Treo 700w: The Treonauts Take
It seems that many Treonauts cannot wait for me to finish my detailed review of the Treo 700w and would like to know _now_ exactly how I feel about this latest addition to the Treo family so below is my take…
Aside from a few details, the hardware specifications on both the Treo 700w and Treo 650 are nearly identical. The major difference is an enhanced 3G EVDO radio which allows the Treo 700w to access the Internet at broadband speeds (400 to 700 kbps) as well as a slightly faster processor, more user available memory, Bluetooth 1.2 and a 1.3MP camera.
There is no doubt that the broadband connectivity of the Treo 700w is a significant improvement over the 80 kbps or so capabilities of the Treo 650 and this alone may drive a lot of Treonauts to purchase the latest Treo running Windows Mobile. However, as I have mentioned repeatedly before what makes a truly great smartphone is not merely hardware but principally great software.
Therefore, for many the decision to purchase or upgrade to the Treo 700w will rest on the overall usability of Windows Mobile compared to the PalmOS on which I have focused in my reviews. In this respect, even though the Treo 700w possesses some truly fantastic features and functionalities making it a superb addition to the Treo family I nonetheless repeatedly found Windows Mobile to be significantly less intuitive to use and providing a poorer user experience in comparison to the PalmOS Treo 650. Nonetheless, even with these shortcomings the Treo 700w is an excellent smartphone in its own right.
As I wrote in the first part of my review and I’ll repeat again here today, it is evident that some Treonauts will categorically prefer either PalmOS or Windows Mobile without much consideration for performance and usability while others will carefully weigh the pros and cons of each to decide which Treo to purchase. There is no doubt that both the Treo 650 and Treo 700w have unique pros and cons that will each be more or less appealing to different Treonauts and the ‘perfect’ solution combining the best of both worlds is not yet in sight.
In my opinion, the appeal of the Treo 700w will vary greatly depending on whether it is sought for use in a corporate environment (which the Treo 700w is squarely aimed at), for a small or medium enterprise or even personal use as each group will seek to fulfill different needs and preferences. Additionally, existing Treo 650 smartphone owners as well as others with experience using PalmOS devices may be inclined to wait for the forthcoming next generation Treo 700p expected to be released within the first six months of 2006 instead of migrating to a new OS. In the same vein, current Windows Mobile or PocketPC owners will undoubtedly feel more immediately comfortable with the Treo 700w as it delivers on an already familiar experience.
It is also worthwhile mentioning that what the Treo 700w does extremely well is enhance and diversify Palm’s smartphone portfolio so as to appeal to a completely new audience which had for one reason or another herethereto been unwilling to consider the purchase of PalmOS devices – primarily in corporate environments – thus now expanding the overall potential future growth of Treo smartphones.
Whether you personally like the Treo 700w or not, the fact is that the incremental revenues that Palm is likely to generate will prove beneficial for all Treonauts going forward as it will provide the company with much needed additional resources to develop and refine future PalmOS and Windows Mobile devices so as to continue to make our Treo(s) the best smartphones in the world.
As it stands today, I will personally use both my Treo 650 and Treo 700w in the months ahead as I continue to explore, learn and share more about the many distinct benefits that both smartphones deliver. Naturally, I realise that this will not be an adequate option for all but a few Treonauts and thus my suggestion is for existing ones to wait for the release of the Treo 700p in a few months time and then to compare it with the Treo 700w instead of upgrading at present. Meanwhile, other people considering joining the Treonauts revolution today and stuck between the choice of either the Treo 650 or Treo 700w should balance the pros and cons of each to determine which unique features or functionalities best meet their needs.
Overall, I cannot categorize the Treo 700w as being better or worse than the Treo 650 – they are simply different. Having said this, there is something to be said for the fact that the Treo 650 is one generation older than the Treo 700w and that it is nonetheless still able to firmly hold its ground in the face of a fresh new contender a full year after its release. This alone should provide plenty of ammunition to fight those cynics who would like to claim that with the arrival of a Windows Mobile Treo the PalmOS cannot continue to strive and also build our expectations for what a Treo 700p will be able to deliver. Each competing OS may have its fans and detractors but all will at least now have the opportunity to unite as Treonauts.
UPDATE: The Treo 700w is now available to purchase from the Treonauts Shop for only $299.00 (after mail-in rebate and 2 years new voice & data account).
Treonauts always have what it takes… 
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SAW, AFAIK every cell provider's plan for voice + unlimited data is the same deal. You get X number of minutes of voice and unlimited data. That's definitely how Cingular works. I can surf the web, download, check email, publish to my blog, etc. as much as I please and they don't track my data transfer or minutes used. If I make a phone call, they track my minutes.
SAW, AFAIK every cell provider's plan for voice + unlimited data is the same deal. You get X number of minutes of voice and unlimited data. That's definitely how Cingular works. I can surf the web, download, check email, publish to my blog, etc. as much as I please and they don't track my data transfer or minutes used. If I make a phone call, they track my minutes.
EC, my 650 does BT sync too. I use it all the time when I just need a backup. It's a bit slow for software installs, feels like the old days of serial port sync'ing.
SAW - to confirm, broadband internet usage is not restricted at all on verizon. It's seperate from the phone minutes.
OK, after checking it out for a week, I think there ARE solutions to the streaming media problem here. I also suspect there was something wrong with my Media Player. The 5.0 environment is supposed to be very flexible and I'm sure the first thing that will happen if it hasn't already is a better internet program and media player. That being said, I have no problem recommending this, the EVDO is amazing. I'm gonna go back and get it.
I
Can anyone shed any light on whether the 700P will run the EVDO Network Verizon has going? Also, nobody answered the question as to when it will be coming out (other than first 6 months of 2006). Thanks in advance! This is a great site and a huge help in trying to make a decision.
JJG
I purchased my 700w the day it was released and have had nothing but success with my 700w. I have not experienced a single crash, nor have I had to reset it. Verizon transfered all my contacts from my Treo 600 without a hitch. I've found EVDO to be incredible, as is the today screen, integration with MSN (especially Hotmail) and the camera. The only area I personally don't like is that it doesn't thread TXT messages like my 600 did. Other than that, I have nothing but praise for this product.
Switched from unlocked Treo 650 on Cingular to Treo 700w. No problems, everything loads nice and fast. The voice command is excellant. I can say to my Treo "What are my appointments for today?" and it will read my appts back to me. Other commands are useful too, such as "What is my battery life" or "what is my signal strength", and "play media". When you say play media, the treo will ask you "artists, album or genre?" and then repeat the selections. The best part about this is you do not have to program your voice in.
Will this site ever _ever_ finish the review of the 700w? It seems like all mention of it has died since the "Treonauts Take" article. This is important to finish, as there has been a lot of inaccurate and clearly biased reviews all over the net, painting a negative image of the 700w which it simply does not deserve. The Treonauts site can do much to offset this... for example, how much support will the Treonauts site have for _both_ OS's? I appreciate how the software section is now split between PalmOS and Windows Mobile, very nice! However, all the incredible "tips 'n' tricks", "how-to" articles which I've grown to love on my 600/650 need to occur for the 700w as well. I know this takes time (thus let's get the review finished!) Once those articles begin appearing, people will start to appreciate the value it brings to the table even if they personally choose to wait for the 700p. Remember, this site is for Treonaughts - lovers of the Treo. Now that there's a new family member, let's make sure there continues to be wholehearted and unbiased support of the _entire_ family!
I've had the Treo 700w for one week now. Windows Mobile take a little getting used to, but the internet speed makes Internet surfing and POP mail an incredible experience that blows anything else away. I've added a 2gb card and now its a kick butt MP3 player and video viewer.
Hey All,
That was a really good reveiw. Thanks :~)
Ok here is my problem. My cell phone has been acting funny (I am kinda glad as now I have a reason to get a new cell phone ;~)
So I need to get a new one I can't wait for the 700p... But should I get the 650 or 700? Thanks.
Also, I would like to get a keyboard, GPS system and all that... but do they work on the 700?
One of the Cingular representative told me today that Cingular is now testing the 700w. Is this true that Cingular is getting the 700w?
The distinction is simple... it's all about the OS.
What always set Palm apart was the fact that it was *designed for the handheld environment* rather than being a shrunk down version of the Windows, crammed into a *mini-me* PC. Windows OS runs HUGE programs that eat up processor speed and gobble up hard drive space.
Felllow Treonauts...did we forget that PALM programming is the antithesis of the Win OS??
Case in point.
When I saw the T700w came with 128mb of inherent memory I was soooo jealous. Then I read the fine print... only 60mb is available for the user (56% of the overall memory is being used by the OS). And I bet every additional Windows based app that is added will gobble up more memory.
Contrast that with the elegant use of space on my sleekly programmed T650 with 32MB inherent memory. Only 29% of the 32MG is used by the Palm OS, leaving a whopping 23MB for the tiny, extremely efficent Palm apps (which happen to outnumber the pitiful selection of Windows apps, 5 to 1).
So using the KISS principle in terms of this deliemma... it's about the SOFTWARE stupid. And Palm wins handsdown for me.
Now when the T700p hits the streets, I'll be first in line...128MB on a Palm Platform will mean at least 90-100MB free for programming!!! You go PALM!!! :o)
P.S. This holiday I had 5 friends at work buy T650's. The only other real competition in my workplace setting is the Blackberry and it only makes head way with the email addicted I.T. crowd. 2 out of the five new Treo purchasers converted from PC based handheld phones and are VERY happy. Palm is very corporate and continues to appeal to the discerning business person.
OK, mea culpa. there ARE ways to watch video on this thing, although i still can't stream c-span. But overall I love it now. I was gonna exchange it for the Verizon 6700 with the bigger screen but dammit, when I held them side by side it was no contest. the more i use it the more i like it. Only issues are with memory management, and I'm SURE that will be unlocked. A solid product. Give it a few weeks, learn how to tweak it... it's awesome.
You cannot place a GSM service SIMM in the Treo700 and get anything to work - the current release is only designed for Verizons CDMA network. Stop asking.
or please buy one at full price and try it, then post your results.
I just got the 700 and mostly like it. It takes some getting used to the OS, but after a few hours of playing with it and tweaking it - its not that hard. (I have no previous experience with WM OS)
The only complaint I have is that unlike my standard cell phone it seems you cannot send text/picture messages from the 700 via SMS to an email address. You can send them to a phone, but not an email address. This was no problem on the 650, but on the 700 it appears to be forcing you to use the broadband which of course requires a data plan. I really liked that feature on the 650 because then you could at least do some rudimentary short emails without springing for the extra $40/mo for a data plan. HELP! am I missing something?
Anyone know whether (or when) Tom Tom will work with the 700w?
Hello
I did read about that treo 700 should come with cobalt? Is this so? How should I see MS on it, as a layer or... Can someone explain? thanks
rvamerongen - a Treo 700p running PalmOS (Garnett not Cobalt) is rumoured to be coming out soon...
The Treo 700w running MS Windows Mobile 5 and the Treo 700p each run their separate and distinct OS.
http://blog.treonauts.com/2006/02/treo_700p_first.html
Cheers, A.
Does anyone know if the 700w will be supported by Goodlink server and if so when?
Also, I am running Good on my 650 and I understand from Palm support that is one of the main reasons why my 650 crashes so often.. any comment on that?
Thanks!
bobm
I was just checking out the verizon "deal" on treonauts.
At first glance, the additional $200 savings versus Verizon's own website seems like a good deal. Once I got into it, there seems to be a big bait and switch.
The treonauts offer seems to only offer you the "america's choice" calling plan, which you then add data services to (required for the deal). On Verizon, you can pick between "America's Choice" and a dedicated smartphone plan that has voice / data integrated into one plan.
For the same number of minutes and data, the Treonauts program is about $15 per month higher. Over the course of 2 years (required for the deal), you will spend $360 more, or $160 more than the discounts offered.
Seems like a rip to me.
Does anyone have any ideas about my treo 700w having trouble when I select "tasks"?
It works great, but when I select tasks it either freezes or operates very slowly...Any ideas to solve this
Thanks
I have the Verizon 'Mobile Web' on my present phone plan. Can I access this with the Treo 700w? I presently use bluetooth with my tablet to access the net at about 220k - can I use the Treo for this also?
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