Treo – I first used a preproduction Treo at the end of the 2001 and wrote my first review in the January of 2002. It wasn’t the first device to merge a Palm OS handheld with a phone but it was arguably the first device that did it well enough to be used on a regular basis. Treo bucked the trend at the time by eschewing multimedia features; there was neither movie-clip playback nor MP3 audio support. Rather, it targeted business users, merging voice and data with personal information management functions and it did it well. Other devices of the era tried to integrate these functions, but they failed because they tried to add either telephony features to PDAs or organizer features to phones and neither approach worked well. Treo was the first device that successfully merged features in harmony, producing a sum that was greater than its parts.

Things that we take advantage today were part of the Treo experience. Flip it open and your speed-dial list was ready to be used. Tap a few keys and you could instantly find the contact you wished to call. All the familiar Palm applications including an e-mail client, Handspring’s Blazer Web browser and an SMS application were present. Take a look at the iPhone’s dialer and you’ll see the direct descendent of the work Handspring did a decade ago. Treo no longer defines state of the art but most devices that are state of the art today would not be here without Handspring’s efforts and the smartphone you might dread to leave behind is the direct heir to the original Treo.

TiVo – It quietly changed television – and how many of us watch TV today? – but it took a lot to get the mass market to understand the value. We called it the TiVo paradox. It was how you explained something that so many users appreciated and were excited about, but that still sold in relatively few numbers. So what’s the reason for the TiVo paradox? TiVo’s by themselves were not “killer applications”. In fact, there’s a multitude of features in TiVo that are totally contextual, that at a given moment in time BECOME the killer app. Want to pause TV when the phone rings? That was the killer app at that moment. Recording a show using an EPG to simply search for it? That was the killer app at that moment. Skipping commercials when you watch recorded content? That was the killer app at that moment.

Contextual functionality ONLY comes together when you get to see the whole, not a piece or part. When you see only pieces, you just get a very expensive VCR not a DVR. And that’s the moniker TiVo was stuck with for many years, an expensive VCR. The reality is that TiVo and later DVRs totally changed the way many of use consume TV and it’s quickly become on the of those indispensable phenomena.

GPS – Whether it was integrated into your vehicle at the turn of the century at a cost of thousands of dollars or an external unit that might have cost only a few hundred, the GPS totally changed the way many of us drive. Whether we took to the streets with a gas station map, or later Mapquest directions, the GPS forever changed how we got from point a to point b. Today, a full functioned GPS might be well under a $100 purchase and if you’re using a phone from Nokia or Google, that feature has now trended down to free. Like watching a TV with no DVR, I find it hard to drive a car with no navigation system but I discover that GPS has come indeed at a price. Once upon a time, if I drove to a new place (with directions) I found that I could easily get back there anytime in the future. The route was now part of my repertoire. With the GPS assisted driving, not so much anymore. I find that I’m paying more attention only to where the next turn is and not the route as a whole. I may be getting to where I’m going better than ever before but I feel less smarter about it overall.

Kodak DC120 digital camera – It wasn’t the first digital camera. Both Apple, Casio and others had models in the market well before Kodak. But the DC120 was a very special camera in 1997. It was the first consumer 1MP digital camera priced below $1,000. It was no paragon of style with a binocular look and a 3X zoom lens, but also had an optical viewfinder and a color LCD. Crossing the magic 1MP threshold at that price meant for the first time consumers could begin to take photographs and print them out with near film-like quality at sizes up to 5×7. The DC120 wouldn’t hold itself well to the most of the cameras integrated into today’s phones but it helped start a revolution for consumers that ultimately paved the way from analog to digital.

iPod –The first MP3 players I used changed the way I listened to music under certain circumstances. Going to the gym, for example, with a Creative RIO was a fantastic experience that let you take a solid workout’s worth of music in a device a fraction of the size of a cassette player. It was the iPod, though, that helped me rediscover music. When the iPod came out, I felt intuitively that there was more to this product than met the eye. Among the first research projects I did in 2002 at Jupiter Research was to understand what about the iPod was special.

It turned out the iPod balanced three critical features for users: battery life/form factor/sync and capacity. It didn’t have the “best” of those features but it had the best balance of them. Mapping into what was the average size of a consumer’s digital music collection of the era, fitting easily into a pocket and able to sync 1,000 songs in minutes not hours (or days) separated the iPod from the pack. There’s of course much more to this story but the bottom line is iPod brought digital music to the masses and personally helped me rediscover music I’d already owned and neglected.

Those are the five archetypical gadgets that make up the digital world that I value most. While none of them would likely be good enough to use by today’s standards, they each set the tone for a revolution in their space. What are the five gadgets that matter most to you, whose modern equivalents you’d be loath to give up?

Update: Palm speaks – after the cut

“Palm’s two smartphones will be delayed as Compal is waiting for Qualcomm’s new chipset solutions that will enable better performance.” Commercial Times report

That, combined with doubts that Compal are even the contracted ODM to produce the Palm Pre, suggest that there’s no reason to believe the next-gen smartphone is delayed.  In fact, Compal were rumored to be responsible for production of Palm’s Windows Mobile devices – a segment the company stated in their recent Sprint Q&A that they would be running concurrently with webOS development – which could tip a delay for the Palm Treo Pro.

The report’s blame of Qualcomm chipsets, too, makes it doubtful that the devices impacted include the Pre; Palm have confirmed that the Pre will use a Texas Instruments chip.  As for the Motorola rumor, that concerns the Alexander handset – which Motorola is believed to have canceled – and the already-shipping A3100 which the company is believed to have reduced its order for.

Update: Palm has denied that the Pre is facing any delay (though not commented on any other smartphone in their lineup or schedule), just as we thought would be the case.  More here.

[via My Pre]

For the Treo Pro, Treo-Pro.com Accessories online store offer an entire list of accessories; everything from Treo Pro backup batteries to car accessories, chargers, cables, headphones, cradles, bluetooth accessories, and much more. The list goes on and on, but basically, the primary purposes of Treo Pro accessories are to add functionality, such as where you can use it and what you can use it with, make some features easier to use, and extend the use of the Treo Pro.

Take a look at the competition. If a QWERTY keyboard is a priority, the BlackBerry Bold delivers a more spacious one together with more WiFi support (a/b/g compared to the Treo Pro’s b/g), a higher resolution screen (480 x 320 versus the Treo Pro’s 320 x 320) and nifty trackball navigation. If you’re looking for a combination of simplicity and features, Apple’s iPhone 3G literally roasts the Treo Pro. With a slick, capacitive touchscreen, already legendary user-friendliness and fresh enterprise support, the iPhone 3G makes the Treo Pro look like an anachronism.

The Windows Mobile smartphone market has accelerated over the past few months. HTC, always a strong player, has delivered two knock-out touchscreen handsets in the shape of the Touch Diamond and the QWERTY-blessed Touch Pro. Not only do they deliver on functionality, they also have HTC’s brilliant TouchFLO 3D that banishes clunky WM6.1 underneath a gesture and finger-friendly GUI. Samsung’s Omnia, when it reaches the US with official 3G support, will be a popular seller among both the business and home users Palm is so desperate to court: however the Omnia’s metal casing, haptic feedback and TouchWiz GUI put the Treo Pro into the shade.  Finally, lets not forget Android Platform – it’s going to eat Palm’s lunch hands down.

Palm had a chance after the Treo 800w. They could have read the reviews, listened to the feedback, and recognized that its users were no longer satisfied with a slight case redesign around the same old sad Treo. What they’ve delivered with the Treo Pro is a laughable mixture of predictable hardware, little attempt to commercialize Windows Mobile and an almost arrogant assumption that the Palm name will blind users to the fact that they lost their mojo three generations of smartphone ago.

Right now, customers are rightly expecting revolution, not evolution. The iPhone shook up the market, and the iPhone 3G shook it a bit harder: HTC, Samsung, RIM and the others have stepped up and delivered their own twist on what makes a smartphone. In comparison, the Treo Pro is a smartphone by numbers, and the most insulting number is the price: $549 unlocked. The one lesson we thought the company had learned – from its pile ‘em high, sell ‘em cheap Centro – it squandered.

Wake up and smell the smartphones, Palm. Software delays, mediocre hardware… perhaps it’s time you put the Treo out to pasture.  That being said, this concludes my final article pertaining to Palm and any future related products by the company.

ROM is 256MB and RAM 128MB; memory can be augmented by microSDHC cards up to 32GB in size.  There’s also a 2-megapixel camera, standard 3.5mm headphone socket and a microUSB connector.

Palm will be selling the device unlocked in the US, priced at a not-inconsiderable $549, and available in the Fall.  It will be priced from free to €399 in the UK on Vodafone and O2, and from free in Australia through Telstra, once it launches in those regions in September.

Press Release:

Treo Pro Smartphone by Palm Balances Simplicity and Productivity in a Streamlined Design for Business Professionals

Treo Pro Empowers Mobile Work Force With Windows Mobile 6.1 and
Palm Shortcuts

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Aug 20, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today introduced Treo(TM) Pro, an effortlessly usable smartphone for businesses that want to simplify their IT infrastructures and lower costs, and for users who want to stay on top of their professional and personal lives. With its streamlined design and Palm(R) shortcuts layered on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, Treo Pro is a unique combination of sleek simplicity and robust productivity — including email, Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities(1) — that meets the needs of businesses and end users alike. Treo Pro, which will be available from Vodafone and O2 in Europe(2) and from Telstra in Australia, also will be available in an unlocked version in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.

“Businesses want the control and savings that Windows Mobile affords, in an innovative and elegant package that keeps their users happy. That’s where Palm comes in,” said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer, Palm, Inc. “Everything about Treo Pro — from the hardware design to the packaging and accessories — embodies the elegant and simplified end-to-end experience that our customers expect from Palm.”

The Treo Pro smartphone lets IT managers support an increasingly mobile work force with the ease of use and robust feature set business professionals demand. Besides the benefits of lower costs and increased productivity, Treo Pro can deliver the increased security, easier device management and access to information on the corporate network that Windows Mobile 6.1 provides.

Users can quickly respond to business and personal email, access the web, stay on top of appointments and contacts, and use Wi-Fi or GPS on the go.(1) Treo Pro’s thin design blends a flush, high-resolution color touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard with a removable battery that packs up to five hours of talk time and enough strength for the business user’s needs, offering a powerful yet effortless mobile experience.

“I’m really happy with Treo Pro — it’s a technology leap from a device design and capability standpoint, enhancing Palm’s presence in the Windows Mobile realm,” said Wasif Malik, senior systems consultant, Student Educational Services & Mobile Solutions, Ohio State University Medical Center. “It’s cleverly designed for Windows Mobile, with a large touch screen, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and all the productivity applications for Windows Mobile 6 in a much thinner design.”

Palm Experience on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional

The Treo Pro smartphone, based on the popular Windows Mobile platform, helps optimize business processes by effortlessly mobilizing users with enhancements to the Windows Mobile 6.1 platform, including:

– One-touch Wi-Fi button — Easy, fast Wi-Fi connection experience (802.11b/g).(1)

– Today screen enhancements — Web search directly from the Today screen.

– Ringer switch — Silences the device immediately.

– Screen saver — Lets users know at a glance — without turning on the device — what time it is and whether they’ve missed a call or have a new SMS/MMS message.

– New voicemail indicator — The center button flashes to let users know that a voicemail is waiting.(3)

– Dedicated email and calendar buttons — Fast one-button access.

“Windows Mobile is delivering mobile solutions that help businesses address the changing competitive landscape,” said Andrew Lees, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business. “The Treo Pro smartphone brings together a powerful combination of Palm’s feature innovations and Windows Mobile 6.1, providing access to the information people need when away from the office.”

Lower Costs, Increased Productivity

With Treo Pro, businesses can quickly and easily deploy a secure, low-cost and compatible infrastructure for their mobile workforce by taking advantage of a tightly integrated Palm and Windows Mobile 6.1 solution, including:

– Microsoft Direct Push Technology(4) — Direct connection to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or 2007 gives users up-to-date email, contacts and calendars.

– Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 — With the deployment of Mobile Device Manager, the Treo Pro can deliver increased security, easier smartphone management, and access to information on the corporate network. IT professionals can confidently manage large Treo Pro deployments.

– Thousands of applications available for Windows Mobile — Businesses can extend mobility beyond email to optimize business processes.

– World phone — With high-speed UMTS/HSDPA network capabilities(5), Treo Pro is a sleek world phone that’s ideal for companies with an international work force.

– Integrated GPS — Users can access maps, turn-by-turn directions and point-of-interest (POI) searches.(1)

– Support and training — Palm shortcuts make Treo Pro so easy to use, businesses can spend less on training and support for their users. End-to-end enterprise support means companies can expand the scope of their mobile deployments without putting a strain on internal support personnel.

– Familiar Windows experience — Users can browse the web with built-in Internet Explorer Mobile; open, view, and edit Word and Excel compatible files; review PowerPoint presentations and PDF files; and open ZIP files remotely.

Pricing and Availability

Treo Pro will be available in September in Europe(2) through Vodafone (from free to EUR 399 with contract) and O2 (pricing is available from O2 direct sales and online business stores), and in Australia through Telstra (from free with contract). It will be available in the United States in the fall through the Palm online store (http://www.palm.com/store) as well as select Internet, retail and enterprise resellers for a suggested retail price of $549. The U.S. version is unlocked and unsubsidized, giving end users the flexibility to simply insert their existing active SIM card and immediately start using their Treo Pro without a new contract.

Detailed regional pricing is available from local resellers and distributors. Additional Treo Pro availability is scheduled to follow worldwide.

The Treo Pro smartphone comes with an international power charger, microUSB cable and a stereo headset (3.5mm). Other accessories designed exclusively for Treo Pro (sold separately) include a vehicle power charger, leather side case, travel microUSB cable, cradle, extra battery, TTY audio adapter, and replacement styli.

More information about the Treo Pro smartphone is available at www.palm.com/TreoPro

Click over to watch the demo video and see more images

For the Treo Pro, Treo-Pro.com Accessories online store offer an entire list of accessories; everything from Treo Pro backup batteries to car accessories, chargers, cables, headphones, cradles, bluetooth accessories, and much more. The list goes on and on, but basically, the primary purposes of Treo Pro accessories are to add functionality, such as where you can use it and what you can use it with, make some features easier to use, and extend the use of the Treo Pro.

Update: Palm and the Treo Pro: my farewell to you

Based on earlier leaks, we learned that the Treo Pro will also feature a 3.5mm headphone socket, 320×320 pixel display, microUSB connector (rather than Palm’s previous proprietary connector), and is rumored to sport a 400MHz processor with performance described as “snappy”.  Memory was given as 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM.

The price and date of availability is still unknown. Related Treo Pro articles here, here and more live pictures here.

Treo Pro Smartphone demo

The Treo Pro is now believed to have a 400MHz processor – with performance described as “snappy” – 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM.  The navigationally impaired will be pleased to hear that GPS is included, together with triband 3G and quadband GSM for worldwide use. 

Best of all, given our criticism in the recent Treo 800w review, is the inclusion of a microUSB port for recharging and hooking up to a computer.  It’s about time that Palm junked their proprietary connector.  More details over at PHONE Magazine.

Other specs include WiFi, a 3.5mm headphone socket, MicroUSB connector and MicroSD slot for memory cards.  The casing appears to be much slicker than previous Treos, with the design an evolution of the Centro and the recent Treo 800w.

The QWERTY keyboard looks to be a development of that on the Centro, rather than the bowed ‘board of the 800w.  No other details have been leaked, but this could certainly satisfy some of the complaints we had in our 800w review.

[via WMExperts]

As for grown-up notebooks, Intel finally made the Centrino 2 platform official, and with it the promise of not only faster processors but native draft-N WiFi support and longer battery life.  In fact this week the company had plenty to be pleased about, as they soundly thrashed arch-rival AMD with their Q2 2008 financial performance.

One manufacturer with new Centrino 2 machines in their line-up is Sony, and we spent some hands-on time with the new VAIO range at the beginning of the week.  As for reviews, this week we looked at VTech’s IS6110 instant messenger DECT phone (and came away less than massively impressed) as well as Palm’s new 3G Treo 800w (which was, frankly, equally disappointing).

In gaming, we summarised Microsoft’s new Xbox Experience as well as the news that Sony has a new, 80GB PS3 in the works for a September release.  Activision also gave us some good news regarding Rock Band instruments and their compatibility with Guitar Hero.

Filed under “what took them so long”, Apple finally got around to taking OS X clone manufacturer Psystar to court over accusations of trademark and copyright infringement as well as violation of its EULA.  Some wondered if the Cupertino company had bitten off more than it bargained for, however; not from a strong rebuttal from Psystar but from the possibility that Apple will be forced to licence out its software.  Also in the courts, ATI and NVIDIA faced more unpleasant evidence as part of the price-fixing class action against them.

Finally, chumps-of-the-week award goes to AT&T, for their on-again, off-again iPhone WiFi farce.  After several rounds of confirming and denying over complementary wireless for the first-gen iPhone, the carrier has once again “accidentally” announced and then withdrawn the offer for the iPhone 3G (of which in excess of one million were sold over the weekend, with stock delays stretching into weeks).  Incidentally, you can read SlashGear’s review of the iPhone 3G here.

Regular readers may have noticed a flip back from the video Week in Review; we’re reworking staff here at SlashGear, and frankly you wouldn’t want to see my ugly face!  We’re hoping to return to the video format in the near future, so keep reading!

Back when it was first tipped the 800w faced stiff competition; six months later, with queues still stretching around the block for Apple’s latest iPhone 3G, the market is positively solid.  The Treo may be the first touchscreen Windows Mobile 6.1 handset in Sprint’s line-up, but look to other networks and there are plenty to choose from.  HTC have recently made their own stand in the segment with the Touch Diamond and Touch Pro while Sony Ericsson have their XPERIA X1 on the horizon, and meanwhile Nokia are prepping the new S60 Touch OS for their own iPhone rivals.

Palm’s gambit is a QWERTY keyboard equipped candybar with a 320 x 320 touchscreen, EvDO Rev.A, WiFi b/g, Bluetooth and GPS, running Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro.  The case design is an evolution, rather than a revolution, of previous Treos, with the usual hard-button keyboard topped by a new shortcut cluster.  In fact, shortcut buttons are obviously top of Palm’s to-do list; the 800w has a new customizable side-button as well as a new one-touch WiFi shortcut key on the top.

Under the hood there’s 256MB of user memory and 128B of program memory, which is relatively healthy; Palm preinstall the usual gathering of mobile Office apps, and Sprint add their own Navigation and TV software.  Round the back lurks a rather mediocre 2-megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom and video capture.

In use, the 800w is relatively speedy, flicking between WM6.1 apps quickly and handling reasonable multitasking without unduly slowing.  The keyboard is little changed from earlier Treos, and as such shares their usability.  However the touchscreen, being inset somewhat, can be difficult and a little uncomfortable to use.  Coming from a full-touchscreen device such as Sprint’s own Instinct, the 800w seems happier used primarily with its hardware keys.

Palm have finally ditched their proprietary connector in favor of a MicroUSB port.

Using the MicroUSB cable Sprint provide, the Treo can be used as a cellular modem with a laptop.  In fact connectivity is pretty much unfettered, unlike some smartphones, and there’s a broad range of Bluetooth profiles supporting everything from A2DP stereo audio through object exchange to wireless printing.  The battery is a removable 1150 mAh Li-Ion pack, rated as good for 4.5hrs talktime or 200hrs standby; it’s early days in our testing, but unless you hammer the EvDO those seem reasonable – if top end – estimates.

In the end, though, “reasonable” is a word all too readily applied to the Treo 800w.  With an external design that has perhaps moved one step beyond “classic” and into “dated”, the upgraded hardware has trouble capturing the attention it - in parts – deserves.  WiFi and EvDO Rev.A performance are good, with pages loading quickly and push email working exactly as expected, but they’re let down by a touchscreen that pales in comparison to rivals, and a camera that is surpassed by that in most mainstream handsets.  With the exception of a neat home-page app that allows for instant navigation, Palm has left the 800w in pretty much the standard WM6.1 setup, at a time when rivals such as HTC are spending significantly on gentrifying the interface.

It’s a shame, because the carrier services on offer – particularly Sprint Navigation, with turn-by-turn directions and searchable points of interest – are good, and unlimited EvDO Rev.A subscription relatively cheap.  Sprint fought strongly in the contract price wars earlier this year, with their $99.99 “Simply Everything” plan offering unlimited voice, data, text, e-mail, internet access, Sprint TV, Sprint Music, GPS Navigation, Direct Connect and Group Connect.  The carrier deserves a top-notch smartphone to show all that off, an enterprise-friendly Windows Mobile version of the Instinct, and it sadly hasn’t found that in the 800w.

If it had launched closer to the first suggestions of its existence, the Treo might have stood a chance.  There’s still loyalty to the Palm brand out there and, as the success of the Centro has shown, a market for easy to use and reliable smartphones.  Faced with the iPhone 3G, though, and it’s tough to make a decent case in favor of the 800w.  If you’re devoted to Sprint, need the latest version of Windows Mobile and a touchscreen, the 800w is your choice.  Sadly that’s a choice forced by lack of options, rather than anything else.

Click to view full image gallery of the Treo 800w for Sprint Network.

Treo 800w for Sprint unboxing

The Palm Treo 800w is available from Sprint now, priced at $249.99 with a new two year agreement.

It works amazingly well. I truly was impressed, I have a Jawbone sitting around here, and the Palm, in my opinion, worked better than it. Part of that was due to the fact that the Palm headset has easy to use buttons, where as with the Jawbone I had to nearly drive the damn thing into my skull.

The other part comes from the fact that the Palm had better call quality, the Jawbone was a second hand device that I fear may have been mishandled before I got it, so it might have worked better for me out of the box as far as call quality goes, but the Palm’s call quality was amazing, provided I didn’t get too far away from the device. I don’t know what the advertised distance for the Palm headset is, but it worked really well at a range of up to about 15 feet, past that, it still worked, but there would be little clicks.

The battery life is good, I didn’t time it, but I used it moderately for about 3 days and still didn’t have to charge it, I just plugged it in because I thought it might be getting close. Now, onto how it felt to wear it.

Wearing the headset without the ear loop was fine, as long as I was sitting in front of my computer, if I went to actually do anything, it would fall out constantly, it might just be me though, because I can’t even get my iPod ear buds to stay in, but it was comfortable to wear with or without the ear loop. It comes with a few different in-ear gel-pad things for different sized ears, and you can easily switch ears with a simple twist of the ear-pad thing and then put it in the other ear.

Like I said, I liked it, it was easy to use, not heavy, or too large, and it lasted a surprising amount of time. It sounded good, and at about $70 you could do a lot worse, I still don’t like that it doesn’t come with a charger, but as long as you have a Treo or Palm Centro you should be set. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 gears.

Rating:

3.5 out of 5 gears

So lets run through it real quick, it has a QWERTY keyboard, a touchscreen with stylus, a microSD card slot that supports up to 4GB of storage, a 1.3MP camera, and EV-DO. Furthermore its available in multiple colors, has an included messaging app, works with Sprint’s OnDemand service, and all that fits into a 4.3×2.1x.74-inch package.

It runs on Palm’s OS version 5.4.9 so if you are a previous Palm user, it should be at least moderately familiar. Its small, damn small for a smartphone, but they are targeting this device at fat fingered business people that their entire Treo line is targeted at, with a $99 (with 2 year contract) price point for the device, the multiple shiny colors, and the compact size, its clearly targeted at a younger generation with much nimbler fingers. Overall I think the guys who reviewed it liked it so far, they will have more to come after they have had time to better review the device.

Centro on Sprints mobile TV

Centro Unboxing

Palm Centro Review [via OnCentro]

First off is the Treo 755p, not really all that new of a device, but its good, and it clearly aimed at the business people. However the BlackBerry Pearl 2 or 8130 should open some eyes.

Furthermore the UTStarcom phone that’s coming is the 6850, which has to be related to the 6800 aka the HTC Mogul meaning that Alltel is probably just getting their unique version of the Mogul. Now for the Motorola stuff, first off the U5 is coming; there will be a CDMA Pebl, and the Rokr Z6m.

Alltel’s upcoming lineup revealed [via boygeniusreport]

They did like some things about it, namely its small size and big screen for such a small device. They also like that Palm finally traded in the proprietary data/charging ports for a more standard mini USB port. Also, the fact that it was fairly cheap, and free with certain plans, from Vodafone was noted as an upside.






Treo 500v Reviewed by Digital-Lifestyles [via oncentro]

So why should I get interested?  Well, it’s significantly thinner than the Treo 680 (as seen in the photo below), and despite being an entry-level smartphone it apparently feels solid in the hand.  Palm have also made a few of their famed usability tweaks to WM6, including an application carousel, which should go some way to silencing critics of the powerful-but-picky OS.

Treonauts [via jkontherun]

Apparently it will have 3G as in UMTS, not HSDPA and will feature Windows Mobile 6 not a Palm OS. It will also be missing the touchscreen which is apparently why a phone with seemingly better features than the Treo 750 gets the lower model number of the 500.

A quote from the site has some more specs, again, nothing official yet. There is an ad from a German retailer that shows the device. No word on price, and the availability is still not official.

“When it rains, it pours, Alles Windows Mobile has specs:
A reliable source informed us that Palm is to announce the new Treo 500v very soon. It will run Windows Mobile 6, will come with a 240×320 screen, has 150MB of memory and communication will be possible using UMTS. The expansion slot will be Micro-SD, just like the Treo 750. The dimensions are slighly less than the Treo 750: 61×110x16mm, and also the camera (2.0MP) and Bluetooth (v2.0) are slighly better. The device will be available in grey and white”

Palm Treo 500 Emerges [via WMExperts]

Sprint is being coy and not picking a name for the device just yet, just as well, they have got to do their research on what works best, but I like the Palm Centro, its still kind of edgy, but keeps that professional air about it. However the gentleman at that attended the show saw and app on the home screen entitled “About Centro” leading me to beleive they are going with the Palm Centro.

The specs are apparently the same as the 755p with EVDO, but shrunken (like the kids). Sprint will also have a 90 day exclusive on the Palm Centro before it goes to other carriers. Speaking of kids though, the device is apparently being marketed for them, as it’s qwerty keypad were far to small for someone with large or less than nimble fingers to easily use. At least now they can’t say all Treo’s are fat, unless they name it the Palm Centro, then it won’t technically be a Treo.

Photos: Treo 800p Spy Photo Shots [via Slashphone]

News: Hands-On With The Sprint Palm Gandolf, HTC Touch and More! [via Gearlog]

This is not an official release from Palm or Treo 750’s carriers, but a leaked ROM. Here is the list of changes we know so far and many users on XDA forum has vouch for this ROM validity.

AT&T Mail, AT&T Music, Games, MS Office Mobile, Active Sync, Calculator, Camera, Cellular Video, File Explorer, Get Telenav, GetGood, Get MobiTV, Internet Sharing, Notes, PDF Viewer (Picsel), Proxy Manager (ATA&T Proxy), Quick Tour, Remote Desktop Mobile, Search, SIM Manager, Sounds, Tasks, Windows Media, and Voice Command 1.6 is included.

[via bgr]

Weighing in at 135g and measuring a svelte 117 x 65 x 13.8mm, that makes the new Treo over 8mm thinner than the 750 and addresses the key complaint that the Palm range is under-equipped in the sexy stakes compared to competitors. 

The screen, in both touchscreen and basic variants, is a 2.4-inch QVGA unit capable of 65k colours, while onboard memory maxes out at 256MB and 64MB of RAM.  Stereo Bluetooth should make the 500 range a decent portable music option, with the 2-megapixel camera rounding out the multimedia features.

Still no word on release date, but it looks like Vodafone will remain the initial carrier.

Intomobile [via Electronista]

Okay, so it’ll win no catwalk awards, but if you’re a rugged bugger out on a building site or clearing up landmines then you’ll probably prize durability over everything else.  The case has a flip-up polycarbonate cover so that you can access the touchscreen, while all keys and casing buttons are functional via molded, sealed controls.  OtterBox are promising durability from drops while in motion, heavy rain and blowing dust, which sounds a lot like the environment Vincent suffers when he’s riding his push-bike home after a night on the town.

Prices are expected to be around $130

OtterBox [via The Boy Genius Report]

If you read SlashPhone’s review of the 750v, the Vodafone UK-branded version, then you’ll know that it’s a great phone with some excellent added features by Palm that makes the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS even easier to use.  I know there are plenty of people who’d like to upgrade to this 3G, UMTS/HSDPA smartphone, and now they’ll be able to do so without needing to leave their operator.

Palm [via Geekzone]

The Treo 750 combined with Cingular’s Broadband-like speed 3G network, is great for email, messaging, web browsing, organization software and a robust application portfolio. Its new compact design features an internal antenna, soft-touch finish, and contoured edges to make it comfortable in the hand. The Treo 750 also has a full QWERTY keyboard for easy messaging, a 1.3-megapixel camera, a bright 240×240 touch screen and support for Bluetooth® stereo headsets. If the built-in 60MB of user-available storage isn’t enough for you, there’s the option to add more memory via the miniSD (up to 2GB), which is perfect for storing data, photos, music and video.

The Palm Experience on Windows Mobile

In addition to delivering a great phone with easy one-handed access to key features, Palm offers a unique suite of software enhancements to Windows Mobile, including the following:
• New messaging application, with the highly requested threaded chat view for text and MMS messages;
• Today Screen enhancements, which feature the ability to “dial by name” with a few keystrokes on the keyboard, perform a web search directly from the Today Screen and perform one-touch dialing with personalized photo speed dials;
• Ability to manage a call directly from the Today Screen and stay on top of voicemail with on-screen, VCR-like icons, such as rewind, delete and fast-forward controls for easy navigation; and
• Capability to ignore a call and quickly send a text message such as “In a meeting” or “Can’t talk right now” by selecting the “Ignore with text” option from the incoming call screen.

Business Productivity Features

With Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition, users get a desktop like experience on their Treo 750, including access to mobile versions of Windows Media Player 10, Internet Explorer, and Outlook applications in addition to the ability to view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files and view PowerPoint and PDF files. The Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) is available out of the box with the Treo 750 and includes Direct Push Technology, which gives users connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server fast, automatic wireless updates of their email, calendar items, contacts and tasks.(3) It provides added security features for IT administrators, such as over-the-air password policy enforcement and remote wipe for lost or stolen devices. MSFP also gives users over-the-air lookup of a company’s Global Address List (GAL), providing employees with quick access to colleagues’ email and contact information. The Treo 750 offers mobile professionals other corporate email options, including streamlined access to Microsoft Exchange or Domino/Notes using Good Mobile Messaging or personal email with Cingular Xpress Mail.

The Palm Treo 750 initially will be enabled for UMTS with a free upgrade, scheduled to be available later in 2007, to Cingular’s supercharged HSDPA technology. UMTS/HSDPA is a global standard and natural 3G evolutionary path for GSM providers with 142 UMTS networks in 61 countries currently available.

It will be available on Jan. 8 for $399.99 with a two-year contract and mail-in rebate at Cingular Wireless retail stores, online at www.cingular.com and through Cingular’s B2B sales organization.

Note: I’m still field testing the Treo 750, so I won’t have a full review for a week or so after CES 2007 and Macworld 2007. Chris has written a full review of the Treo 750v (Vodafone edition) published on SlashPhone. Have a gander if you’re interested, or you can just wait a week or so for my review.

Does it continue in the grand tradition of easy-to-use, reliable handsets, or will the 750v - or Windows Mobile 5.0 perhaps – let the side down?  There’s only one way to find out, so get your sweet ass over there, sailor!

Palm Treo 750v Review [SlashPhone]

SlashPhone reviews the Treo 680 [SlashPhone]

For anybody wondering how they managed to make the 680 thinner than previous Palm models, they also have photos of different generation batteries, as well as comparison shots with the T-Mobile Dash and the Treo 750.

Video Unboxing the Treo 680 and Initial Impression [SlashPhone]

Palm’s Treo 680 smartphone is easy to use and packed full of features beyond its stellar phone capability, such as email, web browsing, messaging, multimedia, calendar, contacts and more with a smaller and sleeker design than its Treo predecessors in the United States.

Price breakdown for the Palm Treo 680 is as follows:

• $349.99 one year contract
• $249.99 one year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate)
• $274.99 two year contract
• $174.99 two year with unlimited data (and $100 rebate)

For those of you who prefer your OS to be Microsoft-flavoured, you’re looking at an October 29th release date for the Cingular 8525 (aka HTC Hermes), with prices as follows:

• $559.99 unsubsidised
• $484.99 one year contract (with a $50 rebate if you stump up for unlimited data)
• $409.99 two year contract (same rebate offer applies)

Linquist [via Engadget Mobile]

Treo 680 Headed to Cingular [Engadget]

Kind of like the brightly coloured Nano to the sober, grown-up iPod, the 680 leverages the highly-successful Palm OS – known for being easy to use and yet powerful enough to manage the most harried executive – as well as such features as quad-band GSM, integrated web, email and IM, 64mb of on-board memory (expandable to 2gb via external cards), streaming media and mp3 player, Bluetooth and built-in dial up networking (so you can use the 680 as a wireless modem for your laptop).  Oh, and if you’re vain enough to care, the aerial is now internal, just like it’s older brother.  Hoorah!

“The Treo 680 is the smartphone for everyone. It’s small, sleek, fast and comes in a variety of fun colors. It’s a great phone design, great for messaging and email, and provides users easy and fast access to the Internet and to their favorite music and pictures, and makes it easy for people to manage and balance their business and personal lives while on the go.” Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc.

Palm Press Release Treo 680 Product Page [Palm US]

Palm goes low-end with the Treo 680 [Via: Gadgetell]

I’m meeting with Palm in an hour for a private briefing – make sure to check back later today for a more detail coverage of the Treo 750v.

Specs:

• Available August 31st (this Thursday) to businesses (September 3rd for consumers)
• Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC
• XScale 312MHz CPU
• SDIO slot
• 128MB NVRAM (60MB user)
• dual-band EV-DO / 1xRTT
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth 1.2, IR
• 240 x 240 touchscreen
• QWERTY keyboard

Palm 700wx Spec Sheet [via Gizmodo]

I’ll be sure to update any new info that should come along between now and the morning of Sept 12.  Again, I have the first slot to meet with Palm for a detail briefing at 10AM – and hour after the official announcement out of Europe.  So, make sure you check back for more detail images as well as video for your viewing pleasure!

Images courtesy of Tatsdiy.com [thanks for the tip Jimbo!]

Palm Retail Store The Grove
West Los Angeles, CA 323.692.0600

In other news, CrunchGear (via Shadowmite) just posted a side-by-side comparison video of the Sprint 700wx and the 700w from Verizon. They have the same connectors on the bottom; same keypad layout and the side buttons are the same. However, the 700wx is a bit more responsive and has more than double the program memory! Lastly, the mail program is missing all together.

Essentially a package running the popular, straightforward TomTom NAVIGATOR 6 software with a branded Bluetooth GPS unit, car cradle and memory card, it’s available now.

Palm GPS Navigator shopping page [via jkontherun]