Palm’s latest Treo, the 500v, has just arrived in the labs of our sister site, TamsPPC. The detailed review is currently being created, here are a few quick snapshots(created with Nokia N71) of the new box to keep curiosity levels in check:

The Treo 500v is a bit slimmer and shorter than the Treo 680, however, it is about 3mm wider. The 500v’s QVGA screen is a bit wider than the 680’s, too:
0a Treo 500v   first impressions 0b Treo 500v   first impressions

Traditionally, the back of a Treo was held in place with a small button. Palm removed the button with the 500v…the back of the box has thus become very hard to remove:
1a Treo 500v   first impressions

Palm did a slight redesign of the keyboard. The 500v’s keyboard has a ‘clickier’ touch to it – the Treo 650’s/680’s keyboard feels much smoother and also is more silent. As for the blue keyboard illumination(which is not dimmable)…that IMHO is a matter of taste:
2a Treo 500v   first impressions

Overall, the 500v definitely feels cheaper than its predecessors – it definitely cannot replace a Treo 680/650/7xx. But that is not what the 500v should do – like the hp 514, it is not a mobile workstation but rather a light texting tool.

Want to know more? Visit TamsPPC!

Related posts:

  1. Treo 850 specs leaked, it has WiFi
  2. Palm Treo 500 in our labs
  3. The Treo 680 update – first impressions
  4. Palm Centro drops
  5. First impressions of the Treo 600’s camera