February 2007
First Look: Palm Treo 680
In the world of smart phones, Palm's Treo line is solidly business class, serving a serious medley of handheld-organizer,
e-mail, and data features to its enterprise users, at enterprise prices, too ($350 and up, with two-year contracts and rebates).
But the company's new Treo 680 aims for a much different--and much larger--target audience: consumers with organizing and
e-mail needs that go beyond the capabilities of the typical cell phone.
Other cell-phone makers have already churned out slimmer, more affordable smart phones for the masses, led by Blackberry's Pearl , Motorola's Q, and Samsung's Black Jack. Nevertheless, here's first look at an important new smart phone from an important player.
The phone's available from AT&T Wireless (formerly Cingular), or unlocked directly from Palm (www.palm.com). It's $450 for the phone alone, $200 with two-year service contract. Plans cost $20 to $40 per month for data. Voice service costs extra.
HIGHS
Intuitive, timesaving controls. The 680's proven Palm interface allows access in a single button press to critical functions such as phone, calendar, messaging, and the home menu. There's also a switch on the phone for putting the 680 into silent mode, and you can program keys for shortcuts to frequently used contacts and applications.
Touch Screen. The Treo 680's 2.5-inch (diagonal) screen is touch-sensitive, further slashing the number of presses needed to accomplish tasks.
Full Qwerty keypad. Some smart phones, such as the Blackberry Pearl, try to save space by squeezing more than one letter on some keys, which can slow you down when entering text. But the Treo 680 has a key for every character, though keys are close together.
Full document access. Some consumer-focused smart phones don't let you edit Office documents, even those that run on the Windows Mobile operating system. But like higher-priced Palms, the 680 has VersaMail for e-mail and Documents To Go for documents and spreadsheets. You can open native Word and Excel files in Docs To Go, and you can download, edit, and send Word and Excel file attachments using either of those applications. You can even view native Adobe PDF files.
XPress Mail, another e-mail application from AT&T, works with both personal and corporate e-mail networks and forwards e-mail to the 680 in real time (as opposed to the extra time required with VersaMail's manual synching). XPress Mail is free with the $40 unlimited data plan, or it costs an additional $5 per month with lower-cost plans.
Lots of connectivity options. The 680 has a Bluetooth radio for use with wireless headsets. But it can also sync with Bluetooth-enabled computers, printers, and phones. There's also an infrared port for connecting with an older PDA and other devices.
It's Mac-compatible. Many cell phones ignore Mac owners. But the Treo 680 includes desktop synchronization software for both Windows and Mac computers.
LOWS
It's a brick. At 4.4x2.4x0.9 inches (HxWxD) and 5.5 ounces, the 680 is about 10 percent thinner and lighter than the higher-end 700 series. The Treo trademark "nub" antenna is now completely internal, which further streamlines the 680. But despite these refinements, the Treo 680 is still much thicker and heavier than many competitors.
Slow network access. The Treo 680 uses AT&T's EDGE network, whose transmission speeds are several times slower than the EV-DO network available to Verizon and Sprint users. That often means sluggish Web browsing and long waits for e-mails with large attachments.
Low-res camera. In an age when even free phones come equipped with 1- and 1.3-megapixel cameras, the Treo 680's camera, which has lower VGA resolution, was a disappointment. But at least it has an SD/MMC card slot (for up to 2 gigabytes of removable storage), and pocket tunes music player with streaming audio.
Short battery life. Palm claims 4 hours of talk time and up to 12.5 days standby. That's on the brief side for a GSM phone.
Other quibbles. The Treo comes with a CD that includes a PDF of the user's guide. But a phone this complicated should come with a hard copy of the manual as well. Moreover, the headset connector is in an awkward place--at the base. Technically, the Treo 680 is available in four colors (arctic, copper, graphite, and crimson). But AT&T offers only the graphite model. You'll have to buy the phone directly from Palm if you want the other colors.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Palm Treo 680 crams an impressive number of premium controls and features into an affordable package. Its handheld-organizer functions are hard to beat, and its phone performance should also be strong, if past Treo tests are any indication. If high prices have been keeping you from owning a Treo, the 680 should be a good deal. That is, if you don't plan to e-mail large files and you don't mind the low-res camera. But its bulky case and stodgy design might one day embarrass you as slimmer, sleeker smart phones, including the Apple iPhone, continue to roll off other makers' assembly lines.
Other cell-phone makers have already churned out slimmer, more affordable smart phones for the masses, led by Blackberry's Pearl , Motorola's Q, and Samsung's Black Jack. Nevertheless, here's first look at an important new smart phone from an important player.
The phone's available from AT&T Wireless (formerly Cingular), or unlocked directly from Palm (www.palm.com). It's $450 for the phone alone, $200 with two-year service contract. Plans cost $20 to $40 per month for data. Voice service costs extra.
HIGHS
Intuitive, timesaving controls. The 680's proven Palm interface allows access in a single button press to critical functions such as phone, calendar, messaging, and the home menu. There's also a switch on the phone for putting the 680 into silent mode, and you can program keys for shortcuts to frequently used contacts and applications.
Touch Screen. The Treo 680's 2.5-inch (diagonal) screen is touch-sensitive, further slashing the number of presses needed to accomplish tasks.
Full Qwerty keypad. Some smart phones, such as the Blackberry Pearl, try to save space by squeezing more than one letter on some keys, which can slow you down when entering text. But the Treo 680 has a key for every character, though keys are close together.
Full document access. Some consumer-focused smart phones don't let you edit Office documents, even those that run on the Windows Mobile operating system. But like higher-priced Palms, the 680 has VersaMail for e-mail and Documents To Go for documents and spreadsheets. You can open native Word and Excel files in Docs To Go, and you can download, edit, and send Word and Excel file attachments using either of those applications. You can even view native Adobe PDF files.
XPress Mail, another e-mail application from AT&T, works with both personal and corporate e-mail networks and forwards e-mail to the 680 in real time (as opposed to the extra time required with VersaMail's manual synching). XPress Mail is free with the $40 unlimited data plan, or it costs an additional $5 per month with lower-cost plans.
Lots of connectivity options. The 680 has a Bluetooth radio for use with wireless headsets. But it can also sync with Bluetooth-enabled computers, printers, and phones. There's also an infrared port for connecting with an older PDA and other devices.
It's Mac-compatible. Many cell phones ignore Mac owners. But the Treo 680 includes desktop synchronization software for both Windows and Mac computers.
LOWS
It's a brick. At 4.4x2.4x0.9 inches (HxWxD) and 5.5 ounces, the 680 is about 10 percent thinner and lighter than the higher-end 700 series. The Treo trademark "nub" antenna is now completely internal, which further streamlines the 680. But despite these refinements, the Treo 680 is still much thicker and heavier than many competitors.
Slow network access. The Treo 680 uses AT&T's EDGE network, whose transmission speeds are several times slower than the EV-DO network available to Verizon and Sprint users. That often means sluggish Web browsing and long waits for e-mails with large attachments.
Low-res camera. In an age when even free phones come equipped with 1- and 1.3-megapixel cameras, the Treo 680's camera, which has lower VGA resolution, was a disappointment. But at least it has an SD/MMC card slot (for up to 2 gigabytes of removable storage), and pocket tunes music player with streaming audio.
Short battery life. Palm claims 4 hours of talk time and up to 12.5 days standby. That's on the brief side for a GSM phone.
Other quibbles. The Treo comes with a CD that includes a PDF of the user's guide. But a phone this complicated should come with a hard copy of the manual as well. Moreover, the headset connector is in an awkward place--at the base. Technically, the Treo 680 is available in four colors (arctic, copper, graphite, and crimson). But AT&T offers only the graphite model. You'll have to buy the phone directly from Palm if you want the other colors.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Palm Treo 680 crams an impressive number of premium controls and features into an affordable package. Its handheld-organizer functions are hard to beat, and its phone performance should also be strong, if past Treo tests are any indication. If high prices have been keeping you from owning a Treo, the 680 should be a good deal. That is, if you don't plan to e-mail large files and you don't mind the low-res camera. But its bulky case and stodgy design might one day embarrass you as slimmer, sleeker smart phones, including the Apple iPhone, continue to roll off other makers' assembly lines.
