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Sunday, April 09, 2006
ActiveSync takes too long with Treo 700w
I ActiveSync via Bluetooth to two PC's. Depending on the number of changes, the Treo 700w takes between 4 and 6 minutes to complete an ActiveSync. A Dell Axim x51v, which is also Windows Mobile 5, takes between 45 seconds and a minute an a half. An iPAQ 4155 (Pocket PC 2003) takes between 25 seconds and 40 seconds to complete an ActiveSync. In all time tests, the devices were placed close enough to the PC to ensure the signal strength meter in the PC Bluetooth Connection Status showed a good signal reading.
Both the Dell x51v and iPAQ 4155 have bigger memories than the Treo 700w; therefore they have more files in memory. I can understand the Dell taking longer than the iPAQ due to the slower persistent memory in the x51v. However, the ActiveSync times for the Treo 700w are unacceptable. For most of the ActiveSync process, the message "Looking for Changes" is displayed.
I talked to Palm Tech Support about the long ActiveSync times. The tech rep told me Palm was working on a system update for the Treo 700w (no ETA yet), and the system update may reduce the ActiveSync time. Hopefully, the system update will fix other issues as well.
Update posted April 15, 2006
The Treo 700w creates a multitude of zero byte files and places them in the Windows\Temp folder. After a short time, the number of files can exceed a thousand. These zero byte files slow down the ActiveSync process significantly. If you delete the zero byte files from the Windows\Temp folder, you will significantly reduce the time the "Looking for changes" message is displayed. My Treo 700w was taking 5 minutes or more to finish an ActiveSync before deleting the zero byte files. After deleting the zero byte files, the ActiveSync's averaged a minute, quite a substantial reduction. I checked my Dell Axim x51v, another Windows Mobile 5 device, and there were no zero byte files in the Windows\Temp folder. Evidently this is a Treo 700w problem, not a Windows Mobile 5 problem. ¶ 3:15 AM
I ActiveSync via Bluetooth to two PC's. Depending on the number of changes, the Treo 700w takes between 4 and 6 minutes to complete an ActiveSync. A Dell Axim x51v, which is also Windows Mobile 5, takes between 45 seconds and a minute an a half. An iPAQ 4155 (Pocket PC 2003) takes between 25 seconds and 40 seconds to complete an ActiveSync. In all time tests, the devices were placed close enough to the PC to ensure the signal strength meter in the PC Bluetooth Connection Status showed a good signal reading.
Both the Dell x51v and iPAQ 4155 have bigger memories than the Treo 700w; therefore they have more files in memory. I can understand the Dell taking longer than the iPAQ due to the slower persistent memory in the x51v. However, the ActiveSync times for the Treo 700w are unacceptable. For most of the ActiveSync process, the message "Looking for Changes" is displayed.
I talked to Palm Tech Support about the long ActiveSync times. The tech rep told me Palm was working on a system update for the Treo 700w (no ETA yet), and the system update may reduce the ActiveSync time. Hopefully, the system update will fix other issues as well.
Update posted April 15, 2006
The Treo 700w creates a multitude of zero byte files and places them in the Windows\Temp folder. After a short time, the number of files can exceed a thousand. These zero byte files slow down the ActiveSync process significantly. If you delete the zero byte files from the Windows\Temp folder, you will significantly reduce the time the "Looking for changes" message is displayed. My Treo 700w was taking 5 minutes or more to finish an ActiveSync before deleting the zero byte files. After deleting the zero byte files, the ActiveSync's averaged a minute, quite a substantial reduction. I checked my Dell Axim x51v, another Windows Mobile 5 device, and there were no zero byte files in the Windows\Temp folder. Evidently this is a Treo 700w problem, not a Windows Mobile 5 problem. ¶ 3:15 AM
