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Palm Treo 680 Press Conference

I was at Palm’s press conference yesterday at Digital Life where they unveiled the Treo 680, and while I won’t be able to get my video of it online until next week, here are my notes.

Palm unveiled at their Digital Life press conference the new (and expected) Treo 680, an update that falls feature-wise betweeen the 650 and 700 that adds mass-market appeal. It comes in four “exciting” colors, including iPod “Arctic” white. It plays MP3s, and supports streaming audio (like internet radio) and streaming video. It comes with a wired car kit, a bundle choice that clearly is trying to appeal to a younger audience and highlight the audio features. There are some simplified UI elements, including customizable tabs and wallpapers, similar to the Windows Mobile Today screen.

A “new” feature lets you add a number that called you to an existing contact. Because, you know, my crap 2002 phone couldn’t do that :-). Of course, it is part of many improvements to the email and contacts, including Exchange ActiveSync of contacts, and smart addressing for contacts you’ve recently emailed but aren’t in your contact list.

The MP3 player is called Pocket Tunes, and can be upgraded to support DRM protected content. Voice memos can be used as a ringtone. It is thinner and lighter than other Treos, partially because of a smaller battery. Pocket Tunes looks very similar to any typical media player, and comes with 30 free days of yahoo music unlimited.

One of their apps tracks text messages in a threaded view, very similar to how gmail tracks conversations. There is also a TypePad blog posting interface. it also includes the new Google Maps application, which includes traffic information as well as the satelite view.

For now, Palm reaches mobile professionals and prosumers, and they admit that the 680 is designed to reach regular consumers, and it is a significantly larger market. They are trying to appeal to them with brands they recognize and trust, like Google and Yahoo. The goal is to be “more releavant to more people around the world”, and it is exactly what I think Palm needs to do to grow as a company and hold back rival companies.

One other thing: After the conference, Palm handed out bags that contained, among other things, a 1-gigabyte SD card. Sweet. I shoulda grabbed two.

As for the Google Maps I mentioned, Google unveiled yesterday an improved version of Maps for the Treo. It is the best looking mobile version yet, with satellite maps, map dragging, and translucent popup balloons.

October 13th, 2006 Posted by Nathan Weinberg | DigitalLife, Consumer Products, General | one comment