PalmOne Treo 650: a first look

PalmOne's Treo 650 gets a 16-bit colour screen, a faster CPU, Bluetooth and flash memory, among other improvements.
On the design side, the vivid 65,536-colour TFT display is light-years ahead of the 600's low-resolution (3,375-colour) screen and is much easier on the eyes. The QWERTY keyboard has a brighter backlighting, with bigger buttons, and the dedicated Talk and End keys are much-needed additions. Furthermore, there's a handy 'quiet' switch that gives you a simple way to silence all of the handheld's functions without having to fumble around in menus. But that's not all: many of the Treo 650's biggest improvements are under the surface. You get the sorely needed Bluetooth, an integrated VGA camera with video capability, a built-in MP3 player, a speakerphone, an infrared port, support for POP3 and IMAP 4 email (with syncing), and an expansion slot for MMC/SD memory cards. Moreover, the 312MHz Intel processor offers faster speeds than the Treo 600's 144MHz CPU, and the removable battery and flash memory mean there are fewer chances you'll lose your data. Globe-trotters also will be pleased, as the GSM version will be a quad-band world phone (GSM 850/900/1800/1900). For a device that promises everything but the kitchen sink, the Treo 650 comes up decidedly short in available storage. With just 22MB in the device, you'll no doubt have to use expansion cards for any decent file saving. Also, we were disappointed that PalmOne didn't boost the camera to megapixel quality -- a feature that's becoming increasingly common on higher-end handsets. Although the company claims its camera is better than the rivals', a higher-quality model would have been a nice touch for such an action-packed device. Given the widespread success of the Treo 600, we have little doubt the PalmOne Treo 650 will win major accolades. Internet hype aside, decidedly loyal Treo fans have been waiting for an improved device for some time, and they're sure to snap it up, although the 600 will continue to be sold. That said, the Treo 650 won't be without competitors. Newly announced smart phones such as the Nokia 9300 and the BlackBerry 7100v could give the 650 a run for its money. Once network operators are announced and we get a device in hand, we'll make our formal assessment. Check back soon for a full review.