Treo 650

Palm Treo 650
Company type	Smartphone model
Industry	Mobile phones
Predecessor	Palm Treo 600
Founded	November 2004
Defunct	2008
Successor	Palm Treo 755p (CDMA2000), Palm Treo 680 (GSM)
Products	Smartphone

The Palm Treo 650 is a smartphone running on the Palm OS platform, succeeding the Palm Treo 600. It was introduced in November 2004 and remained available until its discontinuation in 2008.

Specifications

Feature	Details
Network compatibility	CDMA2000 850/1900; GSM with GPRS
Weight	6.30 oz (179 g)
Size	4.40 in × 2.30 in × 0.90 in (112 mm × 58 mm × 23 mm)
Design	Bar-style with a stub antenna
Battery endurance	Talk time: up to 5 hours (300 minutes); Standby time: approximately 300 hours (12.5 days)
Battery specifications	Removable 1800 mAh lithium-ion battery
Screen	Color TFT LCD, displaying 65,536 colors (16-bit), resolution of 320 × 320 pixels
Operating system / Processor	Palm OS 5.4 powered by an Intel PXA270 CPU clocked at 312 MHz
Memory capacity	32 MB flash shared memory with 23 MB accessible to the user
Bluetooth version	1.1; supported profiles include headset, hands-free, serial synchronization, and dial-up networking (dependent on carrier)
Camera features	VGA camera with 0.3 megapixels, offering 2× digital zoom and video recording capabilities
Email support	Compatible with IMAP, POP3, and Microsoft Exchange accounts, including attachment handling
Expandable storage	SD/MMC card slot with SDIO functionality
Audio jack	Stereo output via a 2.5 mm connector
Data speed	1xRTT high-speed data support
Keyboard type	QWERTY layout for text input
Messaging capabilities	Supports two-way SMS and MMS along with chat features
Video recording resolution	QVGA (320 × 240) in MPEG-4 format
Wireless connectivity	Frame relay support; lacks WLAN or 3G capabilities
Infrared interface	Present

Supported Carriers

The Treo 650 was distributed through various GSM and CDMA2000 operators, each providing their own branded versions:

In order of release

Sprint PCS (USA)
Cellular South
Cingular Wireless (including AT&T Wireless) (USA)
Unlocked GSM models
Rogers Wireless (Canada)
Verizon Wireless (USA)
Earthlink Wireless (USA)
Bell Mobility (Canada)
Telus Mobility (Canada)
Alltel (USA)
Centennial Wireless (USA)

These carriers exclusively supported their respective OEM variants.

Additional Carriers

Due to incompatible technology, Nextel (USA) and other iDEN networks do not support the Treo 650. The unlocked GSM variant is compatible with T-Mobile (USA) and other GSM providers not listed above.

NVFS Issues

Upon release, users encountered difficulties related to Palm’s new Non-Volatile File System (NVFS), which utilized a FAT-based structure. Unlike the Treo 600, the NVFS in the Treo 650 rounded file sizes up to the nearest 512-byte increment, resulting in increased memory consumption for each file. Consequently, some users upgrading from the Treo 600 found that their existing data no longer fit within the available storage.

In response to these concerns, Palm offered a complimentary 128 MB SD flash card to Treo 650 owners. Later ROM updates enhanced system stability, performance, and storage efficiency.

Additional early problems included:

Occasional random device resets that were often fixed by performing a hard reset using the button located beneath the battery.
Audio input issues causing unclear voice transmission; Bluetooth or wired headsets provided effective solutions.
Difficulty hearing calls clearly in noisy settings due to earpiece limitations; Bluetooth headsets mitigated this problem.
Call audio disturbances such as static or buzzing sounds.
Delayed reception of text message alerts accompanied by incorrect timestamps that only appeared after activating the display.

Firmware updates

On March 22, 2005, palmOne introduced the initial ROM/Firmware Update (version 1.12) specifically for Sprint-branded Treo 650 devices, which addressed issues related to NVFS performance, unexpected resets, and microphone malfunctions. A subsequent update was released on June 16, 2005. On the same day, the Unlocked GSM Firmware Upgrade (version 1.13) became available, resolving these early problems as well. Firmware updates for Rogers Wireless and Verizon Wireless Treo 650 models also tackled critical bugs; Verizon’s update was made public on July 19, 2005. Cingular released firmware version 1.15 on July 25, 2005, followed by an upgrade to version 1.17 in November of that year. The Unlocked GSM firmware reached version 1.20 in March 2006.

The last GSM firmware edition was version 01.71 (2006), which came after version 01.31 issued in late 2005.

Users should ensure they apply the most recent firmware compatible with their device’s radio type—either GSM or CDMA2000—and carrier-specific branding.

Special editions

In 2006, two distinctive Treo 650 editions were launched. The first was a "special colour edition" aimed at the Japanese market; it included an extra battery and a PalmOne 256MB memory card with added language support.

The second was the "Black Tie" limited edition, produced exclusively for the Asia/Pacific region with a total of only 2,000 units made. This variant featured an all-black silicone coating to commemorate Palm’s tenth anniversary and bore the "Palm" logo instead of "PalmOne." It also came with a multifunction stylus and a protective hard case.

Both special editions retained the same hardware specifications and capabilities as the standard Treo 650 model.

Treo Ace

The internal designation for PalmOne’s Treo 650 smartphone was "Treo Ace," revealed during the October 2004 CTIA Conference in San Francisco. Speculation began in June 2004 when TreoCentral published detailed specifications and concept images, sparking considerable anticipation before the official release.

Firmware files include an Ace_Update folder that confirms this code name; additionally, a Bluetooth driver contains a reference to "Ace Ventura," another internal nickname inspired by the movie.

Linux

The Treo 650 supports booting Linux from an SD card through use of the cocoboot utility.

Successor Palm OS devices

Following the Treo 650, Palm released the Treo 755p for CDMA2000 networks and the Treo 680 for GSM networks.