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AnchorDesk

John Morris and Josh Taylor
Handspring's new Treos: Why simpler is better

John Morris and Josh Taylor
Contributing Editors, AnchorDesk
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
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Much of the buzz surrounding Handspring's two new handhelds will no doubt focus on the long-awaited Treo 270, the latest version of its integrated wireless PDA with a color display. But we're equally fascinated by its other new arrival, the Treo 90, which is just a good old-fashioned PDA. (Remember those?)

Until now, Handspring has used the Treo name solely for its line of combo PDA/phone devices, while the Visor line consisted of the company's non-wireless offerings (except, of course, for the short-lived VisorPhone).

BUT THE TREO 90 changes all that. It looks like the Treo 180 and 270, but is smaller and lacks wireless access. And that's not all the Treo 90 is missing. The new device also does not have a Springboard module slot, which until now has been Handspring's key differentiator.

Since the launch of the original Visor, Handspring officials touted the myriad of expansion capabilities available exclusively to Visor owners via the Springboard slot, including cameras, MP3 players, and GPS devices. But now, Handspring has swapped out the Swiss Army-like tool for an industry-standard SD slot.

Of course, when the Visor first launched, there really were no removable storage standards (beyond Zip discs), so in some ways, Handspring was forced to come up with a proprietary solution. In the years since, however, both CompactFlash and SD have boomed, and there are dozens of CF- and SD-based peripherals now on the market. The Springboard modules that once looked so innovative are now starting to look big, clunky, and proprietary. Would you rather develop a product that could be used only on Handspring Visors, or something that could potentially be used by any device with an SD or CF slot?

While we can't really argue with Handspring's logic, we do question its naming scheme. The company has done an excellent job over the past six months of promoting the Treo as a wireless  device. Suddenly, some Treos are wireless and some aren't--and that's bound to cause a little confusion in the marketplace.

The product itself is a sexy little number, with the same color screen as the Treo 270, 16MB of RAM, and a BlackBerry-style keyboard. Yet at four ounces, it weighs a full ounce less than the Palm m515, which doesn't include a thumb-keyboard and costs about $100 more than the $299 Treo 90 (ouch!).

JOHN HAS ALSO HAD the opportunity to play around with a pre-production version of the $499 Treo 270. The 12-bit display looks very nice, and greatly improves legibility when browsing Web pages or reading e-mail. And the backlit keyboard works as advertised.

Otherwise, the 270 is nearly identical to the Treo 180. Handspring has obviously put a lot of thought into little touches that make the device easier to use. For example, the updated Blazer 2.1 browser not only supports color, but also lets you browse through links one-handed using the rocker switch beneath the flip-cover.

The Treo 270 demonstrates why Handspring's all-in-one communicator is still the one to beat. Ultimately, however, the Treo 90 might make a bigger impact in the market with its great design, simplicity, and low price. In the meantime, Handspring says it will continue to sell Visors with Springboard slots. But personally, we don't expect to see too many new Visors or Springboard modules in the future.

Which would you prefer: the tiny Treo 90 and a separate, compact cell phone? Or an all-in-device like the new Treo 270? Which paradigm will eventually win out? TalkBack to us!

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