OMFG! I am really starting to hate Palm. I’ve been a loyal Palm user since the first PDAs. I’m at my wits end. I recently installed the Treo 700w 1.22 update on my Verizon handset, and its got even more bugs than the phone had before! I paid something like $600 for this phone when it came out, and instead of improving the phone, with every update they have made it worse. Palm has now taken down the 1.22 Update because so many users are having issues. There is no ETA on when a fix willbe released, if ever.

For the benefit of anybody who may have already upgraded their Treo to version 1.22 I’ll give you some resources to check on some of the issues involved with the update. After that, I will go on my rant lambasting Palm.

From Palm’s announcement about the recall of the update:

We have temporarily taken down the Verizon Wireless Treo 700w/wx updater as a result of reports from customers who have experienced data network connectivity issues after installing the software update on their devices.

The issue is caused by a device setting that affects connectivity to the Verizon Wireless network under certain situations and only occurs on devices that have installed the updater. Users receive an error message and typically can reconnect to the data network after a short period of time. This data connectivity issue does not affect the device or personal data in any other way.

Treo 700w/wx users on Verizon Wireless experiencing this issue will see the following error messages more frequently:

• Page Cannot Be Displayed
• Answering Modem is Disconnected
• No Modem at Above Number

We are currently working on delivering a solution and will repost the updaters as soon as they are available. If you would like to be notified by email when the updaters are available, please submit your email address. Thank you for your patience.

The main issue with the 1.22 update appears to be difficulty connecting to the EVDO data service. I have experienced this problem since updating my phone. Most of the time when I try to connect to the data service I get the error:

Dialed #777 – No modem at above number. To check your connection settings and change them if needed, tap settings.

I can usually reconnect to the EVDO network if I turn off my phone (by holding down the red power button) and turning it back on. It’s a real pain in the ass when 9 out of 10 times you try to connect it doesn’t work.

Another issue appears to be that my speaker phone volume is about 1/2 as loud as it usually is. It is so quiet now it makes the speaker phone function virtually worthless. Also, my voicemail indicator wont go away even though I have checked and erased all of my voicemail messages…quite annoying.

It appears that other issues people are having include IrDA not working, WIFI SDIO cards not working, and more. Check out the forums over at treocentral.com for more discussion about the issues people are having.

Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for…a Rant against Palm and other manufacturers who screw early adopters and use consumers as beta testers for expensive products:

I have been an early adopter of various gadget technologies for over a decade. Unfortunately being an early adopter has become synonymous with “Chump”. I get excited over new technologies and try to find ways to incorporate them into my lifestyle. But the companies that release these technologies seem to think that they can release half-assed products and expect people to flock to them like flies on shit. Worst yet, is when a major problem does arise the company doesn’t communicate with consumers about those issues. A prime example of this is the thread on Palm’s own forum about the 1.22 firmware upgrade issues, Palm doesn’t even have the decency to reply to customers about their concerns.

I for one am sick of spending hundreds of dollars on products that don’t work as advertised.