Other PDAs: Hardware Reviews: Review: Treo 680

The Palm Treo 680 is the slimmer, more colorful little brother to the Treo 650 and 700p. That's the tag line, anyway, so we were surprised when we got one in hand to find that it's not actually that much smaller.

Sure, the 680 is an improvement, if only for the extra memory, but we're not as thrilled with it as we expected to be, thanks to it's odd restrictions, poor camera, lack of Wi-Fi, and the fact that it's almost the same size as previous Treos.

Palm knows not to tamper with success, which is usually a good thing, since the Treo is an excellent smartphone and upgraded models never ruin what worked in the original. But it also means Palm isn't the most innovative company: once it has a design that works, it sticks with it even while other companies steal the spotlight.

The Design
The Treo 680 seemed like a streamlined consumer-friendly version when it was announced, but now that we've gotten a chance to see it up close, we find that it's nearly the same size. The 650 and 700 both measure 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches, while the 680 measures 4.4 x 2.3 x 0.8-inches. It weighs 5.5 ounces, less than the 6.3 and 6.4 ounces of the others, so at least it's a bit lighter.

The lack of an antenna poking up from the top-left corner is the real reason the Treo seems smaller. The 680 got great reception in our testing with its internal antenna. Other physical changes are limited to a subtle groove that runs along the sides and makes the phone easier to hold.

One reason the 680 is more attractive than earlier models is that this is the first model to come in a range of colors. The 680 comes in red, orange, white, and gray, which, in marketing-speak, are called crimson, copper, artic, and graphite. But to get the more colorful three, you'll need to buy the phone unlocked, at the full price of $399.

The 680 is only offered by one carrier now, Cingular, and you can only get the gray (or graphite) model at a discount. We'd expect both of those restrictions to change before long, but for now it's an irritation for early-adopters.

Cingular is offering the Treo 680 for a little less than $200 with a two-year contract and an unlimited Cingular PDA Connect data plan, which goes for $44.99 per month. This is far less than what a new Treo typically goes for, but is in line with other recent smartphones from Nokia (the E62), RIM (the Pearl) and Samsung (BlackJack) and Motorola (the Q).

The button layout is nearly identical to previous Treos. The left side holds the volume controls and a customizable side button, while the right holds the SD card slot, protected by a hinged cover. As before, the top holds a silence button, which is a quick way to quiet your phone when you go into a meeting or movie theater.

On the back is Treo's VGA camera. VGA means it has a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels, or about .3 megapixels. When every low-tech cell phone that comes out today has at least a 1.3 megapixel camera, it's embarrassing that the Treo has such a paltry one. Pictures taken with it look fine on the screen, but horribly grainy when transferred to a home computer.

Back With Camera

Phone Software
The phone interface has been revised for this model, and it's nicely simple to use. It uses a tabbed design that lets you quickly switch between the number pad, favorites (including non-phone software), contacts, and recent calls.

You can make a call from the directory or call list by highlighting the number and pressing the green call button. The 680 doesn't support voice-dialing and we found the speakerphone to be a little quiet, even when the volume was turned all the way up.

Calling & Connections
We tested the 680 with Cingular and got consistently good call quality and decent data performance. The 680 only works with GSM networks (we hope there will be a CDMA model, but haven't heard anything so far) so you can only use it with Cingular and T-Mobile.

Both offer EDGE support for data plans, which isn't nearly as fast as CDMA's high-speed data, but is good enough for e-mail and light Web surfing. If you want to stream video or surf the Net quickly, a GSM/EDGE phone isn't for you.

The 680 doesn't offer Wi-Fi, so you'll need to buy a data plan when you get it. We'd like to see it get Wi-Fi, so people have the option of connecting in other ways. Unfortunately, the 680 doesn't work with Palm's own Wi-Fi card.

Phone Interface

It does offer Bluetooth 1.2, so you can use it as a modem for your Bluetooth-enabled notebook, and since it's a quad-band world phone (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) you can use it freely in Europe.

You can load more programs on the 680, because it offers 64MB of memory (the 650 has 32MB and the 700 has 60MB). If you're new to the Treo, you'll want to run through the Quick Tour, which is the second icon in the phone's software screen. It offers a brief run-through of the 680's main features.

The Palm operating system has always been a snap to learn, so you'll pick it up in no time. If you somehow get stuck, know that you get free 90-day access to phone support (Monday-Friday, 6 AM to 8 PM PST, and weekends 8 AM to 5 PM PST). The phone number is nicely located on the inside box flap.

Applications & Add-Ons
The software bundle includes the standard Palm productivity apps, as well as Pocket Tunes for listening to music, a camera app for shooting still shots or video, Cingular XpressMail, DocumentsToGo (which lets you view and edit text documents, spreadsheets, and presentations), and the Blazer Web browser.

The battery for the 680 is only rated for 4 hours of talk time, versus 6 hours for the 650 and 4.5 hours for the 700. We definitely noticed that it drained quickly in our testing, needing recharging at least every-other day, and sometimes every day. You'll need to pack the charger for even short trips.

Application Interface

In the box, you'll get a computer connection cable for synching, a wall charger, a wired headset, and a plastic screen protector. What you won't get is a case or belt clip.

The 680 is an attractive addition to the Treo line, but we wish a little more innovation and value had been packed into it. While other smartphone makers are driving the category, Palm is resting with small refinements. If the Treo can't keep up with its competitors, it's going to fall behind.