First Thoughts on the Treo 600. Here are some reactions to my new Treo 600. I've only been playing with it for two days, so this is more a stream of observations than a thorough review.
To cut to the chase, I like it. The little things really stand out. With its excellent hardware and software engineering, the Treo 600 is what Apple would build if it were a telecom equipment company. Of course, therein lies the challenge for Palm. The Treo, like most groundbreaking Apple products, is expensive, and its comparative advantages are qualitative and experiential. One the early-adopter geeks like me all rush out and buy one, it will be a challenge to crack the wider market.
All in all, as expected, the Treo 600 is the best smartphone on the market today. It's an excellent phone, a good PDA, a serviceable wireless email and Web device, a decent cameraphone, and with the expansion slot, your choice of an MP3 player, a WiFi/Bluetooth node, or a location-aware GPS device. If you only want to carry one electronic device in your pocket or purse, the Treo is for you.
So, should you buy one? Well, it depends. It ain't cheap. You can get a Treo 270/300, which has about 80% of the functionality (though much less of the cool factor), for $99 or less. The Treo 600 weighs in at $449 with activation from Sprint, or $399 if you upgrade from a previous model. If wireless email is essential to you, get a Blackberry. If you make tons of phone calls and rarely use PDA features, you're better off with a smaller phone-only device. If the camera is what excites you, get a Palm Zire 71. If you want to do lots of rich media stuff, get a Clie or a PocketPC phone. The laws of physics mean there will never be One Device to Rule Them All.
Me? I wouldn't want to carry anything else. [Werblog]