The Treo 270 integrates a mobile flip phone (GSM 900/1900 MHz), wireless applications like email and Internet browsing, and a modified version of a Palm OS 3.52 organizer that is not upgradeable to more recent versions of the Palm OS. It weighs a mere 5.4 ounces and measures a compact 4.2 x 2.8 x 0.82 inches or a little larger than a deck of cards. The top part of the flip phone includes the speaker that you press against your ear as well as a clear plastic area that allows you to view the Treo 270's display when it is shut. The handheld's application buttons conveniently stay available when the Treo 270 is closed.

We found the Treo 270 comfortable to use as a phone when open but preferred using the bundled earphone/microphone headset that plugs into the left-side of the device for longer conversations, as we found the width of the device to be a little too wide to hold in our hands during extended use. You can also use the Treo 270 as a speakerphone, which worked very well under all but the noisiest conditions.

Users can dial phone numbers on the screen from a keypad, a fifty name speed dial list, the built-in QWERTY keyboard by pressing a blue-function key and using the numbers that are highlighted in blue over letters as a kind of mini keypad, or directly from the address book by clicking on a contact. The Treo 270 also features 3-way calling, a vibration mode and a button to turn off its ringer.

Speed Dial List

Ringer Switch

One area of the phone that we were concerned about before use was whether moisture from the skin would affect the device's display. We're happy to report that our cheeks maintained enough of a distance from the screen to have this not be a problem.

In terms of battery life, the specifications for the Treo 270 state that it should deliver up to three hours of talk time and 150 hours of standby time. During the course of every day use, with a lot of Web surfing and phone calls, we found the device needed to be charged every night or two over the course of two weeks.

FEATURES

The Treo 27O has a 4,000 color, 160 x 160 resolution display, which is adequate for most uses. Figure on the low number of colors supported (many PDAs and newer smartphones support 65,000) and low resolution as a trade off for extended battery life. During testing, the screen performed quite well indoors with diminished results outdoors even though it is transfelective, meaning it reflects light when outside. The screen size is a little smaller than most PDAs, but larger than what you'd find with most phones.

While I've never been a fan of built-in keyboards, preferring handwriting recognition instead, the Treo 270's back lit QWERTY keyboard nearly changed my mind. Though the keys are small, they are raised nicely, so after some practice, I found myself writing quicker with the keyboard than I have ever done with Graffiti. Since the Treo 270 does not support Graffiti or have an area to use it, mastering the keyboard is essential. Nevertheless, one can use CIC's Jot instead, which represents the future of Graffiti in Palm OS 5.2 and beyond, but is available for most versions of the operating system. Jot allows you to write on the whole screen of a handheld rather than just the Graffiti area and features characters that are closer to real writing than with Graffiti.


QWERTY keyboard

The Treo 270 includes a 33MHz Motorola Dragonball processor, which is pretty slow by today's standards with the ARM processors supported by Palm OS 5. Then again, less MHz generally means lower power consumption, always a plus for a phone. There is no memory card support, so users must make due with the bundled 16MB.