In the past I've been vaguely critical of the Treo 680, going so far as to label it the poor-man's 750v and question the sort of person who wouldn't spring the extra cash and get the top-spec model. After spending some time with it, however, I'm beginning to change my mind; no small part of this is thanks to just how user-friendly the 680 can be.

It's easy to forget that, as phone-geeks, we'll tend to put up with quirky design - whether it be physical or UI - if we're rewarded with great features; the general man/woman in a suit won't. If it's too tough to set up speed-dial then speed-dial doesn't get used. I can hear all the Palm OS fanatics chanting now, and for a little while I'll join them: the Treo 680, thanks to some judicious upgrading of the phone app, is deliciously straightforward.

Gone is any confusion as to setting up shortcuts and integrating your contacts; a simple click of the star icon brings up a list of speed-dials that can be assigned not only to other people but to other apps and even webpages. Granted, with a full keyboard of hotlinks it might be tricky to remember that you can call your mom by holding down 'W' (for womb, obviously), but at least it's flexible. Bringing up contacts is simple too, working on the same predictive selection as you find in the latest Windows Mobile software.

Connectivity is a mixed bag, but likely sufficient for the typical user. HSDPA is absent and you only get Bluetooth 1.2 rather than wireless-stereo-headphone supporting 2.0, but EDGE works well with the streamlined Blazer browser. Mobile music is supported with the included Pocket Tunes, basic but functionally sufficient, but the VGA quality camera is last-gen technology compared to the 1.3-megapixel minimum you find on the Treo's competitors. Still, it's good to be able to transfer photos by Bluetooth as well as email and multimedia message; hopefully Cingular won't block this in future.