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Palm Treo 700p

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By Jessica Dolcourt, CNET.com
Jun 14, 2006

You can stop squinting at all the blurry camera phone pictures and cease swapping stories about what a carrier rep told you in confidence, for the Palm Treo 700p is finally here. And though the new Palm OS-based smart phone was announced for both Sprint and Verizon Wireless, Sprint is first out of the gate to offer the device, with availability expected at the end of May. So is it worth picking up? We think so. The changes aren't revolutionary, but as the successor to the Treo 650, the 700p brings some welcome improvements, such as EV-DO support and increased memory. Of course, it isn't perfect. There's still no integrated Wi-Fi, and Palm OS 6 has yet to see the light of day, but with solid performance and enhanced connectivity and multimedia capabilities, the Treo 700p is a winner.

Editors' note:
This review is based on a test unit from US-based operator Sprint. Some features, services and product references may not be available in Asia.

Design
From a distance, the Palm Treo 700p looks identical to its Windows-based cousin, the Treo 700w. In fact, they share the same dimensions (58 x 129 x 58mm), the same silver and charcoal-gray color scheme, and the same integrated QWERTY keyboard. The keyboard is a slight improvement upon the one found on the Treo 650; Palm replaced the oval buttons with tactile, rectangular keys that are brightly backlit. The new buttons are more spacious as well, but since the layout overall is still a bit cramped, users with larger digits should give it a test-drive. That said, you can't beat the convenience of having a built-in keyboard for quickly firing off messages and notes, especially one that's integrated so well into the overall form factor. Like the other Treo models, the 700p feels good in the hand and is comfortable to hold up to the ear while in use, but we worry about the plastic battery cover on the back, which feels like it could easily crack if the Treo were to take a nasty tumble. To protect your investment, we recommend purchasing a protective case, since one isn't provided in the package.


Easy on the eyes: The Treo 700p has a sharp and vibrant screen.
Another incentive for getting a case is to prevent the gorgeous display from getting any scratches. As it is, the 2.5-inch, 65,536-color display has a tendency to hold smudges and fingerprints. But hands down, the Palm Treo 700p's display is sharper and more vibrant than the Treo 700w's, which has a 240x240-pixel resolution. You can change the color theme and the backlight time but not the font size.

Palm rearranged the navigation controls slightly from the Treo 650 and the Treo 700w. Immediately beneath the display, you'll now find the Talk and End keys instead of two customizable shortcut keys, while the quick-launch buttons for the phone, the calendar, messages, and the home page are below that, split into two groups by the five-way toggle. The layout is spacious enough, but we have to say that the 700w is easier to use with one hand. Yes, that's more of an operating-system issue than a difference in hardware, but it's worth noting just the same.


The 700p features reworked navigation controls and an improved QWERTY keyboard.
On the left spine, you have three unmarked buttons: the volume-up and -down keys and a customizable shortcut key (voice memo by default). The SD/MMC expansion slot is located on the top, along with the infrared port and a ringer/silent switch. When you slide the ringer switch to the sound-off position, the 700p automatically goes into vibrate mode, which is a new feature. Along the bottom edge, you'll find the multiconnector port found on all of Palm's recent PDAs and smart phones, as well as a 2.5mm headset jack. The camera lens is on the back, as well as a small self-portrait mirror and the speakerphone. We appreciate the fact that the battery is user-replaceable, and you can purchase an extra cell for US$59.99 in case of emergencies. As far as included accessories, the list is pretty sparse. You get an AC adapter, a USB cable, a wired stereo headset, a desktop-synchronization CD, and reference material.

 
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