Vodafone’s Treo 500v was styled like a consumer device from hair tip to toe – Palm’s Treo 500 was designed in a more “conservative” fashion; the black case really looks quite well. But looks isn’t everything in a TamsWMS review – what about the stuff inside(and on the outside)P
Sizewise, the 500 is a lot slimmer but a bit wider than the Treo 680(equivalent to 750/750v):
Unlike most other Windows Mobile smartphones, the Treo 500 has an excellent keyboard. While typing is a bit more comfortable on machines like a Treo 680, the Treo 500′s keyboard still feels very well and is a pleasure to use:
The screen has a glossy cover that magically attracts scratches. Leaving the unit in a Proporta Gadget Bag for a day and passing it through an airport scan produced a few nasty scratches. The back of the 500 contains the speaker and the camera. The backplate of the 500 isn’t attached with a button anymore – instead, it is just pulled off to the bottom.
Doing this reveals the removable battery(not compatible with 680/750; but interchangeable with a 500v’s), the SIM slot and the memory card slot(uh-oh):
The Treo 600’s top-mounted power button is back(although it doesn’t do anything even remotely useful), and Palm also included the classic volume buttons:
Last but not least, the bottom of the 500v reveals a MiniUSB port and the 2′5 inch headphone jack:
Overall, the Treo 500 is similar to the hp 514…both devices have nicely done hardware with a fatal flaw. Palm managed to get charging/syncing, data input and overall design perfectly right…and destroys the otherwise-perfect device with the waaay-too-sensitive screen cover. Nevertheless, like the 514, the 500 is an exceptionally well-done Windows Mobile Smartphone…and the keyboard…
Tune in soon for a look at the 500’s screen.
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