PalmOne Treo 650 review

John Morris CNET

Published: 20 Dec 2004

When we made our wish list for the successor to the well-received Treo 600, it was to keep the great design but add several missing features. Fortunately, that's precisely what PalmOne did with its new Treo 650. This model offers a high-resolution display, a faster processor, Bluetooth wireless, Palm OS 5.4, and a removable battery -- all notable additions. But the honeymoon ends with some shortcomings, specifically the stingy memory, the complicated Bluetooth implementation, and the lack of Wi-Fi. How you feel about these issues depends on your needs, but for our money, the Treo remains the best all-in-one communicator available. The Treo 650 is expected to ship in the UK during the first half of 2005, although local pricing and network operator take-up has yet to be announced. In the US, the device costs $599 (~£310) from PalmOne's online store.

Design

The PalmOne Treo 650 looks virtually identical to its predecessor. It is the same shape and size (5.9cm by 11.3cm by 2.3cm, not including the stubby antenna) and only a hair heavier at 178g. In fact, it looks so similar that during testing bystanders often did a double take and even then had to ask, 'Is that the Treo 650?' No wonder -- why tinker with a design that has stood the test of time? Of course, the Treo 650 is not the most compact smart phone on the market; models including the Vodafone BlackBerry 7100v and Windows Mobile 2003 smartphones such as the Orange SPV C500 and the Motorola MPx220are all significantly smaller, although they don't have a full QWERTY keyboard.

Still, there are some notable changes to the design. The most impressive new feature of the Treo 650 is its improved display. It is the same size (2.5in. diagonal; 320 by 320 pixels) but now shows off 65,536 colours, compared to 3,375 colours on the Treo 600. The result is smooth, bright and colourful images with no trace of the 'screen door' effect on the Treo 600's display. Overall, the new display is on a par with that of the latest high-end handhelds -- something that couldn't be said of the previous version at the time of its release. Another obvious change is the keyboard. The keys have been squished so that they are larger, flatter, and closer to one another. The keyboard still feels cramped, but generally, these enhancements make thumb-typing a little easier than with the Treo 600. The new white keys are also semi-translucent with bright backlighting.

The Treo 650 retains the signature five-way navigational button, which is critical for easy one-handed operation. But there are several new buttons as well. The most prominent are the dedicated Talk and Power/End buttons, which operate much like those on most mobile phones. Four buttons directly below the display provide quick access to the calendar, messaging, applications and menus. And the volume buttons on the side have been replaced by a single rocker switch, which is easier to use, as well as one customisable quick-launch button (by default, it opens RealPlayer).

We were pleased to see that PalmOne kept the hardware switch on top that toggles between ringer and silent modes -- a handy feature -- along with the MMC/SDIO expansion slot and the infrared port. The camera is located in the same spot on the back panel but now has a tiny mirror for self-portraits; PalmOne will also offer a camera-less version for executives worried about security risks. The speaker and the panel for accessing the user-removable battery are immediately below the camera. Farther down on the bottom are the new Multi-Connector, for synchronising and charging the Treo and connecting accessories, as well as a headphone jack. The Multi-Connector, first introduced on the Tungsten T5, replaces the unfortunately named Universal Connector of previous PalmOne devices, and it is not backward compatible. A minor inconvenience, the 2.5mm jack requires an adapter (not included) for use with standard headphones.

There's still no included cradle for charging or syncing. Instead, PalmOne includes USB and power cables that can be connected to each other or used separately. As with the previous version, the touch screen is unprotected and tends to get covered with dust and fingerprints quickly. You'll want to purchase a slipcase for it immediately since one isn't provided.

Features

The PalmOne Treo 650 has a generous feature set, but we weren't completely in awe. We like the new 312MHz Intel PXA270 processor that provides the muscle for multitasking and digital audio and video applications. The memory, however, is another story. First, PalmOne did not increase the amount of memory in this version. In fact, the Treo 650's 22MB of usable memory is slightly less than the Treo 600's total after you take away what the OS and core applications require. Second, the company switched to a new file system that effectively reduces available memory by increasing file sizes (there is a detailed explanation here).

There is a good reason for this: the new non-volatile file system (NVFS), paired with the 22MB of non-volatile memory, means you no longer lose all your data if the battery dies or if you want to swap in a fresh battery -- which wasn't possible with the Treo 600. In other words, the Treo 650 acts more like a mobile phone and less like a handheld that needs to be tethered to a PC at regular intervals to recharge and to back up data. This is especially good news if you use client-server software that syncs directly with Microsoft Exchange Server wirelessly, such as ActiveSync for Exchange Server 2003 (now included). In that case, you will need to HotSync with your desktop only to install new applications or to transfer large files.

Nevertheless, the memory has caused a lot of hubbub, especially among Treo 600 users who upgraded, then discovered that their files suddenly gobbled up more memory. PalmOne is promising a ROM software update to alleviate the problem, and the company has also offered to send a free 128MB SD card to anyone who has memory management issues. Whether you get it from PalmOne or buy it yourself, the bottom line is that a nice big SD card is a must-have accessory for the Treo 650.

In addition to wireless WAN voice and data, the Treo 650 includes both infrared and the much-needed Bluetooth. Theoretically, Bluetooth lets you do several things wirelessly: perform HotSyncs, connect to other Bluetooth devices, hook up headsets and use the Treo as a modem with a Bluetooth-enabled notebook. But the devil is in the details. At first, neither of the two Bluetooth headsets we tested, the Jabra BT250 and the Logitech Mobile Bluetooth headset, seemed to work properly. We were able to pair both of them with the Treo 650, but neither automatically connected incoming or outgoing calls. It turns out that these headsets did not support the Handsfree Profile on the Treo 650. Instead, you must press a button on the headset to make or receive calls (Headset-Only Profile). This isn't explained in the Treo 650 manual, although it is covered on PalmOne's own Bluetooth compatibility page. Headsets that support the Handsfree Profile will offer the most features.

Much to our disappointment, there's still no integrated Wi-Fi, a feature that has become a common in mid-range and high-end handhelds. At some point, the PalmOne SDIO Wi-Fi card will work with Treos, but the company has been slow to release the drivers, and you'll still have to pay an extra £84 (inc. VAT) for something that arguably should be built in. That said, improvements to the WAN data networks along with the addition of Bluetooth lessen the need for Wi-Fi.

The basic phone and handheld functions of the Treo remain the same. You get many of the features of an advanced mobile, including a phone book (size is subject to available memory), 28 polyphonic ring tones, a speakerphone, vibrate mode, three-way calling, speed dial and picture caller ID (where available). And you get the features of a handheld running Palm OS 5.4. Aside from basic organiser applications such as a task list, memos, a calculator, an alarm clock, a calendar and a world clock, the Treo 650 includes the excellent Dataviz Documents to Go 7.0 for viewing Microsoft Office documents, VersaMail 3.0, AudiblePlayer, and support for Java (J2ME)-enabled games. Multimedia capabilities also got a boost. Previously on the Treo 600, you had to download a third-party application to listen to MP3s; now, the Treo 650 includes RealPlayer in ROM for playing MP3s or Real audio and video files. Audio automatically stops when a call comes in.

The Treo has always been an email machine, but VersaMail 3.0 ups the ante. In addition to its support for up to eight POP and IMAP accounts, it now works with ActiveSync for Exchange, which means that with a little help from IT, you can connect directly to your company's Exchange Server 2003. PalmOne also includes a convenient single in-box for text and multimedia messages. The WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser is largely unchanged.

Many mobile phones now come with 1.3-megapixel cameras, but PalmOne has stuck with a VGA camera, which disappointed us. The company made some notable improvements, though. The camera performs better in low light, can shoot video (in MPEG-4 format) as well as stills, and includes a tiny mirror for self-portraits. We especially liked the included picture and video-viewer application, which can play slide shows and even set them to music. Video-clip length is limited only by the available memory.

Performance

The PalmOne Treo 650 comes in both dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) and quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) world phone versions. We tested the CDMA model for Sprint PCS -- it's the first version available -- in New York, San Francisco and Chicago. Although the design and features are mostly the same, performance will vary slightly depending on your network.

The overall call quality was average, whether we were holding the unit to our ear or using the speakerphone, the included wired earbuds or the optional Bluetooth headsets. The good news is that the data services are markedly better. Email seemed instantaneous using GoodLink 3.8 (a corporate solution offered through Sprint PCS but not included). And while Web pages don't exactly pop open, the faster, nationwide 1xRTT data network delivers a much better experience.

The CDMA version we tested is rated for five hours of talk time and two weeks on standby. The talk time was right on target in our tests, although the standby time seems a little optimistic. The GSM/GPRS version should deliver an extra hour of talk time but is rated for more than 12 days of standby. The Treo 650's battery is now removable, so you can swap in a spare on long trips.

• 
• 
• 
• 

• Share this article:
• Digg
• Slashdot
• Del.ici.ous
• Stumble
• Reddit

• Most Recent
• Most Popular