Palm Treo 500v

After a small logistical hiccup that lasted 4 weeks, this device arrived in my hands a couple days ago. I received the white version (the 500v also comes in black).

A New OS As a die hard Palm OS, I was very interested to see how I would handle a Windows Mobile 6 Standard device. Let me tell you I am very pleased, even impressed. For the very first time I was able to experience 100% keyboard and or 5 ways navigation. Sure enough, some settings are not in the places I expect them to be, but that's because I haven't played around enough yet.

Size Comparing this model to the earlier Treo 680, the new model is wider, shorter, and substantially thinner. Looking at the specification sheets, it is even thinner than a Centro which was billed as the thinnest Palm ever 0.73 inches for Centro versus 0.65 inches for the 500v.

Screen Treo 500v uses a screen with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels, This has a landscape orientation, but that doesn't mean it's unusually wide; it has a comparable width to the one used in the 680. The smaller vertical resolution simply means that the 500v's display is a third smaller.

The display is a normal LCD, not a touch screen. The brightness of the screen is more then enough from what I could see, but I haven't had the opportunity yet to check how it behaves outside, especially in direct sunlight (It's not really the time of the year here for a lot of sun).

Keyboard The Keyboard does not have the curved layout used in most of the earlier Treos but has the same straight set up as used in the Centro.

Even as a seasoned 680 user, I did not have any problems using the 500v's keyboard. It does give me a funny feeling when I'm using it since the keys are a little harder to press. The back light of the keys is also noticeably brighter than on 680. From researching on the Web I can conclude this device will be available in QWERTY and QWERTZ layouts, and maybe more.

Camera This device is equipped with a camera able to capture pictures up to 1600 by 1200 pixels, which translates to a bit less then 2 megapixels. Video, however, can only be recorded at 320 by 240 pixels.