Eyes on... Handspring Treo 180 Communicator

 

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Posted on 19 Mar 2002 at 17:37

Sure, the Blazer browser supports full HTML, but you'd be well advised to head for sites optimised for browsing by PDAs and those that use pared-down versions of HTML such as cHTML, WML (for WAP sites) and xHTML. The PDA version of the BBC's news page for example was a joy to access. Any picture positions had already been prepared, so the text loads straight in first so that you can start reading while the pics load.

What else do you need to know? Well, it's a neat little organiser with PalmOS 3.5.2H, boasting, aside from those apps already mentioned, Memo Pad, Advanced Calculator, CityTime world clock, Date Book Plus and Expense applications. You can also HotSync with a PC (it comes complete with the Palm Desktop suite) and beam data to other Palm handhelds.

In its guts are the standard workings for a Palm: 16Mb of memory, a 33Mhz Dragonball processor and an internal rechargeable Lithium Ion battery offering up to 2.5 hours talk and 60 hours standby time, increased to nearly a month with the wireless mode switched off. In reality, this resulted in recharging the unit every other day - a process that took some 90 minutes. After all, if it's also your mobile phone, you're going to want to use it. A proper cradle that recharges the Treo as well as synchronises it with a PC would be better than the simple USB cable supplied, but it's a small downside to what is, on pretty much every other count, a great product. Incidentally, a cradle is available separately.

There are other products that do essentially the same thing, such as the Siemens SX45 PocketPC-based offering, but the Treo is by far best of the current crop: it manages to be small and stylish enough to use as a mobile phone, yet the screen and navigational capabilities are good enough to make browsing the Web satisfying and having the personal organiser useful.

The Treo 180 is £299 including VAT with a contract to the BT Cellnet network. If you really must be independent, you're looking at £499. You can pick one up from BT Cellnet stockists or head over to Handspring.

Author: Matt Whipp