Palm Treo 680 - silver (unlocked)
Manufacturer: Palm Part number: 1049NA
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- With a user-friendly interface, decent performance, and an affordable price point, the Palm Treo 680 is a good smart phone for the first-time buyer or for mobile users looking to be more productive on the road; we just wish it had a better camera and Wi-Fi support.
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CNET editors' review
Palm Treo 680 - silver (unlocked) price range: $149.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Edited by: Kent German
- Reviewed on: 02/09/2007
The good: The Palm Treo 680 features a sleeker design; integrated Bluetooth with the ability to use it as a wireless modem; more user-accessible memory; and e-mail capabilities. It also offers a bright touch screen and productivity tools and is easy to use.
The bad: The smart phone doesn't have integrated Wi-Fi nor does it support Palm's Wi-Fi card or voice dialing. What's more, the VGA camera is disappointing, the QWERTY keyboard is a bit cramped, and the speakerphone quality is a bit scratchy.
The bottom line: With a user-friendly interface, decent performance, and an affordable price point, the Palm Treo 680 is a good smart phone for the first-time buyer or for mobile users looking to be more productive on the road; we just wish it had a better camera and Wi-Fi support.
It's been a big year for smart phones with the launch of some highly anticipated devices, such as the T-Mobile Dash, the RIM BlackBerry Pearl, and the Samsung BlackJack. And while the new products and their manufacturers have done a lot to mix up the current lineup of smart phones, the Palm Treo remains one of the most popular and prevalent convergence devices on the market. And now, with the release of the consumer-friendly and more affordable Palm Treo 680 for Cingular Wireless, we think there's a good chance even more Treos will find their way into the hands of gadget lovers.
When Palm first announced the Treo 680 back in October, the tech press (present company included) reacted with skepticism over the new device's lackluster features. Though Palm touted it as a "low-cost" device, we had no idea what that meant as the company didn't reveal a price point. But now that all the details are out and we've had a chance to play with the device, we're changing our tune a bit. First, it's important to remember that the Treo 680 is a smart phone aimed at a mass audience; it's not for the power business user who would be better off with the Cingular 8525 or the Nokia E62. The 680 offers solid performance and features e-mail capabilities, integrated Bluetooth, and the intuitive Palm OS. We still don't forgive Palm for equipping the 680 with a lowly VGA camera, especially when many basic camera phones have at least a megapixel lens. That aside, it's a good choice for someone who's looking to purchase his or her first smart phone or simply wants to be more productive on the go.
The Palm Treo 680 is available from Cingular starting November 24, for a reasonable $199.99 with a two-year contract and an unlimited data plan. However, only the graphite version will be offered by the carrier. If you fancy the crimson, copper, or arctic models or don't want to be tied down to Cingular, Palm will offer unlocked versions of all four Treo 680 models for $399, available for preorder now.
Design
The Palm Treo 680 went under the knife to slim down a bit, but it's only marginally smaller (4.4x2.3x0.8 inches; 5.5 ounces) than the Treo 700p/700w (4.4x2.3x0.9 inches; 6.4 ounces). The 680 is noticeably lighter, however, and it felt more comfortable to hold with its curved and tapered edges. You'll also notice that stubby external antenna is gone in favor of a more streamlined and sleek device. It still makes for a bit of a tight fit in a pants pocket, but no more than any other smart phone with a touch screen, such as the Cingular 8525.

The Treo 680 retains the same, sharp 2.5-inch diagonal touch screen with a 64,000-color output and 320x320-pixel resolution. Images and Web pages are vibrant, and text is sharp and easily readable. In addition, we still were able to read the display in direct sunlight. The ability to enter data and operate the device via the touch screen is certainly an advantage it has over some of the other popular, sleeker smart phones out there--the Motorola Q, for example. While the Treo 680 is easy to navigate one-handed with the external controls, the touch screen is incredibly convenient and useful.

Below the display, you'll find the same set of navigation controls found on the most recent Treos. There are talk and end keys, a four-way directional keypad with a center select button, and shortcuts to the phone app, calendar, messages, and home page. You can reprogram any of the last four buttons to open up different apps. Furthermore, pressing the option key and then one of the said keys launches four more user-defined programs, so in effect, you get a total of eight shortcut keys.
The Treo 680's QWERTY keyboard is largely unchanged from the Treo 700p, but there are some very slight tweaks. The shape of the buttons is more rectangular, and they're not as raised above the phone surface. Though they're tactile and well backlit, the spacing between the keys is fairly cramped, so much so that even our smaller hands had a hard time pressing the right keys. It slowed down the messaging process, but we did get the hang of it eventually. We found having nails helps, but customers with larger digits should definitely take it out for a test drive. This is one area where the Moto Q and the Samsung BlackJack with their more spacious keyboards have the Treo beat.

On top of the device, there is a silent ringer switch, but the usual SD card slot now is on the right spine with a protective cover. On the left side, there are volume up and down keys and another customizable button, which is set to bring up the voice recorder by default. The back of the unit holds the stylus, speaker, and camera lens and self-portrait mirror (but no flash), while a 2.5mm headset jack and the multi-connector port are along the bottom edge.
The Palm Treo 680 for Cingular will come packaged with a wired headset, a USB cable, an AC adapter, desk synchronization software, and reference material. There's also a user guide and support articles preloaded on the device.
Features
The Palm Treo 680 doesn't include an overhaul of features but rather some nice refinements and upgrades that result in a solid set of tools for mobile professionals and consumers. Starting with the voice features, the Treo 680 offers a new five-tab view for the phone app where you can easily move among the onscreen dialer, your favorites list (with shortcuts to your voicemail box, bill balance, minutes, and other apps), phone book, and call log. The phone book is limited only by the available memory, while the SIM card holds an additional 250 contacts. Each entry has room for multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, instant-messaging handles, and birthdays. For caller ID purposes, you can assign a picture, one of 29 polyphonic ring tones, or a group ID. As a quad-band GSM phone, you can use the Treo 680 overseas while a speakerphone, three-way conference calling, speed dial, and a vibrate mode round out the calling options. You also get the "Ignore with text" feature first introduced in the Treo 700w, which allows you to reply to a call with a text message if you can't take a call. You simply hit the Ignore with Text icon that appears during an incoming call and a message that says something like, "In a meeting; call you later." We've always been big fans of this feature, and it worked well in our tests with the 680. Finally, if there is a number listed on a Web page or e-mail, you can dial it directly from that page. Unfortunately, it isn't capable of voice dialing.
The Treo 680 also supports Cingular's EDGE network, which means you should enjoy faster Web browsing and download times, but it doesn't operate on the carrier's UMTS or HSPDA networks for broadband-like speeds. Both Palm and Cingular felt the 3G capabilities weren't necessary this level of device and its target audience. The Blazer 4.5 Browser app now features improved caching for a better Web view experience. That said, we're still irked by the lack of Wi-Fi and the fact that the Treo 680 won't work with Palm's Wi-Fi card either. Yes, the EDGE support largely takes away the need for it and while Cingular's network is now available in more than 13,000 cities, there are still pockets where it isn't available and for those customers. On the bright side, the smart phone does have integrated Bluetooth 1.2 for use with wireless headsets, car kits, OBEX, and dial-up networking. The latter means you can use the 680 as a wireless modem for your Bluetooth-enabled laptop; it's a feature often disabled on other smart phones, so this is a nice benefit of the Treo 680. The mobile also works with Cingular's TeleNav GPS Navigator service so if you have a Bluetooth GPS receiver, the 680 can double as a handheld GPS device. It does not, however, support the A2DP profile for stereo headphones.
The Treo 680 offers several e-mail solutions, including VersaMail 3.5, Cingular Xpress Mail, and GoodLink. The latter allows for real-time access to your Microsoft Outlook e-mail, contacts, tasks, and notes. If your company uses Good Mobile Messaging, just contact your IT department for help setting up the 680 with the server. Both Xpress Mail and VersaMail also allows you to access your corporate e-mail (though without the wireless push delivery), and your personal accounts (POP3, IMAP). We used VersaMail to connect to our SBC Global account; set up was painless. We scheduled it to retrieve messages every 30 minutes and it worked like a charm. If you have Web-based e-mail, such as Gmail, Yahoo, and AOL, you can check those accounts via the Web browser. The Treo 680 also supports text and multimedia messaging, including the new threaded chat view that lets you see all messages between yourself and the receiver--sort of like a slower IM. This feature worked just fine for us. There are no preinstalled IM clients, but they are available through third-party apps.

For working on the go, the Palm Treo 680 is preloaded with Documents to Go 8.0, so you can open, create, and edit Word and Excel documents and view PowerPoint presentations and PDFs. You get the standard PIM tools, including a Calendar, a to-do list, a memo pad, a calculator, a world clock, and a voice recorder. Of course, you'll also have access to the extensive library of third-party applications available to the Palm OS. While we're on the topic, the Treo 680 runs Palm OS 5.4.9 and has 64MB of SDRAM and 64MB of user available memory, which should be enough for the average user. In addition, the expansion slot accepts up to 2GB SD cards.

Much to our disappointment, the Treo 680 is only equipped with a VGA camera, rather than a megapixel camera. When we asked Palm about this, they said it was to keep costs down and there wasn't much of a difference between the two, but we think that's a pretty weak excuse. RIM was able to put a 1.3-megapixel lens in the Pearl, as did the Motorola Q and Samsung BlackJack. Heck, even most camera phones today have a megapixel resolution, so we're not sure what Palm was thinking here. The 680's camera does have video-recording capabilities and a 2X zoom, but there are no options to tweak the white balance, effects, color saturation, or any other camera settings found on most camera phones today. You can, however, view your photos as a slide show and create albums. Overall, the Treo 680 took subpar pictures. While objects were defined, there was a yellowish undertone to the images.

Finally, for entertainment, the Treo 680 comes with PocketTunes preinstalled on the smart phone, so you can enjoy your favorite MP3s. If you crave support for other music formats, such as WMA/PlaysForSure, you'll have to upgrade to the Deluxe edition ($34.95) of PocketTunes. You also can stream music and videos from the Web, and for a limited time, if you purchase the 680 directly from Palm, you get a 30-day free trail to Yahoo Music Unlimited To Go and Yahoo Music for Mobile.
Performance
We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Palm Treo 680 in San Francisco using Cingular service and call quality was good overall. We had absolutely no problems carrying on a conversation as we experienced crisp sound and good volume, and our callers were impressed by the clarity of the phone. Unfortunately, things took a dive when we activated the speakerphone. Our friends said we sounded scratchy and we had a hard time hearing them, even with the volume at its highest level. On a brighter note, we were able to pair the Treo 680 with the Logitech Mobile Traveler Bluetooth headset and the TeleNav GPS Bluetooth receiver.
The Treo 680 was fairly responsive, though there were some slight delays when opening Office documents and activating the camera. The smart phone doesn't break any speed barriers in terms of Web browsing, but it's acceptable, especially with the improved caching feature. Music playback through the phone's speakers wasn't great, but plugging in the included earbuds improved the situation.
The Palm Treo 680's battery is rated for 4 hours of talk time and 12.5 days of standby time. Despite the smaller battery, we were still able to get 5.2 hours of talk time on a single charge.
User reviews
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If you travel, you won't be happy with the battery life in the 680
by nicholesj on February 5, 2007
Pros: Slimmer, no antenna
Cons: Lousy battery life
Summary: If you are used to the battery life from previous Treo models, you will be highly dissapointed in the 680. Just sitting it sucks the life from the battery.
If ...Summary: If you are used to the battery life from previous Treo models, you will be highly dissapointed in the 680. Just sitting it sucks the life from the battery.
If you travel very much, you better plan on plugging in the unit whenever you get a chance or you won't be talking on your phone.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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GREAT for smartphone beginners
by wayneb22 on January 29, 2007
Pros: Will easily help the beginner intergrate cell/PDA, Fun to use and very easy to learn
Cons: Short Battery life
Summary: This phone absolutly performs as advertised, It is designed to attract new users to smartphone technology, it appears that the upcoming 750 is what most of the experienced users was ...
Summary: This phone absolutly performs as advertised, It is designed to attract new users to smartphone technology, it appears that the upcoming 750 is what most of the experienced users was expecting.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Back to Sender
by chefsg on December 20, 2006
Pros: Good Size and Potential
Cons: I received 2 Broken phones from palm.com
Summary: I love the whole concept of palm. I have been an on and off power user since the IIIx. Even though the whole line of Treo phones running the palm ...
Summary: I love the whole concept of palm. I have been an on and off power user since the IIIx. Even though the whole line of Treo phones running the palm os doesn't have much different software than the original units, the end-product integration is not worth $399.
Great Customer service, but the first model I recieved konked out after 1 hour. The replacement was a bit better, but after 4 days the battery life was under 12 hours standby without even using the unit.
I refuse to give a 3rd 680 a try because even the phone operators at Palm told me that there have been many problems related to battery life.
I bought a Razor to replace my dreams of a Treo, which were just that.3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A great machine for five years ago
by jmacpherson1 on October 17, 2007
Pros: Nice graphics (lousy camera), no lockups, push email, nice use with TomTom GPS
Cons: Many dropped calls/no calls, battery life terrible even with camera patch, no wi-fi, cramped keyboard
Summary: I've been a Palm user for 12 years and T-Mobile customer for 8. The best marriage was the T-Mobile Treo 270. Now T-Mobile, with the best overseas coverage, won'...
Summary: I've been a Palm user for 12 years and T-Mobile customer for 8. The best marriage was the T-Mobile Treo 270. Now T-Mobile, with the best overseas coverage, won't support Palms and charges outrageous rates for overseas email unless you use a Blackberry. Under antitrust laws I believe this is called illegal tying. Palm is just as bad. In agreements with Sprint and AT&T, Palm won't offer Wi-Fi on nearly all Treos. I still prefer Palm software and T-Mobile coverage in the US is still mediocre, but for pragmatic travel reasons chalk up one more defection to a T-Mobile Blackberry.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Crashes, battery life problems, and software glitches. Wish I had my 650 back!
by gimme-an-iphone on June 12, 2007
Pros: Slim profile and cool look.
Cons: Terrible battery life - must leave on recharger constantly. Loses network unexpectedly and needs rebooted. Drops connection with bluetooth headset.
Summary: I purchased a Treo 680 after my 650 met its untimely end smashed in a minivan lift gate. Although I never liked my 650 all that much, it did provide ...
Summary: I purchased a Treo 680 after my 650 met its untimely end smashed in a minivan lift gate. Although I never liked my 650 all that much, it did provide some rudimentary web access and allowed me to keep track of my schedule. The 680 is worse in every way. The software is incredibly unstable and I need to reboot at least once a day. There is no reset button (a fixture I used frequently on my 650) so you have to take the battery out every time. In addition, the battery life is abysmal. If I forget to put the phone on the charger at night, by morning the battery is dead and I have to go all the way back throught the process of re-recognizing my bluetooth headset. Do not buy this thing! I absolutely hate mine and can't wait for the iPhone to come out so I can ceremoniously throw it in the dumpster.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Rock Solid
by dorf1920 on May 14, 2007
Pros: Great design. Easy to use. Nice phone. Best favorites application of all smartphones.
Cons: Battery life.
Summary: After using Treos for since they hit the market, I decided to see what else was out there. I went with the Cingular 8125 and found it very difficult to ...
Summary: After using Treos for since they hit the market, I decided to see what else was out there. I went with the Cingular 8125 and found it very difficult to move around to accomplish even the smallest tasks. After returning it I went with the BlackJack. I quickly found out how much I missed having a favorites app and being able to use a touch screen. I ate the contract and paid retail for my Treo 680 and could not be happier to have the Treo again. I normally like to try new gadgets but as far as my smartphones goes I think I'll be with Treo for a while.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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What a waste of phone
by rmailman on January 28, 2007
Pros: Lighter & sleeker
Cons: Battery and more
Summary: My 650 died suddenly and I wanted to minimize down-time and avoid relearning a new way of doing things. Am I sorry I bought the 680. Here are my issues:...
Summary: My 650 died suddenly and I wanted to minimize down-time and avoid relearning a new way of doing things. Am I sorry I bought the 680. Here are my issues:
1. Battery life: it's not as if this was a credit card side package -- it's still one of the largest phones in existence, and for it not to be able to go 36 hr in standby mode is ridiculous. My 650 would show almost no battery drain overnight with no use, where the 680 loses 25% or more. A charger is now obligatory (thank goodness for the spring-loaded USB charge/synch cables - why doesn't Palm include one!).
2. In one month have had to do 15 resets due to freezing.
3. Is this really the best camera they can include?
4. In contact view, there are large buttons that take up 25% o the screen and no way to get rid of them.
5. etc. I wish there has been thorough reviews before I bought this sucker. I am going to try and find someone to resurrect my 650.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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extremely expensive poorly integrated junk
by artmunn on January 21, 2007
Pros: it checks some pop mail accounts
Cons: hangs up just as all palm/treos of the past, poor outlook integration and synch capabilities, its a shame they removed the reset button
Summary: I have had several Palms and one Treo 600. I had a tremendous amount of failures and lockups as did others. I was fed up and went back to small ...
Summary: I have had several Palms and one Treo 600. I had a tremendous amount of failures and lockups as did others. I was fed up and went back to small phone and laptop leaving the Treo 600 to collect dust. The Treo 680 came out, I ordered and received my first one which had perhaps 30 to 45 minutes of battery life with all infrared, RF and Bluetooth off. I had to continuously reset the unit to get the infrared and the Bluetooth to work; that is, I had to pull the battery and reset it. Outlook would not synch. Then I find out that they say the outlook conduit will not work with Windows Media edition. Of course that was not mentioned in the adverts.
Due to the battery life I returned the first unit and attempted to start fresh on my laptop with XP home vice XP media. Still no luck syncing Outlook contacts and mail. Went back to Versa mail and was able to synch, but whenever I had to delete the email trash, the system hung up. Tech support was of no help and I am sending the unit back for a refund.
I am now in the market for an unlocked GSM Windows mobile phone as my company does not have Blackberry support. As for Palm Treos, I suspect they will again be in court over this as they were with the Treo 600 units.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Expensive piece of junk
by Lacharlie on January 21, 2007
Pros: Nice features
Cons: Locks up constantly
Summary: Well, I thought since I'm a realtor this would of been a great phone to have, and when it worked it was awesome. From day one it locked....finally ...
Summary: Well, I thought since I'm a realtor this would of been a great phone to have, and when it worked it was awesome. From day one it locked....finally got it cleared to have it lock up numerous times since then...now after a hard reset it's locked up on the beginning "touch the center of the target screen." It went from being an awesome phone to an expensive piece of junk! I do not recommend this phone at all.
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Owned it for a year and it's really pretty good
by kabe25 on May 9, 2008
Pros: Palm OS (easy to use with good PDA functions), email flexibility
Cons: Battery life, no reset button, occasional freezes
Summary: I've had this for a year after having the older 600 model for a couple years. All in all it gets the job done and the PDA apps are ...
Summary: I've had this for a year after having the older 600 model for a couple years. All in all it gets the job done and the PDA apps are really very easy to use -- appointment setting and reminders, calendar, calculator, memo pad, etc.
I don't know why the other reviews are so negative but I suspect it's people reviewing it a day after they get it, or maybe only people with defective hardware feel compelled to review. But over the past year I've really had no complaints. If you want a good dual PDA and phone with email and basic browsing capability, this is a good product.
The frequently mentioned battery life is an issue, but if you turn down the backlight display level you should have no problems going the entire day and talking a lot. It's not as nice as the older 600 which would last two or three days, but it's okay.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Palm
- Part number: 1049NA
- Description: Say hello to the Palm Treo 680 smartphone. It's your phone along with email, messaging, and web access. Not to mention your contacts, calendar, photos, and songs. Sounds like a lot. And it is. But everything's so easy to learn that you'll actually use it, which makes it anything but a typical phone. The same goes for design. Pick it up and you'll notice a large color touch screen and an easy-type keyboard. Since the Treo 680 is just the right size, you have the freedom to take it anywhere and still be connected to friends, work, and family. Of course, there's also something called an "off" button, for when you don't want to be connected at all.
General
- Product Type Smartphone With digital camera
- Service Provider Unlocked
- Width 2.3 in
- Depth 0.8 in
- Height 4.4 in
- Weight 5.5 oz
- Body Color Graphite
Cellular
- Technology GSM
- Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband)
- Phone Design Candy bar
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Phone Navigation Buttons Navigation button
- Caller ID Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth, Infrared (IrDA)
- Application Software Memos, Phone, Tasks, Blazer, Camera, Calendar, Contacts, Security, Bejeweled, Card Info, Messaging, Solitaire, Calculator, Quick Tour, Voice Memo, PocketTunes, World clock, AudiblePlayer, Palm VersaMail, HotSync Manager, Bluetooth Manager, Handmark Solitaire, eReader for Palm OS, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Cingular Xpress Mail, Handmark Pocket Express, DataViz Documents To Go 8, Treo Voice Dialing (Trial), Traffic for Treo Smartphones, DataViz Documents To Go Professional Edition
- Additional Features TTY compatible
Communicator Features
- Operating System Palm OS 5.4.9
- User Memory 64 MB
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Mobile Email Yes
- Supported Email Protocols POP3, IMAP4
- GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) Yes
- EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages
Digital Camera
- Sensor Resolution 0.3 megapixels
- Still Image Resolutions 640 x 480
- Digital Zoom 2
- White Balance Automatic
- Video Recorder Resolutions 352 x 288 (CIF)
- Features Self-portrait mirror
GPS System
- GPS Navigation None
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 320 x 320 pixels
- Color Depth 16-bit (65000 colors)
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Supported Digital Audio Standards MP3, WAV, MIDI
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Headset jack - Sub-mini-phone 2.5 mm, 1 x USB - 4 pin USB Type A
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Stylus, Headset
- Cables Included USB cable
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Talk Time Up to 240 min
- Standby Time Up to 300 h
Product series
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Palm Treo 680 - silver (unlocked)
Manufacturer: Palm
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), Up to 240 min, With digital camera, 5.5 oz
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Manufacturer: Palm
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), Up to 240 min, With digital camera, 5.5 oz
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Manufacturer: Palm
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), Up to 240 min, With digital camera, 5.5 oz
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Palm Treo 680 - crimson (AT&T)
Manufacturer: Palm
Specs: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), Up to 240 min, With digital camera, 5.5 oz
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Manufacturer: Palm
Specs: Cingular Wireless, GSM 850/900/1800/1900 (Quadband), Up to 240 min, With digital camera, 5.5 oz
Manufacturer info
- Palm
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Palm products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.palm.com/us/
- Address:
950 W. Maude Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94085 - Phone: 408-617-7000
- Fax: 408-617-0100








