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Verichat by a company called "intellisync". The only instant messenger program that ever worked worth a damn on my Treo 650. I have seriously thought about switching devices now that verichat does not work anymore (they killed the app completly even for people who purchased it previously).

Honestly I don't see it as a nokia problem, but a WTF is the problem that nobody else can make an instant messenger that actually WORKS.

I know I know I should write it myself, but I have a million excuses.

for now I use IM+ which sucks the butt, but it is better than nothing, and since IM is the only thing I use my stupid phone for, I can't just "do without"

actually I us IM on my treo quite a bit - I use VeriChat which allows me to be online on Yahoo and AOL all the time... it was 25 bucks for a year - and i have found it to be a valuable tool. Though I avoid using it while driving.

To look at it the other way -- is there a Linux powered phone that you can VNC into and write applications for (including programably accessing the phone, bluetooth and cell-based network connection)?

While not Linux-powered, I seem to have no trouble writing software for my Palm Treo 650. Even with the one I bought from Verizon, who's pathetic attempts to disable the Bluetooth profiles for things like dial-up networking and OBEX file transfer are easily defeated. Other people seem to have little trouble writing networked, converged apps for the Treo that work flawlessly on the CDMA or GSM versions of the phone.

I don't want anybody to be able to VNC into my cell phone. That sounds like a security nightmare waiting to happen. I do want my cell phone to be able to SSH and do VNC out, which there are third-party programs for PalmOS that do nicely.

Fundamentally, at an OS level, I still have full access to the networking and Bluetooth functions. All Verizon did on the Treo was disable one of the built-in apps for Bluetooth: the hooks are all still there.. and with five minutes of work and a good Google search, you can undo anyway.

True, although how often do you replace a battery?

2. Sometimes the palm OS will crash and there will be a reset button on the touch screen but it's so locked up you can't hit it, and the phone's power button won't work either so you have to leave the screen open until the battery completely dies.

Unscrew the tip of your stylus and stick it in the hole in the back of the PDA marked reset. This will give you a soft reset. In order to get a hard reset hold down the power button by the antenna while doing this for about 20 seconds and then release it. A dialog box will appear which will allow you to clear all data on your PDA.

3. This phone's SMS doesn't work with Sprint's network so the keypad is only really useful for managing the phone book.

The SMS or lack thereof sucks on the Treo 300. If you want to use SMS you're pretty much consigned to buying Treo300SMS ($19.95).

4. Treo 300 doesn't have built in modem software like my old Kyocera 6035 so I can't hook it up to my laptop and dial up to anything. I might be able to use Sprint's vision software but I'm not sure if there are additional charges for that.

True. You have to buy PDANet ($34.00) which will let you use Sprint's vision service and download all the data you want to your laptop/desktop.

5. It doesn't use the standard audio jack for the headset. I thought my phone was broken until I discovered there was a special headset for it. I'm not sure what the difference is. It's still mono with a mic. I can't imagine what different wiring patterns there would be.

It's a smaller form factor and the wiring allows for a button connected to your headset which does things like allow you to hang up the phone. It does kinda suck they didn't use standard size adaptors but headsets aren't too expensive these days.

6. Battery life isn't great.

Yeah this is definitely true. Especially when your battery starts to wear out after a year or so. I got a little gadget which plugs in and allows you to charge the PDA with 4 rechargable AA batteries. It comes in handy when I start running low on power after a lot of LCD/radio use.

7. No bluetooth! (I don't think the Treo 600 has it either.)

True

8. I can't sync it up with Mozilla Sunbird! (yet) but this is no fault of Palm's I suppose.

Hopefully the Mozilla people will add this feature soon.

9. It seems like I have to go into sprint and get PRC updates more often than I did with other phones. This might be a sprint thing I'm not sure.

AFAIK there is one ROM update for the Treo 300 if that's what you're referring to but I heard mixed reviews for it so I didn't install it although I'm not sure if there is any data to back up the claims I read on the internet. I heard data throughput was marginally improved at the cost of more battery use and decided on that basis not to fix what wasn't broken.

10. It's not a very bring screen.

Yes the screen is hard to read in direct sunlight. It's nowhere near as bright as the 600.

I'm using a Treo 600 on Verizon. Yeah, as a .Net developer I hated giving up my iPaq.

palmVNC works great at 150kbs. Certainly not what you could call "fast" but combined with UltraVNC on the server side you can scale the resolution (again, server-side) and it's usable.
http://palmvnc2.free.fr/

VeriChat does AIM, Y!, MSN, and ICQ. Works great and by using SMS you appear always online. The phone vibrates (or plays a sound) when you get an IM, even if you aren't in VeriChat, or even if it's turned off.
http://pdaapps.com/verichat/index.html

An extra feature: PalmNet and a USB cable allow you to get a 150 kbps connection with your laptop anywhere in the US. Worked out great for me, I just moved and PacBell screwed up my DSL line. PalmNet is my only Intenet connection right now.
http://www.junefabrics.com/palmnet/

There is an MP3 player (pTunes) but I have an iPod so I don't use it. There is a built in web browser (Blazer) that is decent. I use it frequently. No email client - some carriers give you one, Verizon didn't. I bought Snapper Mail:
http://www.snappermail.com/palm/email/
There is a GPS add on too. I might try it out one of these days. It would be nice if it was built in, but it would probably make the Treo too big.

The battery sucks. I have a charger at work, at home, and in the car. Used extensivly (phone calls, VNC sessions, lots of web browsing, etc.) I can make it one day, just barely, using just the home charger. Used REALLY heavily I don't even make it one day, I have to charge it on the way home, or during the day.

The screen sucks too. Not the resolution, I can deal with that. But in direct daylight it's very hard to see.

The keyboard is brilliant. I'll never use another type form-factor PDA again. When HP comes out with an iPaq that has this type of keyboard (and a built in phone) then I'll switch back to PocketPC. And yes, I've seen the latest iPaq with the snap on keyboard, I don't think that's going to be good enough.

I would say go for it now, who knows when the phone carriers will have the 650. It took Verizon over a year to get the 600.

I use a Handspring Visor Prism with the VisorPhone module. It's running PalmOS 3.5 and I can and do maintain a GSM network connection when switching between apps. And when I switch back to my browser from another app, the last page I was looking at is still there and I don't have to reload.

The only application I can think of where I lose a connection is upIRC.
I asked the developer, Brian Smith, about this and he said that he couldn't keep it connected because of the nature of IRC networks. They apparently ping the clients to ensure that they are still connected and if the application is not active, it can't respond to the pings.

I think the same is true of the IM networks.

Since receiving Brian's response I have wondered if he could patch a trap in the OS and basically hook some tiny responder into the OS so that it could stay connected.

The same can and has been done for the IM apps. It's called VeriChat.

Well, from what I know, VeriChat(TM) Unified Instant Messaging (IM) application for SmartPhones and other connected Palm devices such as the Tungsten C works very well.

It's key features (copied and pasted from the website) are:

- Unified messaging support for Yahoo!, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger & MSN Instant Messenger
- Works with all PalmOS based SmartPhones (that have a data connection - circuit-switch data or high-speed data) including the Treo 180, Treo 270, Treo 300, Samsung I330, Kyocera 7135, Tungsten W, Samsung I500, VisorPhone, etc.
- Native support for the Palm Tungsten C and the Sony NX/NZ series with a WiFi card.
- Will also work with your Palm PDA if it has any type of Internet connection and a paging address. You can use a Wireless phone via IR (infra-red) or BlueTooth for the PDA's internet connectivity, i.e., a Tungsten-T or a Treo 90 coupled via blue-tooth with a Ericsson T68. You can also use your Palm coupled to a CDPD modem and your alphanumeric pager.
- Familiar Graphical icons for each protocol
Chat simultaneously with your buddies using one or any combination of IM protocols
- "Always On" on the messaging networks: Your buddies will see you as online even when you are not in the VeriChat(TM) application
- Specially customized for the Treo's Keyboard and Jog dial; you can avoid using the stylus altogether if you wish to
- Easy setup; the installation wizard will guide you through the configuration
- Many features especially for a mobile device: Buddy Pounce, Auto-reply messages, Custom Status messages and Pre-defined messages.

There is another application called Chatter that works on Palm OS 5 based Treo 600 called Chatter. It's website is here.

Thanks for the tips. I'll definitely take a look at VeriChat as well (looks great). I did some searching and found a good discussion on SSH terminals at TreoCentral.

http://www.pdaapps.com/verichat/

Verichat combines AOL, MSN, ICQ and Yahoo! messenger for your internet enabled Palm device. I use it on my Kyocera 7135 and it is amazing. Even keeps you online when you disconnect from the internet and gateways your incoming messages to SMS if you prefer, and allows for auto-responses when you're offline as well.

The Handspring Treo has software for IM'ing. VeriChat works on AOL, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger.

Not only that, but I can use it away from my home. I recently went to the beach and had a great internet connection for chatting with friends & co-workers. You can find info about VeriChat on InfoSync or at VeriChat's web page. It is a solution that is much better than a dedicated device and offers much more, such as web surfing and email as well as any other Palm OS application you may need (such as VNC!)

The Handspring Treo has software for IM'ing. VeriChat works on AOL, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger.

Not only that, but I can use it away from my home. I recently went to the beach and had a great internet connection for chatting with friends & co-workers. You can find info about VeriChat on InfoSync or at VeriChat's web page. It is a solution that is much better than a dedicated device and offers much more, such as web surfing and email as well as any other Palm OS application you may need (such as VNC!)

I have a Handspring Treo that I really get a kick out of. It works as a regular (although larger) flip phone when I need a phone, and as a PDA when I need a PDA. Today I was waiting at the salon to get my hair done, and while I was waiting, I was surfing Google and trying to find a good software package for one of my clients.

The Treo has AIM/Yahoo/MSN support thanks to VeriChat, which I highly recommend. I also use Top Gun SSH to SSH into my servers from anywhere.

Treo Central is the hookup for new software, and is also a good site for ringtones (if you're into them -- I like the wide selection of ringtones that come by default.)

Also, PalmNet lets you connect your Treo to your laptop and get 10K/sec Internet access wherever you can find a Sprint PCS connection.

All in all, if you need more than just a phone, the Treo is a winner. If you want just a phone, get just a phone... but even my boyfriend, who has one of those LG phones that you get for free with Verizon, gets jealous of me surfing around the Internet, playing games, and chatting when we're waiting in line for something.

The Treo is $149 right now. If you are a current Sprint PCS customer and you sign another 1-year Advantage agreement, you may be able to receive a service credit. I got a $200 credit [4 1/2 months free] just for signing up for another year, but I had to negotiate heavily.

Hope this helps...