Cell Phone Reviews by Cellphonedia

Newer versions of mobile phones are being made to cater to the more intimate needs of the user. Every cell phone has a specific feature that may be designed to your advantage. As our technology grows, the mobile industry also takes a step further.

Treo is not new to these upgrades and technological demands. In fact, it has recently released the Palm Treo 500v. It is the newer version of the smartphone; which vodaphone recently launched around the world, especially in Europe.

Palm Treo 500v Construction and Design

The Treo 500v is designed to be a bit similar than the recent Palm Centro. This is not intended to deceive anyone because these two, though similar in design, are still very different from each other. In fact, the Treo 500v has two distinct color schemes you can choose from. This would be the ‘Charcoal Grey’ and ‘Glacier White’ colors. The Treo 500v is also a thinner version and even has corners on it. Its vitals would be 110mm x 61.5mm x 16.5mm and 120g. This is for its height, width and thickness respectively.

Comparing the Palm Treo 500v with other Treo devices that were released before; the Treo 500v is thinner and wider than the previous ones. You will also find a single button on top portion of this device. This will help you easily push to power on or power off the mobile. You will also see a cut-out portion; which is designed for the lanyard. This is for a small ribbon or cord you can attach to your mobile; so you can have it hanging around your neck. Other phones have the same purpose but they feature a more curved loop-hole. It can do the trick but a flexible cord won't work for this type of hole.

To put a lanyard on your Treo 500v, you only need to remove the cover of the battery; and then you will hook the lanyard's loop over the direct plastic pin. The last thing to do is to close the cover of the battery. This will hold the lanyard securely in place.

Hence, having a lanyard around your neck is better than just putting it inside your purse or bag; where-in you may misplace, forget or even have your mobile stolen very easily.

The Palm Treo 500v is a convenience to your modern lifestyle. You will also have an easier understanding of the screen; through its full built-in keyboard and large screen feature. You will also have a quicker IM access; so you can chat with friends all you like. You can even check your email and surf the web anytime. You can also organize your tasks and schedule your appointments; so as to avoid the hassles of still having another gadget to do this for you. Most of all, you have the privilege to play your favorite music, take pictures and even videos of the most memorable events in your life. The Palm Treo 500v will make all these attainable for you and your family.

Display Features

The Palm Treo 500v is a 3g mobile that has a non-touch LCD screen. Its resolution would be 320 by 240 pixels. So far, there haven't been any problems encountered in using the Treo 500v under varied light conditions. In fact, even if it is pitch black outside, its screen would still be illuminating while in its lowest settings.

Keyboard Features

The Palm Treo 500v is very convenient for those who love to send text messages. This is since the keys have a more narrow space; as compared to other related devices. This will help you press the right keys; without having to press backspace every time you accidentally hit the key beside the supposed button, because it's too close to each other. Aside from this, the Treo 500v has a predicting process that can easily pick up the words you are inputting. Thus, you will be able to send text messages at a much faster rate with this.

You also need not worry if you are sending text messages at night and it's quite dark; because the keyboard has a built-in backlight. The only problem is that you cannot adjust it if it seems too bright for you. Still, the level of brightness for the keyboard is sufficient enough to suit most occasions.

Camera and Video Features

The Palm Treo 500v has an amazing 2 megapixel built-in camera. Its resolution would be 1600 by 1200 pixels. This would result to around 1.875 megapixels worth of superb resolution. Although this is good; the only thing to consider would be the fact that after pressing the shutter button, it will take about 2 seconds before you have your photo actually taken. It will really take some time before you get used to this.

If you use the camera of the Treo 500v outside, the results are satisfactory enough; but if you use it indoors, especially under direct light, the photos would seem a bit distorted. This particularly happens when the light is directly aimed towards the target.

Thus, for the video capability of the Treo 500v, the resolution would be about 320 by 240 pixels. This can be saved as an actual MP4 file. Furthermore, there are also other formats for your video output. You can also use the 3GP or WMV. This is also good to use but the resolution would be downgraded to 176 by 144 pixels.

Connectivity Features

The Palm Treo 500v comes loaded with the Standard Edition of the Windows Mobile 6. It is just that it doesn't have any touch-screen support. The thing about not having a touch-screen feature is that you don't have the ability to take a shortcut either by touching the screen or dragging items inside it. Thus, the Treo 500v has a 5 way navigation system instead; making it very easy to reach every checkbox or button.

The Palm Treo 500v is also known to run on a processor; which would be a 400 MHz PXA270. This fact somehow makes the Treo 500v a bit slower, when responding to your request. This only means that you still need to reset it; so that you can clear the behavior. It seems that for every new request you make on this mobile; it is initially sent to the background. Then it would need to allocate the resources until the OS has done some housekeeping; so as to have enough room available to accommodate the new requests.

Amidst this fact, the reception is still very satisfying. The quality of its sound is very clear. The only problem is that you can't turn down the volume; especially if you use a headset or when you have it on speaker phone. It would still seem a bit loud. Thus, if you have hearing difficulties, this should not pose a problem for you.

The Palm Treo 500v is also available with a Microsoft Outlook. There is, in fact, 2 known ways you can connect to the world outside; when using the Treo 500v. This would either be through Bluetooth or cell radio. This is really great; especially if you are more into the internet-enabled applications or Internet Explorer capabilities.

Thus, the Treo 500v is very capable in accessing famous sites like eBay, You Tube and My Space.

Battery and Memory Card Features

The Palm Treo 500v has a battery life that can stand up to 2 days with only a single charge. This, of course, would also depend on your usage of your Treo 500v. If you will use the net or Bluetooth, it will surely drain your battery within 4 hours. It is just a matter of using your mobile's power wisely.

Moreover, the Treo 500v has a slot for the microSD; which can be found underneath the battery's location. Although the Treo 500v's SDHC capability has not yet been confirmed, it is proven to be capable of supporting up to an actual 4 GB worth of microSD.

The good thing in having your microSD situated underneath your battery is that you won't lose your memory card easily. To remove it though; you still need to open your cell phone and remove your battery first. This is before you can get your microSD out.

Pros:

1. Bright screen
2. 100% keyboard or D-pad operation
3. Very nice design
4. Audio output is compatible with Windows Media Player Mobile
5. ActiveSync and Outlook capabilities
6. Lanyard option
7. Google maps capability
8. Internet Explorer capable
9. Good sound quality
10. Main memory is non-volatile
11. Headset capability for either phone or stereo usage

Cons:

1. When you access the Contacts, Calendar and Tasks screens; you need to go through a lot of keys that you need to press. This can be a bit irritating, if you need to frequently check on these items.
2. You cannot copy-paste while you are composing your text message/s.
3. The WM6 standard becomes very slow when use it for a while. You would then need to reset the whole thing; so as to clear the behavior.
4. There is difficulty when creating a new Word document. You would need to go back and start by using a template. You would then need to have all the messages or words removed, before you can save it as a new file.
5. There is no application meant for your memos.
6. The speakerphone only has options that cannot be toned down. It would only seem like your options would be having a loud, louder or the loudest volume. You really cannot turn it down.
7. There is no actual view for your threaded SMS; when composing text messages.

Overall:

1. The Palm Treo 500v is a good device for novice users.
2. It lowers the so-called barrier of getting a smartphone that has the Standards of a Windows Mobile 6; because having this type of feature in a mobile is assumed to be very expensive. The Treo 500v will not drain your wallet; it is sold at a reasonable price.

Hence, the Palm Treo is more likely to be a big hit on the younger generation. Most of the features and capabilities it has are more directed to those who are not into the business field. This is because it mainly focuses on the communication trend you can have with your family and friends. This would be through its voice calls, text messaging, E-mail and chat capabilities.

For those in the business sector, this would seem as a bit time consuming. Imagine taking a few minutes every day just to have access on your daily schedule. The ‘no copy-paste' and ‘no threading' functions will also make it hard for you to send important text messages right away. All in all, it would waste much of your time.

Amidst all of these, the Palm Treo 500v is a new Treo mobile that can cater to the needs of the younger generation. This is for the reason that the younger generations are the ones who are more adept in getting the latest that technology can provide.