Palm Treo 650 Review
The Palm Treo 650 is the long awaited update of the Palm Treo 600 smart phone, and it does not disappoint. Palm have taken onboard all comments regarding the earlier version and created one of the classic OS Smart phone currently on the market. The phone has been released in conjunction with a number of carriers, as well as an unlocked version which is sure to prove popular in the market place. Its has been manufactured to incorporate all possible network solutions, taking in GSM quad-band 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz with both GPRS and EDGE software installed. As well as a top of the range phone, the Palm Treo 650 has all of functionality of the Palm OS 5 PDA offering a unique experience for the user. While incorporating all of the requirements for both Phone and PDA use, it is still small enough to carry easily, operate one handed and store in a pocket or bag. The Palm Treo 650 is available in both black and silver finish, with white and black keys used to define different areas of the phone and PDA functions. The design itself is a stylish compact slab shape, with rounded edges for that quality finish. The dimension of the PDA is 4.4 inches x 2.3 inches x 0.9 inches weighing just 6.3 ounces.
The display screen for the Palm Treo 650 has been doubled in size from the earlier Palm Treo 600 version and has a diagonal measurement of 2.75 inches. The screen itself has an impressive 320 x 320 pixel resolution, with a transflective color display which is one of the best around and capable of displaying 65,000 color variations. The resolution holds up well in direct sunlight which is useful for those people on the move. While not the smallest handset around, Palm have done well to come up with a smart phone offering both quality phone and PDA function and keep the size down to a minimum. For those looking for a product offering more than a general mobile phone, this product may well appeal.
The device runs on a speedy Intel Xscale PXA270 312 Mhz processor, and offers approximately 23 MB of installed storage memory with the option to add extra using the memory port. The vast array of services on the Palm Treo 650 is easily accessible by a simple navigation system which brings up the relevant options on the large display screen. The buttons have been improved from earlier versions and are slightly larger and easier to use. Navigation around the various menu options is also very easy with the option to use the specific function keys or the 5 way directional pad which allows one handed use. Various quick launch options are available for the more common facilities such as Contacts, Voicemail, Call log, web browser, etc and the navigation system is loosely based on the PC favorite Internet Explorer browser. While similar in look and feel to the Microsoft Internet Explorer the actual browser installed on the model is the Blazer 4.0 and offers a speedy and efficient Internet experience. While not quite as good as your average PC browser experience, it is one of the better mobile options available on the market. There is an umber of messaging services available on the model including the standard SMS and MMS together with multiple email accounts and, POP3 which take into account the main options available. With the Palm Treo 650 you are available 24 hours and 7 days a week, both on the phone (due to multiple network settings), and via the various messaging system – your one stop mobile office.
The Palm Treo 650 has an inbuilt VGA camera however Palm have added a software “fix” which has improved the quality and resolution of the display. The camera display fits well with the enlarged screen, offerng the option to refocus and zoom when using the still photography or video recording facilities. Video resolutions available include 320 x 240 pixels and 170 x 144 pixels and there is also a useful option to add your own sound track to the video, using the integrated microphone. The still photographs are stored as standard JPEG files which are easily transferable to PC, via the useful Bluetooth data transfer facility, and the video files are stored as 3g2 files. The model has the standard option to save and arrange the stills and video collection in an album format – with easy recall option. The ample memory capacity offers sufficient storage space to save a number of your favorite still and video clips.
As is standard in the mobile phone market, the Palm Treo 650 has a pre-installed MP3 player facility, which offers a quality sound output. There is an output jack for earphones offering that bit of privacy for both phone calls and music playback. There are also a number of preinstalled ring tones, with the option to use the Internet service to download further sounds. As well as the above mentioned services, the Palm Treo 650 offers all of the services which you would expect with a top of the range personal organizer including a calendar, clock, alarm clock, calculator, diary, and meeting organizer to name but a few, as well as a selection of basic Java games. These details can be downloaded and uploaded between a PC and the device, which is very useful to ensure that your records are synchronized.
While the smart phone market is very competitive, the Palm Treo 650 offers a useful mixture of what is good about both mobile phone and PDA services. The Palm Treo 650 is obviously aimed at the mass market end of the smart phone market, but still manages to offer impressive functionality and a great range of services which will prove very popular. It will be interesting to see which direction Palm take the next model from this series, as this is most defiantly an improvement on the earlier release, and they have taken into account market feedback when designing the Palm Treo 650.
The history of mobile phones charts the development of devices which connect wirelessly to the public switched telephone network. If you want to read more, just follow the link.
Processing your request, Please wait....
