Review: Palm Treo 500v

PALMED: The Palm Treo is a good smartphone but with not so good battery life.

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The Palm Treo 500v is the latest smartphone on offer from Vodafone, It runs the latest Windows Mobile 6 operating system and is slimmer and more compact than previous models of Treo's and weighs in at only 120 grams.

The brains of this device are a 400MHz processor. It comes complete with 150MB of non-volatile main memory which can be expanded using a microSD slot which is unfortunately located under the battery.

The device has a 320 by 240 pixels screen which was very bright and clear and I had no issues viewing it over a long period of time. The 500v connects to Vodafone using the 3G network and connects to other computers using either Bluetooth or data cable.

The phone quality was very good with both ends of the connection sounding crisp and clear using both the device and the supplied headset. Photos taken on the 2 MP camera are of similar quality to other 2 MP phones. The only major negative I had is the battery life as I found it needed to be recharged every 2 days or so with reasonable use.

Unlike other smartphones on the market this device is not targeted towards the business market but more towards conventional cell phone users who feel like they need that bit more, having said that any device running Windows Mobile 6 is more than capable of allowing you to work in the field. Applications that come pre installed with the 500v will allow you to.

* Browse the Web using Internet Explorer

* Send and receive emails using IMAP, POP3, SMTP or Microsoft Exchange

* Create, read and modify Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint document's

* Access tasks, calendar and calculator

* Record voice notes

* Integration with other computers using Microsoft ActiveSync

Overall I found this a very good device. It looks the part and has the power and applications to do the job on the road, only downsides are the location of the MicroSD slot and the battery life.    

The Palm Treo 500v is $749.00 from Vodafone.