Treo 650 tips and tricks

Alright, we're launching a new weekly feature we'd meant to get going ages ago: Best _______ Tips and Tricks. Each week we're going to pick a different gadget and then pass the mic over to you guys, we're looking for your best suggestions for getting the most out of said tech toy, be it some super-helpful app you've found, a tip for extending battery life, or just a sweet trick that you're dying to show off to the rest of us.

For the first one we figured we'd go with the Treo 650 — what else? — which just celebrated its first birthday. Have at it!

[HouseDigital, LLC @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Volume Care baby. Mos Def.

[Lon B @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

A must have for every Treo owner: "The Core Pocket Media Player" (TCPMP).. Fantastic way to watch video on your device. I regularly watch full movies or episodes of tv shows:
http://tcpmp.corecodec.org/about

[Anatoly @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

In order to type an underscore (and a variety of other commands not on the keyboard), type Option (blue key)- S, and then press Alt - it will bring up a menu where you can choose an alternate, specifically an underscore.

[Lon B @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Another must-have app: LED Off:
http://palmgear.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=software.showsoftware&prodID=67607

[Simon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

The engadget post on how to get a free 128 meg SD card from Palm was great. I've since bought a 1gig-er, but free is free! here's the link. I think you can still do it.
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000480023891/

[G. Snyder @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Treo Butler without a doubt. Controls LED, has alarm clock, enables scrolling w/ volume keys ...all in one cheap app.

[xozlh @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

PalmRevolt; because the Palm OS shouldn't look like it's still stuck in 1998.

[Netbooee @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Getting your gmail through snapper mail is great.

See Gmail help on setup instructions.

http://www.gmail.com/help

[Netbooee @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Better Snappermail Help link:

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=14043&topic=1556

[snarkey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Cingular Bluetooth Dial-up Networking Hack. Essential for quick on-the-go laptop net access.

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000180029659/

Watch yer usage! DUN is not officially included in the Cingular data plan, and they can nail you if they see monstro downloads. I have heard tales of people getting hit with $3000 cell bills after slurping down big BitTorrent files through their Treos.

[Ross @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Chatter E-Mail for push e-mail (much cheaper then Best's E-Mail)

Opera Mini (very fast, free internet browser)

VeriChat (IM, runs in background, about $25)

pTunes (for MP3/WMA playing off card or internet via shoutcast)

mSafe (remotely lock your Treo if lost)

Ringo (MP3 Ringtones)

SharkMsg (free, handles ignored calls like Treo 700w; has an option to send SMS on ignore)

RBackup (Automatic daily backups to card)

[tom @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

I use the salling clicker program to control my iMac, it's great. The best remote I've found for the mac.

[Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Best Palm MP3 Player.
http://www.pocket-tunes.com/

This is especially great since it can play any Microsoft DRM tunes, purchased or subscription, from services like the Yahoo! Music To Go.

[Baxter Madu @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Use freeware application Treohelper and SMS for a great real time, battery efficient push email solution.

http://discussion.treocentral.com/showthread.php?t=67768

[jimmie geddes @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

chatter email. I now understand why people are addicted to their crackberries.

[Stickarm @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

FieldPlus by Ansel Rognlie is a freeware alternative to the older TreoSelecText by RaNo Software. Either of these programs is invaluable for text selection and navigation on either a Treo 600 or 650 -- the added functionality is so fundamental that most Treo enthusiasts completely forget these apps are not built-in features.

FieldPlus:

http://mytreo.net/downloads/details-436.html?FieldPlus

TreoSelecText:

http://ranosoft.net/palm/

As far as interesting tricks, if you go to the Network panel under Preferences and select Options-->View Log, you can ping websites! Simply type "ping www.engadget.com" (for instance), hit the return/enter key on the keyboard and your Treo will fetch a bit of geekery for you.

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Unlocking Bluetooth Dial-Up Networking:

http://www.shadowmite.com

Best trick if you have bluetooth on your laptop and no wi-fi connection.

[Muzz @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

My Treo met an untimely death this past weekend due to some liquid damage. Weddings + Alcohol = Busted Phone.

Thank GOD for the Sprint protection plan I picked up last year.

[Shane @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Is there a way to stop the backlight when the Treo simply finds or loses signal?

[jimmie geddes @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Use your Treo 650 BT DUN on your TX (or any BT Palm)

http://www.gadgetsonthego.net/2005/10/use-your-sprint-treo-650-bt-dun-on.html

[roscolux @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

When screen is off: hold down the "blue" key and powerbutton at the same time to bypass keylock. This works with the three other action keys as well.

[casey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Response to #14 - if you have the latest patches for you phone it should already have blue tooth dun (dial up networking) enabled.

[MIchael @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

PDAnet is the best software i ever bought for my Treo. It allows you to use your data plan as an ISP for your computer through USB or Bluetooth.

It has saved me alot when i needed a internet connection and had no free wi-fi access.

http://www.junefabrics.com/palmnet/index.php

[David S @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

2day: A two day view that, amount other things, makes phone numbers and passcodes hyperlinked so that you can easily dial from within appointments and todos.

http://www.shsh.com/products

[DanieL @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Right here! Where can I get the Watchtower Library for iSilo? Any links?

[Daniel @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

haha, Daniel L are you mocking me?

seriously, it's a little old (the 2003 edition) but still ...

[James @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Agendus

www.iambic.com

Don't know what I'd do if I didn't have this amazing productivity app. I can't use a Palm without it, it's the first thing I install.

[DanieL @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Right here! Where can I get the Watchtower Library for iSilo? Any links?

[DanieL @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

No, my name is Daniel and my last name starts with 'L'= DanieL.

2003, sounds good to me. How big is it?

[Mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Backupman - best backup solution for the Treo. Automated backups to the SD card, you can restore your device on the go. Very handy.

ZLauncher - best launcher for the Treo

Tide Tool - free, useful if you are into SCUBA or live near the ocean.

Agendus - a great replacement for the built in calendar, contacts, to do list. Much better, well integrated.

Filez - free, view all files on your device and SD card.

GNU Keyring - free, store sensitve data encrypted.

BrightCam - free, auto adjust your screen brightness based on surrounding light conditions. Works like a charm.

KeyCaps600 - free, makes typing on the treo keyboard easier, check it out.

TuSSH - free, an SSH client for the Treo, useful for those that need it.

NetClock - free, sync your Treo time with internet time servers.

Lots more, if I think of them I'll post a few more apps.

[Craig @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Cool tip: Converting nearly any video content to XviD and watching it on my Treo 650. I use Pocket DVD Studio (http://www.pqdvd.com/) for the conversion and TCPMP (http://tcpmp.corecodec.org/about) for playback.

Software to convert your DVDs and TiVo'd shows to 360x240 XviD format: $29.95

Software to play back your new XviD file on your Treo 650: Free

The look of incredulity on the face of the guy sitting next to you in the airport: Priceless

[roymond @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Softick Card Export II - will mount your Treo's memory card as an external drive on Win or Mac. Never use sync for MP3s or other like files. (www.softick.com/cardexport2)

[Druce @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

If you are indoors alot, turn the backlight down. You would be suprised at the positive effect on your battery life!

Install KeyCaps600. You will never go back.
For new users: Make your hotsync name short. Longer than 11 characters, and you wont be able to transfer files via IR. (Known bug)

[casey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Response to #14 - if you have the latest patches for you phone it should already have blue tooth dun (dial up networking) enabled.

[Craig @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

KeyCaps650 is THE most essential hack for the Treo 650. It enables hold-to-capitalize and double-tap-for-symbols functionality, which makes for a very FAST keyboard interface on this marvelous device.

http://www.geekandproud.net/software/keycaps650.php

[Dustin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Goodlink

Bound to be one of the best programs for the treo...though not one of the cheapest.

Good.com

Also, Verichat, Directory Assistant, PDAnet.

PdaNet was great before BT DUN was released.

Pocket Express Maps and 411

[BobbyMac @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

FlightStatus: Totally rocks! if you know your flight number or source and destination you can bring up either your flight and gate or a listing of flights. Saved me more than one time. It's free and I have had NO problems what so ever. The app from American Airlines requires syncing and loading of a bunch of flight times. Not as useful unless you don't have signal.

[davetheone @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Callfilter by velocityware. www.velocityware.com
EVERY PLAYER (PLAYBOY) NEEDS THIS APP! You can stop and suppress text messages/alerts from popping up when your with one of your honeys ;)
You can also block specific numbers from causing your phone to ring; it goes str8 to voicemail or if you want to annoy the hell out of someone you just broke up with that keeps trying to call you; you can set it up to pickup/hangup in a split second (your phone wont ring)
If it's your boss calling you can leave it in corporate/work mode so that it just rings four times and then voicemail (you won't hear the phone ring at all though)

If you lifestyle is demanding with women or you want to be super stealth about your business; this app is worth every single penny.
Here's a detailed list for all my playas out there!

Filter incoming calls based on phone number, name, category, blocked/no callerid, or company
Send unwanted calls to voicemail immediately or after a few rings, pickup and hang up on caller, ignore caller, or automatically answer *Enhanced*
Ability to play MP3, Ogg, Wav (requires Pocket Tunes), and Midi files for the Ring Tones *Enhanced*
Adds unlimited Picture Caller ID. You can even assign Pictures to Contact Categories, Companies, or Blocked Callers!*New*
Filter SMS messages. Filter not only by phone number, but can also filter based on the email address that sent the SMS message. *New*
Take action based on an SMS message. CallFilter can automatically startup an application, auto reply, delete the message, or suppress notification. *New*
Ability to actually SPEAK the phone number of the incoming call *New*
Ring Screen called EXTENDED INFO - Automatically displays contact info and notes about the incoming caller, so you can refresh your memory before you even answer the phone! *New*
Call Completion - Automatically display a form after a phone call, so you can quickly take notes, schedule follow up calls, or meetings with the caller. All notes and appointments are integrated with the Treo 600/650 Calendar, Memo Pad, Daily Log, and Contact Notes *New*
Ability to stop Space bar and other keys from accidentally answering your phone
Support for Multiple Cards (SD card and RAM Disk at same time)
Ability to Automatically Forward Calls when Charging
It detects when you have voicemail, and makes your green led blink quickly at 4 times a second, or set the LED color to solid Red, Orange, or Green *Enhanced*
Allows the Jabra Freespeak BT200 Bluetooth headset to be used with the Treo 600 *New*
Support Multiple Rulesets based on your current profile! Integrate seamlessly with third party Profile Managers such as Simple Profiles Manager, Profiler, or Profeo 600 Lite V0.8.7. When you switch profiles using your Favorite Profile manager, CallFilter automatically switches to the ruleset that corresponds to that Profile! *New*
Integrates with the Treo 600/650 Alerts Manager, so you can quickly see a summary of Calls and SMS messages that have been filtered *New*
Advanced Logging Screen allows you to zoom in on a log message to see extended details on what happened. *New*
Ability to play an background sound or annoucement when the phone is answered *New*
Ability to automatically return to the built-in phone app or TAKEphONE after entering Call Completion Notes *New*
Ability to assign a nickname to a individual, phone number, category, or company *New*

NEW FEATURES IN VERSION 1.3

Added Treo 650 compatibility
Ring Screen Called LOCATION INFOAbility to Display Approximate Location of Incoming Calls
Ability to Filter Outgoing Phone Calls - Now you can restrict to whom calls are made
Includes built-in VelocityPlayer to allow MP3 and Wav Ringtones without external software (650 only)
Ability to Change the Color of the LED based on who is calling
Improved Performance and Speed, and file handling capabilities
Includes ability to require a password to see your rules, and a method to hide your rules

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Response to #18

Not all the carriers have unlocked BT dialup networking. I'm using verizon, running the latest ROMS, and it was not unlocked until I added the BT patched rom. But for other carriers that have unlocked it, yes you are right.

[Dave's Football Blog @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

If you use Blogger and want to update your blog through Blazer rather than email, go here:

http://avantblog.dentedreality.com.au/index.php

This simple little web site lets you log into your Blogger account and post to your blog with HTML tags included, something VersaMail won't let you do because of limitations with Blogger's email gateway. You'll have to hand-code the tags, but if you use large repeat tags, you can put the code in a memo, then copy that code from the memo and paste it into Blazer. I do that quite a bit when I'm taking snapshots in sports bars for my football blog. (I upload the snapshots using VFS-FTP.)

AvantBlog is a decent work-around for Blogger users until someone releases blogging software that works correctly with the Atom API. mo:blog 3.0 will supposedly support Atom, but it won't be out for a few months from the looks of things, and no other coder wants to tackle it. (Then again, I don't feel much like tackling Wordpress or Movable Type, either, so there you go...)

BTW, I second PocketTunes and Softick Card Export II, both apps that I bought and use regularly. I also recommend ZLauncher, which lets you run Palm apps off your SD card. I have a 1GB card that holds a lot of apps right now.

[Aki @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

#33- only problem with goodlink is that it doesn't allow you to send email attachments! now that's a pain!

Remember, you can double tap your shift key or your blue key to put it into lock mode for capitals, numbers, or punctuation.

[Crowd Control @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

surprised not to see SplashBlog on here. it may be the best treo companion for those who take photos:

http://www.splashblog.com/

[Danny @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

Directory Assistant by Rick Whit: http://home.triad.rr.com/rlwhitt/palm/
Avoid directory assistance fees from wireless carrier

Butler - this utility allows you to change the auto-lock timeout, switch between apps, and program your volume buttons.

PockeTunes - Use with LightWav to control ringtones with Caller ID; also use to listen to music (no iTunes integration tho...)

Scrabble- Highly addictive; fun to play against the computer or a partner

[Eirik @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

I'll second the person who mentioned Volume Care. I just got it a few days ago and I can hear though the earpiece much better.

I havn't seen "Ringo" mentioned. A nice little app if you like mp3 ringtones.

For the Diabetics out there: Accucheck Compass. It's a PC diary with connectivity to your blood sugar meter via an IR port (has to be an Accucheck model, I assume). Also has a manual entry funtion. Links automatically with the PC on hotsync.

FastHide lets you hide icons for programs you don't want to see (Like "Welcome", "Quick Tour" etc).

Documents To Go works nicely to keep copies of word docs on your Treo, also links on hotsync to check for changes, so the docs are always current.

And a question for people: Ever since I did a sim update several months back, the screen times out much faster than I like it. I have it set for 3 minutes, but it turns off in less than a minute, especially when I'm using the web browser. Anyone have this problem and a suggested fix?

[Kerry @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

VoiceDialIt is the premier voice dialing application for the Treo 600 and Treo 650 smartphone. This simple-to-use application allows you to dial your existing contacts with ease by simply stating their name. Within minutes you can train contacts and start dialing with your voice.
http://voiceit-tech.com/

[Eirik @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

I'll second the person who mentioned Volume Care. I just got it a few days ago and I can hear though the earpiece much better.

I havn't seen "Ringo" mentioned. A nice little app if you like mp3 ringtones.

For the Diabetics out there: Accucheck Compass. It's a PC diary with connectivity to your blood sugar meter via an IR port (has to be an Accucheck model, I assume). Also has a manual entry funtion. Links automatically with the PC on hotsync.

FastHide lets you hide icons for programs you don't want to see (Like "Welcome", "Quick Tour" etc).

Documents To Go works nicely to keep copies of word docs on your Treo, also links on hotsync to check for changes, so the docs are always current.

And a question for people: Ever since I did a sim update several months back, the screen times out much faster than I like it. I have it set for 3 minutes, but it turns off in less than a minute, especially when I'm using the web browser. Anyone have this problem and a suggested fix?

[Jason @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

KMaps is one of the most popular Treo 650 free apps and the application that best demonstrates wireless capabilities of Treo 650. Awesome!
http://mytreo.net/downloads/details-830.html?KMaps

[Chadwick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

I can't believe my Treo is already 1 year old! My, how it has grown.

[kaifu @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

in Blazer:

hit space bar to get to the URL bar.

Free software:

- Documents2go is included on the software CD for sprint and Cingular, don't know about VZW.

- kmaps http://www.alealea.com need JVM

- Google Local Mobile (need JVM) is kind of buggy now but should be extremely useful when it's stable http://google.com/glm For carrier, select 'other', for phone select 'generic', then 'Advanced MIDP2'.

- opera mini: someone else already mentioned, but it's worth mentioning again. it's so fast and good at rendering that you gotta wonder why Palm bothered with Blazer.

[kjw @ Dec 19th 2005 12:21AM]

For any palm, really: Natara "Bonsai" To Do list organizer. It is one of the very few apps that lets you have a "percent complete" instead of a static yes/no button. It does tons more, including sync with the desktop.

Free trial, $16 for standalone on palm, $35 with windows desktop sync app.