Palm Releases Cingular Treo 650 Update v1.17

Posted By: Ryan Monday, November 21, 2005 4:28:15 PM

Palm and Cingular Wireless have made available a software update to the Treo 650 to version 1.17. The update includes optimized memory handling, support for Gmail and voice quality improvements.

Cingular Wireless Treo 650 customers will be notified of this update via an SMS. Users can access the software update and installation instructions here.

The software update (version 1.17) offers these performance enhancements for your smartphone:

Includes VersaMail 3.1c, the latest version, which includes an updated Mail Service (ISP) list and support for Gmail.
Optimizes memory handling
Adds voice quality enhancements
Optimizes Bluetooth performance for certain Motorola headsets and other carkits
Saves Auto-off power setting. This addresses an issue experienced by some users after installing updater version 1.15 where the setting would not be saved.
Adds support for Gmail attachment downloads via web browser if viewing Gmail via the Blazer browser
Adds an audible beep to indicate call initiation failures
Improves battery life by automatically turning off screen after 30 seconds of a call (originally included in Treo 650 update 1.15).
Incorporates software updates previously released on Palm's website.

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Who has any experience for this update?

ray00pal @ 11/22/2005 3:52:13 AM #

Please share your experience.
What I really want is to be able to turn off the LED of the key pad. Why is this feature left out?

Thanks.

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

freakout @ 11/22/2005 4:11:36 AM #

Dunno, ray00pal, but there's an app available called KbLightsOff that will solve your problem (allows you to control the keyboard lights with a double-tap of the side button).

http://mytreo.net/downloads/details-417.html?KB_LightsOff_for_Treo_650

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

hotpaw4 @ 11/22/2005 4:32:31 AM #

The 1.17 update now dims the keyboard with the display (option right shift).

Also fixed from the last update is auto-timeouts of more than 30 seconds now work, and the 1 second long DTMF tones are now shorter.

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

zadzagy @ 11/22/2005 12:20:15 PM #

I didn't know about that keyboard/screen dimming function, thanks!

I've installed the update hoping that it would fix my VersaMail issues, but I'm still having the problem. Basically, if I try to connect to an SSL protected IMAP server, I time out (no matter how long I specify the timeout settings). In troubleshooting with the server admins, it appears that becase they are using TCP wrappers, VersaMail is getting confused.

I used to have to do a hard reset to get VersaMail to work (some kind of conflict that I couldn't find the time to troubleshoot). Now, I can open up VersaMail within my default profile no problem. That's an improvement for me right there!

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

billpom @ 11/22/2005 3:42:12 PM #

My update episode follows:
Unlocked Cingular with 1.15CNG
Downloaded and attmpted to install 1.17 CNG. Proceeded to 100% of Rom downloaded to Treo and then "ROM update failed"
Tried three more time with same result.
Called Cingular and was transfered to "Data department" who told me that since the update was so new they wouldn't be abe to hel me and then transfered me to Palm in Manila. "Carlos" took my call and in an hour and fifteen minutes had me up and running. The problem is with the Outlook conduit. The update CANNOT be run sucessfully if you are syncing with Outlook. I had to use my Treo650 startup cd and changed the sync selection from Outlook to Palm desktop. After that, a hard reset, create a temporary profile, another reset and then the 1.117cng update. Ran flawlessly. However, upon synching with my User Profile, 650 went to dialog box saying "locallization data was incorrect" or words to that effect. Carlos then had me do another hard reset and told me that I would have to reinstalll all my apps and that I would loose my speed dial settings. The bottom line is 1.17 is installed and I now have to reinstall all apps and recreate my speed dial entries. Anyone else have a similar story or know what the soultion is the the "localization" problem?

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

ray00pal @ 11/22/2005 6:07:33 PM #

Actually I did discovered the option right shift before. However, if anyone tried to look at the dimmed screen, he/she should find that the keyboard is too bright. Yes, there is a third party software. I just have a big issue about Palm not understanding the screen dimming is useless if the keyboard light is still on.

Thanks all.

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

abbydog3 @ 11/23/2005 4:53:18 PM #

Installation complete 3.3 meg free before and now I have 10.4!!!

Very important to follow the steps and not skip any of them - which I started to do.

Tales of misery + woe with Cingular Treo 650 update 1.17

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 11/25/2005 6:38:08 PM #

Wow. With that story I think a better question is "Why haven't you yet headed over to Ed Colligan's office at Palm to go postal?"

It sounds like you're paying for the pleasure of being a guinea pig/glorified beta tester for Palm. Are you able to get your money back on the phone (or at least get Cingular or Palm to give you another Treo with the update already applied? As a last resort, you can probably ease the pain somewhat if you remember to coat your Treo liberally with Astroglide prior to insertion. Enjoy.

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

ray00pal @ 11/30/2005 7:26:03 PM #

I went through the update without problem, but did not discover much of improvement. Well, no bad news is good news.

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

xrayminator @ 12/3/2005 3:39:25 PM #

OK everyone, I had the same exact problem and here is how I solved it. I kept getting the rom update failed followed by could not turn on cell phone not enough power. While on hold to talk to their "data department" I solved the problem, here is how:

It seems that the stupid updated doesn't check to see how much free space there is on the palm. therefore it starts the installation process and partially saves the installation files needed to update on the treo. in people like me who had too little free space on our palms to begin with this creates partial installs and endessly loops to "rom update failed" B.S.

What I did was remove bunch of apps (doesnt matter which ones) so to have about 5-8 megs free. then I redid the installation and it worked like a charm. No need to do anything else but this...

RE: Who has any experience for this update?

Peewie @ 12/8/2005 2:45:12 PM #

After installing the update, I can no longer view contact details, unless I "edit" the contact. Caller information is no longer displayed for either incoming or outgoing calls. There is no noticable difference in voice quality.

Version Numbers

Admin @ 11/22/2005 6:37:24 PM #

Can anyone tell me what the Firmware and Software version numbers are reported as (in Phone Info) after the update?

Sigh...

ReneeRoberts @ 11/22/2005 11:33:04 PM #

Normally, I am not one to complain about Palm, but...

As an unlocked GSM user who *happens* to use Cingular, I am frankly getting tired of being treated as a second class citizen because I didn't choose to be enslaved to a phone company for 2 years just to get a phone locked to their service.

When will Palm wake up and treat GSM users like the premium customers we are? We paid full rate for our phones directly from Palm. Please Palm, support your paying consumers!

RE: Sigh...

AdamaDBrown @ 11/23/2005 12:52:25 AM #

In this case, I'm afraid it's a majority rule thing. Only a few people buy their units direct, so the large majority who get it through a carrier get first priority. I know it doesn't make it any more palatable, but that's the way it goes.

RE: Sigh...

freakout @ 11/24/2005 3:27:58 AM #

Didn't the previous Unlocked GSM firmware include a lot of the updates Cingular users are getting now? (curious)

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

What software comes with Cingular's model?

Foo Fighter @ 11/24/2005 6:29:16 PM #

As a Cingular subscriber..and unlocked GSM model user, I'm curious to know what type of customized software (if any) comes pre-installed on the Cingular branded model? I've heard that a Palm app that ties directly into the MEdiaNet framework is on the device, but judging from the description it sounds like nothing more than a browser shortcut that takes you directly to a customized portal. Which is exactly what I get with the unlocked model + SIM card.

Any care to school me on the difference? Thanks, and happy Thanxgiving.

-------------------------------
Editor, http://Pocketfactory.com
Contributing Editor, http://digitalmediathoughts.com

Update 1.17 was the final straw.

guywb @ 11/25/2005 1:25:37 PM #

I got my Treo 650 (Cingular) back in March 2005. I had consistant problems with it (poor signal quality, random reboots, powering itself on for no reason, dropping calls,...). I applied update 1.15 to fix these, no dice and it added a couple new tricks to its act (the antenna would get very warm after 1-2 minutes of talking and it was going through batteries like there was no tomorrow). Cingular did a warranty replacement and the new one kept the original problems (lost the new ones thankfully). I applied 1.17 on Tuesday, no improvement. OK, I give up. I went and got a regular cell phone and will go back to using a separate PDA. Whether that will be a PALM is another issue (the tech support has gone into the toilet since my first one). Since 1999 I have had the following: 3Com Vx (first generation), PALM m515, Tungsten C, and the Treo 650. With the first three, support and quality were first rate. With the Treo (the most expensive), the worst of any electronics company I have dealt with in 17 years in the IT field. I love the PALM OS but if I have to deal with third-rate quality and customer support (it would be nice if the tech and I could understand each other), I will write-off PALM for good. I am also going to wait until the Smartphones mature a little more befor I try again.

RE: Update 1.17 was the final straw.

The_Voice_of_Reason @ 11/25/2005 4:20:00 PM #

Get a Sony CLIE UX50 or a European CLIE TH55 (has Bluetooth) off eBay and use it with a tiny Nokia or Sony Ericsson cellphone. You'll probably be pretty happy with that combination for years as you wait for a reliable smartphone to arrive.

Or here's a little secret if you're on Sprint: The Samsung SPH-i500 is probably the slickest, best-built, most reliable smartpnone ever released. It is also small and looks like a regular phone, so there's no stigma of using a brick-phone in public. And it has good voice quality. And it's being cleared out at half price by Sprint ($299). The only downsides are it's PalmOS 4, it has just 16 MB RAM, no expansion and there are only a few hundred of the phones left in the USA. Most stores don't have them, but if you're interested I can post the name of a store that still has stock.

TVoR

------------------------
Sony CLIE UX100: 128 MB real RAM, OLED screen. All the PDA anyone really ever wanted.
------------------------

The Palm eCONomy = Communism™

The Great Palm Swindle: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=7864#108038

NetFrontLinux - the next major cellphone OS?: http://www.palminfocenter.com/comment_view.asp?ID=8060#111823

RE: Update 1.17 was the final straw.

freakout @ 12/1/2005 2:44:34 AM #

Dude! A bad unit 3 times in a row??

You must be cursed... Have you been to any Egyptian tombs recently, or dug up any Indian burial grounds? ;)

Tim Carroll
Your friendly customer service robot
(and big Treo fan)

RE: Update 1.17 was the final straw.

xrayminator @ 12/4/2005 5:50:54 PM #

What I did was remove bunch of apps (doesnt matter which ones) so to have about 5-8 megs free. then I redid the installation and it worked like a charm. No need to do anything else but this...

RE: Update 1.17 was the final straw.

hailsr @ 1/4/2006 4:07:05 PM #

Sounds like every one is having problems...as for me...after the update my 650 scrolls through my contacts on its own, stops when it gets to the z's...touchscreen periodically quits working, trying to align is a nightmare....when I receive a call, it rings once and goes into what seems like vibrate mode only there is no shaking going on....absolutely awful...