Treo 700p Review: Phone Functions

Ratings:

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