Still think an Android-based netbook is in your future? If the abysmal performance on video hasn't turned you off yet, maybe the fire-engine red paint job coupled with 90s-era carbon fiber accents will. What you see above is the first legitimate in the wild shot of Skytone's Alpha 680, and at a glance, we're marginally excited about the sizable trackpad and roomy keyboard. Oh, and the swiveling screen is a plus, too. Check the read link for a few more looks.

[Thanks, Neerhaj]

Alright Treo 650 owners, you can now (carefully) climb off your soap box, as the svelte Exchange ActiveSync Update is now available to treat your very own handset. While Palm had already shoved the update onto the 680 and 700p handhelds, it's now giving the faithful 650 users the ability to revel in Push Email technology too, which is sure to make hard-nosed managers grin from ear to ear. Aside from the newfound support, the update notes here haven't really changed, so if you're interested in having your Outlooked life beamed straight to your Treo 650, be sure to hit the read link and get your download on. Of course, you should probably have your credit card ready as well, as folks with VersaMail 3.5 will be asked to cough up $2.99, while users without the aforementioned software will pay out $12.98.

There are two things worth noting about that image to the right. First, it's red. No, not (PRODUCT) RED, just red as in the rumored red Pearl we heard was coming to AT&T. It's not even that red making this more of a RIM CranBerry. The pic comes to us by way of a helpful anonymous tipster who claims it will pop as early as Monday (along side a crimson Treo 680) to business channels even though this would be RIM's least business-y release to date. The other thing to note here of course is the new AT&T branding. Is this the real deal? We're not sure, but we'll see on Monday now won't we.

If you've been a bit paranoid of late after hearing that a blatant security hole was found in the now-deceased Palm OS, help has unofficially arrived. Reportedly discovered by Symantec, the vulnerability entailed a hole that allowed the operating system's Find functionality to be accessed even when the device was set to Locked, allowing ill-willed hackers to sift through text message history, calendar entries, tasks, etc. The hole had been confirmed on the Treo 650, 680, and 700p, but now users of the handsets can rest a bit easier after applying this patch. As expected, the update simply disables the Find feature, which essentially closes off the last remaining security loophole and protects prying eyes from seeing that backlog of steamy Valentine's Day texts. So if you're looking to unofficially patch things up with your Palm, be sure to hit the read link and get that install completed, but we're not the ones to come crying to if something goes awry.

[Via PalmInfoCenter]

We hope all you orangey-coppery Treo fans got your phones, because it's come to our attention that the 680 in Copper (i.e. the creamy-pukey-orange Treo) is "no longer available" according to Palm's site. Bummer dude. Maybe the Moto tactic of releasing your phones in as many colors as possible just isn't working anymore (by the way, did you hear they're laying off 3,500 people?), perhaps you should try renovating your handsets, Palm? We know you've got it in you. Somewhere.

[Thanks, Michael]

Garmin seems to have missed out on the holidays, but that doesn't mean they can't provide a few snappy little presents to the lost ones among us. Most interesting is Garmin's new Astro dog tracking system (pictured). The gadget is designed for hunters looking to keep track of, you guessed it, hunting dogs, and seems to provide quite a bit of innovation in a market we hardly knew existed. The system includes the DC 20 transmitter, which is strapped to the dog, and the Astro 220 receiver, which receives location data from the dog up to five miles away, and can double as a regular ol' handheld GPS unit when hunting season's over. The software allows you to mark coveys, measure acreage, track where the dog has been, and even lets you know if the dog is sitting or running or just generally slacking off. Up to ten dogs can be tracked simultaneously, and the system should be available in June for $650. Back to the beaten path, Garmin's new c580 has the traditional looks of a vehicle mounted GPS device, with a 3.5-inch touchscreen, while the nuvi 680 does it on the slim, with a 4.3-inch touchscreen to play with. Both players feature FM, and it appears at least the 680 has Bluetooth for handsfree interoperability with your phone, but most interesting is the MSN Direct functionality that Garmin has stuffed into these things, bringing movie showtimes, weather and other fun info to the portables. Unfortunately, all this fancy stuff doesn't come cheap: with the c580 hitting the streets in February for $800, while the nuvi 680 should hit in "early" '07 for a whoppin' $1000. Check out these two navigators after the break.

[Via Uber-Review, GPS Tracklog]

Read - 680 and c580
Read - Astro

Just in case you haven't already told us what shiny new toys you unwrapped this morning, a few clever hackers are giving you one more gift to top things off. While those of you toting the recently-unveiled Palm (sorry, WinMo users) Treo 680 can boast about your "exclusive" SDHC support, we folks using the 700p simply don't have that luxury. If you've been clamoring about getting SDHC support on the 700p, and were let down that the "big patch" didn't include even a whisper about such support coming your way, take heart. Apparently, copying the slot driver from the 680 onto the 700p allows it to use SDHC cards, and while it hasn't been confirmed quite yet, it looks the ole 650 may get a bit of that high capacity lovin' as well. So if Santa wasn't quite as good to you as you thought he'd be, be sure to hit the read link to make even better use of that (presumably costly) SDHC card you (hopefully) just received.

[Via Phone News]

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment:

Most consumers prefer a mobile phone with an integrated antenna to one with a small stub protruding from a corner, silently awaiting its ideal window in which to poke them. Yet, for Palm, which has been on a hot streak with its methodically evolving Treo line, the process of integrating the antenna was far from a no-brainer. According to CEO Ed Colligan when he introduced the Treo 680 that recently became available through Cingular, Palm worked carefully to ensure that reception was at least as good with an integrated antenna as with the stub antenna and had finally succeeded.

Palm relayed this bit of Treo trivia to exemplify its commitment to preserve a good user experience even in the face of competitive pressures or fashion fads. Another such example is the trend toward sleek, slim smartphones such as the Motorola Q or T-Mobile Dash. The Treo 680's sculpted exterior slightly reduces its profile, but the phone still appears chunky compared to the pocket-friendly profiles of some competitors. Critics are vocal in wanting a thinner Treo or other smartphone from Palm, but are silent in acknowledging the reduced battery time that would likely mean.

Should Palm be commended for its convictions or persecuted for its pigheadedness? For now, high-mindedness is yielding high returns. Contrary to many reports, the Treo 680 is not aimed at consumers per se, but rather at a wider net of mobile professionals. Palm has sweetened the deal in more ways than one by adding candy-colored shells to its venerable design.

Featuring the same 312MHz Intel processor, 320 x 320 pixel display and EDGE modem as its 650 predecessor, the Treo 680 isn't by any means a revolutionary smartphone. Frustratingly for aficionados of Palm's software design, the 680 improvements are for the most part a consolidation of small tweaks that have been made to other models in the Treo line-up which have been coupled with a slight slimming down in dimensions and weight. Fortunately, the incremental improvements are numerous: usable memory has been increased to 66MB, version numbers of bundled-apps like DocumentsToGo and the Blazer web browser have been upped, and according to LaptopMag, the new dimensions and 0.7 ounce weight reduction results in a device that "feels a lot lighter than it looks." Unfortunately the lack of WiFi, the appalling VGA camera -- which Palm claims isn't much different than a 1 megapixel camera (right) -- and the staid design results in a device that PC Magazine says has "a strong whiff of 2004 about it." (Say, didn't we state just that a few days ago?) Ultimately it's up to you whether you think the relatively low price ($199 w/2 year Cingular contract), incremental updates, and the ever-brilliant Palm OS are good enough to distract you from the weak hardware and budget-price feature set.

Read - LaptopMag, 4/5 "Priced for the masses but also designed for the masses"
Read - PC Magazine, 3/5 "The masses will find it helps them get organized, but for early adopters, there's just not enough spice here"
Read - CNET, 7.0/10 "...the Palm Treo 680 is a good smart phone for the first-time buyer"
Read - MyTreo "It feels nicer in the hand than my Treo 700p with its external antenna"

We got a Treo here, everybody, the 680 to be exact. It is, as we all well know by now, going to go for $200 after two year service agreement (with unlimited data plan), and will be available as of Black Friday. Wii for the kids, Treo 680 for yourself. Decisions can be difficult to make, wouldn't you say?

P.S. -It's not without at least one review, either.

Read - Laptop, 4/5, "does the best job of making it simple to juggle voice calls, messaging, the Web, and PIM functions"

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

It's not entirely clear whether someone at Palm jumped the gun here, but a page on Palm's own online store now tempts us with a "Palm® Treo™ 680 Cingular, GSM" in exchange for 349 of our hard-earned dollars. While it's no secret that we expect the 680 to grace Cingular with its presence any minute now, Inventec's apparent failure to implement a little something called quality control seemed to put the handset's release date in doubt -- alas, Palm's page alleges that their new low-end Treo is in stock with shipment in 1-2 business days. Sadly, we're not seeing a place to select which of the 680's tasty colors we'd like in our pocket, suggesting that this might just be the drab gray one pictured here ("Graphite," as it's known). What, are Crimson, Copper, and Arctic not good enough for you, Cingular?

[Via Reaper PC/PDA]

Per protocol, Palm was scooped well ahead of today's announcement, but it's always good to see official details get laid out nonetheless. Following hot on the heels of its elder Windows Mobile sibling, the 750v, the Treo 680 comes into the light today for GSM networks -- a good sign for carriers worldwide after a year of CDMA equipment out of the company. Cast as an entry-level model (read: no WiFi support), the 680 brings it strong with a redesigned phone UI and software bundle, quad-band GSM (what, no quint-band HSDPA?), 64MB of RAM, and a VGA cam, all sitting atop Palm OS in the buyer's choice of Graphite, Copper, Arctic, or Crimson colors. No pricing or launch carriers were announced today, but given the branding we've seen on some of the shots thus far, we've got our guesses.

It looks like attendees of this week's DigitalLife conference in New York City (our own Paul and Peter included) will be treated to the announcement of a brand spankin' new Treo model. Well, "new" might be a strong term here -- the 680 is probably considered the odds-on favorite to get official, and we sort of already scooped that on account of Palm's own blunder -- but nevertheless, we know a diehard Palm OS fan or two that'd like nothing more than to hear Palm confirm that the 680 is real and shipping on Cingular post haste. Of course, they've always got the Cingular version of the 750 as a backup if they decide to keep the 680 under wraps for a while longer, but if they do decide to pass that off as the "new Treo" they're unveiling, our guys on the scene will have boos and rotten vegetables at the ready.

Dear Palm,

Why is it that you have such a devil of a time keeping a lid on your product pipeline? It seems like in those precious few moments when your carriers aren't leaking documents describing unreleased Treos, you're doing it yourself. No bother; we already knew darned well Cingular would be getting a pair of new handsets from you, freshly freed of their pesky external antennas, in Palm OS and Windows Mobile flavors -- we just wish you'd make it a little more challenging to scoop the deets sometimes. Anyway, you've got a crowd of Palm fanatics anxiously awaiting your 680 and 750 here in the US, so let's get this show on the road, shall we?

Love,
Engadget

[Thanks, William and Jon]