Today, Palm announced the new Treo 680, a low-cost version of its famed smart phone. I don’t know exactly what ‘low-cost’ means as Palm didn’t reveal specifics on pricing or carrier (but all rumors point to Cingular.)
Palm CEO Ed Colligan did say, however, that it will be priced competitively with similarly featured smart phones out there. Read more for the details: Design: The Treo 680 will be available in four different colors: graphite, copper, arctic, and crimson. It measures 4.4 by 2.2 by 0.8 inches and weighs 5.5 ounces; antenna is also integrated into the device, so no stubby antenna. The screen displays 65,000 colors at a 320×320-pixel resolution.
Phone: It’s a quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS/EDGE) phone. New phone app with a revamped user interface (five-tab view), active call thumbnails, integrated contacts, and simplified favorites. Also supports the ignore with text feature of the Treo 700 series, conference calling, and a speakerphone.
E-mail: Preloaded with VersaMail 3.5; now called Email on launcher page. Exchange ActiveSync now includes contact synchronization. Improved smart addressing, so it will remember recently used e-mail addresses. AutoSync for scheduling synchronization with e-mail, calendar, and contacts.
Multimedia: VGA camera with video-recording capabilities. You can now add music to slide shows and save pictures as contacts. Includes Pocket Tunes for MP3 playback and streaming media (audio and video) without the need for third-party apps.
Wireless options: Bluetooth 1.2 and infrared. No Wi-Fi and will not support Palm’s Wi-Fi card.
Messaging-fire off a text message, or send photos and videos complete with audio captions. Plus, see the whole conversation in a chat-style view.
Multimedia-snap photos, create slideshows, shoot video , play songs. Even record your own ringtones.
Built-in Organizer-be as together as you want to be with your calendar, contacts, to-do list, and memos right at your fingertips.
Documents to Go(r)-download, view, and edit Word and Excel(r) compatible files, rehearse a PowerPoint(r) presentation, even review PDF files.
Bluetooth(r) Technology-connect to GPS, headsets, car kits and more all without wires getting in the way.
Dial-up Networking-use your smartphone as a wireless modem for your laptop.
Palm OS(r) Applications-choose from any of the over 30,000 titles to add to your Treo 680, from cool games to productivity tools.
There is a cool flash presentation at:
http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo680/tour/main.html
Written by Gary