The Palm Treo 700w (aka Treo 670) - Exclusive first look!
posted Sep 22nd 2005 1:00PM
Check it out: we got our hands on the new Windows Mobile-powered Treo, but it ain't called the Treo 670 anymore (if it even ever was called that), it's the Treo 700w (which implies-but doesn't guarantee-the existence of a Palm-powered Treo 700p). We haven't spent enough time with the 700w for a proper review - we've literally had it in our hands for only a few hours - but we couldn't resist posting up this first look:
Horizontal screen orientation.
Treo 700w vs. Treo 650. The 700w is actually a bit narrower than the 650.
"Welcome to the Palm 700w smartphone"
Plug-and-play. Getting online with an SD WiFi card could not have been any easier.
With the battery removed.
A few confirmed specs: Windows Mobile 5.0, one megapixel camera, EV-DO, Bluetooth, 64MB of memory, still trying to conclusively determine the resolution of the display, but it looks to our eyes like it's 240 x 240 pixels, not 320 x 320. But we're not 100% on that, ok?
Cool! Count me in.
Great - at least with my Treo 650 I can sync to my Mac. Anyone know if you can sync a Windows Mobile to OS X yet?
Even though these pics are of a Verizon phone, my Sprint pcs rep told me that they will be releasing this in January.
I like the Style of the Treo 650 better, but the Windows Mobile does look cool.
WIFI--- WTF, i'm still waiting for a driver for my Treo 650!!
Why the tape over the carrier name? Come on just tell us.
woah.
Yikes. No wifi? With the new XDAs coming out in the next few weeks, this is not going to be pretty..
So you still have to remove the back to reset it? This 700 isn't very different design-wise compared to the 650, nothing that would make me upgrade today. I've never tried Windows Mobile, but I'm used to what I have now and it does what I need it too.
Once they redesign it, then I'll upgrade. Spoken like a true Mac user.
Fishes,
narco.
I like it. Please give it to me now with PalmOS or Linux. Anything but Windows.
Anyone else feel that chill? I think hell just froze over. So much for "the Zen of Palm."
Now the question to be asked is, which would make for a better smartphone -
treo 670/700 or the sprint ppc-6700?
http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000560059104/
nice.
Win OS ?AND? Palm OS? or WindowsMobile5.0 hardware by PalmOne?
No Wifi, tiny screen? Welcome to HP's year old lineup. Palm is doomed.
Damn straight... this is what I've been waiting for. I'm sure it's going to be $600 or so when it comes out, but I think I know what my next phone will be. I may be able to live without analog for this model.
Ok.. time to post a new thread asking all of us for questions on this. I've got several just waiting for answers.
Bummed they didn't include WiFi. But at least it seem to work with the addition of a card. I skiped on the 650 but am looking to upgrade from my 600. I hope T-Mobile is going to carry this one. I would like to see a head to head comparison this with the HTC-Wizard????
Can't wait to get one of these, and it will certainly be nice to see the distribution that Palm can pull off for Windows Mobile. It stands to reason they will release a 750 series with the 480x480 resolution in the future.
I hope that is something they plan on seriously rethinking
Yuck.
I don't use my Treo for its looks, I use it for the Palm OS. There are sexier, slimmer Windows-based phones out there, but I like my interface. Looks like there's no reason to stick with the Treo at this point.
If it's got EVDO, most customers are going to spring for that and not miss the Wi-Fi all that much. Range is important, and even if you can only get 256 Kbps from where you are, that should still feel fast on a device like this. Sure, you'll pay for it, but I think it's worth it. (I've got a Treo 650, and even with 1xRTT, I think it's worth it.)
I still like this form factor better than the HTC Apache or Universal. It's clean, it's compact, it's easy to use, and it doesn't have any sliding parts that might break or get stressed from heavy usage. I just wish it ran another OS, but I suppose there's hope for a 700p in the near future.
Not that it matters now, since I've got my futurephone for the next two years. The futurephones that will be available in August 2007 ought to be even more kickass than this...
@#5: It says Verizon right on the front of it...
Why would anyone consider this a positive?????
The reason the 650 is so successful is because it runs the Palm OS... There are lots of other Windows Mobile devices that haven't caught on like the 650... And this would dump all the Mac users, which I have a feeling is a pretty significant part of the Treo market.
The Treo 700 should just be a flatter version of the 650, with a speed bump and better camera. (Think 650 meets Razr). Add iTunes software, and that would be the ideal device for me.
No WiFi.....WTF. I love my Treo 650 and was excited to upgrade to a decent sized Windows Mobile phone but if it does not include WiFi I don't think it will be worth it to me to fork over the $600 that Sprint will be asking.
How many Treo 650 owners agree with me? or am I being a little harsh?
Hey Kamalot, the reason the resolution is so low, is because Windows Mobile doesn't support 320x320. The only square resolution options I'm aware of are 240x240 and 480x480. As far as I know, there aren't any 480x480 Windows mobile devices yet.
I'm wondering if this thing has the PocketPC or SmartPhone OS.
all these people saying no WiFi...can you not READ! It does say getting online with WiFi could not have been easier right under the picture confirming such....
Very good! But why horizontal orientation if the screen is square?
take a screenshot and see what the resolution is.
You windows haters crack me up. I'm sure you look trendy with your Ipod, non starbucks coffee and VW passat but the truth is, it's a better OS. My 650 reboots or locks up at least 3 times a day. My Windows Mobile phone didn't do it once. Get over your trendy Micro$soft attitude and while your at it, take your John Kerry sticker off. You lost already.
Why the horizontal screen orientation option? Seems to me that w/a square screen, that's unnecessary...?
I agree with Kamalot. There really aren't that many applications that support that resolution, so you'll find yourself scroling down a lot during applications, and maybe even horizontally, too. That basically means that it's going to be used primarily as a smart_phone_, not as a PDA that happens to have a phone in it, although i'm not sure which was palm's original intention. I like the design, and would even consider it, if it weren't for the fact that Palm, even the hardware, is unstable, and I have a perfectly great (but now obsolete :-( Dell X50V.). I also use Cingular. Ah, hell. It's an ok device, but the screen is what kills it.
It is running Pocket Pc not Smartphone... soo.. it looks like a huge winner to me. I want one!
The Settings screen on the xv6600 looks to have the same width so it should be a 240x240 screen.
Looks great! I can't wait to get my hands on one... but not for nothing - no built-in WIFI? Oh well...
IMHO -n As far as people saying they use the Treo because of the Palm OS - that blows my mind. PalmOS is NOT a great OS ... The reason the Treo is popular is because of form factor!
Mac sync - try Markspace (http://www.markspace.com/)
Sweet!
GUYS! You owe it to the world to spill the beans on this ASAP... please drop everything and review this puppy now!!
It looks like a small BenQ...
I am a troll: sebhelyesfarku@freemail.hu
It's definitely 240x240. Look at the keyboard icon in the bottom of the screen. Definitely low-pixelage compared to images of that icon on VGA screens. Oh well, it's still good.
EXCEPT WHY IS IT A CDMA DEVICE?!? Need GSM/EDGE...
I'd go with any HTC device over this one. My simple question is wether they improved the phone quatlity, or just the OS?
One megapixel camera?!?! Why does Palm continue to put cheap cameras in the Treo?
How does the weight compare between the two phones?
Look, this is an obvious joke. If anyone here has tested the Ipaq 6500 series with 240x240 screen, (yes...I have) you would know that Landscape mode is NOT supported/available for these screens. Where would the benefit come from when the resolution is the same since its a square screen?!? The WM screen is photoshopped onto the hardware.
@PauldG: It is an HTC-designed device. They've had a huge roadmap on msmobiles.com showing that they even designed the Treo 650...
Well I'd be the first to pay up front and get this new Treo. I just bought the 650 on ebay last night. I may just have to resell it to get me one of these. Oh and Steve...John Kerry may have lost but he didn't leave the people in New Orleans to die...your buddy did a great job with that. Count me in on the new 700 its about time people understand Microsoft can not be beat. Get over it...quickly.
Well I'd be the first to pay up front and get this new Treo. I just bought the 650 on ebay last night. I may just have to resell it to get me one of these. Oh and Steve...John Kerry may have lost but he didn't leave the people in New Orleans to die...your buddy did a great job with that. Count me in on the new 700 its about time people understand Microsoft can not be beat. Get over it...quickly.
steve: "take your John Kerry sticker off. You lost already."
LOL
Yeah, your right we did lose, but it looks like the whole country lost, doesn't it?
hmmm... what are those approval poll numbers again for Bush - around 40%. Hmmm.... Record deficit, 1900 soldiers killed in Iraq, record gas prices (don't blame Katrina) .
Dude, please pick up a paper once in a while.
I wonder how the battery life will be with the Treo 700w. I'm thinking it'll be worse.
From an IT perspective this is a killer product. If you combine it with Exchange SP2 you get email that gets directly pushed to the device. Add to that the additional security features (remotely wiping a phone, phone lock controlled by the server, etc) this is a fantastic solution
I'm sure people will mention that the Blackberry can do this already but let's face it: as a phone the Blackberry falls short. Add to that the additional expenditure of needing a separate server for the Blackberry software and you can see why a Treo is a more attractive solution
Finally: anyone who says that Palm software is a good OS clearly has not spent any time with any hardware running it. There are numerous problems with the OS generally (it crashes often) and does not have support for advanced features (such as video streaming) that are becoming more of a factor. If the Palm OS was a great solution there would have been no reason to switch to Windows Mobile; the fact that they have done so clearly indicates that they were unhappy with the Palm OS.
#43 James, I concur that MicroSoft seems to be winning the OS war in handhelds. I, however, have been a longtime fan of the Palm OS. The simplicity yet the breadth of software. I feel it is the best out right now. I am concerned about the Palm OS' future. I hope that the OS will not atrophy under Access' watch.
I'm not sure why everyone feels they need to diss the phone or say Windows sucks, etc. That is fine if you don't like Windows powered phones, that is why phone makers use an array of UI/OS's.
Maybe we should just dedicate the postings to questions and answers for the those interested in the phone???
Like: Did the person they received this phone discuss timeframe for release???
Just my $.02.
Peace.
The anti windows guys pollute again. If the PalmOS was so great, why did they change it ? Just because it's not stable at all, freezing all the time, loosing calls, droping calls. Even a sue against them for all this.
Dude, be realistic...
Mark my words, Palm will be gone (or acquired) in less than 2 years.
This unit will sell, but NOTHING like previous Treos. Too much competition in the Treo form factor, and too many other companies with aggressive feature sets and faster release schedules.
Why the hell should anyone choose the Palm brand over another Windows phone?
I have no use for this phone since I already have a Treo650. It does everything I need. EVDO would be nice but since I have unlimited data from VZW it's not worth $600 to upgrade. With less resolution on the screen, it gaurantees I will not ever buy one. Needs 480 x 480 to get most 650 users to jump ship on their babies. Feeble attempt IMHO.
To all you irrational Microsoft haters:
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLL!!!
You whiny, contrary yahtches are finally getting what you deserve- PROOF that Windows OWNZ.
PalmOS was only the better operating system circa 97-00 when it was okay for PDA's not to have advanced features. Then at least is was very stable and all of the devices got great battery life. When CE started getting color screens, multimedia capabilties, wireless capabilities. Palm acted like not having them was a "feature" and made up some "Zen" marketing angle to make it look like they were falling behind on purpose. All the time they were really playing catch-up though, patching and hacking that Operating System that was only ever as good as a touchscreen calculator into somthing that people in the market for a modern device would want to use.
And now it SUCKS!!! I don't have to tell anyone about the crashing issues.
The only reason Palm is still even a company is because HANDSPRING came up with a killer form factor for a PDA phone. The form factor is the Treo, not the P(piece)O(of)S(system).
I can't really imagine why you would need WiFi when you have EV-DO on a device like Treo. I mean yes, more bandwidth is always a good thing, but from my experience, EV-DO's bandwidth has been more than enough for general web browsing and quite acceptable even for some downloads, and if I were given choice between WiFi and EV-DO, I'll pay to have EV-DO. Besides, it's not like you're going to need to routinely transfer 100mb files with Treo.
@# 25:
Why worry? Just because Palm is coming out with a WM Treo DOESN'T mean they're discontinuing the Palm Treos. The Treo is becoming platform independant. That's a good thing for everyone.
Although I still use my UX50 with a T616 phone. ;)
320x320 gives 78% more pixels than 240x240. This is a huge difference. If you buy a phone for GUI based PDA use, where the ease of use at this pixel count is extremely sensitive to pixel count, then there is very little an operating system can do make up for this loss. If anything, 320 x 320 is not enough for good pda use. To me, therefore, the 700 is a big downgrade from the 650.
There is absolutely no point in releasing this phone with the palm operating system - the 650 would remain a far better phone for pda applications, simply because of pixel count.
And by the way - anecdotal stories of phone reboots are misleading - any product from anyone will have failures. For example, my wife's windows-based phone takes forever to boot up. Frequently it locks up and needs reboots, and also has 'missing dll errors'. Like you need those in a phone! But I'm sure not all do this - except for the long turn-on time of course.
#40: This may be a little secret, but it is very likely that HTC designed this device entirely, and all of the hardware for the Treo devices. You'd be surprised how many of the pocketpc and smartphone devices are actually designed by Taiwanese companies like HTC, and then rebranded.
with evdo ive never even used the wifi on my i730
I have no use for this phone since I already have a Treo650. It does everything I need. EVDO would be nice but since I have unlimited data from VZW it's not worth $600 to upgrade. With less resolution on the screen, it gaurantees I will not ever buy one. Needs 480 x 480 to get most 650 users to jump ship on their babies. Feeble attempt IMHO.
Raphael (#39) wrote:
"EXCEPT WHY IS IT A CDMA DEVICE?!? Need GSM/EDGE..."
EDGE = ~100-150 Kbps
EVDO = ~300-500 Kbps
This Treo needs EDGE like the San Diego Chargers need another quarterback. An EVDO Treo will make you forget all about EDGE...
does anyone know if verizon will soon replace the treo 650 with the 700w??
when will this take place???!!
question,
WHAT HAPPENS TO PALM USERS NOW?? HOW CAN WE USE THE PHONE????
PLEASE ELABORATE? ARE WE DONE FOR NOW??!!! :(
question,
WHAT HAPPENS TO PALM USERS NOW?? HOW CAN WE USE THE PHONE????
PLEASE ELABORATE? ARE WE DONE FOR NOW??!!! :(
First off...I am the proud owner of a Treo 600.
1. Stop crying because Windows is better (all hail Bill Gates). Palm has had too many years to integrate streaming video and other useful features that are the absolute standard now...they had their shot...now they have to say bye bye.
2. Don't say the palm os is better, it's the form factor that's better and you know it. I know you love when your fabulous palm software won't disconnect the other caller on a three way call or when answering a call waiting call... Isn't it cool how the Palm software doesn't recognize common files when you try to download them from the internet onto your card or memory? And isn't great how most of the cool features that unlock the full power of the phone have to be purchased via third party applications, extensions and plugins?
3. The path to greater efficiency is ONE OS EVERYWHERE. You shouldn't be using a mac unless you need it for Final Cut Pro or other video editing.
4. I for one can't wait to use my Treo 700w with EV-DO to watch live tv, change channels and view all my archived tv shows, movies and mp3s on my WINDOWS Media Center via Orb!
5. "And Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
George W. Bush "AKA The Chimp"
240x240? LOL...that's a puny 56% of the screen resolution of a Treo 650. And yes, part of why the Treo has sold so well and become the defining icon for smartphones (not Smartphones) is Palm OS. The Windows Mobile UI is simply not as easy to use as Palm OS is (yes, even WM5 isn't as intuitive or as efficient...e.g., just look at the WiFi connection dialog above).
I always enjoy it when Redmond cheerleaders are so giddy that Microsoft, the world's richest company, does well at the expense of a comparably tiny firm or new startup. It's like jeering at the 10-year-old on his bicycle who was just run over by a Yuppie in a Hummer. What happened to rooting for the underdog? Or at least, what happened to wanting some competition to force Microsoft to make better products? Without the Palms and Linuxes of the world, we end up with stale, moldy pieces of crap like Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office.
Windows Mobile 5.0 is the name for both the Windows Smartphones OS and the PocketPC OS based Smartphones. Easy to get confused.
This one is clearly a PocketPC OS based SmartPhone because it has a touchscreen, start menu, tabbed windows, etc. The screen size limitations don't apply to PocketPC OS bases SmartPhones.
Having said that, I have to agree that it still looks like it has a 240x240 screen. This could be a potential problem with some PocketPC software since some may require 320 height to work.
I'm sorry, but what's the point of landscape if the screen is square and the keyboard is in portrait? Because you can??...
I'm still looking at the PPC-6700 but we'll see on usability. Originally though maybe the 700w was the way to go but I'm not sure anymore. In any case, all this WM5 news is getting me hot!
IMHO, the important questions are:
1. Is "one-handed" operation preserved?
2. How much will EVDO cost?
The ppc-6700 is nice looking, but can I work it with one hand on the Interstate at 70 miles per hour. My Treo does it no sweat.
I pay $15 a month for unlimited data at Sprint. I just can't justify $50 a month for EV-DO.
When folks talk about the Windows vs Palm battle in the smartphone arena some of us developers know the true winner in the end will be Linux smartphones, ease of use, existing developer community and its FREE no licensing issues! wait until the next generation of Sony Ericsson and Nokia devices drop Symbian60 and pick up Linux.
As much as I hate Windows, this is bad not because it runs Windows.
It's because it has the Palm logo on it and runs Windows.
It'd be like Apple releasing Macintosh hardware with Windows installed. Or Firefox 2.0 being just a skin for IE.
It's a sign of giving in, and whether Palm sees it as that or not (perhaps they are simply looking at it in short-term revenue opportunity) the consumer will see it differently. It'll be the event that tips the scales for the people who are borderline about which platform to go with. And they'll never look back. Consumer perception will forever change once they see Palm as "going over to the competitor".
Palm is definitely axing the baby here. What are they thinking?
And for you Windows fans: My Tungsten T3 virtually never crashes, nor does my friend's E2. Nor does my FreeBSD desktop... EVER. But my co-worker's Windows Mobile as well as my cousin's crash regularly, and most Windows desktops I know of are infected cesspools that need to be rebooted daily whether they crash or not, just to prevent problems.
This Windows/PalmOS arg reminds me of Moon Over Parador, a funny movie where a banana republic has two political parties, red and blue, both of which field the same candidate, who turns out to be a fake dictator / unemployed actor.
Sure my Treo 650 freezes and makes me wonder why PalmOS hasn't stabilized in 8 years, but I'm not likely to switch to a Windows-based platform, given all the headaches Windows has given me over the years! My next phone will be more stable, but it won't be PalmOS OR Windows.
Oh, and steve (comment 28), hey, throw a chair for me, big guy! Oh, Wait. You can't really be steveb, since he would NOT want to be associated with the clown in the white house.
*sniffs the air*
Palm users around the world are crapping themselves right now.
There is definitely a Mac synchronization solution for Windows Mobile. Actually, there is a few:
The Missing Sync
http://www.markspace.com/missingsync_windowsmobile.php
Pocket Mac
http://www.pocketmac.net/products/pmpro3/index.html
Thanks!
In light of the 220x220 screen and lack of integrated WIFI/WLAN - I've got to ask a simple question: Palm Treo 7xx or HP hw67xx?
At least with the hw6700, you'd still have the miniSD slot, which can (from what I understand) can be used with ROM as Persistant Storage in WM5. Am I missing something here, or does the Treo 7XX only have a single SDIO slot and no *integrated* WIFI/WLAN?
Either way, with both the Treo 700w and hw65/67xx-class devices, the 220x220 display shouldn't be all that "unsupported" for long. And, please try to keep in mind the target audience here: RIM/Blackberry users. I know these devices both leave my BB 7290 wanting...
Oh, and those questions about battery life - from what I understand, Persistant Storage in WM5 could increase battery life up to 45%+ (as per http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2005/07/14/438991.aspx ) ... so that's something to consider. Mind you PS apparently makes for slower response from the device due to ROM access instead of applications and the like being stored and accessed in RAM.
Craig - You are right, competition is what forced Microsoft to keep making Windows Mobile better and better through the years. If it wasn't for Palm and the Treo, "Windows CE" would still be very weak.
I hope Palm DOES make another version, with PalmLinux (not POS 5, please) to keep competition healthy and the market progressing. I and others might have sounded like "Redmond Cheerleaders" but that was only in response to unreasonable MS-bashing.
Competition is everything. Palm OS is the reason for WM 5.0. OSX is the reason for Vista's Aeron. Firefox is the reason for IE7. Bring it on.
Hey I drive a Passat, removed my Veterans for Kerry sticker after the election, use a Mac and a PC, and preferred Microsoft over Palm years ago when Palm seemed stuck in the stone ages. Gee, maybe I'm just being smart? Isn't that better than never admitting you're wrong? Hmmm, who does that remind me of?
Yes, I agree, we all lost. But in this case we win, because choice is a great thing. This device represents another choice.
Use EVDO instead of Wi-Fi? I don't think so...not when I'm relaxing at home watching TV and want to catch an IR loop of the latest hurricane in the gulf. No way I'm lining my carrier's pockets for data when it can be free 90% of the time.
As far as Wi-Fi on an SD card...give me a break! Do I want to deal with this? Absolutely not! All of these devices should always have integrated Wi-Fi! If they don't, they they lose.
This phone will be nice for the Windows literate. Will be hell if im correct for the Mac users. This phone will be easy for people to sinc and get things done easier b/c of microsofts domination on the number of users.
we'll need to know more about this before we can make assumptions. im sure we are all waiting...til that day - 650 rocks.
Regarding the resolution issue:
1. I don't think Windows Mobile supports 320x320 at this time. At least, I haven't seen a Windows Mobile device run at that resolution.
2. Keep in mind that the Treo 600, which has the same-sized display, is 160x160. While the resolution on that product's display is a little underwhelming, it's not altogether terrible, and so 240x240 should probably suffice.
Bah. I just got a cingular 650 last week.
cost me too much to upgrade to a new phone anytime soon, but I'm a but bummed I missed out on this.
Hopefully they clear up those class action lawsuit items, but otherwise this one's in the lead for my next phone. I totally agree w/#28. The majority of users of a phone like this are corporate business men & women. The ability to receive company e-mail and easily view excel and powerpoint attachments will be huge. I only wish the samsung i600 could be updated with a camera, bluetooth, WM5, speakerphone, and be sold at a price close to the Treo.
"This Treo needs EDGE like the San Diego Chargers need another quarterback."
Many of us travel or live overseas. CDMA/EVDO doesn't get you much besides the US. It would be nice to have the option to use it as a World Phone.
I love progress but most of all I hope that they spent a little time trying to make it more reliable...
Post #68 - oturn seems to be the voice of sanity and all things logical.
--
Not having built-in wi-fi is retarded from a buyers standpoint, but carriers may never allow it. I mean look at the cell phone's music subscription service, EVDO, EDGE, etc. Highway robbery and we as consumers are DUMB for buying into it. Just like we are dumb for buying current phones with 1 MegaPixel resolution. Doesn't Korea (etc) have 7 MP camera phones? OMG, Sony has a 2 MP camera that costs $500 and has Star Wars all over it... dumb.
Now, having the SD wifi card is better than nothing and is free to use from home. I doubt we'll get built-in, convienent wifi anytime soon. Cell Carriers (Cingular, Verizon,etc) are businesses and unfortunately teh masses don't keep up with technology or don't care. Therefor, we will get taken advantage of. If this is all that's available, we (apparently)will buy it.
To Carlos in #59: "one OS everywhere" does NOT lead to "efficiency". It leads to "monoculture"... a well-known predicament that puts whatever environment you're talking about (whether you're talking agriculture or computers) at serious risk. Just search Google on monoculture+microsoft and educate yourself.
Now of course MS has brainwashed most people to thinking that an OS monoculture is the only path to efficiency and interoperability. Thing is, tons of other platforms and industries have proved them wrong. You can have all the interoperability you want in a diverse polyculture by using these newfangled things called "standards". Problem is, MS has never adhered to them (on-purpose, I might add) therefore those in the MS cult have come to see cross-platform interoperability as a "difficult" thing making "Microsoft everywhere" the obvious one and only solution. Exactly what MS wants them to think, because it lines their wallets. Too bad it's grossly incorrect. Cross-OS interoperability isn't inherently difficult... Microsoft just makes it that way because it's in their best financial interests. Too bad it's not in the end-user's best interests... quite the opposite.
Can't believe htey'd downgrade the resolution, other than using Win Mo 5 that is the only knock on it aside from not enough internal memory and no internal WiFi... but hey, I have a pretty lofty feature list, PLEASE FORGIVE ME! ugh. well, I hope they can somehow make this sync well with OS X (Address Book, iCal, Mail, etc.) but I'm not optimistic and probably won't ever own the 700w. Maybe Sprint will get a 700p which would be just dandy.
bill gates might have liked his penis so much that he named a company after it, but that doesnt mean that other people like microsoft and their sucky OS
knowing that WM5 runs off ROM and uses all RAM for execution. I'm assuming that's 64MB RAM? How much ROM left over after OS installed? How much room for installing additional software?
Thanks for the sneak peak!
ok.. here's my take on all of the hoopla regarding this vs. that.
- 240x240 screen: personally, my current cell phone has 132x160. For me, anything bigger than that will be a welcome improvement. For current 650 users, sounds like it may not be. I think if the idea is to make the phone a bit smaller and easier to carry with you, that's an improvement in my book.
- Palm vs. WM5: As a long time user of both Palm and Pocket PC/Windows Mobile devices, hardware specific issues aside, I'd pick Windows Mobile any day. It seems a lot of people here that bash Windows are thinking of the desktop version, of which I hardly use for personal use anymore (Mac user here).
I say, if the 700w is more stable and reboots less than the 650, that's a major step in the right direction.
- Built-in WiFi: it's nice if it's built-in, but to have the option via SDIO card is just as useful. True, it means we have to carry around an SDIO card, and personally I would prefer built-in, but to have an option is better than no WiFi.
That's my take on the major diffs with the 700w.
Hehe, the Palm vs. Windows Mobile flame-wars are always fun.
Especially when neither side realises that Symbian outsells both of them put together by quite a comfortable margain. Hell, even the Nokia communicator series sells more smartphones than Palm or Microsoft.
http://www.series60.com/?action=showPage&c_id=10&pbId=166
GUYS,
THE PHONE TO GET WILL BE THIS ONE, NOT THE CRAPPY 700W:
http://www.phonescoop.com/news/item.php?n=1299
On the 700...wtf items
1) Can't wi-fi and play pm3's from an external card at the same time?
2) Nice Wi-Fi SD card sticking out the top. Sure that won't break off when the phone's in my pocket?
3) Lower resolution? Things are supposed to improve. They're breaking the laws of computing.
4) Who wants to see things sideways on a screen?
As a daily Treo 650 user that I depend on for work and personal life, I would be interested in this phone since Windows has a lot more development support than the 15 really-useful Palm apps I've seen for the 650. But only if it's improved over the 650 - things like faster web, better MP3 playback, etc. I don't know about screen, but a lower resolution would hurt a little, but not a lot. 650's are less than $200 now, so this 700 would need to kick it's butt to compete.
Don't get me wrong, the 650 is a great pda phone, I don't have reboot issues, it doesn't crash, I use Wireless Sync to pull down my corporate Exchange email AND my personal POP email, and it's fairly usable. The Verizon coverage on this 650 phone is good here in Colorado, but not great compare to other Verizon serviced phones I've used.
Camera I could care less about, I have a 5MP Sony that works great on vacation where I don't want this phone even 10 ft from me. Anyways, I'd hardly call the 650 or 700 camera phones as the camera resolution is toylike.
Wi-Fi, hmmm, I can't wi-fi everywhere - not down the street, not here at work (security), not at Home Depot, not nearly anywhere. Oh, I guess coffee shops, but I don't spend my life there...BUT I can 1xRTT just about everywhere I have a digital phone signal, even when camping outside of South Park in the middle of nowhere - directions, 411-like phone number lookups, news, weather. Maybe that's why Wi-Fi is still an add-on device card.
It's a smart move, Windows is ubiquitous - Palm and Linux are not. Killer user-friendly aps will make the masses want to have it, and that's the bottom line to these companies, sales.
-John
I can't wait for the new Treo running Windows to crash or get hacked and have all my contact info stolen. I'll wait until they release the new 700 with PalmOS.
windows mobile is the future.
I second what Brian wrote...it seems to me that the most significant criteria is OS stability. Symbian, symbian and symbian. I still miss my Psion...And why doesn't Palm fix the problems with the Treo 650 before it tackles Windows?? (she wrote, watching her Treo 650 reboot for the third time today, as if possessed).
To poster 86, thats a MotorolaQ...the q standing for querty. Now taht phone runs the Smartphone edition of windows mobile 5, not the pocketpc edition. I have a moto mpx220 and iv had terrible problems with ith, mainly cuz moto NEVER made the mpx220. With the motoQ they made it themselves, and we might actually see a product that is worthy to be bought.
To my knowledge, Moto NEVER EVER EVER! supported the mpx220. They just slaped their name on it and released it. Phuck that man
Anyway, the Q is designed to be the Blackberry killer, not the PocketPC killer. And again it runs the SMARTPHONE OS not the POCKET PC OS...
u cant do the same things with each other.
one thing I don't think people realize is that a 320x320 screen doesn't display any more information than a 160x160 screen, at least on a Palm OS device. The text is smoother, but it's not like upping the resolution on your desktop PC.
Case in point: look at your expensive VGA PPC and compare it to your QVGA device. Can you see any more data? Were you angry when you discovered that you couldn't unless you hacked it with third party software?
What's more important, wondeful smooth display or being able to see a decent amount of data?
Palm OS is garbage.
On picture 2 under system settings there is a GPS logo, Will the new Treo 700w have built in GPS like the HP iPAQ hw6500?