There's 64MB of user memory built in and you can easily add to this with SD cards -- the slot is very accessible on the right edge of the casing and is protected by a large cover. Out of curiosity we tried one of SanDisk's new 4GB SDHC cards in the Treo 680 and the device recognised it. Not all devices recognise the format, and the Treo 680 specifications don't indicate that it does, so that's pleasing.
There's a camera built in, with its lens on the back of the casing. Sadly it's stuck in VGA-land, and it doesn't take shots we'd be proud to share any other way than via MMS.
There's an MP3 player included, but rather stupidly Palm has decided to bundle a mono earbud with a 2.5mm connector. When we used our own favourite headphones and a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor we could only get mono output to them, though Palm says the Treo 680 outputs stereo to headphones.
Unfortunately Wi-Fi is not included here -- Bluetooth and infrared are, though.
For all its lack of features at the cutting edge of smart phone capability, the Treo 680 is hard to dismiss -- it's crammed with software and designed with ease of use very much in mind. The threaded SMS, for example, lets you view text messages between you and another person as a chat thread so you can keep an eye on the flow of an exchange. Also handy is the copy of Documents To Go, which lets you create and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files, and the copy of VersaMail, which can collect email from multiple accounts.
When it comes to humble voice calls, the phone dialler caters for really easy touchscreen access to an on-screen dial pad, favourite numbers, call log and even shortcuts to applications.
We'd be lying if we said the Treo 680 was a huge advance on the Treo 650, but if you haven't had a Treo before what is on offer here is solidly good stuff.
Performance
Because of the quick access to contacts and speed dials it's really easy to make voice calls. The loud speaker is fine and call quality generally did not let us down.
We're a bit concerned about battery life, though. We asked the Treo 680 to play MP3s from an SD card continuously looping our tunes and keeping its screen on. We got 3 hours 45 minutes of music, which frankly isn't much cop for a smart phone.
Thanks to Expansys for providing a review sample of this phone.
Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Kate Macefield
Android App 
RSS Feeds 
iPhone App 
Newsletters
User reviews2
Add your review
Chris Percival 25 April 2007
Good: Great phone, beautiful screen, cool sms app, great mp3 player, quick and powerful, thousands of apps
Bad: Not 3G
Comment: Still no phone out there that does what this does. Microsoft Pocket PC you say? Have you ever tried to use one without getting the stylus out? Thought not!
Dan Scoular 7 February 2007
Good: SAR values better than 650. Keyboard layout is good
Bad: Feels cheap compared to other HTC products. Compared to WM5 the usability is desperate
Comment: Sometimes it's better to put down your favourite pet, when it's old and ailing. Unfortunately Palm are flogging Treo into the ground. It really isn't the thoroughbred it once was, and just can't keep up with the simplicity of WM5. It's a real shame, because I loved my 650. Despite it generating more radiation than Saddam's supposed WMDs, it combined the best of Blackberry and Pocket PC. But times have moved on. And even with the latest patch, Versamail simply isn't a patch (ha ha) on Activesync. (A no-brainer if you have access to Microsoft Exchange Server.) And now I've got used to having not only my email, but also my diary, tasks and contacts updated in real time, the Treo seems to be left pathetically panting with its head between its legs. The thing is, I really like Palm products. They've always been fun to use and have always attracted brilliant 3rd-party applications. And I really hope that the new operating system arrives this year, delivering a superb solution. If they build it, I will come.
See all 2 user reviews