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The Treo 680 Gets Updated

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Yep, it's here.

What's in it?
This software update provides device enhancements including improved Bluetooth® wireless performance for some headsets and car kits, audio quality, and media file functionality in Messaging. In addition, you'll get brand new features such as Push To Talk, for walkie-talkie functionality, and Microsoft's Direct Push Technology to get your latest email, appointments, and contacts sent directly to you, and more.

* Push to Talk – With Push to Talk, you can use your Treo 680 like a walkie-talkie to talk to one person or a group of up to 29. A quick glance at your smartphone shows whether family, friends, and coworkers are available to talk before you call.
* Corporate email as it arrives – Have your corporate email delivered to you with Microsoft® Direct Push Technology. Accept or decline meeting invites on the go and have your work calendar updated automatically. With the ability to access your company directory wirelessly, you can quickly address an email to a colleague just by typing a few letters.
* IM on your Treo smartphone – Access your instant messaging service from AOL, Windows Live Messenger, or Yahoo! A tabbed graphical Mobile IM interface makes it easy to log in to your instant messaging accounts and quickly switch between IM communities3.
* Easy access to additional services – Easily access extra services on your Treo smartphone such as TeleNav GPS Navigator and MobiTV for watching live TV4.
* Power saving enhancements – Helps conserve battery life with improved power management and updated default system power preferences.
* Supports larger expansion cards – Carry more of your work, music, photos, and other files, with support for up to 4GB SD expansion cards (including the SDHC format), sold separately.
* Enhanced ringtone support – MP3 and other sound files purchased from the web or sent from friends can now be set as ringtones and alerts. Supported ringtone formats include MP3, AAC, AAC+, MIDI, WAV, and AMR.
* Cingular, now the new AT&T – You’ll notice updated graphics reflecting the new AT&T branding, including a new look for the Xpress Mail application.
* Three updates in one – This update incorporates three previously released software updates: Treo 680 Camera Update (January 2007), Daylight Saving Time Update (February 2007), and Treo 680 Software Update 1.09 (May 2007).

Trying it now...

UPDATE: Well, after several false starts and the installer hanging, the upgrade is complete.

The good news:
- The apps are all installed
- The IM support is stunning: all three major IM services, with a slick interface to tab between them, and you can even leave it running while you make calls, etc.
- The Push To Talk functionality is all there.
- Haven't been able to figure out how to use MP3's as ringtones yet, as it does not seem to recognize them on the SD card. Installing them to the Palm now, thanks to Filez.
- Overall performance seems a bit more sporty, especially when recovering from a soft reset.

The bad news:
- It wiped my Treo clean. Yep, nothing left. However, doing a restore HotSync brought most of it back. I used Resco Backup to restore the rest. Make sure you backup your Treo before you sync.
- There is definitely some lagginess. Sometimes the Treo simply locks, for up to a minute. On playback of MP3's, you get a skip and a stutter every 20 minutes or so.
- Bloatware. I don't want MobiTV. I don't need the TeleNav. Leave those "trial" apps off my ROM, please.

Overall, the functionality outweighs the bad stuff, so I applaud AT&T & Palm for releasing new functionality that dramatically enhances the Treo experience. Well done.
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