700p on Verizon and Sprint

[chris]

For those who don't frequent the homepage of the site, it's official. Palm has revealed the new Palm OS based Treo 700p. It will be available from both Sprint and Verizon. Details on release dates should be soon.

Until then, here are specs and photos of the new 700p.

As a matter of housekeeping, all 700p forum topics are now moved to the new 700p forum.

-Chris

[mojowireless]

http://www.dlmag.com/1588/exclusive-...-briefing.html

[danpedraza]

The limit for the treo 650 is 2gb. What about the 700p? Can i use a 4gb card?

[chris]

The limit for the treo 650 is 2gb. What about the 700p? Can i use a 4gb card?

They are testing 4gb cards. My guess is they expect them to be compatible.

[phildaug]

How does the 700p compare in terms of actual size to the 650? Is palm using the same case housing with a new face? When they went from the 600 to the 650 the changes were limited to the face, side button and antenna. Just wondering. I have a very nice Vaja case ($$$$) and would hate to have it collect dust.

[chillywilly]

From the pics I see of both the 700p and the 700w, it looks like the case of both 700's are pretty close. Same with the keyboard style and menu buttons.

Personally, I'm waiting. While the EVDO and additional 37mb of insternal storage is nice, for me with my month old 650, it's not worth it to upgrade so soon. And for the additional expected cost, I'd rather put that into software and accessories for my 650.

[chris]

How does the 700p compare in terms of actual size to the 650? Is palm using the same case housing with a new face? When they went from the 600 to the 650 the changes were limited to the face, side button and antenna. Just wondering. I have a very nice Vaja case ($$$$) and would hate to have it collect dust.

The 700p is the exact same size as the 700w. While it could probably fit into a 650 Vaja case (700 and 650 are very close in size), it might be a tight fit.

From the pics I see of both the 700p and the 700w, it looks like the case of both 700's are pretty close. Same with the keyboard style and menu buttons.

I believe it is essentially the same physical size as the 700w. The hard buttons provide different functionality with this being a Palm OS based phone. For example, menu buttons in 700w are now answer call / end call in 700p.

Screen is also 320x320 on the 700p vs 240x240 on 700w.

-Chris

[kabeyun]

OK, not to sound like a malcontent, but here are 2 gripes right off the bat:

1. I'm really irked that Palm is still acting slavish to the Wireless Provider cartel. Yes, EVDO is great, but is anyone else bothered by the still-no-WiFi sleight of hand? Palm is using EVDO as a substitute for WiFi rather than the complement it should be. Suppose you're not in a market region for EVDO (i.e. anywhere in the US except a major metropolitan area)? What then?

2. Same crappy 2.5mm headphone jack! I'm very excited about the Bluetooth upgrade to v1.2 (probably tied with EVDO for best improvement from a usability perspective). This should enable true voice dialing from BT devices and obviate the need for the terrible wired headset plug.

Also, feature enhancements aside let's see what happens with the ergonomics. Palm changed the UI for the 700w to make it considerably kludgy to perfom common operations (see Chris's review).

-K

Edit: Wait a sec! I was just reading the press release and noted that the 700p CD comes with VoiceSignal's voice dialing app! We still need a 3rd party app for voice dialing??

[chillywilly]

The advantage that the 700p has over the 700w is the screen resolution. 320x320 is very nice.

I'd say this may be a reason why someone with Verizon may want to look at the 700p, unless they like the Windows Mobile, which is pretty capable as a phone and PDA.

[chris]

I'm really irked that Palm is still acting slavish to the Wireless Provider cartel. Yes, EVDO is great, but is anyone else bothered by the still-no-WiFi sleight of hand? Palm is using EVDO as a substitute for WiFi rather than the complement it should be. Suppose you're not in a market region for EVDO (i.e. anywhere in the US except a major metropolitan area)? What then?

FYI: The 700p doesn't support the WiFi card.

I'm very excited about the Bluetooth upgrade to v1.2 (probably tied with EVDO for best improvement from a usability perspective). This should enable true voice dialing from BT devices and obviate the need for the terrible wired headset plug.

Don't shoot the messenger, but it does not support voice dialing from the headset.

I was just reading the press release and noted that the 700p CD comes with VoiceSignal's voice dialing app! We still need a 3rd party app for voice dialing??

Yes, and there is a registration cost.

Other interesting notes that I'm not sure if you've read or not...

- Mac support for DUN is limited to Bluetooth

- While using DUN on PC, your PC "trickle" charges the Treo

- 700p uses same Intel xscale 312mhz processor found in 700w

- Does not support A2DP

- Blazer includes new "fast mode" that removes graphics

- Improvements to both Versamail and Blazer

- Media application allows for slideshows using transitions and music from your available MP3's


-Chris