Treo 680 Review: Internet and Communications

The Treo 680 comes bundled with Palm Blazer and VersaMail or Web and Email. When it comes to rendering pages on a mobile device, Palms Blazer is excellent. Unfortunately, the device only supports EDGE. With the Treo 700w/p/wx support of EVDO, many were hopeful this new Treo would bring a support for UTMS (GSM version of broadband-like internet connection for mobile users). Apparently, the Palm OS could not support UTMS, providing yet another reason why this OS desperately needs to be upgraded. When the Windows Mobile powered Treo 750 arrives, it's expected it will support the UTMS. Palm has promised faster browsing on the Treo 680 compared to the Treo 650 due to smart caching. When compared to the EVDO based Treo 700p, the Treo 680 is significantly slower in accessing web pages and downloading email messages.

In this chart, shorter is better and indicates a faster download time. The Treo 680 exceed the time limit of the 1mb test and therefore were not included. Tests were done using DSLReports mobile test. While not extensive, it clearly shows the vast difference in speed of an EVDO capable Treo vs Cingular's EDGE network.

Streaming Media

The Treo 680 comes with Kinoma Player in the ROM. While its not listed in the applications, Kinoma Player will assist with streaming media. I tested the Treo 680s streaming capabilities on http://xstreamxm.com/mobile and had only one buffering issue during a 10 minute listening session of the Bone Yard. The Treo 680 proved its metal while listening to metal.

Email and Messaging

The Palm Treo 680 is the perfect companion to a person who is an active text messenger. If moving from a feature phone, youll rejoice at finding the chat-style discussions in Palms text messaging application. Lets say you are having a discussion with a friend that spans 20 messages. Later that day, you have exchange 10 messages with a different friend. Palm encapsulates this into what looks like an AOL IM chat session. When you select a particular friend, youll see the conversation. This chat-style or whats also know as threaded SMS cannot be found in the Treo 700w/wx, much to the chagrin of those who have upgraded from a Treo 650. For text messaging, it doesnt get better than Palms Messaging application that comes standard with the Treo 680.

Palm has made it easier to address recipients when text messaging. When you type the first few letters, the Treo 680 will bring up a list from your contacts. This of course adds to the ease of use when typing a message to a friend. Its much easier to type a message to Tricia, then have to remember the related phone number.

Email Using VersaMail

VersaMail has been upgraded to version 3.5. As Ive noted in my Treo 700p Review, Ive been using SnapperMail for the past 4 years so it was difficult for me to discern any major changes to VersaMail outside of a new Alerts feature allowing you to select ringtones for your alerts. VersaMail has also changed its name to simply Email. Email aka VersaMail is sufficient for most users. Those looking for more extensive features can look to either SnapperMail or Chatteremail.

Continue Treo 680 Review: Conclusion