The Beanster Blog

As I mentioned in my previous post I am using my palm Treo Pro as a phone for my VRDC (work) SIM card. I got contacts & email (hosted on MSFT's Outlook.com) to sync using Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) however I am stuck on the calendar. The VRDC calendar which I share w/ my colleague is on Google Calendar. I've subscribed to the calendar via Outlook.com so I can see it online but since Windows Mobile 6.1 doesn't support multiple calendar sync the appointments are not pushed down to the Treo. So I decided to move VRDC calendar to Outlook.com, it was fairly easy to export the ics files from Google calendar and import them into Outlook.com. On Outlook.com After the ics files were imported into the main VRDC calendar, I unsubscribed from Google calendar (since those were now duplicates) On Apple iPhone 5S On Chrome Mobile (you can also use Safari Mobile)  went to https://www.google.com/calendar/syncselect  and un-selected VRDC In Mail, Contacts, Calendar - turne...

I held-off purchasing an Android device and instead, I hard reset my ancient palm Treo Pro (circa 2009) and am using the VRDC hotline SIM with it. The back portion of the case is battered (hence the rubber band), the internal clock battery is shot, and the services for Windows Mobile have long since been closed by MSFT. As you can imagine compared to a 2013 iPhone 5S, this device seems archaic and terrible. During it's hay day though I really loved this smartphone (that's why I never sold it). Pity what hp has done to the brand. Oh well. I guess I better get an Android phone soon so I can keep the Treo Pro in my drawer where it won't get damaged further. via GMail

palm Treo Pro: Battered & Bruised VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL       Here is my very battered and bruised palm treo pro. 2 years plus of usage can do this to a device… I am considering retiring this for good (while it is still fu...

My palm Treo pro is dying, while it hasn’t completely conked out it has been with me for more than 1 year (the longest ever for any device). I would like to retire it while it is still working. So I did some initial canvassing and the prices seems fair for an unlocked device. For a Blackberry Bold 9700 around PhP 28,000.00 and for a Blackberry Curve 8520 around PhP 12,000.00 So why would I try the oldest and honestly the crappiest looking, hardest to navigate mobile OS in the market? Well the short answer is CENSORSHIP, or circumventing censorship to be more precise. I learned recently that everything you do with your BB has to go thru RIMs servers in Canadia! Meaning if I were in China and using a China Mobile SIM or hotel wifi. I will still be able to punch thru the Great Firewall of China. Well that is the plan or working theory for the moment. Does anyone have actual experience using a Blackberry device in China? Can you really access the whole interwebs (with your own SIM...

There was a time not so long ago that when you said Treo it meant a smartphone and when you said smartphone it meant a Treo. Well those days are no more palm seems to have killed the brand already. I like my Treo Pro it doesn't have the best specs but it is no slouch either. Also I love the qwerty bar form factor. This is actually my 2nd Treo I had owned the Treo 750 before. This year palm went live with their new operating system called WebOS with it their flagship device name Pre and now they have the Pixi. Both devices have yet to reach Asia though. With the release of their new OS and new devices palm has said that it will not make windowsmobile devices anymore. The Treo Pro is not getting WM6.5 nor has the GSM version received any rom updates. I think they have EOL'd it prematurely it would have been nice to atleast get 1 ROM update. Somehow this saddens me the Treo was a pretty strong brand but I guess I can understand why palm is dropping it (for now atleast) from their ...

Today I finished talking with palm support and trooped to Makati to get my palm Treo Pro replaced AGAIN! This my 3rd Treo Pro… this is getting ridiculous… What the hell!? The keypad frame was falling off on the refurb unit I got. BTW I haven’t dropped my device yet. [here are some pics of the faulty device] When I got there the guy gave me my replacement unit I inspected the keys and found out the start button was stuck so I asked for another unit. Thankfully this one had better keys. Hard reset my defective TP, took out the SIM, microSD, stylus, battery and back cover. I then installed those to the new one and powered it up. The guy at the drop off zone moved the screen protector for me too. I setup google sync so I had my contacts/calendar until I got back to the office. Finished signing stuff and I was off. My 1st device’s d-pad failed after six months the 1st refurbed units keyboard frame failed in 2 weeks. I hope this device lasts longer… I really don’t have the mo...

My brother was in SG recently and I asked him to get me one of these: Package Contents: Vehicle Charger microUSB cable Impressions: The charger is very small and sleek. I like the white light that shows that it is operating. The included microUSB cable is very much welcome. Now I can leave the cable that came w/ my device at home for my Wall Charger and bring along this shorter cable for the car/office. Usage: Pretty straight forward you plug the USB end of the cable to the Vehicle charger and the micro USB end to your Treo Pro. I’ve been playing around with different GPS applications and have really noticed the battery hit so I think this is a good investment for anyone who uses their device for navigation or if you are on the road a lot.

Yes I’m talking accessories again. Every time I buy a new device I usually accessorize with a screen protector, case, storage cards the later being handed down from my previous devices. Finally was able to swing by Vmall yesterday and had a proper screen protector applied by a professional. Got a CAPDASE protector glad to see it covered the top portion of the TP not just the screen. I also got a cheapo faux leather holster, there is a bit of wiggle room in terms of depth, I hope it will still fit when my silicone case comes. I am thinking of modding (read: cutting holes into the case) the case to allow for the wired headset and usb charger to be inserted when the device is in case. After chatting with palm support they told me that I had to contact the store I bought from to complain about the missing adapter. I highly suspect that the sales guy forgot to put it back in the package after testing if the unit charges. I wrote them an email yesterday but have yet received a response....

Here is my review of the Palm Treo Pro. palm’s latest GSM Windows Mobile device. Packaging palm has really outdone itself with the packaging it’s nice, classy, and simple.  Unfortunately my package seems to be lacking the regular flat pins that are common here in the PH. I will try to contact palm about this. What’s in the box: palm Treo Pro palm wired stereo headset Li-ion 1500mAh Battery micro USB sync /charge cable AC adapter with interchangeable plugs. Documentation palm did not bother including a CD but has instead put a 1st setup option on the device. I did not bother with it as well because my system already has WMDC. It’s a nice touch though. It is disappointing that palm did not include a screen protector, an extra stylus or even a simple case. I like that they’ve made the wall charger smaller it will be easier to carry around or throw in my gadget bag. Specifications: Windows Mobile Professional 6.1 Quadband GSM & Tri-band UMTS ...

This works on both the palm Treo 750 and Treo Pro. By default the Side Button on your 750/Pro will have only 1 function Press and Hold. With this simple registry hack you can get an extra press. Copy the following to notepad save as .reg and apply on your device. Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Shell\Keys\40C7] "Name"="Side" @="\"\\Windows\\Start Menu\\Programs\\Camera.lnk\"" "Icon"="\\windows\\shellres.dll,-8263" "BtnWnd"=dword:00000000 "Flags"=dword:00000000 "WndCls"="" Then go to Start > Settings > Personal [tab] > Buttons to change what it does.

As I previously posted I recently bought a Palm Treo Pro. I have been using it for the past few days loading up my applications and personalizing my gadget. I’ve ordered a silicone case for it from PDAir and it’s shipped but I don’t expect it to arrive in 2 weeks. Right now I am using it with a cheapo holster case and just being extra careful. I was disappointed albeit not surprised that I couldn’t order a Clear Armor Case from Case-mate , the Philippines is not on the list…. AGAIN! I am still on the fence if I should get the Treo Pro invisible shield or bodyguardz protection. Application seems to be really complex and I am not the most patient person and will probably just muck it up. ATM I just cut up the packing screen protection since I had to go out of town and wasn’t able to visit GH to get a proper SP installed. For memory I slipped my 8Gb microSDHC card instead of the free 4Gb microSDHC card which I got with the TP. Thinking of slapping that on my HTC S730 or the palm ...

My palm Treo 750 has been acting up lately… so I asked my shobe to get me one when she was in SG over the weekend. It’s here now I haven’t opened the box yet but I hope it has a screen protector or I won’t be able to use it till I get one installed. It came out way way way cheaper than the parallel imported TP I saw in GH which was selling for 42,0000 PhP. I got my TP for 930SGD which is approx. 26,900 PhP and they included a 4Gb SanDisk Class 2 microSDHC card with it… A steal if I dare say so myself! I think this is the cheapest Windows Mobile Pro device I’ve bought. w00t! I’ve read the surface is a finger print magnet and is easily scratched so I am looking into getting a bodyguardz or invisible shield for it. I hope it arrives fast though… I am not the most patient person and I baby my devices.

I have never been one to keep my devices *as is* when it comes to the OS/Firmware… This 2nd Treo 750 will be no different. So I dusted off my old Cheetah files [trivia: the Treo 750 is codenamed HTC Cheetah] and decided to HARD SPL [this allows for non-carrier branded ROMs to be loaded] and flashed it to a Windows Mobile 6.1 ROM. Everything is proceeding as I have foreseen… and the ROM loaded without any issues. I did notice that Microsoft Voice Command 1.6 was not included in this ROM not really a problem since I own the software as well.  I’m currently syncing my PIM data and will be installing my apps over the next few days.

I’ve been rambling about going back to the QWERTY bar form factor. I was eyeing the palm Treo Pro but it isn’t out locally yet and there have been some issues with units getting hairline cracks [tsk tsk palm and HTC]… Anyway I decided to sell my TyTN II and get a 2nd hand palm Treo 750. It was already updated to Windows Mobile 6 and is in pretty good condition except I think I got a crap battery. Might get a new battery [and probably a screen protector too] for it within the week. I’ve synced up my data but am not going crazy with apps. Just the essentials for now. I don’t think I will miss WiFi as much since I have that on my HTC S730, I will miss the 3.2MP auto-focus camera and GPS on the TyTN II.

Still no sign of the Treo Pro locally. The palm PH portal doesn't have it either. It's been months since it's announcement and release in the US/EU and it's now available in nearby HKG and SG . Since I haven't had the chance to go over to both HKG and SG I was hoping that local parallel importers would've picked up this device by now. No joy... YET! -- Again both my HTC TyTN 2 [10/2007] and HTC S730 [07/2008] are still quiet capable but my hands are getting itchy... I want a new device!

palm's official distributor Microwarehouse still doesn't have the Treo Pro in stock. palm's PH site also doesn't have it yet. The Treo Pro has already been selling for a little over a month in other territories like HKG and SG, I wonder when we will see it locally. I think Mircowarehouse has too many brands to really take care of them properly.

I have been reading the reviews that have been posted about my [at the moment] future device, the palm Treo Pro. -- Mobile Gadgeteer TreoCentral -- the more I read, the more I want. :P

It is that time of the year again when devices are being announced and are coming to market. But at the moment I don't have a whole lot of choices. So far it's neck to neck for the hp iPAQ 900 series and the palm Treo Pro both devices have impressive specifications but these specifications are almost identical to my current device the HTC TyTN2. We can interpret this 2 ways. 1 the TyTN2 is an awesome device which is hard to replace. 2 device makers are resting on their rumps and not innovating. I think it will be a mix of both trains of thought. So why am I even considering plunking down the moohlah to buy a new device if the specs are not so different from my current device? Well the answer is in the form factor... and because I like new and shiny toys [errr... tools]. With my TyTN2 I had a bigger keyboard but it definitely required 2 hands to operate efficiently. I do love the tilting screen and use it on a daily basis. I would like to report that after close to 10 months of ...

HTC Taiwanese super company HTC has the following devices either in the stores or in the works: HTC Touch Diamond, HTC Touch Diamond Pro, HTC S740. These are all updates to their devices. I am not too sold on the square and hard edge fingerprint magnet finish of these new devices. I am curious if they will be updating the Shift line. HTC is a really aggressive Windows Mobile device maker so their devices will be a part of their total business. It is interesting to see that they have been selected to make the Google Android powered T-mobile device codename: HTC Dream. palm palm is coming out with a shiny new Treo for GSM markets in the Treo Pro [Treo 850] and the web is a buzz with this newest Treo. While this device has shined the limelight albeit momentarily on the palm camp I don't think this is enough for them to be competitive again. I really think they should put out their next OS and get ODMs to license it, if not may be they should close the OS part of the business and start...