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Handhelds Hardware

Handspring Treo 270 Leaked 134

Posted by timothy from the leaked-whatever dept.
Brian writes "Details of Treo 270 codenamed Atlanta, handspring's next communicator which incorporates a color display is leaked. PDA LIVE.com has the scoop and the photos!" I think this one's uglier than its predecessor, but it's got color and claims similar battery life, so if you're looking for a very wide phone, this could be it.
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Handspring Treo 270 Leaked More

Handspring Treo 270 Leaked

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  • It is ugly, but form follows function. I'm probably going to get one.

    • Re:It is ugly. (Score:1, Flamebait)

      by reaper20 ( 23396 )
      These things make you look dumb.

      I tried one at Best Buy, the thing worked pretty good, the keyboard was nice, looked like a great little device.

      I opened it as if I was talking into it, looked in a mirror, and decided I was ugly enough without having that gay looking thing in public.
  • What's up with all the new fancy-schmanzy pda's? I still use my old casio SF-7500, and let me tell you, that's more pda power than anyone can handle!

    64 KB(!) allows me to store tons of information in the memo section, it even have a built-in calculator too..

    Actually, I was quite shocked that it survived y2k, since I bought a looong while ago, but it did, and it works excellent for reminding me of stuff I need to remember :)
  • * There still is an external antenna
    * the keyboard is still sized for 7 year olds
    * I still can not lookup agenda while talking on the phone...

    The gadget value is quite high. The usage value is far less than (bluetooth connected) pda + phone.
    • I still can not lookup agenda while talking on the phone...

      Um, I thought you could use a hands free ear piece and and switch to any app you want. Are you sure you can't?

      • ...you could use a hands free ear piece ...

        As there is a cable to the ear piece, I give it a two month lifetime, being careful.

        • As there is a cable to the ear piece, I give it a two month lifetime, being careful.

          I've had one for about two years. I don't use it all the time, so it may not last as long on a PDA. Then again the cable seems no more robust then the cable release on my camera, which does take a bigger beating. Maybe you just need to find a quality one?

    • 1. Who cares. 2. Have you typed with one before? I find them to be the easiest thumb keyboards to type with out of all I have used (Clie NV70V, Zaurus, etc.) 3. Yes you can! Earpiece and speakerphone. I just love ignorance.
  • It has multiple colors, extended battery life and a nice wide formfactor...

    Now the only question left is does it vibrate?
    • Now the only question left is does it vibrate?

      Not only does it vibrate, but it has a physical switch to change between vibrate and ring modes, so you don't have to fiddle with the interface for five minutes just to change this. (OK, my current Sanyo phone is particularly noxious in this regard, but still...

  • Leaked? (Score:3, Funny)

    by dr_dank ( 472072 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:35AM (#3522979) Homepage Journal
    Handspring Treo 270 Leaked
    Maybe someone should have taken it to the restroom beforehand.

  • People must accept that when you have an LCD screen, there is always a chance of leakage.

  • When will the promise be fulfilled? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by ghoul ( 157158 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:36AM (#3522986)
    Companies have been promising a all-in-one product for a long time but we still see people carrying an organizer, a laptop, a cellphone , a MP3 player and a pager !

    Sometimes it makes me think the EM radiation combined from all the devices must be going over the safe threshold!

    Also ever notice how the all in one product is never the first on the market? Just look at portable Music players. First they sold us cdmans; then they sold us MP3 players ; now they are trying to sell us the combined product and for cheaper than both the original products?
    • now they are trying to sell us the combined product and for cheaper than both the original products?

      Exactly : they make more money forcing all their consummers tobuy the same product than developping fewer specific product with less features...
      But in the final you not only get something too much featured compared to what you primarily shopped for but also you pay a lot:

      a phone with subscription with an organizer with mp3 playing abilities is more expensive than only one of the above...

      let's take the nokia 9xx0 : it costs 1500CHF here.
      the previous treo was also 1000CHF expensive!

      if you supposedly want 2 of these features only, you can buy a 300CHF palm (or a psion revo) + a 300CHF philips mp3 expanium.

      you may even add a cheapphone to this equipment while keeping the costs lower than this all-in-one.

      why would you ask ?

      because you don't want your organizer to require a daily battery load.

      my palm can work 2 months on batteries.

      my mp3 disman can play non stop during 12 hours.

      my phone, well... it will support a one hour conversation.

      so, no way, buying too much will first reduce your mobility, especially on the battery-life point of view.
    • I actually prefer my array of communication devices. Having different numbers/email addresses/etc. makes life much easier when I'm trying to filter who I want to talk to. I only give my cell number out to a select few, so I know that if it rings, I should probably answer. My pager, though, gets a great deal of neglect... and, like most /.ers, I have a vast and complicated tree of email addresses that vary in access and importance. Although it would be nice, ideally, to have to carry only one piece of hardware, I wouldn't want to give up the privacy that several means of contact can give a guy.
      • Actually I agree with you on the use of different addresses for filtering but I wonder if the manufacturers could give the same functionality in one device. Maybe have different ringer tones for pager and cell and no tone at all for email . Email should be passive i.e. we check it when we want to.
      • Speaking of batteries why dont the manufacturers come up with a standardised interface and build it into a jacket with a power source and we could plug all our devices into it. That would be cool.
        Maybe we could even program it to set priorities- The organizer has top priority , next cell phone and next MP3 Player
    • Um "July" aparently. Well that's what the Voicestream sales rep said:
      http://www.voicestream.com/pocketpc/default .asp

  • Comment removed (Score:4, Informative)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:36AM (#3522987)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Why a PDA? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by MikeOttawa ( 551441 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:37AM (#3522990)
    I think the days for these kind of limited handhelds are numbered. With Sony pumping out full-fledged computers that weigh something like 1kg who would want something a limited as a PDA. I would rather carry around a mini-cell phone and a lite-laptop that lets me browse the web in something like 640x480 instead of like 240xwhatever, and then be able to leave it in the car and just carry my cellphone with me.

    Sony should come out with a laptop with a pop-out cell phone that allows web access on the laptop, and a regular cell phone that you can carry with you. Heck - you could even sync the information with the phone when you re-dock it, or place video calls with the laptop (since Sony seems to like putting digital cameras on their laptops).

    • Why a PDA? Because it's a short-life peripheral (Score:4, Interesting)

      by eschasi ( 252157 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @09:02AM (#3523096)
      I think the days for these kind of limited handhelds are numbered. . . I would rather carry around a mini-cell phone and a lite-laptop . . .

      I submit that you're a minority. Ultimately I think we'll have voice-recognition technologies in our handhelds and some sort of on-demand backwards connection to our `laptops'. Both laptop and PDA/phone/etc will be `mere' peripherals to whatever our central processing and storgage system is. Yes, laptops will get smaller and smaller, but they're forever going to be constrained by screen size and (to a lesser extent) power. I don't think we'll ever see a laptop with a 17" screen that fits in your pocket. Unless you've got hellacious pockets, of course.

      Peripherals, unlike central systems, map well to to specialized uses. My PP just died, and I'm seriously considering the Treo. It means that I'd carry one peripheral rather than three (pager, phone, PDA). For me (and many others) that's a big win.

      With any luck, the Treo will last three years, which is all I expect from a computer anyway. Even if you happen to be right and fully integrated laptops take over, it isn't gonna happen in the next three years. Thus again, the Treo is the right answer even for the mid-term.

      In the short term, it means better integration between phone lists, email, notes, etc. And to me, that's more than worth the three year cost per year. At the end of three years . . . well, we'll see what's out there.

      Step back, boys, eschasi's goin' shopping!

      • Yes, laptops will get smaller and smaller, but they're forever going to be constrained by screen size and (to a lesser extent) power. I don't think we'll ever see a laptop with a 17" screen that fits in your pocket.

        Yes, portable computers with physical screens are constrained by screen size. That's why there will be a shift to virtual screens that are projected onto your retinas (or viewable through projection glasses), for ultimate portability. It's only a matter of time before this technology is perfected.
        • It's only a matter of time before this technology is perfected.

          it probably won't be perfected for a few years. and after that it will take a few more years to gain mainstream market support. in the mean time, we are left with physical screens.

          i'm wondering when this OEL (organic electro-luminescent) technology is going to take off for screens. at least then there should be less power draw and thinner devices.
    • Sounds like you are wishing for a slight variation on what I already do.

      My home "workstation" is a docked Panasonic CF-01. I sync my Visor and VisorPhone through the IR port whenever I am home. No physical connection needed either, just the IR ports of both devices.

      Considered a Treo, but a lightning bolt hit when I realized the Panasonic is a "big giant" palm device when I want to carry it (home-rolled case is a small Meade folder, daytimer size, with rings removed, fits fine, has places to store pcmcia cards too). I love the Visor Pro too, can still access everything while on the phone using hands free adapter.

      Check my journal for my VisorPro/Phone experience ;-)

  • VisorCentral has it too (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Matias ( 172967 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:40AM (#3522996) Homepage

    VisorCentral has also picked up the story (complete with pictures):

    http://visorcentral.com/content/Stories/1448-1.htm [visorcentral.com]

    FCC also has info [fcc.gov] including the users manual [fcc.gov]

  • non-/.'ed pic (Score:1, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Nice pic here [palminfocenter.com]

  • all-in-one (Score:1, Interesting)

    by tps12 ( 105590 )
    In a decade these all-in-one devices are going to be laughable. We will have cellular phones (actually voice-over-wireless-ethernet) clipped on our ears, and PDAs built into our contact lenses.

    Voice and "twitch" interfaces will be the norm.

    It's called ubiquitous computing, and it will herald a new era in personal technology.

    • Re:all-in-one (Score:2, Interesting)

      by HitchHik ( 103069 )
      In 1990 we did a poll at our local BBS in Croatia - on how BBS-ing will look in the year 2000. One user suggested the same as you did. Glasses that would integrate wireless communication. It hasn't been relized yet - and we are 2 years overdue. Let's see how long it takes.

      • In 1990 we did a poll at our local BBS in Croatia - on how BBS-ing will look in the year 2000.

        In retrospect, BBS-ing looks like...1990.

        • What we refered to in that poll was actually - digital human communication. Which today has evolved quite a bit - but not to the point that we thought it would. All I was saying was that it was interesting that we discussed this in 1990 and that it still hasn't realized.
    • In a decade these all-in-one devices are going to be laughable.

      So? We still want something to use between now and then. It's not like anyone will be able to use this gizmo after ten years of steady use, anyhow.
    • Just like in the future-mentory "The President's Analyst"?

  • Samsung I300 (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:43AM (#3523011)
    I bought a Samsung I300 about 6 months ago and wouldn't trade it in for one of these things if my life depended on it. Here are a few reasons why:

    • The I300 has awesome color (yeah the new Treo does too ...)
    • The I300 looks/feels like a PDA, secondary it's a phone
    • The I300 looks professional, not like a toy
    • The I300 is smoothly integrated with the PalmOS, from playing with the Treo I can see they have a LOT of work to do in this area
    • The I300 has a speaker phone! This is an AWESOME feature, just tap the speaker icon while on a phone call and switch over to other Palm apps to take down phone numbers, dates, etc.
    • The I300 isn't wide at all - it's actuall skinnier (width wise) than these Treo's. It's kinda long, but is actually skinnier THICKNESS wise than my old Samsung


    I'd highly recommend checking out the I300 before purchasing a Treo.

    • Re:Samsung I300 (Score:4, Informative)

      by Brento ( 26177 ) <.moc.razotnerb. .ta. .otnerb.> on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @09:06AM (#3523115) Homepage
      The I300 has a speaker phone!

      Yep, so does the Treo. How's the email on that I300? That was my problem with it, the inability to sync to my company's Exchange server without hooking up the cables. TreoMail will sync over the airwaves. Plus, there's the fact that the I300 doesn't have a keyboard, that was a problem for me.

    • Re:Samsung I300 (Score:3, Informative)

      by SerpentMage ( 13390 )
      Well I do not know if that is a good recommendation. The Treo and Samsung are two different products. The Treo is a WORLD phone and the Samsung is a local phone that only works on CDMA networks.

      Therefore if you are looking at the Treo you are looking at GSM and hence the Samsung would not even be worth the look.
      • The Treo is a WORLD phone and the Samsung is a local phone that only works on CDMA networks

        You must be in marketing. Not only is your statement untrue, but the facts that you did include are misleading. The SPH-I300 is a dual-band phone that supports analog roaming, which means you can use it pretty much anywhere in the US, although you'll be paying roaming charges when not on the SprintPCS CDMA network. The Treo is strictly a GSM phone, which while it could be called a "World" phone, means that it will only work in major cities in the US and in very few places between. There is a CDMA Treo planned for release sometime this year, no idea if it will support analog roaming or not.

        • I must be in marketing? Huh...

          I only stated the facts of what the phone does. Is GSM only useful in large cities? Not so since I use GSM in the US and Canada it is not just useful in major cities. GSM has spread to the point where you can easily go into the burbs and beyond. Does it allow you to phone from a farm somewhere? Not really, but then again I have problems with analog as well. You see I have a dual band GSM as well and I have found that the little area that the analog gives me is not worth the effort of clunking around a large phone.

          But it still does not address the fact that the phone is usable only in one country. While the US is large plunking down that much and then realizing it will only work in one place is not that much fun. With the TREO you are not limited like that.

    • Re:Samsung I300 (Score:4, Interesting)

      by disappear ( 21915 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @09:11AM (#3523141) Homepage

      I can see that you've actually never played with the Treo, despite your comments. Walk into any CompUSA and try it...

      * The I300 has a speaker phone!

      So does Treo.

      * The I300 looks professional, not like a toy

      This is a matter of taste. To me, the Samsung (while a wonderful device that many of my friends own) looks like a big ugly block, and the Treo looks more professional.

      * The I300 isn't wide at all - it's actuall skinnier (width wise) than these Treo's.

      Go to CompUSA or wherever and hold them up against each other. I think you're wrong on this.

      * The I300 looks/feels like a PDA, secondary it's a phone

      And the Treo looks and feels something like both, but not 'primarily' like either one. For those of us who use cell phones for more than ten minutes a week, and who use PDAs primarily as organizers rather than portable computers, this is a better trade-off.

    • Re:Samsung I300 (Score:3, Interesting)

      by arindar ( 128302 )
      I also have an i300 and spent some time comparing with a freinds treo. The treo is wider but not as long as the i300 and they weigh about the same. I think the treo is nicer for talking since it elongates when you flip it open. Additionally the holster for the treo is a bit nicer than anything I have seen for the Samsung.

      In favor of the samsung though is that the battery is removable and this is a big plus. With the treo you cannot swap out the battery when it gets low you need to plug it in. The talk time for both units seemed to be about the same for a full charge.

      Since I normally use my phone most in the car and with a headset I am fine not have the flip up earpiece and the holster I am getting used to but hope someone will come up with a better one soon.

      To address one of the other concerns brought up. Sprint does have a solution for getting your exchange mail but it is a bit clunky. Additionally I thought the mail synching feature of the treo was not available yet? at least it was not when the phone first came out.
    • "The I300 looks professional, not like a toy"

      YMMV, but the Treo looks much more professional in both functions, not like a toy, or even--like the I300--like a toy brick.

      "The I300 is smoothly integrated with the PalmOS, from playing with the Treo I can see they have a LOT of work to do in this area"

      What have you been smoking? The treo's phone functions are as tightly integrated into the PalmOS as they could be? How do you dial a number from your I300? I tap two to three letters on my keyboard and press enter.

      "The I300 has a speaker phone! This is an AWESOME feature, just tap the speaker icon while on a phone call and switch over to other Palm apps to take down phone numbers, dates, etc."

      ditto. Or, if you don't want to tap a button on the screen, just hit the spacebar.

      "The I300 isn't wide at all - it's actuall skinnier (width wise) than these Treo's. It's kinda long, but is actually skinnier THICKNESS wise than my old Samsung"

      Treo is slightly wider than the I300, but shorter and has an overall smaller feel, especially with it's curved edges. the I300 is a brick.

      "I'd highly recommend checking out the I300 before purchasing a Treo."

      I'd highly tell you where to stick it. If you want a CDMA smart phone, the 270 should be out for Sprint by the end of Summer. Otherwise the 180 is good for GSM, andt he 270 for GSM will be out within the month.
    • I've had a chance to use the Samsung I300, and while it's a very nice phone/PDA combination, one thing in particular stuck out in my mind: no buttons. Now some people might see this as a blessing, but on a cell phone I think being able to press a tactile button is a wonderful thing.

      A lot of devices that go with the buttonless approach--remotes, cell phones, readers, etc.--run into this problem. Flat-touch surfaces provide no user feedback and are error-prone for data entry. Touchscreens are extremely adaptable and nice to develop for, but as a user interface they're not very nice for the user. Not only do the lack of buttons make finding the button harder (physical buttons on a remote or cell phone are easily memorized), but pressing the screen leaves a visible fingerprint from oils and dirt that accumulate on our skin. So people find themselves trying to tap the screen with the back of their fingernail, which is a really contorted way to try to touch something. (What they don't show on Star Trek is the ensigns whipping out their handy Windex spritzers after every command.)

      Perhaps someone will develop a membrane-like screen with good clarity and the ability to morph itself into different buttons that can be depressed. But until then, I'll do just fine with a smaller screen and my handy buttons.

    • How can you call 256 colors awesome?
      My Prism with VisorPhone is 16-bit, and the color Treo will be as well.
    • Info on I300 replacement is here:

      http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID= 30 60

      and here

      http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_Story.asp?ID= 30 73&MODE=FLAT

      Still like the Treo 270 better, if only for the more subdued look and Blackberry-like keyboard.

  • FCC has more info (Score:3, Informative)

    by dmccarty ( 152630 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:50AM (#3523047)
    There is a PDF on the FCC's website with lots of pretty pictures [fcc.gov].

  • Leaked... Question (Score:3, Funny)

    by WetCat ( 558132 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:51AM (#3523049)
    Is it water-proof? How much is the coldest operating temperature?
    There is some need for handhelds that can work under -30 Celsius
    (normal temperature in some parts in Russia in winter) and be waterproof.
    What can you suggest?

  • A bundle of paradoxes... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by supercytro ( 527265 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:51AM (#3523055)

    It's too ugly to be left out in the open and too big to fit in your pocket...
    Too expensive to be a PDA and too limited to be a laptop replacement...

    I think in the short-medium term, it will still be multiple devices that take off i.e. having PDA, ,mobiles, laptops, protable music-players rather than all-in-one units. However, there will be more connectivity between devices.
    Bluetooth seemed to be a part of the solution but problems (i.e. cost, compatibility, power consumption,availability) have limited its impact.

  • Here, read the actual things submitted to the FCC here [fcc.gov] including internal photos, a manual for the 270, etc., etc. Or you can just go to Visorcentral (www.visorcentral.com) and read their writeup on it. But the FCC's page is more informative, IMO.

    Mark

  • I always wondered... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by keep_it_simple_stupi ( 562690 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @08:59AM (#3523087) Homepage
    Does anybody other than me have semi-oily skin? When I use my cell phone for an extended period of time, that oil gets onto the screen of the cell phone since it rests against my face. Now what happens when you use one of these PDA phones? Are they designed for this not to happen? I would hate to have to wipe the touchscreen after using the phone... "No! I don't want to call China!"

    Anyway, if anyone has experience with these phones please clue me in. Thanks.
    • Perhaps you should buy the new Noxzema PDA, to help prevent oily skin buildup on the screen. It's called the Acneo.
    • When you turn the phone off, the touchscreen is easily wiped.

    • I also have oily skin and I use the Visor Prism w/a VisorPhone.
      The way the speaker is on the phone, it encourages me to hold the screen away from my face. The speaker is also powerful enough that I don't have to have it right on my ear, and of course, there's always the earbud/mic that comes with it.

      As for the Treo, I know that they are also designed with this in mind... In fact, the obtuse angle of the open Treo encourages you to hold it so that the screen does not touch your face.
      It looks kind of like this when open: __/

    • I've spoken to PDA manufacturers about this and there is a growing movement to put the speaker and the mic on the back of the device. The iPAQ GSM/GPRS sleeve does this too.
      Ben
  • This is a list of what my next PDA will have to have to get me to upgrade from my IIIc: -colour screen, outside useable (epaper?) -phone, plus vibrate mode -storagecard-capapble -mp3player -either bluetooth or wireless ethernet capable. It's that or bust...I don't NEED to get every generation which progressively includes these functions. My IIIc serves me fine, and cost me enough when it first came out. I'll only upgrade when what I want is out there...and I suspect many with palm III's or Handspring will too.
    • The PDA makers do get. The problem is the technology. With these devices getting the maximum battery life is essential. Put all of your features into one device and the battery life goes down the tubes...

      So yes good idea, but not yet realizable...

  • weak pun (Score:2, Funny)

    by dmanny ( 573844 )
    If a handspring is leaked, would we say handsprung?
  • it suck's

    I cant sync it with my linux box
    it uses old mcore like cpu (non arm/mips)
    and it looks silly

    get a

    Nokia 7650 [symbian.com]

    or take alook at how GUI should be done (looks nice like java swing done right)
    symbian interface [symbian.com]

    and see it on a small phone

    look for p800 photo's [sonyericsson.com]

    regards

    john jones

    • I cant sync it with my linux box


      Yes you can: use jpilot [jpilot.org]. KDE's PIM supposedly syncs with Palm devices, too, though I haven't tried it out yet.




      it uses old mcore like cpu (non arm/mips)



      And it still feels faster than comparable units running other OSes and faster chips. Amazing what quality programming can do, huh?



      Sure, it won't play my MP3s. That bums me out. And I wish it had the resolution of Sony's units. But the cost difference between implementing those features is substantial enough, and the Treo is already expensive enough, that I'll be happy to forego those advantages when the CDMA version of the Treo ships.

  • Kyocera QCP6035 rocks my world (Score:5, Interesting)

    by justin_w_hall ( 188568 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @09:17AM (#3523168) Homepage
    I picked up a Kyocera QCP6035 [kyocera-wireless.com] phone for CHEAP ($100 at Best Buy) a month ago. They're discontinued now, I think, but CompUSA still has em [compusa.com] for $150, and they're practically free with a new account with all the rebates they throw at you. It's an 8MB PalmOS 3.5 PDA and SprintPCS phone combo, and it's BEAUTIFUL. Great battery life (for now), great reception over my older Samsung and Sanyo Sprint phones, and the best part: the built in net connection.

    The phone comes with Sprint's dialup service built in, and doesn't cost any more than normal airtime. For a poor college kid like me the cost is silly low and I can do AIM, SSH, VNC, web/email, IRC, and never have to go into the office ever again :)

    The IRsync capability as well as being able to use it as a modem is nice. Biggest downside is the serial cradle it comes with, but I think they have a USB one you can buy now.

    • Me too! (Score:2)

      by DG ( 989 )
      I just got my Kyocera last week. It was like $150 at Amazon, but there was a $100 mail-in rebate, and I had an Amazon gift certificate, so it wound up being free.

      Same phone goes for $600CAN at the local mall.

      Anyway, the thing is a PalmPilot that makes phonecalls and has net access. The integration of the addressbook to the phone is near-perfect, and it has real buttons on the front for dialing numbers not in the address book.

      Using handsfree on the phone while taking notes on it just rocks. And all the Palm software I've tried on it works just perfect.

      The only things that would make it better would be a standard Palm access port on the bottom (for connecting to pyrometers, etc) and an integral GPS.

      Highly, highly recommended.

      BTW, you have any links to good SmartPhone user sites?

      DG
      • www.qcp6035.com has served me well..i'd check it out. I never had a cell phone or a PDA before this thing, but i'm glad I got it now.
    • Had one for a time as well but found it too sluggish. It was too much of a pain to dial in to IM someone. And the lack of a keyboard was frustrating (I prefer Blackerry-style input) but YMMV.

      Decided to return it and wait for always-on 2.5G and a convergence device that included a built in kb (Treo or Danger).

  • Overpriced (Score:2, Interesting)

    by hellfire ( 86129 )
    The visor Prism is $299. The visor pro is $229. The current Treo is $399, or $299 with a trade up.

    Both have rechargable batteries, 16 MB memory, and an expansion slot. And the prism has color when the current Treo 180 does not.

    Guess what the expansion slot fits? A Visorphone which is free with activation.

    So basically I'm paying $170 or an old PDA for a keyboard on my new PDA. I used to think this thing was cool, but when I got a visorphone for my existing Visor Deluxe (ohhhhh its coming soon!) I got over that real quick.
    • I did the same thing. I love my VisorPhone. I did upgrade the browser....other than that...it has worked perfectly. There are a few differences in the software of the VisorPhone itself...but there doesn't seem to be an update or upgrade for the embedded software itself.

      A very cool device and WAY WAY cheaper than the TREOs.
    • really? let's see..it's 200 PDA + 100 phone + 100 wireless modem , that is about $400. You may get away with old PDA and cheap phone for less than $300. but those are last year models, right :-)
      • That would make sense, if it weren't for the fact that I pointed out this years models and that I also pointed out the phone which includes functionality as a wireless modem is FREE with activation. So for the cost of any other Visor PDA you can turn that PDA into a Treo sans the keyboard for much less money.
      • Hey if you want to add on a keyboard low end 40$, high end 100$ [handspring.com] you are still less than what the treo is!

  • Snarky comments galore (Score:2, Interesting)

    by hojo ( 94118 )
    Jesus, what a bunch of mean comments. Ugly--too big--not as capable as a VAIO--too limited in too many ways--

    Well, I disagree. I'm a happy user of a Handspring Visor for the last year or so, and it's been a wonderful tool as an organizer, news reader (via Avantgo daily updates), entertainment package (with a nice Freecell version and Mille Bournes clone), and document reader (I keep the NCI Cancernet PDQ database on it, and I've also read a few novels on it using iSilo).

    These are great little devices but I've been waiting for internet connectivity before getting a new one. I would have gotten a Treo 180 but I figure that if I'm going to have to recharge anyhow (for any wireless device) I might as well wait for color. This new model fits the bill perfectly.

    Additionally, I really like the enhanced calculator that Handspring has in their devices as well as the Citytime application for resetting times when traveling. I am among the few people out here who still don't have a cell phone, and this will even let me join the 1990s with a handy device.

    Size? My Visor Platinum is significantly larger than the 270 and it is invisible and unnoticed in my pocket when I carry it. I don't go to work without it.

    Capability? The 270 should be able to satisfy every use I have found for the Visor, but it has twice the memory and a nicer display. Those card games and documents will be easier to see on a good display.

    You want to edit Word documents, write up your departmental expenditures with Excel, watch videos, listen to MP3s--forget it with a device like this. But I challenge anyone to produce any device with a form factor as friendly as my Visor or a Pocket PC that won't drive you nuts while doing those things. You want those capabilities--you must get a laptop. No pocket device form factor will make such jobs possible, without something crazy like accurate speech recognition or a virtual keyboard interface.

    For guys like me, this Treo 270 is exactly what we want. The only real gripe I have is that I would like a nice telnet/ssh client built-in so that I could do my remote administration.

    • I've got a Treo 180 and I have to say, I love it. It's loaded up with e-mail, AIM, a web browser, SMS and works well as a regular phone, with good reception and battery life. I find the keyboard and screen just the right size, its just as thin as a regular phone, and weighs no more than a regular PDA. I've added some favourite Palm apps with no compatability problems at all.

      It has brought net connectivity to traffic jams, walks in the park, waiting for friends in bars...fish it out, press a button and you are good to go.

      If I ever find my life resembling a bad Hollywood paranoia movie, I'm pretty confident I can hack the bad guys system with this thing and save the day in time for the closing credits.


  • This is competition for SonyEricsson's P800 [theregister.co.uk] ? I think not. Compare the two operating systems, the operator support, the vendor support on that OS.

    The standalone PDA is dead, long live the Smart Phone.

  • They're calling it Atlanta (Score:5, Funny)

    by colmore ( 56499 ) on Wednesday May 15, 2002 @09:43AM (#3523301) Journal
    They're calling it Atlanta.

    So I'm guessing it will be big, slow, and poorly designed. It will contain few notable features, and will be generally unaesthetic. While the device will be able to withstand blistering heat, the moment the tempeture gets a degree below freezing, the whole thing will shut down until help can arrive from a more northern device. While it will be connected to the information superhighway, it will be unable to handle traffic of any volume, and will utterly lack alternative methods of connectivity. While it will claim to have a better display, most users will still find that it choses to view things in black and white.
  • Handspring Treo 270 Leaked

    This is why I'll only buy a genuine Palm or even a quality Sony Clie. I can't believe they'd build a palm so cheap that it leaks.... that stuffs gotta be pretty poisonous too.
  • It just goes to show: they just don't build them like they used to. What good is the damn handheld if it leaks battery acid all over you? I think I'll pass on this one.
  • I read the article and it didn't say what leaked, the LCD? the battery?

    I've had a palm for years and I've looked inside, there's no reservoir for any liquid inside...

    So it's a Cellphone, Pager, PDA, e-mail client, AND a canteen?

    :-)

    ==========
  • I had been shopping for a PDA/phone a few months ago, and looked at the Samsung I300 [samsungelectronics.com] and Kyocera QCP-6035 [kyocera-wireless.com], both of which are nice phones available for CDMA networks (I'm on Sprint [sprintpcs.com] and don't really see a new handset as a compelling reason to switch).

    However I decided to wait for now for two reasons. One is that Handspring recently announced that they will be supporting CDMA [handspring.com] (logical considering Qualcomm just invested $10 Million [handspring.com] in them). Thus I expect a CDMA Treo will come out some time this year.

    The other reason I am waiting is that Sprint PCS is about to roll out their new 3G Network [sprintpcs.com] this summer. Among other things, this will offer data speeds up to 10 times faster than the current network can. In fact, Wired is running a story today [wired.com] on the demo roadshow that Sprint is running right now to show off applications of their new network.

    Sprint isn't showing any new handsets for it yet, but one will presume they are forthcoming. In fact, I'm guessing thats why the price on the QCP-6035 has dropped so preciptously (from like $300 to $100 or so) in the last couple of months---I'm guessing Kyocera has a successor model waiting in the wings.

    Hence I wait.

  • Not enough Juice yet (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Oxide ( 92607 )
    The idea of carrying only one device instead of two (PDA+Phone) is appealing. But the the Treo is just about the only modern PDA out there that doesnt have an expansion card. Also, it is still running Palm OS v3.5 when all the new ones are on v4.1.
    The keyboard is too small that I find using the graffiti is faster for me

    To convince me from diching my Palm Vx, the new device must have:
    1) OS 4.1 or better
    2) Color
    3) Phone
    4) Expansion card
    5) Useable keyboard

    the treo is close, but no cigar. Sony's NR70 is right there, now if only they add the phone.

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