1. Thanks Marc.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Walter

2. Nice one Marc - having just bought a Treo 650 (am waiting for it to arrive) this was a timely post. Once it arrives, will investigate your software choices with interest.

Keep up the great posts !

Nick

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Nick

3. Marc,
Take a look at ChatterEmail, www.chatteremail.com. It's a great email program with the best imap support of any palm application. If your imap server supports IDLE, you get blackberry-like real time email. The new betas also allow you to store mail directly on the SD card (no archiving--everything is done from the card), saving quite a bit of memory.

Cheers,
pedja

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Pedja

4. Nice overview of what you use. Also nice to see ya at PA. Makes me kinda want a 650 as I do most of the same from my T5 and phone combo.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Antoine

5. great post! I agree with most of your recommendations -- especially Splash and Snapper. I also like :

* 2day (http://shsh.com) - shows the day at a glance and integrates notifications from voicemail, sms, etc.
* DirAssist (http://home.triad.rr.com/rlwhitt/palm) - like white pages and yellow pages on my treo. One of my must-haves.
* PSMemo (http://www.jove21.com/palm) - modest upgrade to the built-in memopad

P.S. shouldn't this post be on DownloadSquad too?

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by hds

6. Great article. I have most of those you listed (although I use TurboPasswords instead of SplashID, only because I've been using it forever...no need to switch.)

I agree with comment #3: Chattermail is excellent (and cheaper than Snappermail.)

I also agree with comment #5: DirAssist is excellent. Very useful.

I'd like to add a few more to the list:

* TreoAlarm: I use the free version (no weather updates), simply to set one-off and recurring alarms on the Treo. Much handier than adding an event or to-do with an alarm.

* SplashShopper: part of the suite you mentioned. I use it as all all-around list manager. Very easy, and has a desktop component as well (Windows only, though.)

* IntelliGolf: if you golf, this is a must. Has a desktop component as well. Hundreds of courses listed on their website, very easy to download all the info into the program. You can also add/upload your own. I take notes on my scorecard while I'm playing (fairways hit, right/left, distance, clubs used for each shot, number of puts, bunker shots, saves, etc.) It's very easy to do. I then enter the info after the round either directly in the Treo, or in the desktop app. Keeps a running total with tons of statistics (greens in regulation, avg. drive, avg. score on par 3, 4 and 5's, etc.)

* FileZ: another file manager. Good stuff.

* TCPMP: media viewer. Plays divx (.avi) files off your memory card. I've got all the bonus features of The Incredibles on my Treo right now. The display is stunningly vivid and smooth.

* Launcher X: replacement launcher app. MUCH better than the built-in file system. A must have.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Tony

7. Great comments guys! Thanks.

Tony - I use TCPMP also - it is a great tool. FileZ is an excellent file manager - I like some of the extra bells that Resco provides but FileZ definitely wins the price competition (free). Based on two recommendations, DirAssist is on my "to test" list.

The thing is, there is so much great software for the Palm OS and it's often difficult to choose between relatively similar products. For example, I used Agendus for a long time and it's a great tool for combining all of your personal information into a single interface. I ended up going with KeySuite this time around because it "felt" a little faster. I'm sure if I actually timed it, the speed difference would prove to be negligible. You could do well with either.

Ultimately, you find the tools that map to the way you work best and stick with them unless the additional value of switching offsets the inevitable pain. I love testing software but have become much less inclined to actually switch my daily tools.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant

8. My favorite palm app is easy calc. It is a powerfull freeware graphing calculator application. It solves equations, logic, lots of neat stuff.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Chris

9. Yeah. TreoAlarm is pretty sweet.

Also you should see VeriChat too.

Don't forget to find out if your fav sites have a wireless mode. For example I bookmark nextbus.com on my treo so that I can quickly see how many minutes the train is going to be in the morning.

I also have wapedia bookmarked which is wikipedia for mobile devices. Helps when you're trying to settle an argument ;)

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Kevin Burton

10. Kevin Burton - great tip about the wikipedia. I now can occupy my time while on the bus!

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by zed

11. The app which makes my Treo 650 really useful is Handmark Express.
The 411 app allows me to get yellow pages listings for a business, dial it, save it to my address book, find it on a map etc. Movie lisitings and weather forecasts are convenient too. Given the price of directory assistance - and my inability to remember phone numbers this app has paid for itself.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Mark Costa

12. As a Treo 650 user myself, I'm curious why you didn't receive (or use) an included license for VersaMail? I've had no serious issues with its IMAP support, and account configuration has been flawless.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Ruben

13. Ruben: VersaMail was included with the Treo and it's a good client. I prefer the UI in SnapperMail, especially the "fat finger" mode I discussed in the post and the way it renders e-mails. You're right though - it's IMAP support is good too and the price is certainly right.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant

14. The backup software is wonderful...I used it many times on my funky Treo 600...but isn't it a waste on the 650 with its non-volatile memory?

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Al Karel

15. For those of you using Treo 600s! http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/stories/2003/12/04/whatsOnMyTreo600.html

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Barnabas

16. For those of you using Treo 600s! http://www.theshiftedlibrarian.com/stories/2003/12/04/whatsOnMyTreo600.html

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Barnabas

17. Has anyone seen an app that will let you voice dial with a bluetooth headset? I love my 650, but without being able to voice dial, the bluetooth headset is of much less value.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Stephen Pollett

18. Stephen - I think this is a limitation of the Treo's BT implementation itself. There is a voice dialing software package available on the Palm site but it specifically states that it only works with the built-in microphone or a wired headset. Once you've initiated a call you can switch to the BT headset (I know - that's a serious kludge).

Maybe Palm will correct this with a future firmware update (I'm guessing it's related to the actually Bluetooth stack in the Treo and not a hardware issue) if enough users demand it.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant

19. Al - regarding the backup software and nonvolatile memory on the 650: I still think having a backup is critical. If you have to do a hard reset on your device, you'll be glad there's a backup on the SD card.

Barnabas - thanks for the link to Jenny's Treo 600 post. Man she has a lot of software on her Treo! I wonder how much of it actually gets used with any regularity?

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Marc Orchant

20. Great post! I've had my Treo 650 for almost 5 months now, and I already use it more than my previous PDA/phone combo. I tend to make heavy use of the built-in and bundled tools (i.e. the PIM apps, Blazer, Versamail, DTG) but my top-used apps are Mobipocket (for ebooks) and Pocket Tunes (mainly for podcasts). With my Treo 650, Google Mobile, and Wapipedia, there's nothing that I can't look up anywhere I go.

Posted at 6:20AM on Dec 19th 2005 by Azizi Jennis