Handspring Treo Product Review

by Paul R. Kiesel

“I have found it.” The email message arrived mysteriously and cryptically. I looked at my Blackberry, my tiny portable wireless email device, and tried to figure out who sent this message. I didn't have a clue. The sender appeared as “ 8184867009.” An unusual email address. My interest piqued, I typed "what's ‘it’?"
A few seconds later, the answer: “the ultimate wireless palm device.” I was hooked. First, I wanted to know what the "perfect wireless palm device" was, and, second, I wanted to know who was imparting this bit of cyber advice. Concerned I might be communicating with a sophisticated, interactive computer, rather than a person, I replied "who are you?"

"It's Sahag." That's Sahag Majarian, an attorney in Tarzana whom I have worked with for many years, so I knew the message wasn't simply creative cyber advertising. Rather than engage in an email exchange, I called to ask what IT is.

"You've got my attention, what is IT?" Sahag told me he’d just purchased the new Handspring Treo model 270. He said it blended the Palm, Blackberry and cell phone into one lightweight, easy to operate device. This sounded familiar. That's what the folks at Kyocera said when they introduced their brick last year. If nothing else, Sahag had my interest. “So, how do I get one?” “It’s not going to be easy,” Sahag tells me. "I waited six weeks for mine."

I decided to use my powerful position at the Daily Journal to see if I could coax Handspring into sending me a unit to use and review. I called the Handspring PR department. A few calls later, I was on the line with Erin, the Handspring account representative at Switzer Communications. When I told her I wanted a demo unit to a review, she started to laugh. Laugh. Not exactly a full-blown laugh, more a sad chuckle.

"Wish I could help, but the company doesn't have enough units for us to lend out. Hopefully we'll have some in a month or two.” That’s a first. A public relations agency who’s been hired to promote a product doesn't have enough inventory. I figured this was either poor corporate
planing or the demand outsripped the available supplies.

Undaunted, I decided to order one on Amazon.com. A few clicks later I was looking at, for the first time, the Handspring Treo 270. Next to the words “Expected Delivery In,” I read “FOUR TO SIX WEEKS.” Not 24 hours, not one week, but a MONTH or more. So much for purchasing from Amazon. So, uncharacteristically, I waited. And wait I did.

Several weeks before leaving on my summer vacation, I checked back with Erin to see when a Treo 270 might be available. Erin apologized and said she still did not have a Treo 270, but would I be interested in the Treo 180, a black and white version of the Treo 270. “Fine, I’ll review the 180, so I don't need to wait for the 270." Erin cautiously replied “I'm happy to send you the 180, but I recommend you try out the 270 before writing your review.”

She couldn't have been more right! Several days later the 180 arrived and, sure enough, it was light weight, easy to set up and easy to operate. However, the draw backs of the 180 are so significant by comparison to the 270 (and the 300 to be discussed later) that purchasing the 180 is an absolute WASTE of money. The drawbacks of the 180 aren't many, but they are significant.

First, the black and white monochromatic screen is so difficult to see that, even with 20/20 vision, I had an extremely hard time reading; it was as bad as the first generation Palm devices a decade ago. The other drawback, which is one of the great benefits of the 270, is the absence of a back-lit keyboard. It was hard to see and hard to use in anything other than direct sunlight, and, even then, I had to twist the screen so it was legible. I was very disappointed.

I was so unhappy with the Treo 180 that shortly after arriving on the East Coast, I put it away and didn't take it out again until my return to Los Angeles. When I got home, I called Erin and reported my experience. “I told you,” she said, "but I've got the 270 if you'd like to review it."

Now the fun begins. For you techno-philes, here are some basic specs on the Treo 270. The processor is a 33 MHz Motorola Dragonball VZ that comes with a generous 16 MB of memory. The battery is a rechargeable lithium Ion, yielding up to 3 hours talk time and 150 hours standby time. The 4.2" x 2.8" x 0.82,” (about the size and weight of a Palm 515...just a bit thicker) steel gray colored unit weighs in at a light 5.4 ounces and features a protective flip lid that protects the touch screen. And a nice screen it is, displaying over 4,000 colors and running the Palm OS, which includes the popular Palm Desktop, date, address and memo programs, and it is compatible with thousands of other applications. The Treo downloads your addresses from Outlook or any one of hundreds of contact manger software. Handspring has mated the Palm OS with a Blackberry-style keyboard that is faster and easier to use than the Grafitti writing area of most Palm-style devices. All these features are mated with a GSM 900/1900 MHz world phone that is cleverly integrated with the organizer, pager, and e-mail/browser parts of the Treo 270 to bring us as close as we have come to the all-in-one, must-have communicator.
Because it uses the latest wireless networking, called G3 or GPRS, the Treo 270's speed in sending and retrieving e-mail, using messaging and browsing the internet are greatly improved over prior devices. Handspring has added many nice and useful features to the 270, including speaker phone, headphone jack, rocker switch for one touch calling, dedicated ringer button and an IR port that allows users to beam vital schedules, addresses and memos to colleagues in seconds. Specs aside, how the unit feels matters, and the Treo 270's design is much more successful than previous models and other current brands. Frankly, it feels, looks and works great..... a nice combination.

My only criticism is with the service provided by Cingular. I found it to be spotty, at best, with numerous lost calls. In several locations where my Verizon phone had full reception, the Cingular phone was dead. I also was not thrilled with Cingular’s pricing plans.

Now for the good news: in September Sprint introduced their own version of the Treo – the model 300. The 300 is a bit heavier than the 270 by .3 of an ounce, but is, in all other respects, identical. Sprint has superior service area coverage, high-speed data networking and truly affordable pricing plans. With the introduction of the 300, I was able to purchase the phone through Sprint. It’s been a long time since I tested a product and liked it so much that I went out and bought it myself, the Blackberry being the last one. If you are looking for the perfect blend of phone, e-mail, internet access and contact manager, the Handspring Treo is the ticket.

You can learn more by visiting www.handspring.com or going to the Sprint or Cingular web sites. One final note. If you plan to use your phone in Europe, you will be better off with the Cingular 270, despite its drawbacks in the states, since its technology allows you to use your telephone outside of the United States, and the Sprint phone is only a U.S.-based system. There are a few other manufacturers that offer similar, but in my view, inferior products they are Microsoft’s PocketPC phone, Kyocera’s model 7135 and T-Mobile’s entry the Sidekick. I suggest reading the technology review in “Circuts” the October 3, 2002 New York Times, which provides an excellent summary of these three devices along with the Treo. I suspect that within the next year, manufacturers will offer smaller, faster and high-resolution products but, for the time being, the Handspring Treo (color) is the creme de la crem.