The Treo Device Family
| The Treo product lineup currently consists of two models, the Treo 600 and Treo 650. The devices look a lot alike but there are some important differences you need to know. Because the devices are so similar, in many ways you can think of this book as covering both devices. However, the Treo 650 includes a few important changes and new features that are examined in detail as you work through the book. If you're reading this with a Treo 600 in your hand, just understand that the book is somewhat slanted toward the 650 because it's the newer model. Even so, much of the Treo experience is similar for both devices. Now it's time to learn more about these two devices! The Treo 600 is one of Palm's first smartphones, and serves as a PDA, mobile phone, digital camera, email client, and Web browser, among other things. The Treo 600 is available in both Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)/General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) models through a variety of different wireless service providers. The Treo 600 includes a color screen (160x160), read-only support for Office documents, a digital camera, and a built-in QWERTY keyboard. As nice as the Treo 600 is, however, there are a few drawbacks. For one, if your device loses power, your data gets lost. This type of memory, known as volatile memory, can be a real pain if you forget to back up your device and the battery runs dry. Speaking of the battery, it isn't removable in the Treo 600, so there's no way to replace it or carry an extra. Note GSM, GPRS, and CDMA are all mobile phone standards that determine the specific manner in which voice and data communications are carried out over a wireless network. GSM and CDMA are considered second generation, or 2g, standards, and GPRS is considered a 2.5g standard. Third-generation (3g) mobile phone standards, such as W-CDMA and CDMA2000, are currently being deployed as well as a 2.75g standard known as EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution). The standard your phone uses is largely determined by the wireless service provider you choose. The Treo 650 directly addresses some of the more prominent issues raised by Treo 600 users. Following are the primary changes made in the Treo 650:
The Treo 650 sports a much higher resolution screen than the Treo 600320x320 resolution compared to 160x160. The nonvolatile memory in the Treo 650 is also significant because it eliminates the Treo 600's potential for data loss if your battery should run out of charge. In addition, the Treo 650 battery is removable, which means you can buy extra batteries and have a fully charged replacement if you want to make sure you never go without power. Bluetooth wireless connectivity gives the 650 the capability to wirelessly connect with a headset, hands-free car kit, desktop or notebook computer, another Treo device, or any number of other interesting Bluetooth accessories. Although the digital camera in the Treo 650 is the same resolution (640x480, or 0.3 megapixel) as the Treo 600, you can use the camera in the 650 to shoot videos. And thankfully, Palm realized the importance of including MP3 support in the 650, so you can listen to digital music. Table 1.1 sums up the major technical differences between the Treo 600 and Treo 650 smartphone devices.
Now that you have an idea of how the Treo devices differ, in the following section, you shift gears a bit and take a look at the Palm OS that drives these smartphones. Although the Palm OS version is slightly different in the 600 and 650, it's generally the same OS. |
