BenQ takes aim at the Treo with the P50 series
BenQ P50 series
The product: BenQ may not be well known for its cell phones or its smart phones, but we're betting that that's about to change with the introduction of its P50 series. This Windows Pocket PC smart phone features an integrated keyboard, a 2.8-inch vibrant color screen (262,000 hues), and a 1.3-megapixel camera in a compact, candy bar style. But wait, there's more: It has 64MB of memory, integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and audio playback (WAV, MP3, WMA, and more). Other goodies include:

• Quad-band GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS; world phone
• SDIO/MMC expansion slot
• Video recording (MPEG-4, WMV, .3GP)
• E-mail, text, and multimedia messaging
• Speakerphone and conference calling
• 64-chord polyphonic ring tones
• Rated talk time of 3 to 5 hours and standby time of 120 hours

The prospects: Can we say Treo killer? Yes, it's been noted before, but we think the BenQ P50 series has what it takes to battle the current smart phone king. The memory and Wi-Fi alone give this puppy an edge over the Treo 650, but we'll have to wait and see how this mobile actually performs in our tests. The P50 series will be available in late Q2 2005, but pricing and carrier have not yet been determined.

By Bonnie Cha, associate editor, CNET Reviews