Treo 650 (Good news now?... start from Page 3.)

[jmad93]

I ordered my Treo 650 through Sprint's telesales department today. Phone should be here by Friday. Hopefully this phone will be worth the wait.

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[rets]

.

[6mtV6]

Keep us updated on how well the HFL works. I'll get it if the bluetooth can be paired to our TL.

[nonstop]

Yes please let us know ASAP. Got a TL on order and a 600 ready to be returned.

[jmad93]

Got my phone this afternoon and have spent most of the day trying to get the HFL to work in it. Unfortunately, I haven't been successful at all. I can easily get the phone to pair with the car, but when I ask the car for a status, it says that no paired phones can be found. The Acura owner manual says that if you have any problems to contact the phone vendor. And their website has zero information. I'll try calling Acura's customer service number in the morning.

[nonstop]

Thanks for the update man, keep us posted! I hope you can resolve it.

I've been dying to replace my 600 with the 650 but I'm not sure what I'll do if the 650 won't pair with my TL being delivered this month....

[quake97]

Let's hope it's something specific to the Sprint version.

Joe

[jmad93]

Contacted Acura this morning and according to them the Treo 650 was not an approved Bluetooth device. (I knew I should have waited.) Go here for a list of approved devices and click on HandsFreeLink or call 888-528-7876.

[quake97]

I was about to say that they haven't updated that in a while, but then I checked. They've added a bunch of new phones. I guess I will have to trust that from now on. Good to see that Blackberry on there, pretty cool.

Joe

[05TL]

This really does suck. I was planning to buy a Treo 650, but I don't know what I'll do if it won't work with the TL. I really like the Treo (except for the reduced memory). I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that the GSM model works, although I doubt it will.

[quake97]

Sucks big time. Now I don't think I'll get a Treo 650. One of the reasons I went with the TL over the TSX, Chrysler 300M and Pontiac Grand Prix was the Bluetooth.

Joe

[havokgroup]

Damn.....I was hoping that the 650 would work as well.

[mook]

Same here. I was really looking to loose my Sony Clie and my Siemens S56 and carry just one device.

I checked a couple of Toyota Prius forums and the 650 won't work on their cars either, so it looks like PalmOne screwed up and didn't make it completely HFL compatible. You'd think that with the growing popularity of bluetooth they would have checked this before release.

Oh well. Guess I'll have to keep my fingers crossed and hope this can be fixed with a software change. Since I'm with AT&T and they haven't released the 650 yet, there is a small glimmer of hope this will be addressed some day.

[rs808]

I didn't see the new Sprint LG PM-325 (released today but I can't find it anywhere locally) on the supported Bluetooth device list. I sure hope this phone works with my TL because switching providers is not an option for me.

[nonstop]

Whose fault is it when the devices aren't compatable? Is it Acura's responsibility or PalmOne's or the cell phone providers? Is there any chance of a patch coming from any of these sources to resolve the problem? Who should we complain to?

It'd be a shame to be unable to utilize the most popular pda/phone with the TL.

[cullal]

Originally Posted by jmad93

Got my phone this afternoon and have spent most of the day trying to get the HFL to work in it. Unfortunately, I haven't been successful at all. I can easily get the phone to pair with the car, but when I ask the car for a status, it says that no paired phones can be found. The Acura owner manual says that if you have any problems to contact the phone vendor. And their website has zero information. I'll try calling Acura's customer service number in the morning.

Jmad93,

Could this be an issue with the Sprint version of the Treo 650 (hope it is)...

Bargainpda.com posted an article some time ago that the Treo650 was demoed with the Audi A6 that had built-in bluetooth capability. Here's the link to that article:

http://www.bargainpda.com/default.asp?newsID=2273

an excerpt from that article:
-------------------------------
"To show off the Bluetooth feature of the Treo 650 at the CTIA announcement yesterday in San Francisco, palmOne drove in an Audi with built-in Bluetooth to show that you can control certain features of a car with your 650 if you so wish. palmOne will be selling various Audi models bundled with the Treo 650 on palmOne.com starting in November -- well not really but that'd be an interesting marketing move."
-------------------------------------

[jmad93]

Words cannot express how upset I am that this phone does not work in the TL. I mean, how hard can this be? If both are Bluetooth compatible, then they should easily be able to talk, right? Is this incompatibility as simple as a software upgrade from PalmOne? I'd like to think so. (Especially since it doesn't seem feasible to drive back to the Acura dealer and ask for an upgrade.) Also, the guy I spoke with at Acura's customer service said that the phone was not approved and probably would never be approved, so it didn't sound like there was not going to be an easy fix to get the device to work.

Now that I know this phone doesn't work, let me point out some other things that I don't like about the Treo 650.

1. This phone cost me $600. Do you mean to tell me that for $600 PalmOne can't include any type of phone cover? What about a car charger? All you get is the phone, a battery, and the cable to sync/charge your phone.
2. No extra battery. Again, for $600 you'd expect to get a bit more.
3. The phone has a built-in mp3 player, but since the phone comes with almost no memory, you're expected to shell out another $80 for a 256KB expansion card. Cool, here is yet another feature on the phone that I can't use.

Okay, I'll admit that those last 3 points are a bit of 'sour apples', but I was really hoping this phone would work. Now I guess I'll have to settle for the less sexy (although much more affordable) blackberry.

[Shotgun]

I feel you Jmad93! I'm pissed off and frustrated for you as well!!! I was on the verge of ordering the TREO 650 for my 05' RL and now I too, must look for alternatives. Palm states that:

The Treo 650 smartphone's Bluetooth 1.1 implementation supports these Bluetooth profiles:
• GAP (Generic Access Profile: core Bluetooth support)
• HSP (Headset Profile: answer/end calls, make outgoing calls, adjust volume)
• HFP (Hands-Free Profile: reject call, mute, auto-answer, voice tags, last number redial)
• SPP (Serial Port Profile: Bluetooth support for serial data connections, treating Bluetooth links as virtual COM ports)
• GOEP (Generic Object Exchange Protocol: vCal, vCard and other files exchanged with Bluetooth devices)

Given the aforementioned, it should, at a minimum, receive and make calls on our Acura cars. Could it be that some of your settings are off? Other Bluetooth phones work even if they are not completely compatible...for instance, they might not display all of the information on the MID such as signal strenght and battery life (and in the case of the RL execute its "telematics" capability.

Please let us know of any progress you're making...

[jmad93]

I haven't been able to get much of anthing to work with the phone. One thing I have noticed is that whenever I receive an incoming call, the TL responds that a phone cannot initiate a 'pair'. It's really frustrating. According to Sprint I've got 14 days to send the phone back. If I can't figure something out soon, I'll be trading it in for a Blackberry.

[zeezz]

you're KIDDING me.

this sucks...

but the list posted above does show HFP... isnt that what the TL uses?

[Dafried]

I am a SprintPCS user in AZ and also ordered the 650. Not sure how long it will take to arrive.

I am a realtor and need to carry a PDA and phone. I have several friends with 600's and they are happy, so I was expecting to be thrilled with the 650's TL hookup.

No phone display info (caller ID, battery life) with the TL ? - major disappointment.

I will test for myself, but this may be going back to Sprint.

I appreciate your post - thanks.

[RGHessel]

I just got my Treo 650. Well, I can't believe this G-D phone doesn't work with the TL. I assumed that since it has the "hand-free" profile, it would work. (My previous Sony Ericsson p900 didn't work cuz it only had the "headset" profile...")

I'm still in denial and hoping that there will be something that can be done...

[RGHessel]

I just read on the treocentral boards that a Lexus 330 owner was able to get the T650 to pair...so evidently it's not impossible...perhaps just with the Acura...

There's gotta be a fix!!!

[csunracer]

Say it ain't so!!!! UGH, this is the most depressing news i've heard in a while. Looks like i'm going to go back to having a seperate pda/phone combination again.

[RGHessel]

I've heard some say they hope the GSM model will solve this problem. Is this really something that is realistic? I would assume the bluetooth radio/hardware would be the same in either phone...

[csunracer]

Hope is the operative word here. It could be the case that sprint crippled the phone's bluetooth functionality (i've read that they removed the DUN capability), so perhaps there is some hope yet. I honestly doubt it's going to work though. So far the only pda/smartphones that DO work in the TL seem to be the blackberry 7100T and the moto mpx220 (both of which I have used).

[nonstop]

This is horrible. My 05 NAVI TL arrives at the end of the month. I've been using a 600 for over a year. I've been dying to get the 650, and link it with my TL.

I wonder if there's any possibility of a third party fix to this? It's got to be patchable, even if the manufacturers themselves aren't willing to patch it.

Any super techies out there who would know if this is possible/likely. I don't pay for much when it comes to extras, but if someone could create a fix for this I'd throw down the money without thinking for 1 second.

[hodge]

I share your frustration, I purchased an audiovox PPC 6600 (I believe) and I had the same problem with the sprint phone.
I could get it to receive calls but when I tried to make a call it said no service available. I tried all sorts of options and no luck. I was pissed after spending 500+ on a phone/PDA.

I finally after 4 years with sprint dumped my plan and went to ATT and purchased the Audiovox 5600. This is actually a very cool phone and I asked the sales person to walk out to my car and test it before I purchased. He did and it worked. The only thing that is missing is the Signal Strength and the battery display on the dash. Caller ID works and it can receive and make calls.

If you want to read about it - see the attached link.

http://www.epinions.com/content_161634946692

[KidKarna]

Switching to another topic, I just bought the comptech supercharger brand new and I need to get rid of it. a friend of mine told me he could fabricate me a custom exhaust for a turbo. anyways I'm tryin to sell it for $3800 whoever buys it would have to pay for the shipping. email me if you're interested: Pimping_Rides@Hotmail.com

[AcuraSaurus]

Another TL owner that was able to get the phone paired and make a call. However, after turning off the car the whole process was lost.

Very frustrated and angry too.

[RGHessel]

Does anyone who knows anything about Bluetooth have any morsels of hope to offer that this situation might be resolved with a patch (from PalmOne/Sprint)?

I've also heard idle speculation that this may be an issue specific to Sprint and that it might not occur with the GSM T650? Is that a realistic hope? Seems to me the Bluetooth hardware/software would be identical in both CDMA and GSM phones...


Just want to keep this thread active in hopes someone will make me want to keep my car...

[AcuraSaurus]

I'm very depressed about this.

I could live with the memory issue and lack of WiFi but the non-functioning BT HFL would force me to return the Treo and look to other alternatives.

My suggestion would be to find out who is reponsible for this problem (Palm, Sprint or Acura) and lets get a phone campaign going to get these guys to fix it. Both the TL and Treo are hot items so the pressure could work.

[Dafried]

So to add insult to injury, I get an email from PalmOne today (Sunday!) that my Teo 650 shipped - must have been yesterday.

I think I'll receive it and try to link, then call Sprint and start the brutal process of looking for firmware modifications/upgrades.

Crap

[mook]

I just want to say thanks to all you folks out there that have already bought the 650. Please keep us posted on your progress on getting this phone to work with the TL. I'm lucky that my current contract with AT&T isn't up until February, so that has kept me from joining you on the "bleeding edge".

Unfortunately, standards are rarely that. Since every standard is subject to interpretation, there can be mistakes. Also if there isn't complete cooperation between the various vendors using the standard, there will be situations like this. It looks to me like PalmOne made sure the 650 worked with headsets, computer synchronization, printer and modem interfaces, but didn't really check it with a hands free system like the TL's or the Toyota Prius'. Too bad, because this phone would be a great seller to these markets. You'd think a struggling company line PalmOne would want to maximize their potiental.

I guess all we can to is to continue to hammer the cell phone companies and Palm One to make this thing work, if indeed the probem is on their side (which I think it most likely is...). We can also keep our ear to the ground and see if any other auto maker or bluetooth interface works with the 650. If none do, then it is obvious the problem is with PalmOne and we hit them with requests or product returns to get them to fix it.

Good luck to you owners of the 650! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you don't have to return your phones and settle for something less.

[RGHessel]

Originally Posted by mook

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you don't have to return your phones and settle for something less.

I'm thinking the Audi A6 looks pretty nice (and I know the phone works with it...)

[MikeRadio]

I got mine to pair also.. it actually answered calls and did NOT show info on the MID but worked for a minut... and then it didnt work again when the system was shut down.

I changed the WAKE Setting also on the treo.

There HAs to be a way to get this to work!

[RGHessel]

Originally Posted by MikeRadio

I got mine to pair also.. it actually answered calls and did NOT show info on the MID but worked for a minut... and then it didnt work again when the system was shut down.

That's the only glimmer of hope that I've heard...

[RGHessel]

Here's Sprint's answer to my email concerning the T650's inability to work with the TL. There might be something hopeful here, though it's hard to tell since their suggestions seem to have nothing to do with Bluetooth in a car. (If someone interprets their response differently, do share...)
========

Dear Mr. Hessel,


We understand how frustrating this should have been for you. We know
how it feels when you are unable to use the bluetooth capability of your
handset with other compatible functions of your car. We would be glad
to clarify.

We reviewed your inquiry by looking into the known issues for the Palm
One Treo 650. Sprint and the manufacturer of your handset is currently
working to address these issues and will be coming out with a resolution
soon. Unfortunately, we are unable to give you an exact date as to when
it will become available. In the meantime, we noticed that you may need
to "Hotsync" your phone with your car's bluetooth accessory. Hotsyncing
will enable the devices to work and communicate with each other. Please
follow the instructions below:

Set up Bluetooth Hotsync with a Windows PC.

1.Launch Bluetooth from the Applications launcher.
2.Turn Bluetooth On.
3.Choose Setup Devices.
4.Choose HotSync Setup and choose Next.
5.Identify the virtual port Bluetooth is using on your PC and click Next
(consult PC or Bluetooth adaptor documentation).
6.Select your PC and choose OK.
7.Under Hotsync Manager, select Setup.
8.Under Setup, select Local tab.
9.Select virtual serial port that Bluetooth is using and choose OK.
10.Under Hotsync Manager, select Local so it is checked.
11.Select Launch HotSync.
12.Enter passkey on the PC.
13.Enter same passkey on the Treo 650.
14.Check Add to trusted device list.
15.Choose OK on the Treo 650.
16.Bluetooth HotSync should start.

Set up Bluetooth Hotsync with a MAC PC

Enable Bluetooth on the Mac PC

1.Ensure your Mac is Bluetooth-capable and within a 30' (10 m) radius of
your Treo 650.
2.On the Mac, select Bluetooth in System Preferences.
3.Select the Settings tab and select the Discoverable option. For
greater security, select the Require Authentication option.
4.On the Mac, open HotSync Manager. Ensure that HotSync is enabled, then
select the Connection Settings tab. Select the Bluetooth-pda-sync-port\
option. Quit HotSync Manager.

Configure Bluetooth on the Treo 650

1.On Treo, open the Bluetooth application from the Home screen. Be sure
that the Bluetooth option is set to On. Then select the Setup Devices
button.
2.Select HotSync Setup. Select Next.
3.A list of nearby, discoverable Bluetooth devices will appear on the
Discovery Results screen. Select the Mac you wish to pair with. Confirm
with OK.
4.Ignore the onscreen PC-only instructions for steps 1-3 that follow,
selecting Next after each step.
5.Finally, select Launch HotSync. You should see the HotSync indicator
appear on your Mac screen as your info begins to synchronize wirelessly.
6.If you enabled Authentication on your Mac, you will be prompted for a
passkey on your Mac.
7.Enter the same passkey on your Treo 650 when prompted and select OK.

If the problem still persist, please contact us by dialing
1-888-211-4727 from a phone other than your PCS device, so that if
necessary, your handset will be free to perform testing. When you hear
our virtual representative, give the verbal command 'Wireless Web.' You
will be forwarded to our Technical Support. Our specialists will be
glad to assist you. We regret that we at eCare are not equipped to
handle the concern for you as it is technical in nature.

Thank you for contacting us. Please let us know if you have further
questions.


Nestor O.
Sprint eCare



Original Message Follows:
------------------------

================================================== ======================
Question:Hi,
I recently signed up as a new customer with Sprint and
purchased a Treo 650. Amongst the reasons for wanting to
switch to Sprint and the Treo 650 is its Bluetooth capability
to communicate with my 2004 Acura TL's built-in Bluetooth
functionality. This requires the "hands-free" Bluetooth
Profile, which the Treo 650 has. Unfortuantely, the car and
the Treo are unable to communicate. From reading various
online forums, I have confirmed this is a known issue. Is
Sprint planning on address this problem? Thanks.
================================================== ======================

[mook]

RG,

That sounds like a boiler-plate answer to me. Looks like Nestor O. is just a corporate minion who answers e-mails about things he doesn't even understand. Two fatal flaws in his reply were the mention of a headset (which you never mentioned in your question) and his oration on hotsyncing which has nothing to do with your problem.

Since he mentioned headset, something tells me Sprint may also getting headset complaints too. Let's just hope that this is a problem that can be fixed through software and this isn't a hardware problem. I know that some cell providers have crippled bluetooth on purpose to force their customers to use their picture/file sharing services. Maybe Sprint did something like this and screwed up the hands free stuff too.

As for me, I guess I'll sit tight until AT&T launches their version. Hopefully things will be fixed by then. In the mean time I guess we all will have to keep on PalmOne and others to get this fixed.

[RGHessel]

I am curious if there is any reason (other than wishful thinking) to think that the GSM phones might work differently with the TL. My Sprint phone works fine with a Bluetooth headset, so the Bluetooth isn't totally screwed up...