Home | Stories | Reviews | TreoCast | Treo Store | Accessories | Software | Discussion | Mobile | About | Search   treocentral.com >> Stories >> Hardware Treo 600 Preview Sun Oct 5, 2003 - 1:00 PM EDT - By Michael Ducker Table of Contents alwaysBEthereForm» The Keyboard and Fiv...The Phone, and Favor...Ringtones, Sounds, M...Web, Messaging, and ...Conclusion The Keyboard and Five-way Navigator Handspring was faced with an incredible challenge of getting a useable thumb keyboard on to such a small device. Amazingly, they met that challenge and created a keyboard that is almost, if not the same or better to use than the existing Treo keyboard. I did not have enough time with the Treo 600 to fully evaluate the keyboard, so what I write here is a true preview. I found it easier to type on the Treo 600 keyboard because there was no having to lift the fingers at all to type – they just slid along. It was also easier to type one handed because now the entire keyboard could be reached with your thumb while holding the device. The problem with using such a small keyboard is that you are going to be typing more than one key every once in awhile. Handspring has written some incredible algorithms, because while typing I often felt that I was pressing more than one key, but I always got the right key to show up on screen. I must admit that this feels really weird because while it types correctly I get very little tactile feedback on what I actually typed. The killer feature of the Treo 600 is the five-way navigator and it’s implementation in the software of the device. Hardware wise, the five-way is perfect. The oval shape fits the thumb when it is sidewise (try it, your thumb is not a circle). The buttons are easy to press, and the center button is always right there. More importantly is the implementation of the five-way navigator within the handheld. The software is very well written to accommodate it – I had to hardly ever take out my stylus to do anything. With a Graffiti based handheld it makes sense that the user taps everything, but with a keyboard based handheld the users hands are at the bottom of the device, so the five-way navigator brings the control down to the fingers. In Blazer going right-left will select links, while going up and down will scroll. Pressing spacebar will get you to the control buttons. I was able to test many Treo 600 optimized apps, including SnapperMail and Verichat, and every single one of them was amazing to use with the five-way navigator. The only problem I found was that there was no cycle of it. If you were at a bottom of a list for example, you could not press down to go to the top again; you had to instead go up all the way to the top. Overall it is the five-way navigator that is most revolutionary on the Treo 600. (In the image at right, note the blue highlight in the upper right hand corner. This is the visual control of the five-way navigator.) Next Page: The Phone, and Favorites >>   References Links » alwaysBEthere Actions » Print this page » Cases Chargers Bluetooth Headsets Keyboards Memory Protectors Cradles Styli More Treo Accessories Palm 1200mAh Battery for Treo 750, Treo 680 Extend your talk time! Just $14.95 BUY More Batteries Motorola MicroUSB High Performance Car Charger for Treo Pro, Treo 800w Unique lens illuminates when plugged in! Just $14.95 BUY More Car Chargers Palm 1150 mAh Battery for Centro, Treo 800w More talk time! Just $29.95 BUY More Batteries Smartphone Experts Screen Protectors (3-Pack) for Treo 800w Protect your screen! Just $15.95 BUY More Screen Protectors Seidio 2600mAh Extended Life Battery for Treo 700p, 700w|wx, 650 More power for your Treo! Just $42.95 BUY More Batteries Jabra SP700 Bluetooth Car Kit Compact and versatile Just $99.95 BUY More Speakerphones Radius Tru-Tune Ultra Light Aluminum Earphones for Treo Pro Fusion of Fashion and Function Just $19.95 BUY More Music Headphones Seidio Innocase Holster for Treo 800w Great way to carry and protect your cased Treo 800W Just $29.95 BUY More Holsters Seidio Innocase for Treo 800w Superior protection Just $29.95 BUY More Hard Cases Jabra BT530 Bluetooth Headset Destroy unwanted sound with Noise Blackout. Just $99.95 BUY More Wireless Headsets Radius Atomic Bass Aluminum Earphones for Treo Pro Headphones that deliver the slamming bass of hip-hop and dance Just $39.95 BUY More Music Headphones Seidio INNODock Jr. Cradle for Treo 800w Compact and sleek, USB charging Just $29.95 BUY More Cradles Seidio Retractable Micro-USB Sync & Charge Cable for Treo Pro, Treo 800w Compact and clutter free Just $12.95 BUY More Sync & Charge Solutions

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