PalmOne Treo 650 Review

PalmOne Treo 650PalmOne's Treo 650 in finally starting to filter into most world markets. I recently received the GSM version, which is a quad band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) world phone with support for GPRS/EDGE networks, making it usable on almost any network in the world. Our unit is running on the latest firmware (01.15) and also the latest software (Treo650-1.06-ROW), as of the time of this writing. So what's all the fuss about the Treo 650? Let's find out.

The Treo 650's Design

The Treo 650 felt significantly heavier than the Sony Ericsson T630 and iPod mini that I had handy. Of course, making such comparisons is like comparing apples to oranges. The streamlined body of the Treo 650 doesn't induce an embarrassing bulge in my pocket, and it fits nicely in a pair of jeans. Weighing in at 178g (6.27oz) and measuring 113mm x 59mm x 23mm (4.45" x 2.32" x .91"), the Treo 650 is no ulta-lightweight and compact device, but it is still significantly lighter than a lot of other smartphones on the market.

The Treo is equipped with a high-resolution 320 x 320 TFT display that is capable of showing 65k colours. The screen is bright enough to be viewed under harsh sunlight. At the brightest setting, the screen can even be blinding when viewed in low light condition. Contrast and colour reproduction were spot-on and there is no bluish color case, as seen on the Tungsten T3.

The keyboard (or some of you might call it a thumb board) has been slightly redesigned from the Treo 600. It is comfortable to use, and I can type with very few mistakes. The most important aspect of the keyboard is its backlight. In the Treo 600, one could hardly see the keys in the dark due to its poor backlighting. With the new keyboard and its backlight, the keys are very bright. A very interesting point is that you can turn off the keyboard backlight while leaving the screen's backlight on. This is especially useful when you don't plan on typing in dim lighting, or when you are reading an E-Book at night, as you might find the keyboard backlight a little too distracting and bright. Unfortunately, this can only be done via third party applications. PalmOne should have included this as an option in the preference menu.

The earpiece of the Treo 650 juts out slightly and this prevents the screen from touching your greasy cheeks and getting smudged in the process. On top of the phone, you will find the ringer switch (more on that later), SD card slot (supports MMC, SD and SDIO), infrared port, and the sim card slot. The stubby antenna from the Treo 600 is still there, which this is really a nuisance as built-in antennas are so common nowadays. It makes the Treo look like an old obsolete device. However, the sim card slot is worth mentioning, since one can easily swap sim cards without having to remove the battery cover and battery.

The left side of the phone houses the volume keys and the side key. The volume keys are used to adjust volume levels. The side key defaults to launching Realplayer when depressed for 2 seconds. You will find the charging and syncing ports at the bottom, along with the phone's microphone. The headphone jack is also situated at the bottom of the Treo 650.

At the back of phone there is the VGA camera with a self-portrait mirror. The battery is removable, which this is good news for heavy users who will be able to easily swap batteries and continue working. The reset button is found under the battery cover, which is a huge letdown. To reset your Treo, you have to remove the battery cover first. Having to reset a Palm OS device is a fairly rare occurrence, but when it happens, why make it difficult?

Overall, the Treo is well built with tough plastics. There is a slight squeak at the battery cover, however, and I do fear that it might get loose after a while. My only gripe is the amount of chrome that was used for the hardkeys and the central button of the 5-way navigator. After using it awhile, they were fully decorated with my fingerprints.

 

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