Sprint Treo 650

[+Team PEZ]

hey there -

 

i just got a new cell phone, sprint treo 650 and would like to ton know if anyone else uses it to cache. will cachemate work with it? anyother cool features? anything else i need to know?

 

many thanks in advance,

 

teampez

teampezNOSPAMatgmail.com

[+Medic005]

I have the Treo 600 and have Cachemate installed, works fine on my 600 and should work fine on the 650, since a palm based OS. Also, if you have a DATA plan, you can actually surf GC.com while out caching. I did this on a recent cache when I forgot the hint for the cache.

 

The TREO's are great, don't know what I'd do without my Treo.

[cachenow]

What is cache mate? I have the Treo 600--can I actually convert this thing to a portable GPS unit without a bunhc of cables?

[+Team PEZ]

What is cache mate?  I have the Treo 600--can I actually convert this thing to a portable GPS unit without a bunhc of cables?

taken directly from smittyware.com : CacheMate™ is a database for tracking GPS cache hunts. You can store information about caches or benchmarks, decode hints, and transfer data between CacheMate and the MemoPad application. Registered users can import LOC and GPX formatted XML files, which are available from Geocaching.com.

 

its one of the best applications for geocaching to date.

[+TresOkies]

What is cache mate? I have the Treo 600--can I actually convert this thing to a portable GPS unit without a bunhc of cables?

You can get a SDIO GPS card that goes in the Treo's SD card slot. Pretec has one that is shipping in the US. Street price under $200. Pharos makes one as well but I don't see a US distributor that confirms they ship with Palm OS drivers. Then again, I didn't look longer than 5 minutes.

 

One of these cards, mixed with Mapopolis or a similar product, along with CacheMate and CacheNav would make a really sweet setup. Just make sure you take out replacement insurance on your Treo--it's not rated for underwater activity like your Garmin or Magellan handheld.

[cachenow]

Thanks for the info--very interesting. I checked out the pretec SDIO. The only thing is it doesnt seem very practical for hiking/backpacking.

 

Thanks again.

[+Marky]

You guys should really talk to boulter. He has a neat setup where he can request and receive PQs right from his 650 while out in the field, and update cachemate's database. There is a lot of boulter 'magic' going on to accomplish this, but I thought that was the ultimate in tech, getting a PQ while in the field and being able to actually do something with it right on the 650. Pretty sweet.

 

--Marky

[+TresOkies]

Thanks for the info--very interesting.  I checked out the pretec SDIO.  The only thing is it doesnt seem  very practical for  hiking/backpacking. 

I definitely would not suggest that you use the pretec (or any other SDIO card) for hiking and backpacking as your only means of guidance. Your handheld GPSR is rated to absorb a certain amount of shock and it can withstand being submerged for some time. Your Treo with an SDIO GPS card will die a quick and horrible death if dropped from even two feet or if you spilled Pepsi on it.

 

The Treo with the SDIO card would be nice if you are on a multi-day hike and you want to plan the next day's activities. It would be nice for interacting with GC.com and other trail-planning web sites while in the wild. It would be nice for dealing with your digicam after a day of shooting. It would not be good for navigating over terrain. That's what your handheld GPSR is for.

 

You asked about using your Treo without a lot of cable mess and the SDIO card is definitely the least messy way. Truth be told, you probably need a custom cable built by PC-Mobile.net or pfranc.com to connect your Treo to your handheld GPSR. I use such a cable between my Tungsten C and my (multitude of) Garmin handhelds and it works fine.

[+bigeddy]

The 650 has bluetooth and there are several nice bluetooth GPS receivers on the market now such as the 2 oz Holux GPSlim 236 shown below. Combined with software (CacheMate, GeoNiche, etc.) and a good case for the Treo, the setup is functional, clean and relatively durable if you are careful. You have GPS, database, full Palm OS, phone and camera. A handheld GPS receiver is more suitable for serious hikes, of course.

 

The main problem with the bluetooth setup is that switching applications causes the GPS connection to drop; a few commands and you are back in business but restarting each time is annoying. Also, you have to deal with 2 pieces of equipment although that allows you to mount the antenna up high on your hat or pack strap. Battery charge for the GPSlim 236 is around 10 hours.

 

[+PhotoDuck]

A few pointers: Mapopolis & Vindigo do not work well with bluetooth gps (TYhey simply dont connect to it.)

 

Next, id recomment bluetooth over SD. SIRF III based bluetooth gps like the Broadcom BT-338 has up to 15 hours battery life. Much longer than the Treo 650, which will have about 6-8. Even less if you are using a SD based GPS. Also the bluetooth gps are more accurate.

 

From another one of my Treo 650 Posts:

 

I use the following with my Treo 650 and GeoCaching:

 

GeoCaching.com membership, for MobiPocket PRC ebooks of caches and GPX files for your gps software.

 

HARDWARE:

 

The GPS:

Broadcom Bluetooth BT338 GPS receiver

128MB SD Card (to store large software or files like the PRC ebooks)

Hard Case for the Treo

 

Software (free):

GPS:

CetusGPS

 

Ebook:

MobiPocket Reader

 

File convertors

GPSbabel  The GPX to PDB (palm database) convertor I use.

 

Other recommended software:

FileZ 6.7 File manager

Radio Control - turns phone on after a crash/reset

 

* Cachemate Nav hasnt worked right for me.  So I wont be recommending or spending the money on CacheMate until it does. *

 

I simply do markers in the CetusGPS for finds and such.  *waypoint* for found, -waypoint- for DNF.  And I have databases for hunts of the day or future ones.  Everything cachemate does, and free.

 

 

Logging caches FROM the cache is nice.  Driving somewhere, and being able to go online and look up local caches is nice too 

 

And remember, TURN OFF THE TIME SYNC FUNCTION!  The built in "Sync time with wireless provider" function crashes the Treo because cell providers reset the time to 1970 and then forward to current time, and that messes up the calendar/scheduling apps.

 

Also, a CetusGPS pdb database converted from gpsbabel is 1/20 the size or smaller of a GPX or LOC file from a pocket query. This means alot when you consider you are limited on device memory, and pocket query gpx/loc files can be a few meg large. After I run my locationless, local, and travel pocket queries, thats 6+mb of space in raw files.

Edited May 28, 2005 by PhotoDuck

[+Green Achers]

What is cache mate? I have the Treo 600--can I actually convert this thing to a portable GPS unit without a bunhc of cables?

No. A Treo 600 falls short of the Treo 650. While you'll still be a happy cacher using CacheMate for the 'paperless caching,' there's no way it will work with the wireless GPS. Treo 600 does not have bluetooth which is the way you get around the wires.

 

I just replaced my Tre 270 with a Treo 600. I tried everything short of paying the full price to get a Treo 650 because I really wanted the Bluetooth ability. I ended up having to choose between bad wireless providers that offer them and my great wireless provider that can't get them.

 

Get CacheMate and you'll be thanking us. CacheMate

 

BTW, Here's Boulter's Site. Good stuff too.

[+TresOkies]

I just got back from the PalmSource developers conference where I picked up a Treo 650 (the unbranded GSM model). Spent about an hour talking to two Garmin engineers and one of their marketing droids at the show. I think they've convinced me to buy the GPS 10 BlueTooth gadget once I pay of this month's AMEX bill.

[+bigeddy]

A few pointers: Mapopolis & Vindigo do not work well with bluetooth gps (TYhey simply dont connect to it.)

I don't know Vindigo but Mapopolis works with my Treo and Holux bluetooth receiver.

[+ChileHead]

I love my Treo 600. I run CacheMate on it as well. But what I really like about it is being able to run my pocket queries while in the field, which helps if you play the FTF game. Also, I like to enter my logs in at the cache site just for fun, even though it's a pain to type on that little keyboard!

[+Sputnik 57]

I find Blazer particularly slow when trying to d/l cache pages in the field. For faster access, I prefer the GC WAP site, http://wap.geocaching.com/. It is just the bare minimum, but gets you cache info (including hints) and allows you to log finds from your 650 (or any WAP phone) if you are so inclined.

 

I use Cachemate on my 650 and GSAK on my desktop. I haven't tried mapping software or an SD or Bluetooth receiver. I prefer my durable Garmin 60C.

[cchenning]

I like to enter my logs in at the cache site using my Treo 600.

 

Is there a way to select multiple Travel Bugs with the Treo when you are logging a visit? On one of my recent caches, I had to enter three logs to handle the three TBs I was leaving.

 

I have also turned off the graphics to make the pages load faster. Many of the "buttons" on the website are "real buttons", meaning they show up as buttons when I turn the graphics off. The "Travel Bug Lookup" button is a link that does not display too well on the Treo. Are there plans to make the website more "mobile" friendly?

[+Team PEZ]

always looking to make my treo 650 work wonders, and came across this ebay auction:

Seidio G2500M Hands Free Car Kit - Treo 650

 

whatcha think?

 

disclaimer: i DO NOT know the buyer, nor anything about this item.

[+bigeddy]

Are there plans to make the website more "mobile" friendly?

http://wap.geocaching.com/ is for us mobile maniacs. It's a lot faster than the full web pages and works well on my Treo.