Tech Throwback: Treo 600

like to take a look at where I’ve been to evaluate where Im going. Technology is cyclical after all… wait no its not. That said I still like all the feels that come rushing back like a flood of nostalgia every time I get my hand on the tech I grew up with. Im going to go back periodically and take a looking at the stuff that used to blow our hair back and get our minds rolling. Some of these device blew up and changed the world, some where ahead of their time and some just fell flat and became colossal failures. Today I’m powering up the Treo 600, the first commercial pocket Palm pilot and phone.

The year was 2003 and Linkedin was setting up a place for guys with sideways cellphone belt pouches. We just need the right phone to put in it.. Boom, behold the Treo 600. Palm’s first Palm Pilot and phone in one.

The Treo 600  is an Internet-enabled Palm Pilot PDA designed and marketed by Handspring then later by Palm. It has a touchscreen with a full  QWERTY keyboard. The Treo 600 functions include those of a camera phone and a portable media player in addition to text messaging and multimedia messaging. It also offers Internet services including e-mail , instant messaging, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity.

My Hands on with the Treo 600

The Treo 600 is a rather large device by cell phone standards but compact for a PDA. The 600 is slightly wider and deeper than its predecessor and is nearly half an inch slimmer, giving it a more cell-phone like feel. The new form factor has been compared to a bar of soap. The design is definitely an example of form-follows-function, the front of the phone consists of a full QWERTY keyboard at the bottom with menu and home buttons at the bottom right. Above the keyboard are the 4 application buttons with a “five-way” navigator in-between. Each application button can be mapped to two applications, with the exception of the last button which has one of its functions permanently mapped to the on/off.

It functions slow and cumbersome by today’s standards but at the time it had the contacts game on lock down. This was the first phone to incorporate the multiple number and emails to one contact. Previous to this you had to list Todd, Todd Home, Todd Cell, Todd work all as an individual contact with one number associated to it… Not any more. Wow we were easy to please back then. The old Gprs network this phone functioned on is long gone and there doesn’t seem to be a Wifi option and I  cant remember if that is correct. Never the less I  cant test a website, and note that the websites where not mobile friendly in those days, you pulled up the full page and had to whip out this little stylus and navigate on a 2 inch screen. Impossible you say? Yes it quite was.

Quick Speck Look

Specifications
Mobile phone, GSM/GPRS model with 850/900/1800/1900 MHz bands, CDMA model with 800/1900 MHz bands.
144-MHz ARM processor.
32 MB RAM (24 MB available storage).
Built-in rechargeable lithium ion batteries, lasting more than 24 hours in normal usage.
Palm OS ver 5.2.1H complete with standard applications including web browsing, email, calendar, and contacts.
Size 4.4 × 2.4 × 0.9 inches (11.2 × 6.0 × 2.2 cm)
Weight 5.9 oz. (168 grams)
Display 160×160 pixels CSTN backlit display
SDIO / SD / MMC memory slot.
MP3 and stereo audio headset compatible (requires a converter to accept standard headset).
Digital camera VGA (640×480) resolution (Most models)
Infrared com port and touch-screen with stylus.
Backlit keyboard with phone dial layout.
Speakerphone and vibrate mode.

The Final Thought

This phone failed commercially but set up the Treo 650 which with some minor improvements kept the new Linkedin crowd happy for a nice and health 5 year run. But the 600 in its color less glory was a sight to casually remember…