The keyboard is very easy to use. I have very large hands and have no problem at all using it. I also occassionally use the handwriting recognition software that came with it. 90% of the time it's the keyboard.

The color screen is very nice. Not as brilliant as the IPAQ, but very acceptable. The backlight works great in practically any conditions.

My requirements were pretty simple:
1. small size
2. color display
3. plenty of memory
4. keyboard (I don't like handwriting recognition)

The Treo 90 was the only unit that fit all of those requirements. Palm M130 - nice but kind of bulky and only 8mb. IPAQ - too expensive and too big. Sony Clie - very nice but a lot more expensive.

The Treo 90 rocks!

Almost done right--still the best for price (Rating: 4.00)
Review : Bought my original Treo 90 for $300 20 months ago because the worst thing about PDAs is having to take the time to pull out a stylus to use it. Keyboard entry is the way to go. Unfortunately, the Treo doesn't go quite far enough as navigating without the stylus is still difficult and in some cases impossible. Still, as I use it primarily for storage of reference sources--phone contacts and medical docs (the latter principally using iSilo, as well as several on-line synched programs)--it was a workhorse I couldn't live without. Dropped it multiple times, filled it with dirt once while crawling through mud with it in my pocket. It never flinched. I use a Secure Digital card to store an additional 15MB or so of data (which is a LOT of documents).

Then last week it died. Had to do a hard reset. All data erased. But, since I back up very frequently, no problem! Right? ...Until I found that the synch ability died also. Now I have a laptop with all my data, but no way to access it. Tried using the IR synch, which also wouldn't work.

So I went shopping. Much to my surprise keyboard entry is now only found on the highest end models. The Tungsten C is tempting, but at $400 I can buy 3 Treo 90s on-line for the same price. Do I really need Wi-fi access and a bulkier PDA? Don't think so. Thinking about buying 2 at least so I will have one as a backup down the road.

Psychadelic, Mon! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : I got 1 of these PDAs for my b-day, and it's great! I dropped it in the toilet, and it still works! My dog ate it, but it came back. It must be magic! Bye bye, silly-willy!

Great Product! (Rating: 5.00)
Review : Too bad this product is no longer available....I was able to get a new one this year, at a low price. I love it! It is a replacement to my Handspring Visor (dropped and cracked the screen!) I was hesitant on the keyboard (I am good at using the handscript) but love it!

Excelent for first time users (Rating: 4.00)
Review : Its a long review so here's the short:
Good: Battery, Price, Memory, Color Screen, keyboard, Easy to set up and use, compatability (freeware), expansion slot
Bad:
Only basic software included, Palm includes Word and Excel To Go.
Cheaper to replace then repair (which could be good as you get a new one in days rather than the old one in weeks, and not uncommon in gadgets like this)

This is my first Handheld. I received it as hand-me down from someone who found they didn't use it much since they had a laptop. Its low price and great features make me glad I started with this one. A less capable handleld would have frustrated me and turned me off to the Idea of handhelds.

Typing on they keyboard seemed much more appealing than learning to use the PDA shorthand for character recognition. A benefit for first time users. It might not be as difficult to pick up as I though.

The color backlight display is a must have for my future purchases, I only wish the keyboard was lit some way also. I did find a replacement stylus with a light to solve that problem though.
I never had a need for the expansion slot, the 15 Meg of memory hasn't been past half full even with a Word compatible editor and quite a few documents.
I love the calendar, notepad, and e-mail. It comes with its own appointment program, and also syncs with Outlook. The sync setup is easy, and has worked without complications for me.

There are quite a few free applications that you can download to add other features, such as MS Word and Excel compatibility. The freeware apps are a bit crude but get the job done. The freeware apps for word compatibility convert the .doc file into its own format, then needs to re-convert back to word when you are done. Sometimes using cut and paste into the Note Pad can be just as easy. You can purchase Word To Go, but these are included in the purchase of Palm PDA's and might make buying them a better bargain if you need full compatability with MS Office.

I had it for six months and used it constantly at work and home until I dropped it, and the backlight went out, and then while seeking replacement, it wouldn't boot at all. Since it was a secondhand item, it wasn't under warranty, and the $99 service charge sent me shopping again. Comparable handhelds were twice the price, and didn't have the keyboard. Palm does include the documents to go, and quite a few applications that made them a tempting option. Not ready to move on to the handwriting recognition or the additional investment, I replaced it with another Treo90.

As mentioned in other reviews, I am constantly finding the Treo on when I pull it out of my pocket. This is because the buttons all across the bottom turn the device on (a feature I could live without). They all stick out enough that they get hit by everything, the leather cases for them might provide enough clearance for the buttons, or just as likely would get miss-aligned and constantly hit the buttons. In spite of the unit being on quite a bit, I have never had a problem with it keeping a charge. I charged it and sync at my workstation at work, and have no problem going the weekend without additional charge.

My next purchase will be a close call between the Palm (Tungsten) and the Treo.