Handspring Treo 600 smartphone

Handspring Treo 600 is a quad band mobile phone combined with a PDA, and as such it is a suitable model for worldwide roaming. The phone comes in a larger than usual candy bar shaped format, although it is not excessively large and is smaller than most of the PDAs currently available.

Handspring Treo 600This model is an updated version of the Treo 270 and benefits from several improved features over the earlier handset. The Treo 600 works on quad band networks instead of dual band, and it also has an added SD/MMC memory card slot, MMS messaging capability, a faster processor, and an integrated digital camera. The other useful features that you will find in this model are GPRS data handling technology, a Blazer™ Web browser, Palm OS™ organiser, speakerphone for hands-free conversations, QWERTY keyboard, and a full e-mail client.

The Treo 600 is clearly aimed at those who require a phone with e-mail and Internet facilities in addition to other sophisticated organiser features, so the business user and those who need to carry around lots of information are the types of person likely to want a model like this. Although there is no Bluetooth™ included, it is possible to add this feature by buying a Bluetooth SD I/O device to insert in the memory card slot on the phone. Another missing feature is an MP3 player, but the phone is capable of playing MP3 files if a third-party software application is downloaded - the memory expansion slot then comes in useful, as you can carry around your favourite MP3 tracks on memory cards. Yet another feature is the phone’s Flight Mode, which may be selected for use on aircraft so that you can use the PDA facilities without switching on the phone’s radio circuits.

The display is a large LCD touchscreen with a resolution of 160 x 160 pixels, and this display can also reproduce up to 4,096 different colours. The touchscreen operations are performed using the special stylus tool provided, which fits into a slot located in the top of the phone when not in use. The touchscreen display can be used to input commands by tapping the screen to select the phone functions, such as to open applications, select menu commands or choose the options from the dialog boxes. For example, text can be selected for highlighting by dragging the stylus across the screen. The small QWERTY keyboard is provided to input alphanumeric text, and may be backlit when you need to use it in poor light conditions.

The Treo 600 has an integrated digital camera, with the lens located on the back of the case. This camera is a VGA quality device, and it enables you to take pictures at the two available sizes of 640 x 480 and 160 x 120 pixels. Also, to cope with the varying light conditions you might find yourself in, the camera also benefits from automatic light balancing. Pictures can be saved in the phone, downloaded to a PC, or sent via MMS or e-mail attachments to your contacts. As this phone is MMS enabled it will allow you to create, send and receive MMS messages that contain a combination of pictures, sounds, and text to other compatible phones. If you want to take a lot of pictures, then you can make use of the phone’s SD/MMC slot to save these onto a removable memory card.

For those who like to personalise their phones, this model can be modified in several ways by changing the wallpaper, logos, picture caller IDs, as well as the ringtones and sound clips that you want to use. There are now many sources for new content suitable to be used with this phone, and you can download pictures and sounds from a Web page, via an MMS message or email, or from your PC. Photographs taken with the phone’s camera can be used for your caller ID pictures, or even as your own unique wallpaper if you wish.

As this a handset aimed at the serious user, the Treo 600 is capable of running many thousands of applications and games currently offered for the Palm OS™ platform. When you want to use a new game or application, it is a simple matter to search through the lists of available titles to find a suitable program. There is only one game installed in the phone, and it is shooting game called “Zap!2016” from Astraware.

With so many demands on memory it is not surprising that the Treo 600 has a large onboard RAM capacity of 32 MB, of which 24 MB is available to the user. However, the ability to plug in removable SD or MMC memory cards means that there should be no danger of you running out of space to store all your important content. For example, you might use the memory cards to store such material as pictures, MP3 audio files, games, eBooks, applications, databases, as well as other forms of data or information that you need to keep.

Another important feature in the Treo 600’s capability is its integrated GPRS technology, which gives you fast data rates when accessing the network services, and this has the added advantage of providing an “always on” connection. GPRS also means that you pay for the amount of data you actually use rather than the time you are connected to the network. This phone supports WAP, but it is the Blazer™ browser that is likely to be of interest here, and this allows you to access the mobile Internet wherever you are and to browse the Web. The Blazer browser gives you fast access to Web pages, and the chance to view Web sites with the sort of graphics and page layouts that are more like you might see on a PC. The Blazer browser arranges Web pages into a format where they only require you to scroll down them vertically (without horizontal scrolling), which should make browsing a quicker and easier experience. However, you can still view pages as you would on a computer screen, which is pretty essential for some objects such as maps, and the screen can then be viewed in a widescreen mode. The Blazer browser also incorporates 128-bit SSL encryption technology, providing you with a secure interface when visiting Web sites, and this ensures that your data security is protected.

With its on-board e-mail client, this phone also enables you to keep up with your normal e-mail correspondence while travelling. There is even a viewer included to read Word™ and Excel™ documents that come as e-mail attachments. The phone comes supplied with the Treo Mail™ e-mail application, and this also supports the standard POP3 and SMTP protocols. In addition, you might choose to download other third party e-mail applications, or alternatively use the e-mail client provided by your ISP.

For connectivity, the Treo 600 provides the option to connect wirelessly to compatible devices via its infrared port, or alternatively you can also use a data cable. The HotSync™ USB cable (supplied) allows you to connect to your PC or Mac, transfer data, and still charge the batteries at the same time. For devices that do not support USB, a separate serial data cable can be purchased as an optional accessory. Using the connection option that suits your particular circumstances, you can then synchronise your personal data, including schedule and phonebook contents, etc, with the corresponding files on your PC. This phone supports Microsoft Outlook, but it can be used with another PIM (Personal Information Manager), such as Lotus Notes™, if you download the appropriate third-party software.

The Treo 600 comes equipped with several good organiser functions, such as a Phonebook, Date Book Plus (calendar and scheduler), To Do List (to prioritise your tasks), Memo Pad (for recording notes), World Clock, Calculator (basic and scientific versions), and Name Lookup and Find (to search for names and information on the Treo). The Memo Pad notes can be dropped into a program such as Microsoft Word™ when you perform a synchronisation. Other good applications supplied include the Treo versions of SplashData software, such as SplashMoney (a financial organiser), SplashShopper (for managing your lists), and SplashID (for the storage of important personal details such as PINs or passwords), and this last application is password protected to avoid your data getting into the wrong hands.

Handspring Treo 600 Smartphone specification

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Last updated 10th September 2009, 08:33 BST