Everyone knows what a Treo is, and this business-centric handset had lots of things going for it except for the integrated digital camera that was frowned upon by the user community as it could compromise security in the workplace. Imagine snapping photos of company documents and secrets, sending them out via e-mail or on a USB flash drive. Granted, a VGA camera can’t really compete with consumer level digital cameras, but they are still capable of snapping the occasional spyshot of products and certain hardware. Palm has responded to this scenario by releasing a revamped model of the Treo 680 that does not come with the VGA camera - a decision that will enable top level management to breathe easier as they decide on what kind of communications device should they get for their workers during the next round of meetings.

Surfing through the Palm website will reveal that a camera-less version of the Treo 680 is available, but Palm sure doesn’t make it easy for the casual Internet user to find it, much less order one online. One can presume that contacting Palm via phone (800-881-7256) ought to do the trick, but there are no guarantees that the marketing folks at Palm will just sell it to any layman who calls up. We also do not have the price of what a butchered Treo 680 would cost - hopefully it won’t be more than the VGA camera version!

You won’t be able to find this camera-less version being offered by wireless carriers as those companies want to make money off users who send pictures to one another. It is a vicious cycle indeed, one where the consumer is on the losing end.

Source: Brighthand