 was rumored to... we'll believe it when we see it. Fool us once, shame on you, fool us twice... we won't be fooled again!

"2) There are no better phone/PDA combos"- the 650 doesn't suit my needs. Any phone that does is better.

"3) ... Bluetooth, and SD WiFi are significant additions to the 300/600."- Bluetooth is crippled, and what SD WiFi? Can you show me a link to a working, avaliable-now SD WiFi for the 650?

[Michael Simpson @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I don't get this WiFi issue. Whenever I'm in a location with WiFi, I pull out my computer, which is easier to read, easier to type, just plain easier.

As for cheaper data, I have T-Mobile and I get unlimited data for $19.99. I doubt I use more than 10MB per month, and that's with getting email every 5 minutes (yeah I'm obsessed, but my business requires it).

Blaming PalmOne for the disabled Bluetooth functions is plain silly. I just bought an unlocked 650 that does everything. The cell companies in the US control the manufacturers, trying to increase their cash flow. They do not want any brand loyalty to the phones themselves, only to the provider. And I'll bet that less than 5% of American consumers are technologically savvy, so there's no pressure on the cellular providers to give us unlocked, fully-featured phones.

Thus, most of us who really want phones that do as the manufacturer promises go to directly to a third party reseller or the phone manufacturer themselves to buy unbranded, unlocked phones that have nothing disabled.

As long as the cell phone companies themselves are the primary distribution point for phones, the phone manufacturers are at their mercy. Most of PalmOne's phones are sold through the cellular companies, so they rule not the end customer. Things will change when every customer of the 650 complains about the disabled BT profiles, but most people who buy the 650 probably have no clue what Bluetooth is, unless a description of dental work where the dentist spilled blueberry juice in your mouth.

[jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

How come we don't see more post like mike simpson. We can't blame palm for not having functions available to us that they promise when they depend $$$$$$$$$ on the phone companies to sell their phones. On the other hand motorola does not have any problem doing advertising for their products on t.v and newspapers to push their sales so what's up with other company's

[Bradley Poag @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

I am also a little shocked that several other PDA manufacturers have solved the wifi issues but the Treo 650 has not. I have a question for anyone who reads this and knows the answer. I am currently looking at the enfora wifi sled for my treo 650 but I cant find any reviews on this product. Anyone out there know the dealio?

[sean @ Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM]

the enfora wifi adpter for the treo 650 works very well. easy setup and configuration. the unit itself isn't as "cute" as the sd wifi card because the card and separate battery are one unit -thus, your phone's battery will not get drained as fast.