Palm Treo 680

“The Palm Treo 680 features a sleeker design, integrated Bluetooth with the ability to use it as a wireless modem, more user-accessible memory, and e-mail capabilities. It also offers a bright touch screen and productivity tools and is easy to use. With a user-friendly interface, decent performance, and an affordable price point, the Palm Treo 680 is a good smart phone for the first-time buyer or for mobile users looking to be more productive on the road, we just wish it had a better camera and Wi-Fi support.”

“I know people that swear by the Palm OS platform, but I have never been convinced. To be completely honest though, that is mainly because I have never really sat down and learned how to get the most out of it. I am not going to lie to you, I still think the Palm OS is ugly and old looking, but looks aren't everything, and the Palm Treo 680 delivers on many other levels.I love the Treo 680's keyboard, it is the best I have used in some time, and the Treo form factor really is great. The lack of 3G data and WiFi does disappoint me, but this is an entry-level smartphone, so I can't judge it purely on that. As an entry-level smartphone, the Treo 680 delivers all the PIM functions required.Looking at it from the point of view of someone purchasing their first smartphone, which is the kind of market the 680 is targeted at, I think the Palm OS still lets it down. Things like hidden menus and the lack of soft keys hurt usability for someone stepping up from a non-smartphone, and for this, I am only awarding the Treo 680 a rating of Recommended, instead of the Highly Recommended I had been leaning toward. Should the user spend the time learning the nuances of the Palm OS, they will be happy with the Palm Treo 680 - at least until they are ready to step up to something with more power on the connectivity front.”

“With its distinctive candy-bar design and carefully crafted thumb keyboard, Palm's Treo has become an iconic PDA phone--but new models generally debut at prices that only serious mobile professionals can easily stomach. The Treo 680 arrives with a lower price tag, a sportier and slightly svelter look, and features intended to attract a much wider audience. Unfortunately, this successor to the aging Treo 650 has some drawbacks that hobble that effort.”