Reviews - Everything Treo

Treo Pro Review

November 14, 2008 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

The Treo Pro was released a few months back to much fanfare and despite a slight delay, I was finally able to get my hands on the latest Palm device and put it through the paces.

The Treo Pro was released in September and unlike previous models it represents a major shift in design and aesthetics. Jon Rubenstein, the former Apple executive who ran the iPod division, is now playing a key role in the development of new Palm devices. The shift is apparent with the new Treo Pro, a vastly different device than the Treo 800w that just shipped on Sprint in July of this year.

Treo 800w

Out Of Box Experience

The packaging of the Treo Pro is by no surprise very Apple-esque. The entire package is diminutive when compared to other phones on the market, sans the iPhone 3G. Right from the get go, you have a feeling that care went into everything from the product to the packaging. Inside are the standard essentials that ship with most Treo smartphones.

Palm Treo Pro unlocked
Rechargeable battery
AC Phone Charger and assorted adapters
USB Cable
Stereo heasdset
User manual

Gone is the rather large manual in favor of the “Getting Started” guide, which is a bit more robust than a “Quick Start Guide”. The accessories also show an attention to detail, an example of which is the AC charger and USB Cable. They both have round silver circles on the topside and this makes it easier to connect your Treo Pro. These are minor touches, not always found on competing phones (T-Mobile G1), that make life easier.

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N09G8s4FBW0 425x344]

Hardware and Design

Forgetting about specifications for a moment, the Treo Pro is a beautiful looking phone. It’s constructed of a high gloss black plastic and bears a resemblance to the iPhone 3G, complete with silver company logos on the back. Despite having a bevy of keys and buttons, nothing is protruding from the device, be it volume adjustment buttons or even the keyboard. If you place the Treo Pro on it’s side, it almost appears flat on both the front and back. Even the buttons on the side and top of the Treo Pro are ever so slightly higher than the casing. The silver color of the buttons get lost in the black gloss, again this gives an appearance of more minimalistic design, yet doesn’t affect the usability. The phone is very small. I compared it to the T-Mobile G1, BlackBerry Bold and iPhone 3G. While the Treo Pro is slightly thicker than the iPhone 3G, it’s also not as wide. This makes it very easy for one-handed use. You can carry your Starbuck’s and check your email without flinching. In fact, texting was easy enough using one hand. At no time did it feel uncomfortable or awkward.

On the left side of the Treo Pro, you’ve got an addressable button that can be mapped to any application along with your volume controls. On the other side, the Treo Pro has a dedicated WiFi button, for ultra-fast access when in a WiFi area. During my testing the Treo Pro found my WiFi network in seconds. Once I entered my WEP password, pressing the WiFi button would connect me immediately. Although it is on the side, I wouldn’t worry about accidentally hitting the WiFi button while it’s in your pocket or it’s case. In fact, you’ll need to use your fingernail to properly press the WiFi button.

At the top of the Treo Pro is a power button, but not in a traditional sense. It simply turns off the phone features. There is no way to turn off the Treo Pro, outside of removing the battery. Adjacent is easy access to the ringer on/off switch, which is perfect for when you have to run into a quick meeting or a situation that requires you turn off the ringer.

Like the Treo 800w, gone is the multi-connector in favor of a microUSB connector. Unfortunately for some, this means your existing Treo accessories will not work. Still, this move was a longtime coming and it is a vast improvement over the multi-connector. The Treo Pro features a 3.5mm headset jack, making it easy to use any standard stereo headset. You’d almost miss it, but the stylus is to right of the speaker jack and very accessible.

Palm is using a 320×320 “transreflective” flush touchscreen. While the screen is flush, the display is actually recessed in the Treo Pro. I found the screen to be no different than previous generations. In some ways, a bit disappointing when compared to competitors such as the BlackBerry Bold. This could simply be a limitation of Windows Mobile, so I cannot fault Palm. When the Treo Pro is in standby, the screen displays the day and time. This was a useful feature that I had not seen elsewhere.

The keyboard on the Treo Pro uses the same sheet key technology employed on the Palm Centro. The keys themselves have a “jelly” feel to them. I found the keyboard to be a bit cramped. I’m not sure if it’s the departure from the “smile” layout of traditional Treo smartphones or just the decision to make the keyboard footprint smaller. I can see the keyboard as a reason why some opting for the Treo 800w.

The camera is 2 megapixels. Pictures taken with the Treo Pro surprised me. They were very good quality. The camera application also has slick look to it and offered advanced features such as “white balance” and an 8x zoom.

Download sample photo 1 | sample photo 2

Listed at 5.0 hours of talk time and up to 250 hours of standby, I was mightily impressed by the battery life. While my testing is hardly the scientific nature, I found the Treo Pro battery to be more than sufficient. Given the diminutive size of the device, excellent battery life was a pleasant surprise.

Software

The Treo Pro runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and has a few enhancements courtesy of Palm. Those who have used Palm’s Windows powered smartphones will recognize the familiar Today screen. From the Today screen you can view upcoming appointments, tasks and of course search Google. There are options in the Today screen settings to include Windows Live. That worked greeted and has the “sliding panels” effect that’s found it’s way to Windows Mobile Standard devices on 6.1.

The menu bar has a task manager application that pops-up within the Today screen. This is probably very easy to access with your stylus, but thumb access is a bit difficult. I find myself forgetting that Windows Mobile Professional is not entirely intended for thumbs and fingers. This is a great utility, as it allows you to clear programs from accessing memory.

With all the various supported wireless connections, a Today screen shortcut brings you to the Comm Manager. This allows quick access to the On/Off switches for the Phone, Bluetooth, WiFi, Microsoft Direct Push, Data Connection or simply activate Airplane mode to turn off all wireless connections. The right soft button allows access to settings for Phone, Bluetooth or Wireless Lan.

The Treo Pro also ships with “Zen” theme and it keeps the “back in black” theme going full tilt throughout the Treo Pro experience. All that’s left out was the AC/DC ringtone.

One of the useful commercial apps that comes pre-installed is Sprite Backup. This is consistently amongst our software best sellers. Sprite allows you to back all the data on your Treo to the microSD card. If for some reason, the hardware fails on your Treo Pro, you can easily restore using Sprite Backup.

All of the standard Windows programs come standard. Office Mobile includes Word Mobile, PowerPoint, Excel Mobile and OneNote Mobile. The Treo Pro allows you to read, create and edit documents. Documents can be attached and detached from emails. Of course, the real draw here is the interoperability between the Treo Pro and Outlook.

Yet another feature is GPS, allowing for turn-by-turn directions using TeleNav (monthly service fees apply). For reasons unknown, TeleNav continuously quit on me during testing. While GoogleMaps does not offer voice guidance, the maps feature worked without issue. Do a search for ‘pizza’ and the Treo Pro delivers nearby pizzerias. Tap the pizzeria of choice and you have the option to get directions. UPDATE: Just prior to sending back the Treo Pro, I performed a hard reset which brings the device back to it’s factory state. The model I received was previously used, so something must have gone awry with TeleNav. After the hard reset, I had no issues getting TeleNav started and providing driving directions. Aquiring my location took longer than I would have liked, but there are a nice array of options in TeleNav and the visuals look great. Along with this of course you get voice route guidance.

There is no CD with the Treo Pro. Connecting via USB to Vista (through Virtual PC on a Mac), the Treo Pro initiated a set-up process aptly titled PC Setup. A setup program then launches on your desktop and guides you through setup. Easy as pie. No loading software, just a very straightforward process that took minutes.

Internet Explorer Mobile is the default browser and it does not offer a very good web experience. If you are reading WAP pages, then it’s sufficient, but falls short when compared to browsers appearing on other platforms (Palm’s Blazer still does a much better job at rendering than IE). It’s not to say that Internet Explorer is un-usuable. Using this site as an example, I had not problem reading the frontpage stories and viewing images. Internet Explorer simply bunches up the navigation into one neat pile. Luckily, there are options. The Java based Opera browser offers a free alternative and there is quite a buzz surrounding the Skyfire browser that is currently in beta.

Pros:

Beautiful design
Feature rich (WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2.0)
Unlocked allows for use on any GSM network
Large selection of quality third party applications
Easy set up process
Robust software bundle includes Office Mobile and Sprite back up solution
Google search on today screen offers location based searches

Cons:

Keyboard feels cramped
Screen not as vivid as BlackBerry Bold or iPhone
Windows Mobile starting to feel dated
Cost
Browser doesn’t offer great web experience

Conclusion

Windows Mobile 6.1 is starting to feel dated and display limitations hurt the Treo Pro’s ability to stack up against displays found on comparable devices like the BlackBerry Bold. That in mind, Windows Mobile is still a very robust OS with thousands of third party applications. Out of the box, the Treo Pro is very capable and a good match for business professionals who need the ability to read and edit Office documents on the go.

Let’s face it, the more buttons, the more difficult it is for a manufacturer to create a minimalistic design that has the “wow” factor. With the Treo Pro, Palm has managed to deliver all the usability we’ve grown accustomed to and deliver a slim, uncluttered hardware design. There is a certain attention to detail prevalent in the Treo Pro that extends to the packaging and included accessories. The Palm Treo is by far the best-looking Palm Treo device to date and includes a nice array of features such as GPS, WiFi and software enhancements like the Today screen that we’ve come to expect from Palm. While the size of the device lends itself to one-handed use, the keyboard at time felt cramped compared to previous generations “smile” layout keyboards. For some, the Treo 800w might be a more suitable option.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: palm treo pro, review

Treo Pro Review Mashup

August 27, 2008 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

As we predicted this morning, a flurry of Treo Pro reviews hit the wire this afternoon. Here’s a breakdown of what’s being said about Palm’s latest Treo.

“In terms of design, performance and non-OS features, this is the best hardware Palm has ever made.” Gizmodo found the battery impressive offering “days of moderate usage between charges“.

“If you’re looking for a Windows Mobile phone, I’d strongly consider the Treo Pro, as it has a good balance of design, features and performance for the user.“

Crunchgear finds the Treo Pro “the best in Windows Mobile“, but cautioned that the hefty price tag could deter adoption. “The Treo for you if you are a business professional forced to use Windows Mobile and you travel quite a bit and hardware price is no object.“

The screen on the Treo Pro is flush, but evidently it’s the digitizer which is flush and the screen is still recessed. Antoine Wright of Brighthand found “this arrangement can be disorienting some times.” Wright found the Treo Pro to offer the best call quality of any phones he has used. He concludes that while the Treo Pro is “a fairly solid device”, it lacks “the specialness that makes Palm devices is missing here and it feels more like a re-brand than a true Palm product.”

WMExperts Dieter Bohn takes issue with the Centro inspired keyboard on the Treo Pro saying, “It pains me to say it, though, the Treo Pro’s keyboard is the least ‘Pro’ part of the device“, rating it behind the Treo 800w , Motorola Q 9h and BlackBerry Bold . Bohn also found the Treo 800w to outpace the Treo Pro in every day use speed comparisons. Despite the drawbacks, he concludes, “The Treo Pro is easily Palm’s best Treo yet. It finally hits all of the feature checkmarks that users have been clamoring for and does it in a way that’s well-integrated with the hardware.“

Palm has yet to provide a release date for the Treo Pro, but it’s expected to be priced at $550 unlocked.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: palm treo pro, review

Treo 800w Review

July 18, 2008 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

Treo 800w Review

It’s hard to believe that we haven’t seen a new Windows Mobile powered Treo from Palm since January of 2007. During that time, we’ve seen evolutionary changes to the Palm OS based Treo and a repackaging of the Palm OS in the “built for fun” Centro smartphone. The Treo brand has long been the flagship for Palm, but in the past year the Centro has been front and center. While the Centro is certainly a capable, value-based smartphone, it does lack the fit and finish of the higher end Treo series of smartphones. It seems that Everything Treo, along with most other tech blogs, have been talking about the Treo 800w for quite some time. So here it is, how does it stack up in this new era of smartphones and do the new features make the Treo 800w a worthwhile upgrade? Read on for our take on the new Treo 800w.

Palm Treo 800w review

Palm Treo 800w

Click to enlarge.

Palm Treo 800w

Volume buttons and side button that can be mapped to any app

Phone

Like any Windows Mobile device, the Treo 800w offers a host of features. From the Today screen, you can either dial a number directly or start typing the name of a particular contact that you’d like to call and the Treo 800w will automatically search both first and last names providing you with a convenient list of filtered contacts making it easy to place your call. You also have easy access to an old fashioned dialing pad. The dial pad is responsive and numbers will also “flash” orange when you select them. Call quality was great and volume was more than adequate. It’s not as loud as a Motorola Q, but few phones can match Motorola’s prowess when it comes to phone call quality. Pressing the green “call” button will also provide access to recently dialed numbers, or access to either the dial pad or call log. The call log offers duration of calls and the ability to filter based upon your selection (Missed, Outgoing, Incoming). Once in a call, it was easy enough to switch to speakerphone or put a call on hold. The Treo 800w does a fantastic job of integrating your contacts, managing your calls and making your phone work for you. You’d be hardpressed to find a smartphone that offers robust call management features in line with the Treo 800w.

Palm Treo 800w today

Palm’s Today screen offers a wealth of options

Click to enlarge.

Palm Treo 800w vs Treo 700

The Treo 800w is significantly slimmer than the Treo 700 series

Click to enlarge.

Usability

From a usability perspective, Windows Mobile can be a daunting operating system for some. Out of the box, the operating system does little to welcome the user. Thankfully, Palm acts as an intermediary between the OS and the end user. Palm’s software tweaks make the operating system more approachable and in general they just make things easier to use.

Treo 800w sideview

The Treo 800w features a microUSB and IR port (great for Real Estate professionals)

You’ll notice the familiar “chat-style” interface that chronicle conversations or SMS messages with colleagues or friends. This makes it easier to manage your messaging and will please Palm OS converts who are making the jump to Windows Mobile. The Today screen is where most users will spend their time and for good reason. For those familiar with previous Windows Mobile based Treo smartphones, the Today screen was developed by Palm. If for some reason you find yourself lost while navigating through Windows, pressing the red power button and you’ll be escorted to the familiar and friendly confines of the Today screen. If you break it down, here’s what you can do from the Today screen:

Search contacts by first, last or company name.
Search for POI’s either near your current location or enter a specific location
View number of unread messages and access your email
View number of unread text messages and access your messages.
Search the internet using Microsoft’s Live Search.
View upcoming appointments
Access GPS, Internet Sharing and Bluetooth settings

GPS on Treo 800w

GPS on the Treo 800w will retreive locations near you

This is just from the Today screen and only a part of what Palm brings to a Windows Mobile device. The features alone do not make this device a Treo, it’s the tight integration of the Today screen with the OS that makes it a power users best friend.

There are also small, yet useful enhancements. For example, phone numbers that appear in web pages or an email can be dialed by tapping on the screen.

There is a small switch at the top of the Treo 800w which allows you to switch from ringing to vibrate mode. Having a physical switch is not only easier, but more efficient than devices that require you make the change in the OS. If you have to jump into an improptu meeting, you can switch the ringer to vibrate mode without removing the Treo from it’s case or holster (which unfortunately is not included).

Features

There are two new features that debut with the Treo 800w: GPS and WiFi. First up is GPS. The Treo 800w is built for business. Having done my fair share of business travel, there is certainly a need to find local eateries, ATM’s and directions to those locations. From the Today screen, I was able to search for ‘pizza’ near my location. Within seconds, I had a very accurate list of pizzeria’s near my location. You can view the POI’s in either map view or list view. Need to call before hand for reservations, the Treo 800w provides the option to call the phone number. Need directions? Selecting Drive To… launches Sprint Navigation, a 3D turn-by-turn route guidance software that comes bundled with the Treo 800w. You won’t find it compares with a high end Garmin, but overall it’s very good and it’s built into your phone. It took sometime for Palm to build in GPS and they have done a very good job of bringing it all together. Instead of just adding a feature, Palm has taken it once step further and made the GPS an easy to use feature.

GPS search on Treo 800w

The GPS on the Treo 800w allows you to search for POI’s near your current location.

The Treo 800w offers 3D navigation and real time route guidance

Sprint Navigation on Treo 800w

WiFi

Any wireless service can be spotty and at times frustrating. For many WiFi helps fill in the gaps and the Treo 800w represents the first Treo to offer WiFi. At the top of the Treo 800w is a dedicated WiFi button. Once you’ve configured the Treo 800w to a WiFi network, the once touch WiFi button turns the feature on/off. An ascending on descending tone will confirm your choice. The addition of a one-touch WiFi access is a surprisingly nice touch and one I didn’t see coming.

Ringer switch and WiFi on Treo 800w

Treo 800w has dedicated WiFi button and ringer switch

Design

The Treo 800w takes some design cues from the Centro and merges them with the Treo 750. The overall build quality is excellent and that’s always been the mark of a Palm’s Treo series. It’s hard to put into words, but the device just feels like care when into the design and construction. Typing on the QWERTY keyboard is fast and offers responsive tactile reinforcement that resulted in error free typing. One surprising mistep was the included stylus. It’s lightweight, but that’s about it. Quite honestly, it’s not usable and you can plan on purchasing a suitable replacement once they become available. With a device that is so well constructed, I cannot understand how or why this stylus design was chosen.

Treo 800w keyboard

Keyboard on Treo 800w is reminiscent of Treo 750, but does take some design cues from the Centro

Also new with this Treo is the inclusion of a microUSB, which replaces the old Palm multiconnector. Despite the need for new Treo 800w accessories, this is a welcome change and has become a bit of a standard on smartphones including RIM’s BlackBerry devices. Palm includes a sync cable, but I’d certainly recommend a car charger. With a smaller device comes a smaller battery. I used the vast array of features on the Treo 800w and the battery lasted until early evening. Granted I used Navigation, Sprint TV and WiFi, but be prepared for less than stellar battery life when using those features. If your day to day consists of calls, productivity apps and email, the battery should be more than suitable. If you plan on taking advantage of everything the Treo 800w has to offer, you might want to consider carrying a spare battery or have access to some method of charing. Removable media on the Treo 800w changes to the smaller microSD. While a more expensive memory expansion, it no doubt contributed to Palm’s ability to slim down the Treo 800w.

Treo 800w microUSB

Treo 800w loses the old multiconnector for a microUSB connector

Software Bundle

Here you’ll find familiar programs from Office Mobile to Instant Messaging which allows you to access AIM, MSN Messenger and Yahoo Messenger. One noteworthy addition is Sprite Backup, a third party application valued at $29.95 that comes standard on the Treo 800w. Sprite allows you to easily back up all of your critical data and easily restore it should the need arise.

One great thing about Sprint carrying the Treo 800w is the inclusion of Sprint TV, a service that allows you watch live television on the Treo. The standard package offers a nice selection of programming, with premium offerings also available. In our tests, the Treo 800w accessed Sprint TV in no time and there were zero buffering issues. If you don’t currently own a Slingbox, SprintTV is the next best thing and it’s included. Thumbs up!

Sprint TV

Sprint TV offers a number of channels on the Treo 800w allowing you to watch live TV.

Sprint TV E! on Treo 800w

IM on Treo 800w

Yahoo, AIM and MSN Messenger are all included.

Click to enlarge.

With changing standards (ie. 320×320 resolution screen), comes heartache that some applications will not be compatible with the Treo 800w. When a major manufacturer such as Palm releases a new phone, you can expect developers to get on board. I certainly advise readers to contact developers if there is a particular app that you must use on the device. Expect developers to adapt to the new display, which was hardly a secret.

Value

The Treo 800w retails for $599, but after rebates and a 2-year agreement, the price drops to $249. While it would be nice to see it fall below the $200 plateu, it’s certainly understandable given the feature set and bundled software package.

Conclusion

The Treo 800w represents the complete package offering WiFi, GPS, support for EVDO- REV A. and Windows Mobile 6.1. When you consider the included software bundle (Sprint Navigation, Maps, Sprite Backup, Sprint TV, Office Mobile), it’s easy enough to justify the price point. Battery life could have been better and the included stylus was not in keeping with the overall good build quality of the Treo 800w. The 320×320 resolution was a bonus when reading Office docs and you can expect major developers to provide updates that are compatible with the new device. Overall, I found the Treo 800w to be a peppy, full-featured Treo that represents an nice evolutionary move from the Treo 750. Palm has once again proved they understand how people use their phones and delivered a powerful, yet easy to use smart device in the Treo 800w.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: review, treo 800w

EverythingCentro Reviews Palm Centro Smartphone

October 19, 2007 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

EverythingCentro Reviews Palm Centro Smartphone

October 19, 2007

By: Christopher Meinck

For a our comprehensive review of the Palm Centro, please visit our new sister site Everything Centro.

Palm’s latest offering has strong ties to the Treo, but in an entirely new pocketable form factor. Does the keyboard make the cut? Is the Centro really a value and should you consider the Centro as a replacement for your Treo? We attempt to answer all these questions in the Everything Centro Palm Centro review.

Share Your Centro Review

There is a new feature at Everything Centro. In addition to our editorial reviews, you can read

Centro Forums

In addition to launching EverythingCentro, we’ve also launched our new Centro forums. If you are an existing member of Everything Treo, you can use your existing username and password at Everything Centro. Not a member, register today!

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: palm centro, review

Palm Treo 755p Review

May 19, 2007 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

Palm Treo 755p Review

The Treo 755p is the latest smartphone from Palm and is available through Sprint Wireless.

Palm Treo 755p review

Introduction

Over the past year and a half , Palm has been releasing a steady stream of Treo smartphones. The different models offer a myriad of features, running different operating systems and available through various wireless carriers. Over the past year and half, we’ve seen the introduction of seven new Treo smartphones, all of which are still available for purchase.

Palm Treo 700w (Windows Mobile/CDMA/Verizon) – Treo 700w review
Palm Treo 700p (Palm OS/CDMA/Sprint and Verizon) – Treo 700p review
Treo 700wx (Windows Mobile/CDMA/Sprint)
Treo 680 (Palm OS/GSM/Cingular) – Treo 680 review
Treo 750v (Windows Mobile/GSM, Vodafone)
Treo 750 (Windows Mobile/GSM/Cingular) – Treo 750 review

Last week, Palm added the Sprint Treo 755p (CDMA) to the lineup. For consumers, the decision on which Treo to buy has become more and more confusing.

Palm Treo 755p maroon

User Interface

A quick trip to the Info menu in Application reveals the Palm Treo 755p runs Palm OS Garnet 5.4.9, also found on the Treo 700p released in June of 2006. In October of 2006, Palm introduced the Palm Treo 680 (GSM, Cingular), a Palm OS based smartphone designed for “first time smartphone users”. Understanding the hurdles that face first time smartphone owners, Palm included a revised Phone application. The new Phone application featured a tabbed interface allowing easy access to the dialer, contacts, call log and your applications. Sadly, the Treo 755p includes the older Phone app (version 2.5). According to Palm, this version caters more to “power users”. Some might debate the usefulness of the new Phone application, but I found the improved GUI (graphic user interface) and ease of use to be a great improvement. Including it on the Treo 755p would have been a plus. If Palm was concerned about power users, perhaps they could have offered an option in the application. Simple view or advanced view allowing the end user to decide.

Treo 680 Phone app

Treo 755p Phone application

Focus On Treo Experience Centers Around Software

Palms recent advertising campaign “Not just a cellphone, a Treo“ earmarks how the focus has shifted from hardware design to software applications and improving the Treo experience. For the most part, the applications that are bundled with the Treo 755p are third party applications that are readily available to any Treo owner. GoogleMaps, Docs To Go, Bejeweled, PocketTunes and VoiceMemo are all fantastic applications in their own right, but easily added or already included on the Treo 700p. Stalwarts such as VersaMail, Blazer and PIM applications remain the same.

Treo 755p volume buttons

Treo 755p camera sports a 1.3mp camera

Built-in IM

One welcome addition is the Instant Messaging application known simply as IM. The application is not pre-installed, but selecting the icon quickly generated a download from Sprint. I was quickly greeted by a home screen that featured icons from AOL IM, Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger. Just prior to this, the application warns of potential data charges. I’d recommend avoiding this application unless you have an unlimited data plan. Upon selecting an icon, I was prompted to enter my login information. Setup on all three services was a breeze. Some interesting notes about the new IM application.

Palm’s IM app will offer a warning regarding data charges

You can be logged into all three services at the same time
AOL IM supports iChat users (dot mac support)
You can leave the application and still recieve messages
Includes smilie support

Palm IM supports AIM, Messenger and Yahoo!

Chatting on Palm Treo 755p IM

Palm has also included QuickText. Those familiar with the SMS program on Palm Treos, this allows users to quickly select from a preset list of messages.

IM will alert you of an incoming message

Do You Google

GoogleMaps, released last year, comes preinstalled on the Treo 755p. This application is readily available for all Treo users, but is worthy of including in the ROM of the Treo. GoogleMaps uses the data connection to generate maps and directions based upon the user input. The Treo 755p does not come with built-in GPS, but this mapping feature can be useful.

GoogleMaps comes pre-installed on the Treo 755p

One of the more handy utilities is the “Find Nearby Businesses”. For business travelers, you could enter your current address and ask GoogleMaps to find “restaurants”. I tested this feature and sure enough Google provided very accurate results. It offered 9 restaurants in my area, including Runyon’s which is literally in walking distance. Nothing new here with GoogleMaps, but a worthy inclusion on the Treo 755p.

Points of interest available through GoogleMaps

GoogleMaps allows you to find restaurants nearby

SprintTV

Sprint ships the Treo 755p with the Sprint TV application. This allows you to stream televison from an assortment of stations. In my testing, I streamed CNN live and the NFL Network without a problem. I compared the feed to my DirecTV feed and the Sprint TV version was behind. I didn’t experience any buffering issues or choppy video with the live TV. Some of the other channels are pre-recorded specifically for mobile TV and include E!, NBC Mobile and others. The clips appear to be of a higher resolution and I had some bouts with choppy playback. Sprint offers a premium “Live” package for $9.99 a month that offers you access to over 20 channels. Sprint TV is basically a branded version of MobiTV. Overall, I was very happy with the quality and attribute this to the EvDO connection offered by Sprint. In previous reviews of MobiTV, the buffering issues were caused by the slower EDGE data connection.

Palm also packaged an application called On Demand. This allows you to enter your zip code and get a variety of news, some catered to your location. The sports section lacked the ability to find scores for the day and I think you’d probably be better off accessing a good mobile site for news.

Good mobile sites will offer more information that On Demand

Access TV Guide through On Demand

Useful Guides For New Owners

As with previous Treo smartphones, the Treo 755p includes a “Quick Tour”. The latest version offers a great tutorial on how use the Treo. For first time owners, Palm has done a great job in helping to educate new owners on how to use their Treo. The Treo in general can be a very easy phone to use, but does require a few lessons to get started. I recommend new Treo owners take the time to run through the Quick Tour. This will get you acclimated to using the Treo.

Outside of the IM application and GoogleMaps, the software bundle remains identical to what is found on the Treo 700p. With the QuickTour, Palm again has done a great job in helping new owners learn the basic features of their smartphone making a very complex device easy to use.

Palm offers a helpful tutorial on the Treo 755p

Hardware Changes Mostly Cosmetic

The Treo 755p is outfitted with an Intel XScale 312MHz processor and 128MB of memory. The main changes to the Treo 755p are cosmetic in nature. Gone is the external antenna, replaced with an internal antenna. The Treo 755p battery is roughly two thirds the size of the Treo 700p battery. Despite being similar in size to the Treo 680/Treo 750 batteries, it is not compatible. Considering most will not be upgrading from either smartphone, this won’t affect most users.

The new Treo 755p is slightly smaller and loses the external antenna

Side by side comparison of Treo 755p vs Treo 700p

The form factor is similar to the Treo 750 and Treo 680. The build quality is impressive and similar (if not the same) as the Treo 750. When it comes to build quality, this Treo is more a sibling of the Treo 750, than the Treo 680. As we wrote in our Treo 750 review, the keyboard is the best I’ve seen in any device I have reviewed. Available in two colors (midnight blue and maroon), the Treo 755p also features a rubberized coating. If you’re not the type to carry your Treo in a case, this definitely will help provide a more solid grip on the Treo. In general, it’s also a nicer surface that feels good in your hand. Overall, that’s my general feeling about this new form factor. It’s not as thin as competiting smartphones flooding the market (Moto Q, Blackjack, Dash), but it’s certainly feels smaller than previous generation Treos. Using the Treo 755p felt comfortable and it is lighter than the Treo 700p. While I’d like to see Palm release a smaller form factor, the curved back and internal antenna make a big difference in everyday use. This won’t necessarily show up when looking at photos on the Internet.

Making The Move To miniSD Memory Expansion

To compensate for the changes in size, Palm had to change some things. This latest generation Treo uses miniSD cards. For those upgrading, you’ll have to upgrade your memory card(s). Prices are comparable with a 2GB miniSD priced similarly to a 2GB SD card. The Treo 755p has an enclosure on the right side of the device that will protect your card. This was introduced on the Treo 680 and Treo 750. Quite frankly, the previous design was flawed, but was something that became accepted. Having lost (and luckily retrieving one of my SD cards), this new design is a welcome change.

The Treo 755p uses miniSD

Using The Treo 755p With Existing Treo Accessories

The Treo 755p uses the same connector allowing those who are upgrading to use their existing cables, car chargers and travel chargers. The IR port has shifted from the top of the device to the right. I’d venture to say most use IR to swap contacts, so the move is not a deal breaker for most. The Treo 755p uses a new battery that is roughly 33% smaller than the battery found in the Treo 700 series. Despite being similar in size to the Treo 750 and Treo 680 battery, the new battery is actually different. The Treo 755p does not share the same battery as either the Treo 750 or Treo 680. Batteries for those phones are not compatible with the Treo 755p.

All existing chargers will work with the Treo 755p

Bluetooth

Like its predecessor, the Treo 755p supports Bluetooth 1.2. This means no support for A2DP or Bluetooth voice dialing. You can achieve this through third party software Softick Audio Gateway, albeit at an added expense. I’m happy to report the Treo 755p performed well in my tests with both car kits and assorted headsets. Once you set up a Bluetooth device, the Treo 755p did not lose the connection. This is a problem that has plagued some Treo 700p owners. When in range, the Treo 755p immediately picked up the coordinating device. According to Palm, the Treo 755p incorporates some of the fixes in the soon to be released Treo 700p mainentance release.

Sound Quality

I had no issues with sound quality. The phone performed as well or on par with previous Treo smartphones.

Battery Life

My normal usage includes checking emails at 15 minute intervals (when away from my desktop), moderate phone usage and Bluetooth connectivity. I tried an test of what I deem a very active user. I was logged into all 3 IM accounts set SnapperMail to retrieve every 5 minutes. When I started this test, the Treo had rough 75% on the battery meter. I started at 7pm and returned at 9:30am the following morning. Battery life was at 25%. 14 hours of data connections at 5 minute intervals, while logged into IM, only took 50% of the battery life. Considering I had started with only 75% and still had 25% battery life, I’d consider battery life to be more than sufficient, even for power users.

Pros

Excellent build quality
New form factor reduces size of Treo
Launch price of $279* lower than previous Treo models in this range (after rebate w/ 2 year contract)
Best software bundle gets better with IM
Rubberized coating provides for easier grip
Works with existing Treo accessories (miniSD/Treo 750/680 battery withstanding)
EvDO provides fast data connections
Battery life suitable for power users

Cons

New Treo 680 Phone application not included
No support for SD. Those who upgrade will have to invest in miniSD.
Hardware specifications no different from Treo 700p released in June of 2006
Palm OS is dated
No support for A2DP
Although improved, form factor larger than new entries into market
Too little, too late?

Sprint Treo 755p

Conclusion

The Treo product line continues to evolve, with the key word being evolve. The Treo 755p is another evolutionary product, a virtual “best of Treo” with features found in Palm smartphones that we’ve seen before. The Treo 755p is best in class when it comes to Treos with EvDO for broadband-like data connections, excellent software bundle and an improved form factor. Despite the lack of new features, the Treo 755p is a superb smartphone. If you are a first time smartphone buyer considering a Treo, then look no further than the Treo 755p. For those Treo 650/600 owners who weren’t compelled by the feature set in the Treo 680, the Treo 755p will prove to be a worthy upgrade.
If this phone were released last June, it would be an unbridaled hit. With new innovation such as the iPhone and Palm’s forthcoming transition to Linux, consumers will ultimately decide if this “Greatest Hits” release is worthy of their dollar.

Treo 755p in midnight blue

The Palm Treo 755p retails for $279*. *after rebates with 2-year commitment.

Discuss the new Treo in our Treo 755p forum.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: review, sprint, treo 755p

IM Plus Review

March 7, 2007 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

Overview

The prospect of having an Instant Messaging program on the Treo without having to use text messaging entices many users. And because there are many programs out today that offer this functionality, Everything Treo offers this review from this genre of the program IM+ from Shape Services.

Setup and Layout

The overall functionality of IM+ is a lot like any other IM program you would use on your computer. I would liken IM+ to the all-in-one instant messaging solution, Trillian, made my Cerulean Studios, because the user has the option to setup their accounts with MSN, AIM, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber. I use MSN, AIM, and Yahoo!, so thats what I used to test IM+ on my Treo 700p.

IM+

Once all accounts are set up (see picture), the program will download each accounts friends list (along with categories set up with each account) and the list is alphabetized, and arranged by account. The friends list can also be limited to just those people that are online, or all friends that are on each list. Friends can also be added to your contact list within IM+ if you know their screen name.

IM+ Contacts

The program has many user-defined preferences that allow for different sounds played upon connection, when a friend comes online, upon message receipt, etc. Other preferences include auto reconnect, saving a history of all conversations, running the program in background and many more.

IM+ general prefs

Functionality

The program will connect to the Internet and sign in to all accounts upon launch. The menu allows the user to set his or her online status, add/remove users (friends) and perform a global disconnect while exiting the program. In order to begin an instant messaging session with a friend, simply click on a friend and a new window pops up. I have to say that this is where the program begins to perform poorly. The actual interface of the program isnt too bad, but the look is not customizable at all. The program is locked into a salmon-colored background with white behind the message windows.

Granted, thats a cosmetic grievance, but more important is that I had very spotty connections with the three services that I use. Sometimes they connected fine, other times I couldnt get a connection at all.

Conversations went fairly smoothly. But the biggest problem with this function was that the program doesnt wrap text to the next line. At all. In fact, a word will be broken instead of flowing to the next line. I havent had any complaints from friends on the other end, but it is a great annoyance to me.

Also, the program seemed to be extremely unstable. I could not pin down a problem with IM+ within the Palm OS by using Reset Doctor or PalmInternals, but the program caused me a fatal exception about 80 percent of the time. If the program was the first program run after a soft reset, I hardly ever had any problems. However, if I had been using other programs and then attempted to launch IM+, my Treo reset 99 percent of the time. I would also run into resets upon attempting to exit the program.

Overall

I really liked the interface of IM+ and I wanted to recommend it to you; but I cannot bring myself to give the program any more than one star. I have not used any other instant messaging program for the Treo yet, but this program resets too much to really be of any use. I will, however, give Shape Services credit for its customer service department. I contacted the company about my resets and was e-mailed within two business days, in most cases. I sent them the IM+ log about problems, but have not heard back from them in a couple of weeks. At this point, I would have to advise you to wait until the bugs are fixed from this program before taking the plunge with IM+. NOTE: I plan on continuing to work with Shape Services customer service department. Upon receiving updates or fixes, I will update this review with current information.

IM+ retails for $29.95 and is available as a free trial through the Everything Treo Software Store.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: IM Plus

Treo 750 Review

January 22, 2007 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

The Palm Treo 750 is one the greatly anticipated Treo releases in quite some time. With the Treo 750v having been out for months in Europe, much has been written about the latest Treo model. Due to issues with FCC certification, the Treo 750 release was pushed back from early December to the first week of January. It also marks the debut of the first Windows Mobile powered Treo smartphone on a GSM network in the US (Both Sprint and Verizon use CDMA technology). The Treo 750 also marks the first Palm release to support 3G promising increased bandwidth up to 384 Kbps. The Treo 750 and all the new features come neatly bundled in a new form factor with an easy-to-grip rubberized coating. In this review, we’ll take a comprehensive look at the features of the new Treo 750. If you are interested in a particular section or feature, you can select from the table of contents on the right.

What’s In The Box

The Palm Treo 750 shipped with the following:

Palm Treo 750 smart device
Treo 750 Getting Started CD including Treo 750 User Guide, Microsoft ActiveSync 4.2 Connectivity Software, Microsoft Outlook 2002
Travel Charger
USB Sync Cable
Rechargeable Lithium ion 1200 mAh battery
Wired Headset

The Cingular Treo 750 comes with the following software preinstalled.

ActiveSync
Alarm Clock
Bubble Breaker
Calculator
Camera (pictures and video)
File Explorer
Good Mobile Messaging stub application
Internet Explorer Mobile
Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile: Email, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes
Microsoft Office Mobile Suite: Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile
ModemLink
Picsel PDF Viewer
Pocket MSN
Quick Tour
Search
SIM Manager
SMS / MMS Messaging with chat view
Solitaire
Sounds Manager
Terminal Services Client
Voice Command
Windows Media Player
Wired Car Kit Support
Xpress Mail

Form Factor

The Treo 750 features a striking resemblence to the recently released Palm Treo 680. The antenna is now internal, so gone is the chunky antenna stub that was so familiar of the Palm Treo family since the days of the Treo 600. Internalizing the antenna also gives the appearance of a smaller smartphone.

The Treo 750 shares the same curved back as the Treo 680 which has cut down on the size of the phone. When compared to a Treo 700w/p, the difference is easily noticeable both from visual perspective and when holding the Treo 750. Rather than enter the battle for the “thinnest smartphone”, Palm has delivered a small smartphone “just feels right”. The sides of the Treo 750 also curve inward and I found this offered a way to get a good grip on the phone.

Rubberized Finish

Rubberized coatings seem to be all the rage when it comes to smartphones. Gone are slippery surfaces, replaced with a rubberized coating that will hopefully result in less Treos hitting the pavement. The finish on the Treo 750 is a metallic navy blue

(one must wonder if this was intential given the color of the BlackBerry)

. If you have the opportunity to see the Treo 750 at retail, I’ve found that when you scratch the surface lightly with your fingernail, you will be more apt to recognize the coating. It is also very noticeable when you compare with a previous generation Treos (Treo 700w/wx,Treo 700p,Treo 650).

The Treo 750 sports a metallic blue finish.

The Treo 750 weighs in at 5.4 ounces versus 6.4 ounces for the 700p and 5.5 ounces for the Palm Treo 680 making it the lightest Treo to date.

miniSD Card

miniSD represents another first for the Treo 750. The Treo 750 uses miniSD which is a smaller format. For those considering upgrading, you will not be able to use your SD cards on the Treo 750. According to Palm, they officially support miniSD cards up to 2GB cards. The miniSD is accessible from the right hand side of the Treo and is protected by a door that easily snaps in and out. Although the cost of removable media has gone down, it is refereshing to know that your data card is protected against accidents. Based upon comparable memory expansion products available in the Everything Treo Store, you’ll find a slight increase in cost for the new smaller miniSD card versus standard SD cards. The

Dane-Elec 2GB Secure Digital Card retails for $39.95 compared to $44.95 for a Dane-Elec 2GB miniSD

Keyboard

The Palm Treo 750 features a QWERTY keyboard. I immediately sensed a very tactical feel while typing on the Treo 750. It is very responsive and the feedback generated by the keyboard was great. I have small hands, but had one trouble with one-handed operation. Those with big hands who prefer to type with both thumbs, might find the keyboard a bit cramped. Those are the trade-offs to have “true one-handed” operation versus a larger or wider keyboard. Personally, this is the best keyboard I’ve used on any mobile device.

Those familiar with Windows Mobile Treos will recognize the L-R menu buttons, dedicated call/hang-up buttons, OK button and Windows Start button. The call/hang-up buttons are now wider. I found this to be a welcome change due to the frequency of their usage. In addition to the primary buttons, the left and right soft buttons also backlit. I also found an interesting feature of the Treo 750. The backlit actually times out if you do not touch the keyboard after a prescribed amount of time. I suppose this has a minimal, yet positive effect on the battery-life of the Treo 750. Select any key or touch the screen and the keyboard will once again become backlit.

Screen

The Treo 750 features a square screen with a resolution of 240×240. Whether navigating through the device or viewing the Today screen, there is little difference when intially compared to the 320×320 display of the Treo 700p. The drop-off for the Treo 750 occurs when view photos, video or even web browsing. Images that were vivid and sharp on the Palm Treo 700p looked drab on the new Treo 750. The limitations with regard to resolution on the Treo 750 lie with the Windows Mobile OS.

Camera

The Treo 750 features a 1.3 megapixel camera with a 2X zoom. You can also set an option for ‘burst’ which takes a rapid succession of pictures. Within camera, it also allows you to switch to video mode. Not sure the need, but you can also set a timer. I guess if you’re the type for self-portraits, this would be useful. Photos taken with the Treo 750 were a pleasant surprise when compared to the 700p camera.

Of the above photos, the first photo was taken with the Treo 750 and the other using the Palm Treo 700p which also sports a 1.3 megapixel camera. No adjustments were made to the images. As you’ll see the Treo 750 produced a vibrant image and the Treo 700p images looks dull in comparison.

Bluetooth

According to representatives from Palm, the Treo 750 is “very close” to achieving certification for Bluetooth 2.0. Officially, it supports Bluetooth 1.2. The Treo 750 does support A2DP

(Advanced Audio Distribution File)

and allows you to listen to music and calls using a Bluetooth stereo headset. This is the first Treo to offer A2DP support.

Processor and Memory

The Treo 750 uses a Samsung 300 MHz processor. The Treo 750 is very peppy and you get an immediate response when navigating the phone. It also features 128MB of memory of which 60MB is accessible by the user. On the Treo 750 I received, there was 62.53MB free before putting any data on the phone. A little over 49MB of memory was dedicated to “program memory”, with 31.79MB available at the intial boot up.

The Familiar Reset Button

Left out on the Treo 680, there is a reset button on the Treo 750. Like your desktop PC or Mac, it is inevitable that you will come across a time when a reset is in order

(think of it as rebooting your computer)

. Palm has moved the reset button to the miniSD slot. No more removing the battery cover to reset your Treo. Pop the cover on the miniSD slot and the tip of the stylus reboots the Treo 750. Having done my fair share of Treo resets, I welcome this move to the miniSD slot.

Other Notable Features

Like the Treo 680, the stylus has changed with the Treo 750. It’s also lighter than previous styli. Ringer and vibrate switch remain on the top of the device and the Treo 750 uses the same interface for both sync cable and charger as previous Treo models. For those who still use IR, the Treo 750 comes equipped with an IR port.

It should also be noted that while the Treo 680 and Treo 750 share similarities in form factor, they do not share the same manufacturer. The Treo 680 is well built, but I felt the Treo 750 overall has a better build quality. This could be a result of materials more so than the manufacturer, but worth noting.

For most, the predominant feature used on any smartphone will be the phone itself. During my tests, callers were asked to provide feedback on the sound quality of my voice. The feedback was positive using both the phone and speakerphone. I had no issues with the quality of sound for the callers when using the handset. I did experience crackling when using the speakerphone at high volumes.

Making Calls

Being a smartphone, there are several options to make outgoing calls. Using the dailpad on the QWERTY keyboard will instantly start the dialing process. When dialing a long-distance number

(and adding a 1 at the beginning of the number)

, the Treo didn’t know to add a ‘-’. For example, if I were to dial NY state directory information, the number would be 1-212-555-1212. When entering into the Treo 750, it starts as 121-2555. At times, I wanted to be sure I was dialing the correct number and this was difficult with the layout of numbers being dialed. A workaround would be to use the dialer. Unlike Palm OS Treos where the dialer is predominant, you have to navigate the right soft menu button to access the Dial Pad. Oddly enough, when using the dialer, the resulting number patter is correct, 1-212-555-1212. If I had to venture to guess, the reasoning behind the issue with dialing in the today screen is the “contacts lookup”. Not a major issue, but one that I felt should be noted.

Accessing Contacts can be done in a variety of ways. Selecting the right soft button or simply type the first few letters of either the first or last name. This worked for either individuals or companies. Accessing the Start menu is yet another path to Contacts. As you can see, in Windows Mobile there are many choices or paths to a desired function and it simply becomes a matter of preference.

Notifications

When missing an incoming call, the Treo 750 will show a pop-up tab within the Today screen that shows the missed calls. After the Treo 750 goes back into sleep mode, powering up removes this reminder. In its place, I was greeted with a change in the Today screen where the left menu normally resevered for ‘email’ had changed to ‘Missed Calls’. Pressing the left soft menu button revealed the tab with a nice list of my missed calls. I would have like to have seen the list upon powering up the Treo 750, as the menu button can easily be missed. I should say there is also an icon at the top of the screen with an exclamation point as a further reminder that you’ve missed a call. The list the Treo 750 generates offers very good detail including caller name

(if available in your contacts)

, phone number, date and time. It also gives you an option to View List, which is another name for the Call Log.

Photo Speed Dial

Like the Treo 700w/wx, one of the great features of the Today screen is the ability to easily add Photo Speed Dials. I have a few contacts that I call regularly, so the built-in Photo Speed Dial really impacts my use of the phone. No shuffling through contacts or scrolling through Favorites. The ability to simply turn on the Treo 750 and touch the photo of the contact I’d like to call is a powerful and useful feature.

Call Log

Accessible through the right soft menu, the call log allows you to sort by incoming, outgoing, missed or view all. With most of the menu options, there are shortcuts. Pressing menu followed by the letter ‘a’ provides a short cut to the call log. If you find yourself using a particular feature, these shortcuts can save you time. Selecting the menu screen also allows you to quickly add a number to Contacts.

Designed with the business user in mind, the Treo 750 come with a robust software bundle making this smartphone a very capable handheld computer. In certain situations, the Treo 750 can act as a replacement for your laptop.

Microsoft Office

Intended for business audiences, the Palm Treo 750 comes with everything you need for a mobile office. Word Mobile and Excel Mobile allows you to open existing documents, edit and create new documents. With PowerPoint Mobile, you are limited to viewing existing presentations. No conversion is necessary when opening any of the above file formats. While in Excel, using the 5-way navigator allowed for easy reading and movement within the spreadsheet.

Piscel Viewer

Picscel Viewer allows you to view full PDF files on the Treo 750. Again, no conversion is needed to view PDF documents. Piscel Viewer uses a ‘tap-and-drag’ gesture to zoom in or out of a document. I found it difficult to get an optimal setting without going back and forth. In order to initate the ‘tap-and-drag’, you must be near the middle of the screen. Once in zoom mode, dragging the stylus to the bottom results in the image getting smaller. Conversely, dragging upward causes the zoom to take place. While zooming in and out, the text gets blurry, so you have to guess when you believe you reached a suitable zoom level for reading the document. After a few minutes, I did get familiar with the process. That being said, I would have preferred to have zoom levels in percentages in the options menu.

Pictures and Videos

Pictures and Videos encapsulates a few apps into one. The camera icon is a shortcut to access the Camera application. From within this application, you can play a slideshow, send a photo using any of the messaging options or set an image as a Today background. The slideshow feature is very limited, not allowing you to select specific photos or add music.

Other Notable Applications

Tasks are included and will sync with Outlook using ActiveSync. It features support for categories, sorting capabilities, priority levels and enables you to set reminders. You can also add notes to each task. Windows Mobile comes with Windows Media offering support for a variety of media formats

(WMV, MPEG-4, MP3, AAC, AAC+, and WMA) and streaming video. With a good set of stereo headphones (Bluetooth Stereo headphones are supported) and a miniSD card filled with MP3 files, the Treo 750 can double as a serviceable on-the-go MP3 player. Where Verizon offered a few options for streaming sites, doesn’t provide you with any preset favorites. Instead, Palm suggests third-party application, sold separately. MobiTV (requires monthly subscription) recently announced availability for Windows Mobile 5 and offers the best selection of programming. During our review of MobiTV

with the Treo 650 using EDGE, playback suffered from severe buffering. The increased speed of UTMS should be sufficient for streaming.

The Treo 750 features a robust suite of applications for Internet and communications. With support for UTMS, the Cingular Treo 750 is promoted as a 3G phone, offering speed improvements over the EDGE capable Treo 680. We tested the Treo 750 against two EVDO capable devices, the Palm Treo 700p and Moto Q smartphone. The tests were conducted using DSLReports.com mobile speed test. Several tests were done for each file size and I took the best results for each phone. Results for individual phones varied, but comparisons between the three remained consistent.

In this chart, shorter is better and indicates a faster download time. As you’ll note, the Treo 750 struggled when compared to the EVDO capable smartphones. The Treo 750 can be upgraded to HSDPA, but at the time of the review, Palm has not indicated there will be a firmware upgrade. Should Palm release a firmware upgrade that enables HSDPA, you can expect these numbers to change for the better. At this rate, clearly this is disappointing when compared to other smartphones.

Treo 750 after 600k speed test

Instant Messaging With Pocket MSN

Included with the Treo 750 are applications that allow you to always stay in touch. Microsoft bundles Pocket MSN that includes MSN Instant Messenger and this is clearly one of the advantages to owning a Windows Mobile smartphone. With Palm OS based smartphones, you need to purchase a third party application for chat. MSN Messenger is a breeze to set up and chatting works nicely. The interface is poorly done, as you can do not have the ability to see the conversation without using up/down arrows at the top of the screen. Without using a stylus, this is less than optimal. While it is very functional, it will not win any GUI (graphical user interface) awards. It is free and does function quite well.

Threaded Chat-Style Messaging

Up until this point, little has been done by Palm to integrate some of their usablity when it comes to software. With previous releases, Palm’s thumbprint on Windows powered Treos was limited to the hardware design and the Pictures and Video application. One of the major complaints of Palm OS owners making the jump to Windows was the Messaging application. The messaging application included on the Treo 700w/wx did not “thread” the messages. Threading of messages results in a “chat-style” thread of messages allowing you to see the history or conversation that you have had with a particular contact. In contrast, non-threaded results in a extremely over-crowded and difficult to manage inbox. Luckily, the Treo 750 introduces Palm’s threaded messaging. It performs exactly like the Palm OS application and drastically improves on the ability to effectively manage SMS conversations. The application features 10 preset commonly used messages and you can add your own custom messages. For example, if you are in a meeting, you can easily select “In a Meeting”. You can send messages using a phone number or a contact name.

Outlook Express

Like the Treo 700w, the Treo 750 of course comes with Outlook for email. It features support for POP and IMAP accounts. Setting up email accounts was quite easy and uses the familiar Outlook interface. It will automatically insert addresses from your contacts making it easier to address your emails. For corporate users, the Treo 750 allows your Outlook corporate email automatically downloaded to the Treo 750. If you work in a business where you need to send pictures, you’ll find the Treo 750 excels at this function. It also supports attachments for Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF’s. Palm has hard coded the left soft menu within the Today screen for email. While outside of the Today screen, access is through the Start menu. If there is any complaint regarding Outlook, it would be the lack of a progress bar. I would like to see the emails coming in along with a progress bar.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Excellent build quality

Thread SMS features chat-style text messaging

Sound quality using both microphone and speakerphone

New form factor combined with antenna-less design really provides for the lightest, smallest Treo to date eclipsing even the Treo 680

Improved QWERTY keyboard and call/hang-up buttons

Reset button more accessible through miniSD slot

Today interface still provides great overview of calendars,tasks, messages and easy calling options using photo speed dial

miniSD card cover protects against loss

Bluetooth support for A2DP allowing for Bluetooth stereo headphones

Camera produces vibrant images for 1.3 megapixel

Software bundle encompasses neccessary business applications and multimedia

WiFi support using third party miniSD WiFi card

Support for dial-up-networking

Cons

UTMS slow compared to EVDO

Speakerphone produced crackle at high volumes

240×240 screen

Menu navigation can become cumbersome for certain tasks

WiFi not built-in

Mac support requires third party software

The Treo 750 represents the latest Windows Mobile based Treo smartphone from Palm and the first to be available on GSM networks in the US (Palm released the Treo 750vin Europe through Vodafone). In the Treo 750, Palm has delivered a smartphone that offers impressive design and build quality. The Today screen is an ideal interface for anyone managing a busy work schedule, while providing easy access to contacts. With an impressive software bundle and support for corporate email through ActiveSync, the Treo 750 is a smartphone for individuals looking for a mobile office. Overall, the Treo 750 is well designed business class smartphone, but one that still has room for improvement. Despite many new features, including support for A2DP, I was disappointed with the speed of UTMS relative to EVDO. The Treo 750 is upgradeable to HSDPA, however no update has been announced by either Palm or Cingular Wireless.

Pricing and Availability

The Palm Treo 750 is available in exclusively through Cingular Wireless. Prices start at $399 (after rebates with a 2-year contract).

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: review, treo 750

Treo 680 Review

December 2, 2006 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

Great Entry Level Smartphone But No Easy Upgrade Decision For Treo 650 Owners

The Palm Treo 680 is the latest smartphone from Palm and the first to be priced at under $200 (after rebate with a 2-year contract and data plan committment). Announced in October, the new Treo 680 is available through Cingular Wireless or by ordering an unlocked version through Palm. The new Treo is not your typical new Palm Treo. With previous releases, the latest smartphone always offered significant features than the previous generation. This new 680 finds itself nestled in-between the previous GSM based Treo 650 and Treo 700p released in June of this year. Given the price point, its clear that Palm has high hopes for this new Treo as they hope its a “smart” upgrade for feature phone users. For GSM Treo 650 owners who have spent the previous year watching Palm release feature rich CDMA based models (Treo 700w, Treo 700p, Treo 700wx), the decision to upgrade isnt as clear as it might have been with previous generation models. When considering features for the Treo 680, Palm finds itself juggling features in order to keep the price point at below $200 while finding a happy medium making it attractive to new smartphone owners and those considering an upgrade. For those considering an upgrade from a Treo 650, Ive highlighted changes or features of the new Treo 680 that will weigh on your decision. At any time, you can select a particular section of this 6-part review by using the table of contents to your right.

Treo 680 review

What’s In The Box

The Palm Treo 680 used for evaluation is through Cingular Wireless. The Cingular Treo 680 shipped with the following:

Palm Treo 680 smart device (do not read too much into the change from smartphone to smart device. This request was made to Palm by Cingular. Apparently, the data pricing plans for smart phone and smart device are different and this was done to avoid confusion amongst their sales staff)
Treo 680 Software Installation Guide
Travel Charger *not shown in photo
USB Sync Cable
Wired Headset
Getting Started Guide

Note: For a limited time, Palms unlocked Treo 680 comes with a free Mobile Music Pack that includes Yahoo Music Bundle is valued at $135.

Treo 680 unboxed

The Cingular Treo 680, used in this review, comes with the following software preinstalled.

Blazer web browser version 4.5
Bluetooth Manager version 1.2(W)
Calculator
Calendar
Camcorder
Camera
Contacts
Documents To Go
HotSync Manager
Memos
Messaging
MyTreo
Phone
Pics and Video
PocketTunes
Quick Tour
Security
Tasks
VersaMail version 3.5.1
Voice Memo
World Clock

The Treo 680 comes bundled with Palm Blazer and VersaMail or Web and Email. When it comes to rendering pages on a mobile device, Palms Blazer is excellent. Unfortunately, the device only supports EDGE. With the Treo 700w/p/wx support of EVDO, many were hopeful this new Treo would bring a support for UTMS (GSM version of broadband-like internet connection for mobile users). Apparently, the Palm OS could not support UTMS, providing yet another reason why this OS desperately needs to be upgraded. When the Windows Mobile powered Treo 750 arrives, it’s expected it will support the UTMS. Palm has promised faster browsing on the Treo 680 compared to the Treo 650 due to

smart caching

. When compared to the EVDO based Treo 700p, the Treo 680 is significantly slower in accessing web pages and downloading email messages.

In this chart, shorter is better and indicates a faster download time. The Treo 680 exceed the time limit of the 1mb test and therefore were not included. Tests were done using DSLReports mobile test. While not extensive, it clearly shows the vast difference in speed of an EVDO capable Treo vs Cingular’s EDGE network.

Streaming Media

The Treo 680 comes with Kinoma Player in the ROM. While its not listed in the applications, Kinoma Player will assist with streaming media. I tested the Treo 680s streaming capabilities on http://xstreamxm.com/mobile and had only one buffering issue during a 10 minute listening session of the Bone Yard. The Treo 680 proved its metal while listening to metal.

Email and Messaging

The Palm Treo 680 is the perfect companion to a person who is an active text messenger. If moving from a feature phone, youll rejoice at finding the chat-style discussions in Palms text messaging application. Lets say you are having a discussion with a friend that spans 20 messages. Later that day, you have exchange 10 messages with a different friend. Palm encapsulates this into what looks like an AOL IM chat session. When you select a particular friend, youll see the conversation. This chat-style or whats also know as threaded SMS cannot be found in the Treo 700w/wx, much to the chagrin of those who have upgraded from a Treo 650. For text messaging, it doesnt get better than Palms Messaging application that comes standard with the Treo 680.

Palm has made it easier to address recipients when text messaging. When you type the first few letters, the Treo 680 will bring up a list from your contacts. This of course adds to the ease of use when typing a message to a friend. Its much easier to type a message to Tricia, then have to remember the related phone number.

Email Using VersaMail

VersaMail has been upgraded to version 3.5. As Ive noted in my Treo 700p Review, Ive been using SnapperMail for the past 4 years so it was difficult for me to discern any major changes to VersaMail outside of a new Alerts feature allowing you to select ringtones for your alerts. VersaMail has also changed its name to simply Email. Email aka VersaMail is sufficient for most users. Those looking for more extensive features can look to either SnapperMail or Chatteremail.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: review, treo 680

SplashPhoto Review

August 21, 2006 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

Ratings:
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SplashPhoto is an application that helps manage photos both on your Treo and your desktop. Available for both Palm OS and PocketPC, SplashPhoto is a great option for organizing your Treo photos.

Introduction

If youre the type of Treo user who loves using the built-in camera, you
have no doubt run into the headache of trying to organize and edit all your
photos. SplashPhoto by SplashData offers a convenient way to organize,
synchronize, edit, view, and share photos. When paired up with the desktop
(PC) software, it really doesnt get much easier to keep your growing gallery
in check.

User Interface

When you first open up SplashPhoto, youll notice familiar options at the
top to organize the photos by location on your device (i.e. internal or
storage card) and by category. The action keys on the Treo 700w will allow you to
quickly toggle views and pull up the ‘Tools’ menu. While using SplashPhoto,
you have 4 main views you can choose from:

List View: Lists the files in order (much like Windows) and displays the
file information you choose. This view makes maximum use of the screen space,
but doesnt show a preview of the photo.

Detail View: Displays a thumbnail of the photo, allows you to change the
storage and category, shows the image size, file size, date, photo notes, and
time the photo was taken. This view is very handy if you need to move files
back and forth between a storage card, and if youre looking to categorize a
couple of photos.

Thumbnail View: Displays a thumbnail of the photo and the file name. This
view makes very good use of screen space while still displaying a thumbnail.

Gallery View: Displays only a thumbnail of the photo. This view is handy
if youve got a lot of photos and are looking for a particular one.

The ‘Tools’ menu allows you to set the program as the default viewer for JPG
photos, show specific columns in the list view, arrange the photo list, display
a slideshow, manage categories, set photo security, refresh the view, and exit
the program.

Features & Options

Perhaps the most convenient feature of the program is the ability to quickly
and easily categorize your photos. SplashPhoto lets you create customized
categories, and quickly assign photos to a given category. Along with
categorizing the photo, you can add notes to your photo that will display in the
“Detail View”. This is definitely convenient when you need to make a specific
photo easy to find, or if you just need a quick reminder where the photo was
taken.

The most intriguing feature of the categories is the ability to set a photo
as private, which will require a password before being able to view them. This
feature can be helpful if youre taking photos that you dont want someone who
picks up or steals your phone to be able to see such as company prototypes.
You can quickly toggle the ability to view private images by going to Tools
>> Security >> Show/Hide Private Images. If you choose to show
them, youll be greeted with a password prompt. Unfortunately, if you were to
go into the default Camera application, you could view these photos without a
password being required thus making this security only effective within the
program itself.

Much like the default Camera application, SplashPhoto allows you to send
photos via email, MMS, or beaming. The only addition wed like to see here
would be the ability to highlight multiple photos and send them all via email,
MMS, or beaming.

Along with the device version of SplashPhoto, you also get the SplashPhoto
Desktop which installs on your PC (see notes for compatibility information) and
allows you to easily synchronize between your device and desktop. This feature
is much more convenient than synching photos using ActiveSync, and it allows
you to keep your photos separate from the rest of your data.

Just like the application for your device, the desktop version gives you the
option of viewing your photos with the same four views. It also adds the
functionality of being able to quick edits including: brightness and contrast
adjustments, zooming, cropping, and image rotating.

Another welcome addition to the SplashPhoto Desktop software is the ability
to quickly and easily send any of your photos via email. Simply highlight the
photos youd like to send, right-click and choose the “Send via Email” option.

Issues and Notes

During testing, I did not encounter any issues with the installation
process, registration, or with the program hanging. The memory footprint of
the program is quite small and unobtrusive.

SplashPhoto Desktop requires Windows 98, ME, NT4, 2000, or XP.

Conclusion

SplashPhoto is a great tool to help you keep your ever-growing photo gallery
organized and synchronized. The ability to categorize photos has proven to be
a priceless feature, and is certainly a welcome improvement over the default
Camera application.

SplashPhoto retails for $29.95 and is also available as a 30-day free trial.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: review, splashphoto

Treo 700p Review

July 31, 2006 By Christopher Meinck Leave a Comment

Treo 700p Review

July 31, 2006

Ratings:

By: Christopher Meinck

New Palm OS Based Smartphone Improves Upon Treo 650

The Palm Treo 700p is the latest smartphone from Palm featuring the Palm operating system. I’ve been using the Palm Treo 700w since it’s release six months ago, but was anxious to see what improvements the Palm Treo 700p had over it’s predecessor, the Palm Treo 650. As a Mac user, there was the obvious joy of going back to a smartphone that officially supports the Mac platform, although Mark/Space just recently announced Missing Sync for Windows Mobile, offering support for the Mac users considering the 700w.

The Treo 700p offers a nice collection of enchancements over its predecessor, the Palm Treo 650.

What’s In The Box

The Palm Treo 700p is currently available through both Sprint and Verizon Wireless. Despite the differences in packaging, as we noted in our First Look at the 700p, both smartphones ship with the following:

Palm Treo 700p smartphone

Palm Software Install CD

Travel Charger

USB Sync Cable

Wired Headset

Quick Start Guide (refered to as Read Me First

Quick Reference Guide

Verizon or Sprint Welcome CD

The Verizon Treo 700p, used in this review, comes with the following software preinstalled. There are few version changes as noted and the bundled
software package is better than on previous models. I’ll touch on the changes and improvements in the Software and Applications section of the review.

Blazer web browser version 4.5

Bluetooth Manager version 1.2(W)

Calculator

Calendar

Camcorder

Camera

Contacts

Documents To Go

HotSync Manager

Memos

Messaging

MyTreo*new

Phone

Pics and Video*new

PocketTunes *new

Quick Tour

Security

Tasks

VersaMail version 3.5.1

Voice Memo*new

World Clock

Continue Treo 700p Review: Hardware

Treo 700p Review: Hardware

July 31, 2006

Ratings:

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By: Christopher Meinck

The Palm Treo 700p uses the exact same form factor and casing as the Palm Treo 700w. In fact, Verizon uses similar packaging for both models. The similarities are sure to cause confusion among potential first time Treo owners shopping for a new smartphone. While the physical dimensions are the same, the hard buttons of the Treo 700p have different graphics and are mapped to different buttons relative to the Palm OS. What’s more interesting are the differences between the Palm Treo 650 and Palm Treo 700p. The Home button that brings up your applications (also known as the Application launcher) has graduated to a main button on the 700p. Palm has also moved the menu button into the QWERTY keyboard and provided dedicated Send/End Call buttons.

On the previous generation Treo 650, simply pressing the Phone button twice brought up recently dialed numbers and access to your call log. To access this same list on the 700p requires you simply press the Send button. The new button is not terribly intuitive when compared with the previous method. Moving the Applications Launcher into the main buttons was a great move, since it provides access to your applications which is central to using the Treo. The only downside that I see with the new layout is the new location of the Menu button (located next to ALT button). With the Palm OS, menus are hidden until you press the menu button. Accessing the menu button is a very common and the current location doesn’t feel as comfortable using one-handed operation.

Screen

The Palm Treo 700p uses a 320×320 resolution screen. I found the screen to be more vivid and sharper when placed side by side with a Cingular Treo 650. My complaint with previous Palm OS offerings has been the use of the screen. The Palm Treo 700w features a 240×240 resolution screen, but you don’t immediately notice the difference in resolution compared to the 320×320 resolution of both the 650 and 700p. From the Phone application to the Application launcher, the added pixels found in the Treo 700p aren’t being effectively put to good use, whereas the Treo 700w makes great use of it’s 240×240 resolution screen with the Today screen. With it’s use of blue gradients, photo speed dials and attractive icons, at first glance the Treo 700w provides a more welcoming experience than the Treo 700p. Using the Treo 700p as a multimedia device is where the screen really shines. Viewing photos on the Palm Treo 700p revealed amazing details in photos.

Keyboard

The Treo 700p features a QWERTY keyboard and there are some minor changes over the Treo 650. The keys are now larger and more of a rectangular shape versus the oval shaped keys found on the Treo 650. The newer 700p keyboard has a more tactile feel and I felt more confirmation from the keyboard while typing. On the Treo 650, I felt the keys were just a touch closer and felt more cramped than on the 700p. The improvements weren’t drastic, but I appreciated the changes. Both 700p and 700w are utilizing the same QWERTY keyboard and subsequently, I felt no difference when typing on either.

Processor and Memory

The newest Palm features a boost in user memory. The 700p features 128mb of memory and 60mb is user accessible – meaning it can be used for third party applications, ringtones, music, photos and documents. If you are not a heavy multimedia user, a secure digital memory card is not a necessary accessory. This increase is substantial considering the previous Treo 650 shipped with 32mb of memory, leaving only 23mb of user memory. This made an SD card almost a required Treo accessory. The processor has also been upgraded from a Intel PXA270 312MHz processor to the Intel XScale 312MHz processor. The 700p is zippy, but I didn’t notice any drastic improvements over the 650. This processor is also the same processor used in the Treo 700w. In the case of the 700w, memory issues could be attributed to the operating system. This is certainly not the case with the 700p. This is a fast smartphone. At no time did I feel the system or applications become sluggish.

Continue Treo 700p Review: Phone Functions

Treo 700p Review: Internet and Communications Applications

July 31, 2006

Ratings:
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By: Christopher Meinck

The 700p comes bundled with the familiar web applications Email and Web – known to many Palm Treo users as VersaMail and Blazer. Blazer has been upgraded from 4.3.2 to version 4.5 on the 700p. One nice feature that was added is the “Find Text On Page” feature. I use this often when using Firefox and this is a nice addition to mobile browsing. Stuck in the preferences tab on the Treo 650 was the option to Disable Images. This obviously makes downloading sites with a lot of large graphics much faster. In a small, but positive interface change, the 700p now has a lightning bolt icon at the top of the browser enabling “Fast mode”. Not a major change in feature set, but again bringing popular features where end users can get the most from their Treo smartphones.

Although not listed among the software bundle, the new 700p also includes KinomaPlayer installed in the ROM. The player reveals itself when accessing a streaming media feed. A quick visit to xstreamxm.com/mobile allowed me to start streaming XM radio* to my Treo without any buffering issues. (*requires XM Radio account and online account access enabled)

VersaMail also gets a version bump from 3.1 to version 3.5.1. I have used SnapperMail for the previous 4 years, so it was tough for me to discern of any major changes to VersaMail outside a new Alerts feature. The 700p will alert you of new mail or of email failures with a ringtone you select.

In the new VersaMail, there are icons to check your connection status. Like previous versions, Contacts are integrated making it easy to access an email address by simply typing the first few letters of a contact. They’ve also moved the Sort button out of ‘Display’ making it easier to sort through your messages. VersaMail is a good, stable email application and will serve the needs of most Treo users. It’s nice to see Palm making improvements to such a critical application, but nothing here makes me consider changing from SnapperMail. For corporate users, the new version also features built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, allowing you to wirelessly sync Calendar, Contacts, and email with your company’s Microsoft Exchange Server. VersaMail also includes what Palm calls ‘Smarter Addressing’ which auto-fills email addresses you’ve previously sent but are not among your contacts. I found this to be a great feature and one you don’t even find on third party applications like Snappermail.

Support for EvDO

One of the major improvements from previous Palm based Treo smartphones is support for EvDO, which Palm has correctly termed ‘broadband-like’ internet access. Email fetching is fast – I mean very fast. There was a noticable improvement when grabbing emails and EvDO really shines when you’re downloading a attachments or email from multiple accounts. Having experienced EvDO on the Treo 700w, it was nice to see a Palm OS based phone with EvDO support. The entire web surfing experience from your Treo is still very much dependant on whether the site or page you’re trying to access is properly coded. Sites that are optimized for smartphones will reproduce a broadband-like result. When compared with the renderings of the Palm Treo 700w, the Treo 700p and the Palm based Blazer product did a much better job with mobile rendering of web pages that are not coded for smartphones.

Messaging

Returning is Palm’s popular SMS program Messaging. They’ve made some nice improvements here in the addressing portion of the application. On the Treo 650, you could bring up a contextual menu that would allow you to move into Contacts to select a recipient. This isn’t necessary on the Treo 700p. Type a few letters of a contact and Messaging brings up a list of contacts making it easy to address your text message. They have also moved the ‘quote’ and ‘emoticon’ features inside of the messaging component. Add has also been changed to Add Media. You can add Attach image, Take new picture or Take new video. All these features were the previous version of messaging, but this new version has simplified the process to one contextual menu. The other MMS component that has changed is the sound option. The previous version you could choose to record a sound or attach a sound. This new version allows you record a new sound, attach a voice memo (new to the 700p with Voice Memo) or attach a ringtone. People love to share ringtones and I see this as a nice addition. Messaging allows allows you to add slides. Rather than send multiple messages to a friend, you can add a slide to send multiple photos, sounds or ringtones during one MMS session as shown below.

Continue Treo 700p Review: User Interface Improvements

Treo 700p Review: Interface Improvements, Missing Features

July 31, 2006

Ratings:
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By: Christopher Meinck

Graphical User Interface Improvements

What I noticed most about the new Treo 700p have been the subtle changes to the GUI (graphical user interface). In the multimedia applications, I’ve found that Palm has simplified the interface on their suite of applications. Even the newly bundled PocketTunes shares the common look and feel of Voice Memo, Pics & Video along with the Camera/Camcorder applications. By utilizing the same improved interface, this helps breed familiarity for the end user. Unfortunately, outside a few minor cosmetic changes, the look and feel of the Treo 700p’s interface is not much different than the Treo 650. While I understand the importance of familiarity for the end user, it would be nice to see more graphical changes to commonly used apps such as Phone. Retain the same functionality and interface, but offer something distinct to the 700p.

What’s Missing

For months and probably weeks after the Treo 650 was released, Palm Treo users have been asking for new features in future Treo smartphones. Here are some of features that did not make it into the Treo 700p:

WiFi: Available on the 700w using the SDIO Memory slot and compatible WiFi card, this feature is not included in the Treo 700p and the SDIO card that works in the Treo 700w does not work on the Treo 700p.

Bluetooth 2.0: Voice dialing, advanced features, stereo bluetooth headset.

These are all features that hopefully will make it into the next Treo. I would have like to have seen support for Bluetooth 2.0 and in particular voice dialing.

Continue Treo 700p Review: Conclusion

Treo 700p Review: Phone Functions

July 31, 2006

Ratings:
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By: Christopher Meinck

I didn’t notice any major changes in call quality while using the Treo 700p compared with previous models. There are some subtle usability issues. Accessing the call log requires depressing the dedicated call button whereas the phone button on the Treo 650 produced the same result. The dialer screen remains virtually the same from the Treo 650. The Voicemail speed dial has swapped spots with the Contacts speed dial – with the Voicemail being on the left now on the 700p. This seems like a small change, but it actually produces a very major change in usability. I originally thought this was a problem, since the button is not editable. However, one of our readers has correctly pointed out that you can move the location with Contacts by simply dragging the favorite to a different position.

Interestingly, they’ve also modified a few other speed dials including one for Call Log and Bluetooth. Both can be changed, but it offers Treo 700p owners another alternative to access the Call Log and an easy way to get to their Bluetooth set-up. As with the Treo 650, you can easily edit your Favorites buttons for the following:

Call Log: This brings up a call log. Very handy if you’re looking to access a phone number from a previous caller or tracking your previous calls. Palm sets this up the 4th position, but you can edit that speed dial and add this to another button if you desire.

Dial Pad: For quick access to, you guessed it, the dial pad. If you use a wallpaper background instead of your dial pad, you can use a Speed Dial button to access the dial pad.

Contacts: As mentioned above, this is a commonly used application and you can set up additional favorite buttons.

Application: Call any application with a favorites button.

Speed Dial: This is where you set buttons for favorite callers. There is a lookup which allows you to easily grab the information from Contacts. Oddly enough, the 700p removes the option to set a ringtone when setting up the Speed Dial. As with the Treo 650, you can set a "hot-key". When in the Phone application, holding the hot-key will result in that particular favorite being dialed. Voicemail is automatically set to ’1′, so holding one will dial Voicemail.

Message: This is similar to the Speed Dial favorite, but apply it to text messaging.

Email: Similar to Speed Dial, but with launches VersaMail or your preferred email application and inserts the email address associated with the Email favorite.

Web Link: Quick access to your favorite destinations on the web. The Treo allows you to enter the URL and actually prefills the http://www prefix.

There are a total of 14 Favorites buttons on each page and there are five pages. The 5-way navigator allows you easily access any of the pages and favorites buttons. The favorites buttons remind me of the dock found in Mac OS X or the Start button in Windows. It allows fast and easy access to all your apps. With the Treo, it offers more with access to Speed Dial, Messaging and more. One carryover from the Treo 650 is the ability to access the rest of a contacts numbers by navigating to the a specific Speed Dial favorite and pressing the space bar. This brings up a contextual menu offering the ability to dial any number for that particular contact.

During my testing, I have been using a Jabra JX10 Bluetooth headset and sound quality was crystal clear. There have been some reports of Treo 650 compatible headsets having performance issues on the Treo 700p. It’s expected Palm will release a firmware update to troubleshoot these issues, yet something you should be aware if considering the 700p.

Managing Incoming Calls

When the Windows based Palm Treo 700w was first introduced, a Microsoft VP proudly proclaimed the 700w offered a feature that allowed you to "ignore a call" with a text message. This feature is helpful if you’re in a meeting, but don’t want to let call go to voicemail without a response. On the 700w, you could select an option to ignore the call and send a text message to the caller. For example, you could send something along the lines of, “In a meeting, will call you in a few minutes.” Very shortly thereafter, Ludas Technologies released SharkMSG, a freeware software application that added this feature to the Treo 650. Palm has added this feature with the Treo 700p. The ignore feature sends the caller to voicemail and moves you to our text messaging application. The Treo 700p features QuickText and this allows you to choose from the preset entries or customize your own entries.

The Palm Treo 700p does a great job of helping even the unorganized get organized. After you finish calls, the Treo asks if you’d like to Create a new contact or Add to an existing contact. Selecting the latter brings up the familiar lookup and the Treo will paste the number into a field. For someone on the go, this feature allows you to easily update your Contacts database while on the road. When you return to your PC or Mac, a HotSync will bring this data over to your desktop.

Continue Treo 700p Review: Software and Applications

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: review, treo 700p

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