Unveiling Palm Treo 680 Specs Pricing Pros & Cons

Design and Build

The Palm Treo 680 was a significant player in the smartphone market when it was released in October 2006. Its dimensions measured at 111.8 x 58.4 x 20.3 mm and weighed 157 grams, making it a relatively compact and lightweight device of its time. The device featured a classic bar-shaped design with a physical QWERTY keyboard beneath a resistive touchscreen, reflecting the transitional state of mobile devices before full touchscreen smartphones became the norm.

Display

The Treo 680 came equipped with a 2.5-inch TFT resistive touchscreen, capable of displaying up to 65K colors. The screen resolution was 320 x 320 pixels with a 1:1 aspect ratio and a pixel density of about 181 pixels per inch. Although small by today's standards, this screen was adequate for the user interface and applications offered by Palm OS.

Platform and Performance

At the heart of the Palm Treo 680 was Palm OS 5.4.9, powered by an Intel PXA270 processor running at 312 MHz. This combination provided users with a fluid and responsive experience for the operating system's capabilities at the time. The OS was known for its simplicity and ease of use, allowing users to efficiently manage emails, contacts, calendar events, and a suite of productivity apps.

Camera

The device included a VGA camera with a 0.3 MP sensor. Although it was not a standout feature, the camera was useful for basic photography needs. It could also record videos in the CIF format. However, the lack of an additional selfie camera could be seen as a limitation, even for devices from that period.

Storage and Memory

The Palm Treo 680 came with 64MB of internal storage, which could be expanded using an SD/MMC card slot that supported up to 4 GB. This was considered ample for storing applications and essential media files. The memory architecture allowed users to manage their data effectively without needing constant connectivity to cloud storage, which was less prevalent at the time.

Connectivity

The Treo 680's connectivity options included GSM technology with support for 2G bands across GSM 850/900/1800/1900. It was also equipped with GPRS and EDGE class 10 for data connectivity. Notably, the device lacked Wi-Fi but compensated with Bluetooth 1.2 including support for A2DP. The inclusion of an infrared port was a helpful feature for wireless data transfer between devices.

Battery Life

It utilized a removable Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 1000mAh. The battery life was quite reasonable, offering up to 300 hours on standby and approximately 4 hours of talk time. This capacity ensured users could rely on their device throughout the day with moderate usage.

User Experience

The Palm Treo 680 was known for its user-friendly nature, primarily due to Palm OS's well-designed interface. It provided an intuitive experience that facilitated easy navigation and application management. The inclusion of a physical keyboard was a significant advantage for text input over virtual keyboards of the time.

Applications and Software

Palm OS was complemented by a range of productivity applications right out of the box, including a proficient email client, a calendar, contact management utilities, and an array of third-party applications available through Palm's ecosystem. Despite the hardware restrictions, Palm ensured users could maintain a productive workflow using their devices.

Color Variants and Outros

One of the appealing aspects of the Treo 680 was its availability in multiple colors: Graphite, Crimson, Arctic, and Copper. This offered consumers a level of personalization uncommon in smartphones of the era. The variety of colors provided users the opportunity to choose a device that best matched their personal style.

Conclusion

The Palm Treo 680 represents a meaningful era in smartphone evolution. While it might lack the high-tech specifications of modern devices, its efficient use of available technology, robust design, and ease of use made it a popular choice among consumers in the mid-2000s. It remains a notable example of innovation that helped bridge the gap from traditional mobile phones to modern smartphones.