palmOne Treo 600 PDA Phone (Verizon Wireless)

by Palm

Product Details

Data Sheet [300kb PDF]

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Product Manual [3.25mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000659KW8
• Item model number: TREO 600
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Compatible with Verizon Wireless service, the PalmOne Treo 600 offers all the functionality of a high-end PDA and a cell phone. Complete with a backlit QWERTY keyboard and a digital camera, it's the ultimate mobile office companion.

Calling and PDA Features
As a phone, the 800/1900 MHz Treo provides a built-in one-touch speakerphone feature, a mute button and caller ID, plus a few other snazzy features. For example, you can slide the ringer switch on the top of the phone, and it instantly puts the phone in silent mode, so there's no more wading through screen menus in the dark before the movie starts. And, by typing in initials or a name into the keyboard, you can dial anyone in your contacts list instantly. The keys have a special ergonomic dome shape, designed to be extra thumb-friendly. Plus there are tons of single and double key shortcuts you can use to launch Palm applications, up to 25 at once. But, if you're set in your ways with your PDA, you can always forego the keyboard and simply use the screen dial pad and stylus. Other calling features include vibrate mode, 16-channel MIDI polyphonic ring tones, and external volume buttons and ringer/silent switches.

For your PDA needs, the Treo sports 32 MB of RAM (24 MB user-available), plus a calendar and Palm OS organizer (version 5.2.1H), with the standard features such as Contact List, Memo Pad, To Do List, and more. You also get 24 MB of available memory to hold additional Palm OS software applications of the thousands that are available, such as MP3 players. When you sync up, the Treo 600 provides one-touch transfer of your Contacts to your PC's Outlook.

Messaging, Internet and Tools
"Blazer", the 600's color browser, gives you fast access to the Web, including sites not optimized for the mobile Internet, so you can lets you track your stocks, read headlines, and get directions, plus entertain yourself with downloadable ring tones and pictures. You can also download Palm OS software applications directly to your phone, and enjoy access to wireless email (Verizon Mobile Web email and wireless web service charges apply). Plus, you can send and receive SMS text messages to other phones or to any email address, and keep track of the conversation with threaded messaging.

You can even attach photos to your text messages. The Treo 600's built-in 640 x 480, 0.3 megapixels digital camera makes it easy to take and send the photos back to your PC, use them in text messages, or as picture caller ID by attaching the pictures to corresponding people in the contacts list.

Everything in the Treo 600 is integrated, so it's easy to perform multiple tasks like checking your calendar while talking on the phone or dialing calls directly from your contacts list. The handy design also provides a cell phone-like, 5-way navigation button, and the easy-access Favorites screen for the built-in Web browser. Other features of the Treo 600 include Contact List with Instant Lookup, a calendar, MMS/Picture Mail, Memo Pad, an Advanced Calculator, CityTime world clock, Palm Desktop 4.1 software for Windows and Macintosh, HotSync Manager, link to Microsoft Outlook (Windows only), IR capability, SD/MMC SD I/O-ready expansion, MP3-capability (with 3rd party software, SD memory card and headset adaptor).

Vital Statistics
This phone is rated with full charge at up to 6 hours talk time, and up to 240 hours (10 days) standby time. With an external battery pack (not included), you can add up to 3 hours of additional talk time and 180 hours of standby. It measures 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches and weighs 5.9 ounces. It operates on the CDMA 800/1900 MHz frequencies.

What's in the Box
Treo 600 handset, USB HotSync cable, ear bud headset, travel charger, pouch, user manual, synchronization software CD-ROM.

From the Manufacturer

The PalmOne™ Treo 600 Smartphone can get it all done with one device. Everything is integrated, so you can dial calls and address messages from your contact list.

Treo 600 built-in QWERTY keyboard makes entering text and accessing information fast and familiar. It's great for messaging and a must have for email. The central five-way navigation button lets you scroll through applications, menus and lists without ever touching the screen.

Basic Information
Talk time: 230 minutes
Standby time: 240 hours
Size: 4.4H x 2.4W x 0.9D inches
Weight: 6.2 oz

Basic Features

• CDMA digital dual-band 800/1900 MHz
• Rechargeable lithium ion battery
• Speakerphone mode
• QWERTY keyboard for text entry
• MMS and SMS support
• SD slot for memory and I/O expansion
• Download images (jpegs), ring-tones (MIDI) and Palm OS applications from Internet (via Browser)
• Secure web browser
• Ability to support a variety of operator/enterprise grade secure email solutions
• CSTN backlit display supports thousands of colors
• 32 MB memory (24 MB available to end-user)
• Vibrate mode
• Palm OS 5.2 1H
• 144 MHz ARM processor
• Infrared (IR) Communication
• Polyphonic MIDI ring tones
• Stereo audio headset-compatible
• Meets FCC SAR limit. Manufacturer's highest FCC reported SAR 1.5 at ear, 0.9 on body. Actual SAR may vary.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Actually, for some people Verizon is a great deal, November 14, 2004

By 

A writer (Jersey City, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: palmOne Treo 600 PDA Phone (Verizon Wireless) (Wireless Phone)

The Verizon sales people won't tell you this -- and indeed I didn't find a sales person who even knew it -- but you don't need to pay for data at all. If you have a national plan (America's Choice or National Access), you get something called NA-MOU (I think that stands for national access-minutes of use), whereby data usage is charged as minutes, and the night and weekend usage comes from all those free minutes.

The catch is that the daytime Internet usage comes from your allotment, and the Treo does not automatically disconnect. If you see arrows, gray or green, over the status bars, you are connected, even if the phone isn't doing anything. This means unless you're fanatical about disconnecting from the data session, after every email check, every Web search, etc., you can easily end up with a $1,000+ bill. (Some programs like Snappermail have an option to disconnect automatically.)

There is a $5 shareware program called Battery Doctor that, among other things, disconnects after a set amount of time. Well worth the $5.
[...]
(There is another program Treo600 Connection manager with similar functionality, but it didn't work for me. It was originally written for the Sprint network, which probably explains why.)

So, this is great if you are like me and don't use the phone for Internet much during the day. I wait until 9 p.m. and then download my email and RSS newsfeeds. I also check sports scores on the weekends.

This is very bad if you want push email or instant messaging.
[...]

Check your minutes with #646 to make sure that the Treo is disconnecting properly.

Bottom line: I have the 400 minute America's Choice plan, no data plan, plus two extra lines for my wife and parents and my bill last month was $120. Caveat: mileage may vary. Apparently this doesn't work for everyone.

And, oh yes, the Treo 600 a wonderful gadget that integrates the PDA and phone halves very well, minus one star for deficiencies like poor camera, too easy for Secure Digital card to pop out accidentally, and no Bluetooth or Wi-fi. (The new 650 fixes most of that, but who knows when Verizon will get it.)

UPDATE 2/21/2005: Apparently, Verizon Wireless has made it more difficult to do data as minutes. I dropped and broke the phone and got a replacement through insurance. However, the replacement wouldn't activate, because Verizon's computer system no longer allows that option. After being on hold with customer service for way too long, they did enable it (the tech people have to do something special). So... evidently it is still possible, but you'll probably have to do even more kicking and screaming to get it.

78 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Great phone - just don't buy it from Verizon!, November 9, 2004

By 

Zach Everson (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: palmOne Treo 600 PDA Phone (Verizon Wireless) (Wireless Phone)

Well, as an early adapter, I guess I should be used to taking it hard. I bought Verizon's PalmOne Treo 600 the first day it came out - over a year after most other carriers released it. My plan is 400 anytime minutes, unlimited in-network calling, unlimited nights and weekend, and $5 for Internet access a month. Unless I go over, it should cost me $49.95 a month. I just got my first bill.

$1,641.66.

It turns out that the connection to the Internet doesn't shut off - even if you chose "Disconnect" from the web browser's menu. Even if you turn off the unit. It continues to ping the Internet looking for data every six minutes. Hence my bill show some 1023-minute calls.

Steve in Verizon's data division said they've received a lot of calls on this issue and isn't sure why they even offer the $5 web-only feature, when customers need to get the $49.95/month unlimited data transfer or deal with $1,000-plus monthly bills. When I asked if there was a way to stop the pinging every six minutes, I was told no, "it's a data phone first and a cell phone second."

Interesting, as my friends who have the phone with other carriers have never had this problem. Interesting, as I was never told this when I bought it. All I wanted was a freakin' cell/PDA combo, so I don't have to carry both with me, making me look like I'm sporting a chubby in two pockets at once. With Verizon, the cost for doing so is $44.95 plus your calling plan a month, which for me will come to about $100.

After 58 minutes, I was told my bill should be adjusted within 24 to 48 hours.

Also, on Verizon Wireless's PalmOne Treo 600 Smartphone web page it lists a 5 MB transfer for only $24.95. When I asked the technical rep about that option, he said getting it would still cause a Treo 600 owner's bill to be over $1,000 a month. He said it was up there for use with other phones. He had no answer when I said there are no other phones on that page.

Now, I probably could return the Treo 600 - except I already sold my old phone and Palm on eBay.

Of course, if I could just get a free minute for every time I heard "Oh, that's the new phone. I'm not familiar with it" none of this would be an issue.

Buy the phone from a differnt carrier and don't deal with the problems I had with Verizon Wireless. The phone is great!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Believe the Hype, December 21, 2004

By 

Sh0wtyme99 (Atlanta, Ga) - See all my reviews

This review is from: palmOne Treo 600 PDA Phone (Verizon Wireless) (Wireless Phone)

First of all. The Treo technology is, as the other reviewer commented, a PDA first. It is on a push/pull technology. If you don't log off of the internet (that does not mean ending the internet session by closing the phone or pressing end) then your phone will continue and remain online. You must log off. That is where those $1000 + bills come from. The treo uses a 1x/and broadband technology, which is the among fastest wireless technology in the country. It is faster than your home dial up. Yes you can use the treo just along with your regular plan, but if you got one of the megabyte 1x plans it will be alot faster when browsing the internet. Those plans are 24.95 for 5 mB and 44.95 for unlimited. that is unlimited internet access and downloading etc. I pay more for my home computer internet and I gotta stay in one place with that. I also recommend the Verizon Wireless Treo, because the coverage area is so much greater than any other carrier. Not only does verizon cover more that anyone else, (including Cingular and At&T combined), but they have more towers than any other company. The Treo as a phone has camera speaker phone, stylist and a letterpad. It is smaller than most PDA phones but has a screen that is just as big, if not bigger. The people who I have talked to who also have the phone have hardly had any issues at all with it. It is the highest selling Verizon Wireless PDA phone. There is a reason for that.