December 01, 2003
Handspring's Treo 600: A Hot Product with a Big Flaw
Pretty, aren't they?
With Christmas coming up, I thought I'd highlight one of the gadgets that's sure to be on a bunch of wish-lists this season: Handspring-ne-PalmOne's Treo 600. Sporting a VGA digital camera, quad-band GSM or CDMA models, QWERTY thumb-board, SDIO expansion and a Palm 5 OS, this is the coolest entry in the smart-phone category.
Unfortunately, it'll sell like hotcakes - despite what I believe is perhaps the silliest product oversight in mobile communications. This thing has no removeable battery! Not only do cell-phones run out of charge, PDA's make power demands even more robust, and now I can't even carry a spare around to bail me out in a jam.
Furthermore, batteries eventually wear out and won't take a charge any longer. If I'm gonna shell out $600 bucks for a Treo 600 (that must be how they price 'em, eh?) at least let me amortize that investment over a few years of product life. I don't think PDA-makers can afford (yet) to build in planned obsolecence like that.
Although I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, it's a shame this product will sell so well - it's falsely reinforcing to the manufacturer that the issue doesn't matter. This had been my must-have gadget of the season, but until it comes with a replaceable battery, it's off my list for good.
- Arik
Posted by Arik Johnson at December 1, 2003 03:27 PM | TrackBack
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