Palm Treo 700p
The latest Palm-OS based Treo device looks and feels quite similar to its predecessor, the Treo 650. The manufacturers have made a number of subtle design changes, however, including the welcome addition of dedicated send and end call keys.
The 700p’s keyboard boasts excellent performance, and its convenient five-way controller makes one-handed navigation a breeze. The phone’s stylus and touch-sensitive screen should be useful on occasion, but you’ll rarely need them due to the aforementioned control features.
User-available memory on the Treo 700p has been increased to 60MB, compared to just 23MB on the 650 model. This should come in handy when you don’t have an SD Card with you, but still need to install an advanced application, or save a photo taken with the integrated 1.3-megapixel digital camera.
One of the biggest advantages of the 700p over previous models is its built-in support for Sprint’s EV-DO mobile data network. Bandwidth of 500kbps makes it possible to download files and web pages more than twice as quickly as you could with the Treo 650.
When it comes time to check your email on this smartphone, you can count on improved functionality from the new VersaMail 3.5 client. It comes equipped with support for Exchange Server 2003, and can open Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF attachments.
The pre-installed Pocket Tunes music player, meanwhile, is great for listening to your MP3 collection. It’s drawbacks, however, include its inability to play WMA files, and lack of support for over-the-air Sprint Music Store downloads.
Overall, the Palm Treo 700p provides a fast, versatile, and user-friendly experience. It’s not quite as slim and sexy as the Motorola Q, and its price tag is quite a bit higher, but it’s well worth the splurge for the serious smartphone user.