Despite the focus on carriers, Handspring says it's still dedicated to improving the device based on customer feedback. Shirai said a common consumer request was to make the device more like a phone than an organiser, so the company has moved away from the flip-phone design used in earlier versions of Treo devices and instead went with a case that is shaped like a bar of soap. Treo 600 "The PDA (personal digital assistant) form factor is really a US phenomenon," Burden said. "By breaking away from that (Handspring) can address markets and countries outside the US which tend to be more phone-centric." The Treo 600 is smaller than earlier versions of Treo devices and comes with a built-in VGA camera and a bright colour display with a resolution of 160 pixels by 160 pixels. Handspring put most of its design efforts into the keyboard, making the keys and lettering larger but moving them closer so they wouldn't take up more space on the device. The Treo 600 also has a longer talk time -- up to six hours -- than previous versions, which lasted up to four-and-a-half hours. The device will use version 5.2 of the Palm operating system and will come with a keyboard and a Secure Digital expansion slot. The gadget has already made a cameo appearance in a photo marking Palm's acquisition of Handspring, which is expected to close in July. Handspring chairman Jeff Hawkins also has alluded to new features on the device in an earlier interview with CNET News.com. According to Shirai, the company could eventually come out with an entire family of models based on the Treo 600, for instance, low-end models with fewer features or higher-end versions with improved multimedia capabilities. He expects carriers to continue selling older devices in the Treo family, such as the Treo 270 and 300, but at lower prices.
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