palmOneTreo 650
Nothing comes close to a Treo for organizing a hectic working life. Seamless integration between phone and PIM makes the Treo
650 a great tool. Combining a full suite of messaging capabilities -- text, multimedia, e-mail -- with support for thousands
of Palm applications, including the integrated Web browser and several common scheduling and productivity applications, this
phone literally has it all, at least as far as this reviewer is concerned.
Using third-party products such as Palm VersaMail, the Treo integrates with IBM Lotus Domino/Notes and Microsoft Exchange/Outlook,
providing POP/IMAP mailboxes that are similar to those of RIM’s BlackBerry Enterprise Server. But unlike the BlackBerry, the
Treo doesn’t allow you to talk on the phone and browse the Web or download e-mail messages at the same time (phone calls go
directly to voice mail).
Typing one-handed on the Treo is easier than on the BlackBerry, thanks to the 650’s ergonomic QWERTY keyboard, and it allows
you to view
and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, thanks to Palm OS-compatible products such as DataViz’s Documents To Go. VGA
camera aside, one more way the Treo 650 (GSM model) edges BlackBerry is support for AT&T Wireless’ high-speed EDGE service.
The 650’s battery life is great if you don’t go overboard on the Web surfing and Bluetooth linking and you regularly charge
the phone at the end of the day. I’ve made more than four hours’ worth of calls with my CDMA-based model and still had juice
left over (quad-band GSM phones are supposed to have even longer battery life). To go weeks between recharges, I shut off
the cellular radio and use only the Palm apps.
Price: $449; palmOne
-- Victor R. Garza
palmOneTungsten T5
The Tungsten T5 is palmOne’s latest high-end handheld. This device is designed to do everything the original Palm Pilot could
do -- keep contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes; sync with Outlook; and create and edit Word and Excel files -- only better,
faster, and easier. It’s also leaner and sleeker.
When you use it, you immediately notice the new features. The T5 has 256MB of memory, plus space for a Secure Digital memory
card, a MultiMediaCard, or palmOne’s new 802.11b Wi-Fi card, which I didn’t test. It also boasts an MP3 player, a high-resolution
color screen, snappier software, and it can work similar to a USB drive. As for connectivity options, built-in Bluetooth allows
you to connect to the Web through a Bluetooth-enabled cell phone. You can also use Bluetooth to synchronize the T5 with your
computer, or you can connect the T5 to a Windows PC or Mac using infrared or a USB cable, as was the case with previous iterations
of the product.
Although not a phone, the T5 is easier on the budget than the Treo is -- and it’s much less bulky. But if you’re planning
an upgrade from an existing Palm environment, think twice. You can’t simply move to the new platform with a HotSync as you
could with previous versions. You must go through a complex maneuver of reinstalling applications, exporting and importing
databases, and changing names. Worse, not every application will work. And, mastering the new handwriting software, Graffiti
2, requires old Palmers to learn a new trick.
Price: $399; palmOne
-- Wayne Rash
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