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Treo 680 review roundup
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"
TeleNav expands to Nokia E62, Treo 680
After initially announcing availability on a handful of devices last month, Cingular and TeleNav are expanding their partnership by bringing navigation to the recently-launched Nokia E62 (and, oh yeah, the Treo 680, too -- though there's no specific mention of Big Orange involvement on that one). The software package rings in at $6/month for 10 trips and $10/month for unlimited use, offering all the same navigational features that you'd find on TeleNav's previous Cingular offerings -- the 8125 / 8525, Treo 650, and HP hw6925 -- with a couple of added bonuses on the E62: the new "fuzzy search" feature, as the name implies, completes user entries based on predictive logic and previous searches, while 3D maps also make an appearance for the first time. Sorry, 680 users... maybe next version.[Via Slashgear]Read - Nokia E62Read - Treo 680
Palm Treo 680 launches on Cingular, $199
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]
Palm taking orders for Cingular-branded Treo 680
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]
Inventec allegedly flubs 144,000 Treo 680s
It's alright, Inventec; we know that your ODM relationship with Palm is in its early years and you're still learning the ropes. Still, we have to admit, forgetting to connect the microphones on those Treo 680s before you ship 'em out the door is a pretty big no-no! Rumor has it that Inventec rendered not 100, not 1,000 -- but 144,000 of the new entry-level smartphones deaf and still managed to send them out to retailers. Needless to say, this isn't the kind of thing that can be fixed with a firmware update; every last one has had to go back home to get reworked. Oopsie![Thanks, big8tenor]
Cingular's latest rebate form hints at holiday releases
Cingular's rebate forms are about as accurate at predicting the carrier's releases as weathermen are at predicting blizzards, but nevertheless, there are several juicy tidbits in the latest form (dated November 5 to December 30, 2006) worth pointing out. First up, the Samsung ZX30 and LG CU400 make appearances, both presumably destined to bring yet more clamshell love to the HSDPA game, and it'll be interesting to see how the ZX30 slots in against its SYNC stablemate. Also showing up to the party is the CU500v -- a phone we know nothing about -- but we're guessing it represents some sort of incremental upgrade to the CU500 (video calling, perhaps?). Next up, the SGH-i607 seems to have been officially christened the "Blackjack" for Cingular's release of the slim, 3G, QWERTY smartphone. Finally, the Treo 680 and 750 get some rebate love with both models coming in camera and non-camera variants. Conspicuously missing from the form, though, is the hotly-anticipated Nokia N75, suggesting that American S60 fans might be waiting until early '07 to get some 3G action.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]Update: Looking closer at the form, we find a couple other goodies in the mix -- the Motorola K1 KRZR (in its GSM flavor, of course), the V3r (basically a red V3i, we hear), and the Pearl, a phone we'd previously heard wouldn't drop until 2007. Oh, and if you look really close, the ZX30 actually reads "ZX20" (how boring!). [Thanks again, everyone]
Palm announces Treo 680
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.
Palm picks October 12 to announce new Treo
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.
Palm briefly confesses to Treo 680, 750 for Cingular
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]
