It's a phone. It's a PDA. It doesn't move faster than a speeding bullet. But is Handspring's Treo 180g worth your money?

Somewhere along the line, Handspring must have done a focus group and discovered that enough of its PDA users favored inputting data via Graffiti handwriting to merit the production of a keyboard-less version of the company's Treo 180 phone/PDA hybrid. The result of that revelation is the 180g, which features the same attractive flip design as the original version. But instead of a built-in BlackBerry-esque thumb keyboard, this model has a space at the bottom of the screen for users to work their Graffiti magic. Needless to say, if Graffiti's not your bag, you're better off with the identically-priced keyboard-equipped Treo 180.

Pocket-Sized Smart Phone
Input methods aside, what impressed us about the steel-blue Treo 180g is that it's less than 20mm thick (110 x 69 x 18mm). The flip lid, with its built-in, see-through window, doubles as a protective cover for the device's monochrome screen, which is only slightly smaller than that of a standard Handspring Visor. This model, unlike Handspring's Visor PDAs, has a convenient scroll wheel on its left side for one-handed navigation of menus and lists. We also appreciated the switch that allows you to easily turn off the phone's ringer (you can choose between 10 ringtones and vibrate mode).

Flip open the protective cover, and the display turns on and defaults to the speed-dial menu, which can store up to 50 names. As with all Palm OS-based smart phones, you can dial a person in the phonebook by simply tapping a contact's number. But the Treo 180g's phonebook puts a space between entries for a look that's not as clean as the standard address book's. However, it's easy to locate a desired contact: simply input the letter of the person's first or last name and a short list of entries appears. You can also dial numbers manually by tapping them out on a virtual keypad.

To access the standard Palm OS startup menu, you tap the Home icon as you would with any Palm OS-based handheld. As noted, this Treo's screen is closer to that of a standard Handspring PDA, with the lower portion devoted to the Grafitti handwriting area. Users can also access a virtual keyboard if their Grafitti skills are shaky.

Springboard-Less
As far as PDA features and specs go, you're looking at a pretty standard Visor. The Treo 180g runs on a 33MHz Motorola DragonBall processor and comes with 16MB of memory and Palm OS 3.52, which is not upgradeable. In addition to the address book and phone applications, you get the standard bundle of calendar, to-do list, memo pads, and other PIM applications. There isn't a Springboard module slot--or any space for adding additional memory--though most users will find the 16MB onboard to be sufficient.

Presently, the wireless-data features aren't as flushed out or as user-friendly as they should be. You get Handspring's Blazer browser, which allows you to access the Internet, albeit rather sluggishly: between 9.6Kbps and 14.4Kbps on current GSM networks. However, until the carriers become ISPs, you'll have to use your own ISP to surf. Another caveat: You can't use the Web-clipping applications developed for Palm's wireless handhelds on the Treo.

Solid Sound Quality
Overall, as a phone, the Treo 180g (GSM 900/1900), like its keyboard-less sibling, performs well and is surprisingly comfortable to talk on; it feels like using a standard flip phone. We also appreciated the quality of the built-in speakerphone, which can easily be turned on and off by tapping an icon on the screen, and the inclusion of an earbud-style headset for handsfree conversations. Our only gripes are that the phone could sound a little louder, and battery life could be better. In our tests, we managed to reach Handspring's rated talktime of 2.5 hours and 60 hours of standby, but that's fairly mediocre.

The Treo 180g costs the same as the 180 model (AU$1,399), and like we said, only Grafitti lovers will see its design as an advantage. Though it's still a work in progress, this is a solid and enticing smart phone. It's currently certified for use with the Optus and Vodafone networks, and, as usual with mobile phone devices, going on a fixed term plan can drop the price of the Treo considerably.

Handspring Treo 180g
Company: Handspring
Price: $AU1,399
Distributor: Brightpoint Australia
Phone: 1300 765 005

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