Customer Reviews

TREO 700 PALM

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I often hear debates over who has the better smartphone --- Palm or BlackBerry??

I have two lines with Sprint PCS, with my personal line having a Treo 700p and my business line connected to a BlackBerry 8703

First off - I love both phones! However, they are very different, particularly in their strengths and weaknesses --- my review is based upon how well each smartphone handles the following things -

- PHONE FUNCTIONS

- EMAIL

- INTERNET

- PHOTOGRAPHS

- MULTIMEDIA (Music & Movies)

- SPEAKERPHONE

- BLUETOOTH

- COMPUTER SYNCHRONIZATION

- MISC - (Text Messaging, System Stability, PDA Functions)

Okay..... here we go -

1. PHONE FUNCTIONS

For me, the Treo 700p has much better phone functions --- this is mostly because of their touch screen capabilities

When I wanna dial a number off of the Treo, I immediately start spelling the person's name on the keyboard, and I immediately go to my phone book, where I can touch the number I want to dial

The BlackBerry is a bit more complicated, as I cannot touch the screen --- therefore, I'm limited to dialing based upon scrolling to the right name and then pressing the number

Overall, the BlackBerry isn't bad ---- however, I know a lot of people like to use their phone while driving their car (with a bluetooth headset on) or like to use the phone in situations that require a quick reaction.... if you wanna use your phone in the car, then the Treo is the best choice, mainly because the touch screen allows one to go to any name and dial immediately --- as funny as this sounds, you can really only use a BlackBerry, for phone calls, in situations when you can give it total devotion

With that said.... if you are not dialing numbers while driving in the car, then the BlackBerry's phone functions are fine.... they take a bit longer to get going, due to scrolling.... but they get the job done just fine (and yes, you can use the keyboard to look up names in the address book, as well)

2. EMAIL

Okay - this is really the only category where the BlackBerry really beats up the Treo 700 and beats it up GOOD!!!

First off, email on the Treo 700p is no totally useless.... the Treo comes with VersaMail, a program that handles all POP, IMAP, and other email accounts with ease..... there's also a program available called CHATTER EMAIL for the Treo, which makes the Treo's email functions even faster and more versatile

However, the big problem with Treo email is that one has to download the email --- in other words, you have to log onto ChatterMail or VersaMail and wait for a few mins as the program downloads all of the email you've received --- now you can configure a program like ChatterMail to be constantly downloading your email, so one receives it immediately, however this is a BAD choice because such a function basically keeps the Treo on a 'constant' phone call, as it downloads email --- in turn, your cell phone mins get eaten up, battery life goes down quickly, and phone calls are missed do to your phone being occupied on the 'other line'

THe BlackBerry, on the other hand, downloads all of your emails immediately, without draining the battery, without interrupting phone calls, and without eating up your cell phone mins --- my BlackBerry can download my emails more immediately than my own laptop

In addition, the BlackBerry 8703 keyboard is absolutely awesome --- so I much more prefer to write emails over my BlackBerry than I do over my Treo 700p

In summary on this one, the BlackBerry is clearly much better with email.... and if email is the most important thing to you, then go BlackBerry for sure! --- however, the Treo 700p holds its own with email, provided that you are willing to wait and download your emails over something like Chatter or Versamail

3. INTERNET

Both phones handle internet similarly, however, I would give the edge to the Treo 700p mostly because of the TOUCHSCREEN, as it allows one to navigate webpages with more freedom

That said, the BlackBerry is fien too, just a bit more limited

Both phones can connect your laptop to the internet, depending on your cell service --- I've been very pleased with the Treo's ability to connect my laptop to the internet, provided that I use its USB cable with the program USB MODEM ----- I don't have as much experience doing this with my BlackBerry, but I have heard that the results are favorable when doing so

EVDO speeds on both phones are very good

4. PHOTOGRAPHS

If pictures are important, then the Treo 700p is the CLEAR winner

The Treo 700p comes with a great multimedia program, fueld by an embedded Kinoma player, which can allow you to show off pictures with pretty good ease

I'm a Mac user, so I use MarkSpace to get my pics onto my Treo and I'm very pleased with the Treo's ability to show off pictures --- the resolution and quality are shown off very well

I have yet to get pictures onto my BlackBerry though --- I have seen other friends of mine show off pictures on their BlackBerry, but the program does not seem as sophisticated or as user friendly as Palm's

Clearly, the Treo 700p is made to handle pics, whereas the BlackBerry is lagging in this area

5. MULTIMEDIA (Movies/Music)

I am actually DEEPLY impressed with how well the Treo 700p can handle multimedia, both music and movies

I am a filmmaker myself --- with the use of the program, KINOMA PRODUCER, I have compressed many of my short films to small files, for the purposes of showing them off of my Treo to some friends --- the Treo 700p plays the files excellently, with sound coming out of the speakerphone and the resolutions of the films looking excellent!

Even better is that the Treo 700p can handle MP4's and MPEG4's, allowing me to encode the best resolution and best sounding files onto my Treo ---- sadly, the Treo 700p cannot play songs downloaded from the iTunes Music Store, as those are copyright protected, but it will play anything that one encodes with my own devices

The music/mp3 player on the Treo is also excellent, playing tunes through the speakerphone, or through the headphones that the Treo comes with

As far as I can tell, the BlackBerry 8703 does not have any multimedia functions, so good luck getting an MP4 or MPEG4 onto this thing ---- however, Blackberry is working on this, so future BlackBerry's will have this capability --- but if playing movies and music is important to you, then the Treo 700p is the only choice in this department

Lastly - important to include that the Treo 700p also has a built in camera and a built in camcorder --- and the camcorder movies taken on the Treo are actually pretty good quality! --- the BlackBerry 8703 has no camera and no camcorder

6. SPEAKERPHONE

The Speakerphone on both phones is excellent and easy to use, with both being loud and clear

If speakerphone is your main buying point, then you couldn't go wrong with either phone

7. BLUETOOTH

Bluetooth is very solid on both phones

I've been especially pleased with the Treo 700p, whose BlueTooth capabilities are much more solid and stable than the old Treo 650p

The BlackBerry seems to have few problems connecting with my bluetooth headset and other devices ---- I would say that both phones boast great bluetooth capabilities

8. COMPUTER SYNCHRO

It's important to note that I have a MAC and I sync all my phones off of my Mac

For the Treo 700p, I use MarkSpace's Missing Sync, as Palm's software is terrible

For the BlackBerry, BB has launched free Mac-Syncing software, that can be found on their website

Syncing any smartphone off of a Mac is never an easy thing and I've not been too happy with the process

With that said, I'm pleased with MarkSpace's Missing Sync as, for the most part, the program does a good job of syncing my Treo's contacts and calendars, as well as doing photos and music --- unfortunately, the syncing process seems to take forever (usually at least 35 mins) but syncing once a week isn't a big deal

I was pleased with how well the BlackBerry synced to my Mac, however, none of the email addresses for my contacts have transferred --- so there are some kinks to work out, and it could be that I'm just not syncing it right

Main point - both phones sync fine with the Mac, but expect some minor probs --- however, for what its worth, I'm pretty satisified overall

9. MISC - (Text Messaging, System Stability, PDA Functions)

It is important to note that the BlackBerry is MUCH MORE stable than the Treo 700p --- I have had my BlackBerry shut down on me once in the last few months, whereas the Treo 700p probably shuts down once a week

So if stability is important, than the BlackBerry is the way to go

The calendar and address book functions of both phones are excellent, but I would say that the Treo 700p's PDA functions are a 'bit' better

Both phones are fine with text messaging, as well

--- CONCLUSION ---

If I could only use ONE of these phones, then I would definitely pick the Treo 700p --- the reasons why are because the multimedia functions very much impress me, as I like to store some pics and movies on there

In addition, the phone functions are easier to navigate and the touchscreen is something that I couldn't live without on a daily basis --- text messaging, bluetooth, and PDA functions are all excellent, as well, with email being the only thing that lags (but even that's not so bad)

However, I love the BlackBerry's solid system and its excellent email performance

Having one as my personal cellphone and the other as my business setup is the perfect balance --- however, I would give the slight edge to the Treo 700p

With that said --- if you want multimedia and other phone functions, in addition to better phone functions, then the Treo 700p is your phone

If you are all business and clearly value EMAIL over multimedia, then the BlackBerry may be your best bet

Hope that helps

PEACE AND LOVE & HAPPY BUYING!!!!

Muhammad Ali Hasan

The Treo 700 is a great device. It combines cellular phone, PDA, and wireless functionality, allowing you to check e-mail, surf the web, make phone calls, and keep your contacts and calendar.

Be sure to buy an aftermarket USB cable (my favorite is by Seidio), which will allow you to charge and sync your treo 700 at the same time.

By downloading a few aftermarket applications (do a search on google), you can make it play internet radio, play MP3's from a 1GB SD card, play some great games, and even use it to access the internet from your laptop while on the road. Here's what I use:

1. Directory Assistant (by Rick Whitt)- This program allows you to easily look up and dial busines and residential telephone numbers and get driving directions and maps, without waiting as various web pages load. I know it sounds like a silly app, and I thought so too, but I now use it all the time to avoid dialing 411 and paying $1.25 per call. Best of all, its free (but you can and should make a donation).

2. Atom Smash by Red Mercury Software- a great arkanoid style game.

3. BackupBuddy VFS by Blue Nomad - back up the apps on your Treo.

4. Blocks by Electron Hut - free Tetris Clone

5. ChitChat Lite - a free MSN Messenger client

6. Froggy by Tim Smith - Frogger clone.

7. Galax by Tim Smith - Galaxian clone.

8. PacMan by Horaco Ho - Duh.

9. Pocket Tunes by NormSoft - great MP3 and internet radio player.

10. PDANet by June Fabrics - Allows you to connect your laptop to your Treo and use the internet. Works great.

11. FileZ by Nosleep software - your basic file manager for the Palm OS.

12. Voice Dial - download - dial calls using the sound of your voice. Free to say numbers, but must buy to dial by name.

13. Pocket DVD Studio - allows you to compress DVD movies so that they can fit on a SD Card, making your Treo a movie player.

I upgraded from my Treo/Sprint 600 for a number of reasons:

* The ability to use the web in a better / faster way

* Bluetooth accessibility (I don't need WiFi access)

* Faster browser

* Better resolution

* and Documents to Go

As the PDA goes - the Palm OS is basically the same. There are some newer/nicer options on the contact abilities (bdays, web-addresses, etc). It does its daily functions just fine (schedules, memos, etc).

The phone is pretty standard to the 600. I can't believe it is the phone, but I find I get fewer dropped calls and the signal remains consistently strong. But the Sprint and Nextel networks are NOT integrated at this time. That is in name only. They share no network abilities.

The screen is very very sharp - in every respect. The resolution for all functions is just very well done. Might be similar to the 650 - I don't know, but a huge upgrade from the 600. The menus from the phone are a little different and just took some getting use to as did the navigation.

Camera is good (for a phone) and camcorder is ok for what one might use it for. I have trouble emailing the correct pic via email when I have to. I click on the one I want to send and invariably the picture AFTER the one I click on gets sent. If I choose the last pic in the library, nothing sends? What's up w/that??

My Palm 500 had Documents to Go, but the 600 didn't support it. Go figure. I really missed the ability to do work via my phone and took to always carrying my laptop when I went places. I still take the laptop, but I now have the option not to.

SMS, Games, and email are all pretty much the same. I haven't used the voice recorder function as of yet. Probably won't....but if/since you can record phone calls, I might. I have and love my iPod Nano - and doubt I'll load music onto my 700p. But I would think it's a nice option for some people.

The Bluetooth option for a headset is great. I hated the wired headsets and do find it great to use when driving. This isn't a review of the headsets - but the phone.

Issues for me would be that the 700p doesn't seem to be as intuitive as the 600 - or maybe I'm just set in my ways and have to figure how the buttons now work. I can't seem to use the navigator button as easily as I did w/the 600. I barely ever used my stylus before and find myself using it more and more. I don't like that. I'm sure there are work arounds I am not aware of yet - so hopefully this is a limited time problem.

The only true issue I have is w/Sprint itself. Between the inconsistency in how to (of if you can) upgrade, pricing and service is appalling. This is between their websit, their customer service line and each store I visited. I never got the same answer twice. Though I had questions answered in writing - their `customer care' (HA!) line said their rep made a mistake and it wasn't their problem that they couldn't honor it.

I don't know if any carrier has better customer service - but when this contract ends, I'm keeping my number and going elsewhere (though Sprint threatened me w/not being able to do that either!)

Had there been a way to get the phone through Amazon when I obtained it, I feel that maybe I would not have had as many issues.

Treo 700p gets a 4. Sprint gets a 1.

The main changes from the 650 is EVDO (or power vision..you'll pay at least 15.00 for it where you weren't for the 650 with reg vision), more memory, and few minor changes like keyboard layout. But those are worth it as the speed is great and memory was an issue on the 650.

Aside from that, I'm not sure a lot of people realize what this pda/phone can really do. Basically, anything you can think of just about besides using wireless networking.

Play music like an IPOD? Take pics and video? Play movies? Get maps, hook up to gps wirelessly? Access your PC remotely? Download files? Play any of a zillion games available? (and with a stylus/touchscreen, its much better than a reg cell phone). Browse web? Use laptop to connect to internet wirelessly or connected at EVDO speeds (additional cost)? Stream audio or listen to FM? Email? Text? IM? Use bluetooth headsets or car systems?

A free download of DirectoryAssistant allows you to look up any phone number or business.

And that doesn't even cover what a palm originally functioned as. An organizer. An application that will allow you to view/edit word, excel, pdf, and powerpoint. A powerful contacts/email app.

The best part is that it does this and more and does it well while still being just a great phone. The screen is very bright and has more resolution than the 700w.

Prior to buying this phone I had a Dell Axim X30 PDA which runs Windows CE and a not so fancy samsung cell phone. I decided that I wanted to get a new cell phone that I could also use as a PDA. I first wanted to get the Motorola Q because of the form factor but am glad I didn't since many of my friends who have the phone hate it because it locks up whenever they receive a call and it is very sloooow. After deciding against the Motorola Q I looked at the Treos and had to make the decision between the 700p (runs Palm OS) and the 700w (Runs Windows CE). Since my Axim ran Windows CE I was leaning towards the 700w. After reading many reviews I got the feeling the the 700w had a very slow response time and this was probably the fault of the Windows CE memory hog OS it was running. The reviews for the 700p did not complain of any of the issues regarding response time and people generally seemed happy with it. About a week ago I took the plunge and bought the 700p (Sprint PCS version) and have not looked back since. After using the Palm OS I realized how slow Windows CE really is. The Palm OS is MUCH faster and more stable than Windows CE. I also noticed after searching for software that the Palm OS has a larger community of developers writing software that is useful and best of all FREE compared to development for Windows CE.

My favorite application is pocket tunes which comes pre-installed on the Treo 700p. This software lets you play MP3s on your device and the best feature is that it will continue to play the music in the background even if you switch to a different application. So far the treo has replaced my phone, PDA, and iPod...i guess now I can justify its cost.

The only thing missing from this device is Wi-Fi access. I am having Sprint Power Vision (EVDO) added to my phone later this week so maybe I won't miss Wi-Fi as much when I have that. This is a minor complaint considering all the positives of the phone.

The built in camera is surprisingly good. It's not going to take amazing pictures in low light but the pics I've gotten from it are MUCH better than the pics you get from a standard phone camera. it also has a camcorder feature that is fun but pretty useless on a day to day basis.

In summary: If you are looking for a PDA phone I would highly recommend you get the 700p. You won't regret it!

Combining a PDA, cell phone, camera, MP3 player and mobile TV all in one device is really cool. Also, before buying, my wife and I both test drove a Windows Mobile smartphone too and found the Palm user interface to be more intuitive.

Web surfing on the 700p is great. Although a lot of web sites don't look quite right on a small screen, the Blazer browser does a pretty good job of displaying them in a modified format.

The Sprint TV is a very cool optional service. Only problem is I'm not real happy with the selection of channels. Most aren't live channels but just clips. I suppose the selection will probably improve with time. Also, this feature really drains the battery.

The phone has no built-in java capability. You can fix that by downloading a JVM. However, you probably won't miss java, because there are plenty of PalmOS applications and games to choose from that don't run under a JVM.

With the 700p, you get the benefit of the availability of literally tens of thousands of applications written for PalmOS. I did find that since the Treo's buttons are different than older Palm PDA's, there are some programs that might not work quite right. (You should generally backup your device before trying new software.) However, there are still plenty to choose from.

Personally, I haven't had too much trouble with Sprint's customer service. One thing to remember, though, is that if you're having trouble with the device itself rather than the phone features, you probably want to ask to talk to somebody in their PDA group. Hope this helps somebody.

Treo and Palm OS goes hand and hand in providing the best PDA smart phones in the world. For those who don't like the functionality of Windows, you can now step up to the Palm. Yes, it's ease of use and user friendly interface wiil please even the most ardent fans. Of course, its still a rather new phone out in the market so expect some early minor issues. I probably don't need to go into the features as you most likely already know what they are but EVDO capablity is the sweet upgraded feature that the predecessor lacks (Treo 650). Believe me, it does makes a difference when surfing the web which enhance the overall pleasure of spending your leasure time. This phone seem to be lighter then the old Treo, especially the brick heavy 600 model.

Demo this smartphone at your local wireless carrier store and prepare to be impressed. If you do end up buying it, please get a screen protector cause you just never know and scatches do happen like on my previous phones.

I was an early adopter of the Treo 600, and had the joys of bad hardware and bad hardware on that. A new phone and software updates fixed its problems.

My Treo 700p seems to have good hardware. The software is sluggish, with frequent long pauses, like when initiating or ending a call.

One bug is that synchronization often stops working, but doing a soft reset of the phone fixes it.

Another bug I've noticed is that the calendar application is broken. Sometimes, its graphical representation of an appointment does not agree with its textual description!

The camera still sucks. Not much better than the camera in the Treo 600.

One other irritation with my Palm Treo 700p Sprint phone is that Palm no longer makes it easy to contact them for support. They direct you towards your service provider, ie - Sprint, for support. I can't find a way to report bugs in their Treo 700p software to Palm directly, and I have no faith that such bug reports will make it out of Sprint to Palm directly.

Their support forums are currently down for rennovation, too.

Chris Shaker

Pros:

Very good voice quality.

Has all sorts of PDA gadgets that work well (Calender, contact lists, etc.)

Camera quality is good.

Speaker on the phone works well.

Internet browser is amazing to have for restaurant lookup or quick directions.

Cons:

Sprint will not give you the $150 mail in rebate when you purchase the phone from amazon.com because they already include the rebate in the price.

The Sprint Customer Support is not forthright with information; you have to dig into them in order to get answers to your questions.

Bluetooth is not reliable and hard to configure.

I agree with what has already been stated about the Treo 700p. It is a very good phone. I love the fact that it uses the EVDO network. Internet connections are so much faster than in the past! Also, I have not had problems with needing to reboot this phone as much as other Treo's in the past. I think Palm finally got this right. The only reason I gave it four stars is because the battery length could be better - I am not getting anywhere need the stated time, but maybe that is because I do use the Palm many times per day.

I am glad to say I have not had any problems with Sprint. I find their service plans to be reasonable, and have not had any problems with their customer service. I have not dropped one call since I began using this phone several months ago! I am more than happy with the Sprint service, especially when combined with this phone.