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Palm, Inc. has posted a ROM update (1.03) for the Verizon Wireless' Edition of the Treo 650. The new download is not intended for other versions of the smartphone, such as the models offered by Cingular Wireless and Sprint PCS.

Unlike main memory (RAM), ROM (Read Only Memory) retains its contents even when a handheld is turned off. It is where important system files and the operating system are stored.

Available at the Palm support page, the update delivers the latest version of Wireless Sync e-mail application software and modifies internal settings to correct access to

The Verizon Treo 650 already incorporates the NVFS (Non-Volatile File System) fix that rolled out to other carriers via updates. That’s because Verizon launched the Treo 650 later than palmOne's other operator partners.

What Memory Problem?
Palm, at the time palmOne, implemented a non-volatile file system (NVFS) in the Treo 650 because of the strong benefits it provides: preserving data and applications if the battery runs down, and the ability to change the battery on the fly.

By default, Treo 650 NVFS stores each record in rather large 512 byte blocks, greatly reducing the amount of storage available to the user—in a device with a rather limited 32 MB of RAM, a mere 23 MB user-available.

The Sprint and unlocked software updates reduced the overhead for storing database records in the file system. They did so by compacting more than one record into a single 512-byte block. So, in effect, each 512 block was divided into sixteen 32-byte sub blocks, which allowed small and large records to be stored much more efficiently.

As previously mentioned, the Verizon Treo 650 did not need its memory system fixed.