I love my Treo 650. Having owned the majority of Palm models that have been released, I find the 650 to be the most useful of any that have come before it (my opinion, of course). I subscribe to the Verizon Wireless Unlimited Data plan and, although I wish it was less expensive, I do believe that I get my money’s worth from this plan.
There are times, however, when I wish I had WiFi access. My school has WiFi access points throughout the building and we are in a location where cell phone coverage is spotty in the outdoors and nearly non-existent in a steel-framed building such as a school. It is for this reason that I’ve been interested in Enfora’s WiFi sled for the Treo. Using an SD card device would be problematic on the Treo due to the small amount of memory that Palm chose to place on board. Using PowerRun most of my applications and all of my data files, MP3 files, etc. reside on my 2gb SD card. The sled is the best WiFi option for me.
Upon release of the sled, I immediately ordered one. It worked great for a day, but after a major heat issue, it no longer worked. It was returned for a refund and everyone was out of stock for nearly a month thereafter. When the units were again available I replaced my order. It arrived two days later and does indeed work as advertised. NOTE: There is a firmware and software upgrade available on the Enfora website so you may want to take a look there.
The sled comes with a new battery cover for the 650. It is the blue color that is on the Treos of some providers and not the silver that is found on the Verizon models. Likewise the sled is this same blue color. Not my favorite, but since I don’t often look at the back, it is not a major detractor for me.
Having used an Enfora portfolio for earlier Palms, I was very familiar with the function of the software for the sled. A nice feature that I noticed was a scan function which serves to seek out available WiFi networks within range. While recently at a hotel for a conference, this was helpful in determining the logon method.
The unit has a timeout function if no data is transmitted after a certain time period. During normal use, this did not create a problem for me. The sled has its own battery and, when combined with the long life battery on the Treo provides plenty of time to do email, blogging, or web surfing. When the sled is connected to the Treo, the charger will charge the batteries of both the sled and the Treo. This will save the need for an additional charger while traveling.
The speed is noticeably faster than Verizon’s National Access. This is obvious when downloading files or web surfing. I’ve used it around my house for the weekend and had very good coverage with my WiFi network. In my office and school setting, it eliminates the network drops that I had with National Access due to the limited cell coverage mentioned previously.
Some of the online software that has successfully been tested with the Enfora WiFi Sled for the Treo include: Blazer, SnapperMail, QuickNews, TreoAlarm, Directory Assist, Audible Air, and more. Basically, every online package I’ve tried works with the sled. One of the nice surprises was MobiTV. It does indeed work with the sled. When the sled is on and connected, MobiTV does not attempt to access Verizon’s National Access. I’m not sure what would happen if I was not a subscriber to National Access, but I felt this was a definite plus in having one of the news channels in this service available at all times in my office or home.
After a week of testing, this is a device that will prove useful on my Treo. It will fill in the connectivity gaps that I currently have. While it makes my Treo larger in size, I was interested to see how it really compared to other phones. In the past I’ve used a Motorola TimePort 270c with the Bluetooth add-on. Placed side by side, the Motorola was about the same thickness and length. My Treo, however, with the Enfora sled provides a much greater level of service and functionality than my 270c could ever hope to provide.
For me, the Enfora WiFi Sled is a keeper.
--Kraig D. Pritts, Associate Writer (Windsor, NY, US)
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