Palm Treo 700p Cell Phone Review
|
Alfredo Padilla Published on March 15, 2007 Comment on this |
|
|
|
|
We reviewed the Treo 700p on Sprint, it is also available from Verizon. The Treo 700p is the successor to the Treo 650, running the Palm operating system. On the outside the 700p stays true to the tried and tested Treo form factor, sporting a full QWERTY keyboard and a large 320 by 320 pixel screen. Although there are a few software updates, as well as improved memory under the hood, the Treo 700p is very much an evolutionary upgrade to the 650.
[page title="Tour & Design"]
Front Closed
The front of the Treo 700p is dominated by a large 2.46” TFT Touchscreen, displaying 65k colors with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels. Above the screen you find the Sprint and Palm logos, with the grille for the phone speaker sitting between them. To the left of the speaker is a single LED which shows the battery status. Below the screen are the navigation controls and a full QWERTY keyboard.
On the left hand side of the device are two volume control keys, plus a voice memo key that can be configured to perform other tasks.
Top
The top of the device sports a slot for full sized SD cards, a switch for choosing between silent or vibrate mode, and the Infrared port. You will also notice the antenna, which sticks out around three quarters of an inch from the main body of the camera and the top of the stylus bay.
On the bottom you will find the 700p’s ports. From left to right there are a 2.5mm headphone jack, Palm’s proprietary multi-connector port (where the USB cable connects), a charging port and the microphone for the phone. Unfortunately Palm continues to use their proprietary multi-connector port and separate charging port rather than the more handy mini usb standard seen on other phones.
You won’t find anything on the right side of the Treo 700p.
The lower two third’s of the Treo 700p’s back is taken up by the battery cover, with a release switch at the top of the cover. Above this on the left are the main speaker, and above the speaker the lens for the 1.3 megapixel camera and a self-portrait mirror. At the top left you find the stylus slot, while on the top right you find the port for an external antenna.
Battery Out
Underneath the Treo 700p’s battery slot you will find a large 1900 mAh battery. Because this is a CDMA phone, there is no slot for SIM cards.
In the Box (3.0)
The Treo 700p comes with a fairly basic set of accessories, including a wall charger, a sync cable that plugs into your computer’s USB port and manuals. It also includes a Palm screen protector, which is a nice item and a CD with all of the software you will need to sync your Treo 700p with your Windows computer.
Handling (3.0)
The Treo 700p is fairly large and heavy for a phone, at 6.4 ounces. Although the controls are well placed, it definitely feels heavy in the hand, and you get tired holding it up to your head for long calls. The plastic construction also makes it feel a little slick, and the antenna can feel awkward in a pocket. Compared to other smart phones however, the 700p is built intelligently. For example the PPC 6700 from Sprint places the controls at the very bottom of the device, making it very difficult to hold for long periods, the Treo does not suffer from this problem. Of course the newer lineup of slim and light form factors in smart phones, such as the Motorola Q, are much easier to handle, however you do give up functionality and battery performance with those devices.
Portability (3.0)
The Treo 700p is definitely a big phone to carry around on a daily basis, especially compared to regular phones or newer and smaller smart phones. Although it will fit into most front pockets, it will weigh you down, and those who don’t mind looking too much like geeks may want to consider a belt holster for it. The phone will fit easily into most purses.
Aesthetic (4.0)
There’s not getting around it, the 700p is not a beautiful device. Utilitarian is the best adjective that describes it, but business users will find it a professional looking device. If you’re looking for something a little more “sexy” with similar functionality, the Motorola Q is probably more up your alley.
Durability (7.0)
The Treo 700p feels solidly constructed, with no gaps to let in dust or moving parts that may wear out over time. The battery case was a little loose, and we would recommend you invest in screen protectors, as the screen is not covered when the phone is in a pocket or bag and could easily get scratched. The multi connector is also a little flimsy, and you should not be surprised if the USB cable that comes with the device breaks after a couple of years. The same can be said of the power connector. Like any phone, you can also expect that the symbols on the buttons will fade with extensive wear. The lens of the camera is also unprotected, and will inevitably get scratched.
[page title="Audio Quality"]
The quality of the sound played back and captured by a cell phone is a vital part of the overall package; there’s no point in having the latest and greatest phone if the calls you make on it make you sound like a chipmunk. So we do a lot of testing on the sound quality of cell phones to discover how good (or bad) they sound. We use the professional sound analysis system SoundCheck from Listen Inc in collaboration with a Head and Torso Simulator from Brüel & Kjær to do this. This combination captures and analyzes sound in the same way the human ear does, so our testing shows how good (or bad) cell phones really are. We test the phones in use as a handset (to the ear), and we’ll be adding more tests soon to examine the performance of the speakerphone and the headset.
Sound Receive Frequency Response (7.68)
Treo 700p on Sprint: Handset Receive Frequency Response
The receive frequency response is how well the cell phone reproduces the sound that it receives, such as the voice of a friend calling you. The blue line represents the frequency response of the phone (high frequencies at the right, low at the left), and the red lines represent the limits defined by the ITU; an international body that produces standards for the telephone industry. The frequency response of a phone should fall within these limits, and better phones will chart a course right between the upper and lower limits. The 700p had impressive performance in this test; the frequency curve only bumped up against the limits in a couple of spots, so most frequencies will be accurately reproduced, so you should get clean and sharp sounding voices on the other end of the line. The 700p didn’t score as highly in this test as some phones, though: the Treo 750w had slightly better performance, and the thin profile Razr V3m also had a slight edge here.
Sound Send Frequency Response (7.68)
Treo 700p on Sprint: Handset Send Frequency Response
This test examines the quality of the sound sent by the 700p; that’s how good your voice sounds to the person on the other end. The 700p scored highly here; the curve was within the limits (with just one minor exception) and didn’t have any major jumps or drops (which can cause voices to sound odd and disjointed). This means that the quality of the sound captured and sent by the 700p is high, and the people you are calling should have no problem understanding you.
Handset Side Tone (5.3)
Treo 700p on Sprint: Handset Side Tone
Because they block your ear, cell phones play back a bit of your own voice to help you appreciate how loudly you are talking; a technique called side tone. But the amount of this has to be right; too much or too little can lead to whispering or shouting, neither of which what is you want to be doing to a cell phone. The 700p produced 21.4 decibels of side tone, which is a little higher than than what the ITU standard calls for (18 decibels). That might lead to you talking a bit quieter than you need to (because your own voice sounds louder in your ear), but that’s better than talking louder, especially if you are sitting on the bus next to me.
[page title="Imaging"]Resolution (2.87)
To test the resolution of the images captured by the 700p’s camera we took several pictures of an industry standard resolution chart and then ran it through our Imatest software. This measures how many black and white lines the camera could discern before they started to blur together (a measure Imatest calls line widths per picture height, or lw/ph).
The Treo 700p received a score of 830.2 lw/ph horizontally and 789.3 lw/ph vertically. Compare this to a lower end stand alone digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20, which received scores of 1682 and 1620 respectively, and you can see that the Treo 700p isn’t going to replace your digital camera. We score resolution slightly differently to our sister site digticalcamerainfo.com, so the Treo 700p earned a resolution score of 2.87. If we were to score resolution the same as dgitialcamerainfo.com, the 700p would have earned a score of 0.86.
Color (7.59)
The Treo 700p does a credible job of capturing colors. To test color accuracy, we photograph the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart and run the images through the Imatest software, which compares the Treo 700p’s colors to the original chart colors.
This shows that, while the 700p does a creditable job of capturing colors, there are some issues. In particular, blues and purples are inaccurate and all of the colors are some way from the ideal. But the overall results are good, so the 700p earns an impressive color score of 7.59
Noise (1.05)
To test noise we take photos of our standard color chart at different lighting levels. We then run these images through the Imatest noise test. The Treo 700p’s camera did well on the noise test, posting an average score at our lowest lighting level, but very good scores at all other lighting levels.
Live Preview (7.5)
The Treo 700p’s preview function provides a very good indication of what the final image will look like, supported by the 700p’s high resolution screen and good pixel density. Colors are ever so slightly faded, but details are sharp. We were pleased with the Treo 700p’s live preview, especially compared to other phones when the live preview bears little resemblance to the final product, the 700p does a good job.
Unlocked Standby to First Shot (5.05)
To test unlocked standby to first shot we set the phone into standby mode and then time how long it takes to turn the phone on, launch the camera application and take a shot. We repeat this test 5 times. The Treo 700p did a very good job for cell phone, completing this procedure in an average of 3.96 seconds. Many cell phones require a much longer amount of time to launch the camera application, so this is a very good score for a phone. Compared to a digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20, which took 3.42 seconds, the score is not as good. When you consider that many cameras only take a couple of seconds to start up, the 700p’s performance looks even worse.
Shot to Shot Time (0.6)
To test Shot to Shot time on the Treo 700p we turned off auto preview and then took 5 shots in quick succession, measuring the total amount of time it took from the first to the last. We would normally use burst mode to measure this feature, but the Treo 700p does not offer burst mode. We were able to take 5 shots in 25 seconds which works out to .2 frames per second. This is a terrible score, compared even to other cell phones, especially those with burst mode. Compared with a digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20, which can take .7 frames per second, and The 700p is more than 3 times slower than an entry level digital camera.
Shutter to Shot Time (6.67)
To test shutter to shot time on the Treo 700p we take a photo of a stopwatch that we start running at the moment we press the shutter key. The time displayed on the photo shows how much time it took for it to process. The Treo 700p had a shutter to shot time of .3 seconds. Compared to an entry-level camera like the the Pentax Optio M20, which had a shutter to shot time of .63 seconds, The 700p fares well. However the M20 does not score well in this area. For compact digital cameras a good shutter to shot time is considered to be .2 seconds, and the 700p is slightly slower than this. On thing to consider is that the 1.3 megapixel images produced by the 700p are much smaller than the 3, 4 or 5 megapixel images taken by entry-level cameras.
Interface (8.0)
The 700p’s camera interface is simple and easy to use, allowing for quick access to your photos, easy switching between camera and video mode, and intuitive zoom controls. A separate menu allows you to control items like shutter sound, image size, naming and dates. Getting to the feature you want is easy and comfortable. We like that Palm has created a much more usable interface than that found on many phones, although this is of course aided by the dearth of features.
Photo Album Software Internal (7.0)
The 700p’s photo album software is easy to use and provides an array of good features. Creating slide shows is as simple as organizing the photos into the albums you want and then hitting the prominent play button. You can also customize the slideshow with audio captions or music, change the slide delay and choose from a selection of transition affects.
You can add voice memos to pictures, making it easy to store information about when/where/why you took the picture. You cannot add effects to your pictures in the album software. Overall we liked the ease of use and features provided by the 700p’s album software, it’s a step above what most phones offer.
Manual Control (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not provide any manual controls. Although we understand Palm’s wish to provide a simple and elegant user experience, it would have been nice to have basic controls like white balance available. These are present on even low end cell phones, and their lack is sorely felt on the 700p.
Zoom (1.0)
The 700p provides you with a 2x digital zoom. Because all types of digital zoom are merely a software crop and enlargement, which can also be done on your computer after you have taken a shot, the 700p only scores a single point in this area. Most modern phones only have digital zoom, with only a select few that have the much more useful optical zoom.
Focus (0.0)
The 700p has a fixed focus lens. Until recently most phones had fixed focus, with only high end camera centric phones equipped with auto focus lenses. Such lenses are more popular on phones today, but are probably not a high priority for a business device.
Flash (0.0)
The 700p does not have a flash.
Metering (0.0)
The 700p does not allow you to meter your shots. Metering allows the camera to gauge the amount of light in the scene and give you a proper exposure. Metering controls allow you to decide from which point or points the light is measures. The 700p’s lack of metering means that the camera uses the overall light in the scene to decide on exposure. Although standard on stand alone digital cameras, metering controls are not found on most camera phones.
White Balance (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not provide any white balance options. White balance is used to evaluate color based on the source of the light. Preset white balance options are fairly standard on cell phones nowadays, and we were disappointed by their lack of on the 700p.
Image Handling (0.0)
The only image handling options that the 700p offers is rotation. Even basic options like cropping and resizing are absent, much less advanced options like color correction or red-eye reduction. These features are usually found on higher end cell phones, and it was disappointing to see them absent from the 700p.
Video
Overall Video Score (6.0)
The Treo 700p records video at either 352 x 288 or 176 x 144 (MMS standard). Videos taken at the higher resolution provide good quality for small screens, and are even viewable on a computer monitor, but aren’t good enough for viewing on a television. The options offered by the 700p are fairly standard, allowing you to apply a couple of affects, like black and white and turning audio on and off.
352 x 288 video recording was once just found on higher end phones, but is no becoming more widespread. Compared to other cell phones, the 700p’s video recording is average, but it isn’t a patch on even a low end camcorder. The options offered by the 700p aren’t very extensive either compared to other phones or camcorders.
Video Resolution (3.46)
To measure the video resolution of the Treo 700p, we shoot the standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and run stills from that video through Imatest imaging software. The Treo 700p scored 181.5 lines of horizontal resolution, and 190.9 lines of vertical resolution. ?This compares pretty poorly with even a cheap camocorder like the $250 Canon ZR700 camcorder, which captured 363.7 and 257.8 lines respectively.
Video Compression (2.0)
The Treo 700p captures video in 3GP format, which is a standard for mobile video. You do not have the option to capture video in any other format. Compared to other phones the 700p does not provide a wide range of options for video compression.
Interface (7.5)
The video capture interface on the 700p is exactly the same as the stills image interface, except for differing options in the menu area. This means that the interface is intuitive and easy to use. Compared to other phones which have either extremely complicated interfaces or overly simplistic ones, the 700p strikes a good balance between the two.
Manual Control (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not provide any manual options for white balance, shutter settings, or gain. Some high end phones do offer this functionality, but most phones do not.
Zoom (0.0)
There is no zoom, digital or optical, for the Treo 700p’s video capture. This is an unfortunate omission as many phones with 352 x 288 video capture do offer some type of digital zoom.
Editing (0.0)
The Treo 700p offers no options for editing video on the device. Video editing is rarely found on cell phones, but some higher end devices do have it.
Modes (2.0)
The Treo 700p provides 176 x 144 video capture, which is the standard for MMS video, although this is not made clear in the video capture software. There are no options for scene modes on the 700p. Many phones offer a clearly marked MMS video capture setting, which makes it easier for the user to know what they are looking for when deciding on settings. We were disappointed with the dearth of options on the 700p.
[page title="Making/Receiving Calls"]
Dialing Speed (4.08)
To make a phone call on the Treo 700p, you hit the dedicated phone key (located above the keyboard to the left), then dial the phone number using the highlighted number keys and hit the green send button located above the phone key. To test dialing speed we took the average speed to dial 5 different numbers, starting with the phone in standby mode, and ending when we hit the send key. The Treo 700p took an average of 5.88 seconds to complete this procedure. This score is low, and is impacted by the small keys on the Treo 700p, plus the fact that the keypad is buried in a full QWERTY keyboard. Dialing on any QWERTY device is often a pain, and the Treo is no different.
Talk and End Button (7.0)
The Send and End keys on the Treo 700p lie to the left and right, and slightly above the D-Pad, just below the screen. The end key doubles as the standby key (see above). Both keys are wide, and slender, making them easy to find by feel. However their slimness means that your finger can sometimes slip off of them and hit one of the keys located below them. Compared to other phones the 700p’s send and end keys are not intuitively placed and don’t always function as you would expect. For example on most phones hitting the send key will take you to the dialer screen or to the call history. On the 700p this functionality is assigned to a separate phone key, which is redundant.
Call Management (6.0)
The Treo 700p’s call log records your recent calls, and has plenty of room: we never reached the limits in our testing. You can sort your call log by incoming, missed, or outgoing. For each call you can see what time the call was made, the contact name if its recorded in your device, the date of the call, and whether you were roaming when it occurred. You can also save the number to your contacts. You don’t get information about call duration for either individual or total calls.
During a call you get a screen that shows you the number you are calling and the duration of the call. On screen buttons allow you to hang up, start the speakerphone, put the call on hold, switch to the keypad to make an additional call or mute the call. If you put the call on hold you get the option to add another call to the conversation. There is no option to record the call. Once a call is complete, if the number isn’t already recorded in your contacts the Treo 700p will helpfully offer to save the number in your contacts or add the number to an existing contact.
We liked the Treo 700p’s call management features, they provide an average assortment of options compared to other handsets, but are better organized and easier to use than most handsets.
Startup to Call (3.16)
The Treo 700p does not give you the option to turn the phone off completely as most phones do. Rather, hitting the end button (which doubles as a “power” key) simply puts the phone into standby. In order to do our startup to call test (which simulates making a call from the phone being turned off) we had to remove and replace the battery for each call. We did this 5 times and called a different phone number each time. We measured the total time from startup until we hit the send key. The average for startup to call for the Treo 700p was 31.6 seconds. This is quick for a smart phone, which can often take up to a minute, but slow for phones in general
Ring Volume (7.8)
We measured the loudest of the ringtones in the 700p at a loud 78db. That’s pretty loud, and should be loud enough to hear if it is in a bag or a coat pocket.
Ringtone Customizability (1.0)
The Treo 700p does not allow you to use music files as ringtones. You can, however, download ringtones from Sprint’s own online store for $2.50, plus tax.
Non Audio Alerts (6.0)
The Treo 700p’s vibrate alert is vigorous: it can easily be felt in a pocket. Conveniently, you can switch to vibrate alert simply by moving the switch located on the top of the phone. There is no specific silent mode (which turns off both the ringer and vibrate feature), but you can turn both off via the sounds application, leaving just the screen to flash when a call comes in.
We were disappointed that the Treo 700p does not support standard phone profiles, however the vibrate switch does provide a nice feature that most phones are lacking.
[page title="Messaging"]
Supported Email Services (7.5)
The Treo 700p supports standard POP3 and IMAP4 email accounts, and has settings for a whole host of popular email providers, including AOL, Yahoo! and Gmail. Unfortunately there is no support for Hotmail.
Push (3.0)
The Treo 700p has built in support for push email via Microsoft Exchange services. In addition the Treo 700p has a shortcut to download and configure Good’s push email solution.
For business users push email is a must have, and the 700p has support for a couple of the more popular options, however we would have liked to see built in Blackberry Connect support.
Multiple Account Ability (10.0)
Versamail, the email program included in the Treo 700p, can support multiple email accounts, up to and exceeding the eight we look for in testing. This includes multiple IMAP and POP3 accounts, but only one Exchange account at a time.
HTML and Attachments (6.5)
The Treo 700p’s email program allows you to view basic HTML embedded in emails, however it does not allow you to send or forward html encoded messages, converting everything into plain text. The 700p comes with Documents To Go from Dataviz, which allows you to view and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint files. The Treo 700p does not include support for pdf files, but this can be added with a free reader from Adobe. However, even with the reader, pdf files need to be converted on your desktop PC before they can be viewed on the 700p.
We are disappointed by the limited html support on the Treo 700p, but pleased to have both viewing and editing support for many attachment types. The one fly in the stew for attachment support is pdf files, it is silly to have to round trip an incoming pdf file through your PC before you can view it on a smart mobile device.
Email Customization (10.0)
The Treo 700p’s Versamail program allows you to switch between 1 line and 2 line views for email. You can also change the default font and font size, albeit with only 3 choices of font, one of which allows you to change the font size. You can choose to assign different colors to read and unread messages and add signatures to outgoing emails. Finally, you can sort your messages by subject, sender, size or date. These customization options are better than that found on any other smart phone we've seen, including Windows Mobile and Symbian Sereis 60 devices.
Time to a New Email Message (7.41)
To test time to new message we ran 5 tests from standby to a new message dialogue and took the average. The Treo 700p took an average of 2.66 seconds to complete this procedure, however that was using the default email account. If you want to send the message from a different account you will need to maneuver through the menus, which can add a significant amount of time.
Email Usability (9.5)
Accessing your email on the Palm Treo 700p is a simple 2 step affair. From the home screen hit the letter “E” to jump immediately to the email shortcut, and then hit the action button to launch it. Once in the email program you use the D-Pad to move amongst the messages. When a message is highlighted, a simple right push on the D-Pad brings up a menu that gives you access to common commands like forward, delete and mark read.
Switching between accounts is not as easy, requiring you to pull up the main menu bar with either the menu key on the bottom of the keyboard or by tapping at the top of the screen, then moving over 2 menus and choosing the account you want from the drop down list. Given that the Versamail can support several accounts, this is an overly complex process and we wish there was an easier way of switching between accounts. Adding BCC and CC fields, or attaching files is done by hitting the corresponding icons at the top left in the compose window.
The Treo 700p’s Versamail program conveniently support auto complete of addresses, allowing you to simply enter a contact’s first or last name, and choose from a list of matching email addresses that pop up. In our opinion this is an indispensable tool for heavy email users, and we’re glad to see that the 700p supports it.
Compared to most handsets Versamail provides a rich and fully featured email experience, however it is only an average email client for a smart phone.
Supported IM Services (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not support IM services out of the box, although you may be able to add this functionality through third party programs.
MMS Support (9.0)
MMS is integrated with SMS on the Treo 700p in a single messaging program. This program makes it easy to create either type of message. Every message starts out as an SMS by default, but turning it into an MMS is as easy as hitting the Add Media button on the bottom of the screen.
MMS is also integrated with the camera software, both still and video. In the review screen you can choose the small envelope on the bottom left and choose to send the newly created image or video via PictureMail (Sprint’s MMS service). This takes you to the messaging program with the item already embedded. If you took the video at the higher 352 x 288 resolution, it will automatically resize it for you. MMS is similarly integrated with the 700p’s photo and video album software.
Overall we were very pleased at the ease of use and integration that you find with MMS on the Treo 700p. Other phones certainly could learn a few things from the 700p.
Smiley Face Interpretation (10.0)
We sent the Treo 700p 4 test smilies and the messaging program on the phone interpreted all of them perfectly. The Treo 700p also support automatic insertion of smilies, with an easy to access menu allowing you to choose from between 16 items.
The implementation of smiley faces on the Treo 700p is one of the better that we’ve seen, and should be a nice feature for those who enjoy their emoticons.
SMS / MMS Ease of Use (8.0)
Accessing your SMS/MMS program on the Treo 700p is as simple as hitting the dedicated messaging button to the left of the D-Pad. The Treo 700p presents your SMS/MMS messages in threaded mode, allowing you to keep track of conversations with different individuals, like you would in an IM program. Switching between inbox, outbox, etc is as simple as choosing the item you want form the drop down menu at the top of the program. You can turn an SMS into an MMS by simply hitting the “add media” button at the bottom of the compose screen. You can also change the default font, and access several other options through the program.
The Treo 700p does a very good job of handling SMS/MMS, especially with the implementation of threaded views, allowing you to see your messaging exchanges as a conversation.
Time to New SMS Message (7.14)
Getting to a new SMS/MMS message dialogue from your home screen on the Treo 700p is incredibly quick, taking only 1.4 seconds on average in our tests. The 2 steps involve hitting your dedicated messaging button, and then tapping the new button at the bottom of the screen. This is quick and easy compared to other handsets.
[page title="Organizer"]
Synchronization (8.0)
The Palm Treo 700p comes with the Palm Desktop software for both Windows and Mac computers. This software manages synchronization between the Treo and your computer, and also provides a handy PIM manager for those who don’t use Outlook. Setting up the software on a Windows XP Professional computer went smoothly. The software prompted us to synchronize the 700p during the installation process and all information was transferred easily. Initiating a synch after that is as simple as connecting the included USB cable and hitting the Hot Sync button on the cable. Given how messy synchronization can often be, we were pleased with the ease of install and use of Palm’s synchronization software.
Synchronization with your computer can be done using either the included USB cable, or via Bluetooth. Synchronization includes your Versamail accounts, calendars, contacts, to-dos/tasks and notes. You have a wide variety of synchronization options, and even items like contact photos are synchronized. We were impressed with the array of synchronization options that the Treo 700p offers, it’s a step above most other phones and meets all of our expectations for a smart phone.
The Palm Treo 700p comes with Palm’s HotSync application, which allows you to sync your calendar, contacts, tasks and memos with you PC or Mac. The software includes Palm Desktop, which functions as a PIM manager on your computer. Alternatively, you can choose to synchronize with Outlook.
Alerts (7.0)
The Treo 700p allows you to set alerts for your Calendar appointments, but not for tasks. In the calendar application, you can set an alert to go off a specific period before the beginning of the appointment. You cannot choose a specific alert to go with a specific appointment, but you can set the alter sound (or vibrate) to use for all alarms in the sound application. This also allows you to set the alarm volume, the sound used, number of repeats, and the default time before an appointment that an alarm is set.
When an alert goes off, it takes up the full screen and displays the title, date and time of the appointment. You have the option to dismiss the alert, snooze it or go to the appointment in the Calendar. If you snooze the appointment it goes off again in 5 minutes. You don’t have the option to choose the length of your snooze, and the alert doesn’t display note associated with the appointment.
If you miss your alert it will sound the assigned number of times. The screen with the appointment information will stay on for 1 minute. After the screen goes off, the alert will be the first thing you see when you turn your phone back on.
Over the Air PIM Sync (2.0)
The Palm Treo 700p supports Microsoft’s Exchange Server for over the air synchronization of your email, calendar and contacts. Unfortunately this does not support synchronization of tasks or notes. It’s nice to see any over the air features, but it’s a pity that it does not support a wider set of features.
Address Book
Adding Contacts (5.65)
To test how easy it is to add contacts we time how long it takes to add each of 5 different contact names and phone numbers. We then take the average time. We found that adding a contact to the Treo 700p’s address book took an average of 17.7 seconds, thanks to the relatively speedy text entry through the keyboard. Accessing the new contact dialogue is as simple as hitting the new contact button at the bottom of the screen. Compared to other phones the 700p does a good job of handling new contacts, and especially compared to smart phones where the interface for new contacts can often be confusing and difficult to access.
Sorting/Search (7.0)
Dialing a contact from the contact program is as simple as highlighting the phone number in the contacts list and hitting the action key on your D-Pad. You can sort your contacts according to last name, first name, or by company or filter them by typing a contact’s first or last name. Contacts can be listed by last name, first name, or by company, last name. Compared to most phones the 700p provides a good selection of options for finding the contact you want.
Fields (7.0)
There are 25 fields you can fill in the new contacts dialogue, including 4 custom fields and the option to add even more. These include nice items like birthdays, anniversary, picture, ringtone and IM name. Compared to other phones the 700p provides a good set of fields, although compared to other smart phones the standard fields are a little lacking.
Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (3.0)
The Treo 700p allows you to assign a speed dial to any letter on the QWERTY keyboard, providing a great deal of flexibility. This is done from the Phone application, rather than the contacts application as speed dials can also be assigned to programs.
Unfortunately the Treo 700p has no native support for voice tags or voice dialing, a curious omission for a high-end smart phone. For those seeking to add this functionality back in, you can subscribe to Sprint’s voice dialing service for a monthly fee, or pay $19.99 for Palm’s voice dialing software.
Considering that you will already be paying anywhere from $300 to $650 for the Treo 700p, we wish that voice tags at least had been included, as they are with almost every other phone, not to mention smart phones.
Calendar
Adding Calendar Items (8.2)
To test how easy it is to add a calendar item to your phone, we time how long it takes to go from standby to a new appointment interface. Adding calendar appointments on the Treo 700p is a fairly straightforward affair. Simply navigate to the calendar program, place your cursor at the time you want the appointment to start and begin typing the title, if you want to change different options, simply hit the details button. To test the time it takes to add a calendar appointment we timed how long it took to add a simple lunch appointment for the next day 5 times. In our tests it took an average of 12.18 seconds to set up a simple lunch appointment for the next day. This is a good score for any phone, on many standard phones adding calendar appointment can be buried in the menu structure and awkward once you get to it. Even on smart phones where such functionality is standard, the 700p does a good job of making this a simple affair, as it does in many areas.
Calendar Views (7.1)
The Treo 700p provides 4 views for your calendar. The first is an agenda view that lists upcoming appointments, tasks due and your email accounts, then there is a daily view that shows the working day (which you can adjust in the preferences), with appointments listed at their assigned times. A weekly view shows a 7-day week with simple grey boxes showing your busy time. When a day is highlighted the day’s appointments are listed at the top of the screen. Finally, a month view simply places a grey box on days when you have appointments. You can use the calendar button next to the D-Pad to switch between the views. On the daily, weekly and monthly views you can also filter your views by category.
Calendar views on a small screen are always a challenge, and the 700p does a fair job compared to other phones in its class. We wish the weekly and monthly views provided more information.
Fields (11.0)
The Treo 700p’s calendar program provides an array of options for creating appointments, as you would expect from a smart phone. In addition to the standard fields, you have advanced functions such as recurrence, categories, all day events and notes. Unfortunately the calendar is missing some advanced business functions such as setting importance and inviting contacts. The Treo 700p is a step above most phones, but slightly behind other smart phones.
To Do/Tasks
Adding ToDo/Task (7.75)
Adding a task to the Treo 700p is fairly simple. Open the tasks program, hit the new button at the bottom of the screen and a new line appears with a cursor for you to add a title. You can then hit the details button to set a due date and add other details. To test the amount of time it takes to add an item we added a simple task item 5 times and then took the average. The Treo 700p took an average of 12.9 seconds for us to add a test task, this is a good score for a smart phone and the Treo 700p’s ease of use is evident in this area.
To Do Sorting and Prioritizing (3.5)
The tasks program on the Treo 700p provides several options for filtering your tasks. You can view them all sorted by date, sort by specific date ranges, or by category. You can set task priorities, but you cannot sort your tasks by priority. We were impressed to see the option to sort tasks by date range, an option that is not offered on many phones. The Treo 700p compares well to other smart phones in this area.
Fields (8.0)
The Treo 700p task program provides a good number of fields for creating your tasks, including advanced features such as recurrence. Compared to other smart phones the 700p does a good job of providing you with options for tasks & todos.
Notes
Adding Notes (6.02)
Like many functions on the Treo 700p, adding a new note is quick and easy. Launch the memo’s program from the home screen by hitting the “m” key and enter on the keyboard. Then simply tap the new button on the bottom of the screen to get a new note dialogue. In our tests it took an average of 8.3 seconds to enter and save our test note. The Treo 700p’s ease of use is in evidence again. Many smart phones make features like this a chore to access, we were glad to see how easy it was to accomplish on the Treo 700p.
Note Interface (6.0)
The Treo 700p’s notes program (called memos) allows you to filter your views by category. Unfortunately you can’t search through your notes. You can also choose to make your votes private, and then either mask or hide those notes. Overall the notes application is a mixed bag. We were glad to see the privacy option, but wish there were easier ways to find the note we wanted. This is especially important for those who use notes a lot.
Note Formatting (5.0)
The Treo 700p’s notes program does not provide many advanced formatting features. You are able to choose from 2 different fonts, and you can bold text. Although we understand that a notes application is not meant to have the functionality of a full word processor, we were disappointed with the options the Treo 700p offers, especially compared to other smart phones.
Voice Memo (7.0)
Voice notes are created in a separate program called Voice Memo. This program is assigned to the program key located on the left side of the Treo 700p by default. This program allows you to record voice memos and the length of the memo is only limited by the amount of storage available. You can also assign voice memo’s to be a ring tone, or send it via email or Bluetooth from this program. We were pleased to see the range of functionality offered by voice notes on the Treo 700p, it is a step above the what most phones offer.
[page title="Multimedia"]
Accessing Music Software (6.45)
Getting music to start playing on your Treo 700p is fairly simple. From the main menu start up the pTunes application that is bundled with the device. Once you are in the pTunes program, simply hit the enter key to start music playing on the preloaded playlist. In our tests it took an average of only 3.1 seconds to complete this procedure. This is a very good score, and as we’ve seen in so many other places on the 700p, getting to the application you want is easy to do.
Dedicated Music Control (4.0)
The only buttons on the Treo 700p that affect music playback are the volume up/down keys; to skip tracks or stop the music you have to go back into the pTunes application. Those wishing to use the 700p as a dedicated music player should reassign one of the hardware keys to pTunes. The 700p is not a media centric device, so we can forgive it the lack of hardware keys, those looking for a smart phone with dedicated media controls have several options, such as the Cingular 3125 or T-Mobile SDA.
Music Software Functionality and Organization (5.0)
The pTunes software that is bundled with the Treo 700p provides basic music playback functionality, but it is a pity it is not more controllable. The software allows you to play music in the background, even when the phone is in standby mode. Unfortunately the software doesn’t support things like album art, visualizations or rating your music. It does however automatically update your library with mp3 files on the phone and the memory card.
PTunes allows you to playback and create playlists as well as recognizing standard idv3 tags found on mp3 files. You can sort through your music based on artist, album or genre, but cannot search actively for titles. The 700p’s music software provides average functionality and organizational abilities. Overall, for a device as expensive as the Treo we would have liked to see a more complete music software option.
Online Song Downloading (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not support any over the air downloading services, including Sprint’s.
Streaming (4.0)
The Treo 700p supports streaming online audio through its own player associated with the web browser (not through pTunes). This player supports streaming audio in either mp3 or wma format. It does not support aac or real. The software is sufficient for most streaming radio stations, and a step above what most phones offer, but only average for a smart phone.
Podcast Support (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not have any dedicated software to synchronize, download and organize podcasts, although the built in pTunes application will certainly playback mp3 podcasts. Given how popular podcasts are becoming as a medium it would have been nice to see this kind of support on the device. That being said, you can probably add this functionality in with third party software.
Music Sync with PC (3.0)
The Palm Treo 700p allows you to synchronize your mp3 music with your PC through Windows Media Player. On a Mac you need to use the send to handheld function (iTunes synchronization is not available). Although the Windows Media Player support is nice, we have not found it to be completely reliable. Frankly the 700p is not alone in the phone industry in failing to find a reliable and easy to use synchronization solution for media. With the 700p, the search continues.
Music Formats and DRM (1.0)
The pTunes application that comes with the Treo 700p will only playback unprotected mp3 files. This means that you will be unable to use any wma or aac protected music purchased from online music stores. You can purchase an upgrade to the pTunes application that will allow you to listen to wma files (including protected wma files) for $29.95. For a device that costs as much as the 700p you would have liked to see the upgraded version of pTunes with its additional format support come standard.
Music Interruption (10.0)
The Treo 700p automatically pauses music playback when you receive an incoming phone call. When the call is over it automatically resumes playback. This happens without any problems, which is a nice touch as many handsets will simply mute the background music, leaving it to run while you are on the call.
Video
Video Software Access (4.0)
The Pics & Videos application that is built into the 700p is basic, but works. We found that it took 5 seconds to go from the home screen to hitting play on a video that was stored in a playlist. And most of this was spent scrolling down the home page screen to find the photos and videos application.
Video Controls (4.0)
The video controls of the Pics & Videos application are basic, to put it mildly: the directions control moves you from one button (such as the fast forward, play and rewind button) and the center button activates the control, but you can’t fast forward through videos or change the playback speed.
Video Software & Organization (1.5)
Videos can be added to playlists, and there is an option to expand a video to fill the screen (although most still end up with black bars at the top because of the square screen). And, erm, that’s it: you can’t sort videos, categorize them or otherwise filter them.
Video Sync with PC (4.0)
Videos are converted to the 3GPP format that the 700p can deal with by the Palm desktop application. This does an adequate job, but you have to manually drag files into the right spot to be converted: it can’t automatically synch the videos you want.
Video Formats (2.0)
The 700p was able to play back files in the 3GPP video format, but it wasn’t able to play back Mpeg4, WMV or other format videos.
Video DRM (0.0)
No support is provided for video files protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM) features. So, you can’t play back videos purchased from stores like iTunes.
Video Playback Smoothness (6.0)
Our test videos played back reasonably smoothly, although there was some jerkiness in the higher bitrates files, and when we expanded the videos to fill the screen.
Online Video Downloading (0.0)
The 700p does not support any online video downloading services.
Video Streaming (unscored)
We don’t score on video streaming, as so much of the process is dependent on the streaming service. On the 700p, streaming videos are handled by the Pics & Videos application, and it did a pretty reasonable job of handling 3GPP streaming videos. It declined, however, to play back streaming videos in Windows Media format.
[page title="Software"]
OS (8.0)
The Treo 700p runs on Palm’s Palm OS 5.4.9 (aka Garnet). Although this is an aging platform, it still provides solid performance and a wide range of third party software for those seeking to add additional functionality. It is also arguably easier to learn than other operating systems such as Windows Mobile or Symbian. The operating system shows its age in the graphics and lack of more modern features such as an active home screen, but first time smart phone buyers may be attracted to the ease of use.
Home Screen Score (4.0)
The Palm Treo 700p does not have a tradition home screen as most phones do. Instead the home screen is rather like the Windows desktop, with icons for all of the installed applications. On the top left you will find the time, and at the top right you will find indicators for battery and signal strength. You can assign your applications to different categories, and then filter by category using the drop down menu at the top left. Compared to other smart phones like Windows Mobile with the Today screen, or Symbian with the Active Standby screen, which provides customizable and useful information all in one place, the 700p’s is rather lacking.
Extensibility (6.0)
One of the strengths of the Palm Treo 700p is the ability to add third party software. With thousands of software titles available, both free and retail, users are very likely to find the software they need for their device. Installing an application simply requires the Palm desktop software that is included with the phone. The ability to add functionality to your phone with third party applications puts the 700p a step above most phones, and is the distinguishing feature that makes it “smart”.
Customizability (6.0)
You have several options for customizing the Palm Treo 700p. The phone has 34 themes pre-installed that mostly change the background, font and menu colors. You can change fonts in many of the installed programs, although there was no option to change the font globally. You can also obtain additional themes and install them, as well as install third party applications that allow you to change the interface’s look and feel. Compared to Windows Mobile smart phones, the Palm OS does not provide as many built in opportunities to change the functionality and look of the OS, but it stands up well to the Symbian operating system.
OS Responsivness (9.0)
The Palm OS found on the Treo 700p is very responsive. Programs launch almost instantly, and you rarely experience any lag. Most actions are intuitive and even novice users will find themselves getting used to the interface quickly. Compared to other smart phone platforms, which can slow down significantly, we were very impressed with Palm OS’ peformance.
Gaming (3.7)
The Palm Treo 700p does not include any built in games, an unfortunate omission for those seeking to kill a few minutes. Because Palm OS allows you to install third party applications you can likely find a few titles you like, either free or to purchase, online.
Although the Treo 700p will not replace your Nintendo DS or Sony PSP, you do have a wide variety of games that you can install. You are almost certainly going to be able to find something that you can play to while away your time. What you will not be able to do is load java based games, at least until you install a third party application that costs $5.99. We know that the 700p supports hundreds of native applications, but considering how standardized java apps have become in the mobile space we would have hoped to have had this capability built in.
The Treo 700p’s large and well laid out controls make for a good gaming experience, however we would have liked to see 8 way directional support on the D-Pad for a better experience.
Overall the 700p has the potential for a good gaming experience, but we were disappointed with the lack of built in titles.
Browser Features (8.0)
The Treo 700p users the Blazer web browser. This browser supports a range of features, including WAP, HTML, Javascript and Images. It also allows for cookies, encryption and automatically fills fields in for you, a nice feature for a mobile browser. Overall we were impressed with Blazer however it does not offer the full experience that can be found on some of the cutting edge web browsers found on series 60 phones, or that found on the new iPhone.
Browsing Interface (3.5)
Blazer allows you to adjust the font, although there are only 2 choices: small and large. The small in particular may be difficult for some to read. Blazer also allows you to search for specific text on the page you are viewing, but there is no support for tabbed web browsing and no way to zoom in and out of web pages. Blazer also gives you some options in terms of how a page is displayed, providing both an optimized single column view, as well as a more desktop-like view.
We were very pleased to see the search functionality, as this is not very common on mobile web browsers, but were disappointed with the limited options in terms of additional browsing controls. Getting full sized web pages onto a small screen is always a challenge and Blazer accomplishes this, albeit without the flair that you see from some of the more modern safari based browsers.
Blazer’s bookmarks are fairly basic, allowing you to enter a bookmark name and description, as well as the URL. Bookmarks are organized into pages with 2 columns of 5 bookmarks. The bookmarks are represented as large buttons, so selecting one with the touchscreen is easy. Blazer can support up to 100 bookmarks. Unfortunately you cannot organize your bookmarks into folders or search through the, so if you have a lot of bookmarks it can take awhile to find the one you want.
Blazer saves your history; you can change the total cache size and decide to clear your cache on exit. There is no support for advanced features such as automatic bookmarking, searchable history or visual history. Overall we were not very impressed with the bookmarks and history on the 700p, even some feature phones provide more functionality. The lack of folder support is particularly disappointing.
Browser Access (8.0)
To test how easy it is to access the browser we counted how many steps it takes to launch the browser, enter a url (we count the actual entering of the url as one step) and go to the web page. We choose to count steps rather than timing this procedure because many phones are required to interface with the network in order to launch their browsers, and we wanted to remove this variability.
Getting to our test web page on the Treo 700p was easy, taking only 5 steps. As a data centric device we were happy to see that the 700p makes this procedure simple. This compares favorably with other data devices like the Motorola Q, which took 6 steps, and is a step above regular phones like the Motorola Razr V3m, which took 13 steps.
Calculator (9.0)
The Palm Treo 700p’s calculator does not provide all of the options you will find on a modern scientific calculator, but it does provide advanced options and had no problems handling basic math tasks. You can switch between a basic view that is very easy to use with the keyboard, and an advanced view that allows you to choose between trigonometric, financial, logical, statistical and other functions. With most phones coming with only the most basic calculators, we were pleased to see the advanced features available on the 700p’s calculator.
Alarm (2.0)
The alarm clock found on the Treo 700p is bundled with the World Clock application. It is very basic, only allowing you to set a single alarm for the upcoming 24 hours, and providing you with very few options. If you want to create alarms that only occur on specific dates, and that recur you are better off creating an appointment in the calendar application. We can only be disappointed by the alarm application on the 700p, for a device this advanced we would have expected much more functionality, although you can most likely address this issue with third party software.
Document Software (6.0)
The Treo 700p comes bundled with the very capable Documents To Go application from Dataviz. This allows you to create presentations, spreadsheets and word documents. You can also create documents that are compatible with Microsoft Word or Excel. Unfortunately you cannot view native pdf files, instead you have to convert them on your computer first. The fact that you have to convert pdf files to view them is frankly not acceptable when pdf viewing is almost standard on all smart phones. Documents To Go is a solid platform, but you should not be surprised to find some glitches when round tripping documents.
[page title="Battery Life"]
Call Time (7.65)
To test call time, we call the cell phone and leave an audio book playing continuously. Under these conditions the 700p put up a score of 4 hours 15 minutes. This is slightly below the 700p’s stated talk time of 4 hours 30 minutes, but not significantly. The 700p’s talk time is average for a smart phone, but nothing impressive.
Music Playback (7.92)
To test the Treo 700p’s battery life while playing back music we played a looped album of music at full volume with the radio bands off at default settings. For the 700p, this meant that eventually the screen turned itself off, however music playback continued. In our test the Treo 700p lasted for nine and a half hours, a very good result that means the 700p would last for a cross-country flight where the in-flight movie isn’t to your taste.
Web Browsing (7.29)
To test the Treo 700p’s battery performance when browsing we pointed the 700p’s web browser at a page that automatically refreshes every 10 seconds. We kept the backlight on by simulating key presses every 30 seconds. Under these tough test conditions, the 700p lasted 4 hours and 3 minutes, an impressive score for an EVDO device, as this high speed network definitely has an impact on battery life.
Standby Time (unscored)
To ensure that we are able to get reviews out in a timely fashion we do not test standby time. The manufacturer's rated standby time for the Treo 700p is 10 days 6 hours.
[page title="Connectivity"]
Cellular Bands (4.0)
The Treo 700p on Sprint is a dual band CDMA device, supporting the 800 and 1900 Mhz CDMA bands. This means that the device will only work on Sprint’s network, but will not work on the vast majority of global GSM networks. This means that the 700p from Sprint is not a good choice for global travelers that want a device that will work overseas. Cellular band scores are standardized based on the number of bands supported.
Data Support Score (6.0)
The Treo 700p works on both Sprint’s high speed EVDO network and can fall back on the slower 1xRTT network when not in an EVDO area. It does not support Sprint’s newer EVDO Rev A network. According to Sprint their EVDO network provides average download speeds of between 300 and 600 kbits/second. EVDO provides near broadband speed for users, although you should be warned that heavy use will have a significant impact on your battery life. Although we like EVDO speeds, and they should be sufficient for most North American users, world roamers should be warned that the 700p will not function on most overseas high speed data networks.
Bluetooth (7.0)
The Treo 700p uses Bluetooth 1.2, and supports 7 different profiles, including headsets, dial up networking, serial port and object push. The Treo 700p’s Bluetooth software is easy to use, and provides quick wizards for setting up a headset or Bluetooth hotsync. Pairing with a bluetooth headset is easy to do. Unfortunately, setting up more advanced partnerships like dial up networking and file sharing is a much more complicated endeavor. This is generally true of most devices, which doesn’t mean we like it any more. Given how easy the 700p is to use in so many other places, we wish that Palm had invested in making advanced profiles more accessible to users.
WiFi (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not support wi-fi.
Infrared (7.0)
The Treo 700p includes an infrared data port, which is useful for those seeking to exchange information with many legacy devices, although you can turn the Infrared port off or on in the power settings, which is not very intuitive.
[page title="Hardware"]
Keypad
Text Words Per Minute (7.7)
To test words per minute we practiced extensively with the 700p’s keyboard and then ran 5 test runs, entering the same sample piece of text. Typing on the Treo 700p’s keyboard with two hands felt a little cramped, but was surprisingly fast. The keys are soft but we wish they provided a little more feedback when pressed. In our tests we achieved an average speed of 38.4 words per minute (WPM), significantly higher than what most people could get using T9 predictive text on a phone with a regular keypad.
T9 and Auto Complete (0.0)
Being a QWERTY device the Treo 700p does not use T9 predictive text. Less acceptable is the lack of an auto complete feature when typing. This is found on even low-end handsets and it’s inexcusable for a high end phone like the 700p to be missing it.
One Hand Usability (4.7)
To test one handed usability on the Treo 700p’s keyboard we practiced until we got comfortable with it, and then timed 5 practice runs using a standard piece of text. One handed typing on the Treo 700p’s keyboard is doable, but no easy task. Those with small hands will strain to reach from one end of the keyboard to the other. You can see this based on our words per minute results; we achieved an average score of 23.7, almost 40% below our score using two hands. We also found ourselves making more typing mistakes. That being said, this score is only slightly below what we would find using a regular phone’s keypad.
Keyboard Backlighting (6.0)
The keyboard backlight on the Treo 700p is linked to the screen backlight, meaning that whenever the screen’s backlight is on, so is the keyboard’s. This is unfortunate, because it means that battery power will be used to light up the keyboard even in brightly lit conditions when it is not used. Similarly, the screen backlight controls also affect the keyboard backlight, so turning down the screen brightness or changing the timeout will also do the same for the keyboard. These controls also allow you to dim the backlight independently during calls.
We wish that the 700p had separate controls for the keyboard and screen backlights, and wish even more that it had a lighting sensor that can be used to adjust backlighting automatically.
Controls
D-Pad/Joystick (8.0)
The 5-way D-Pad on the Treo 700p is large and easy to use. The edges are raised so your thumb does not slip off of it, and the center button is a good size and easy to hit. The one concern with the D-Pad may be the size of the center button, as those with large fingers may find it a little too easy to hit. Tactile feedback is solid, with a faint click accompanying each thumb press. The D-Pad is centrally located and provides easy access to most of the other function buttons and the bottom of the screen where many of the on screen buttons are found. We are glad to see that the 700p has a full sized D-Pad rather than the fiddly joysticks that are found on many handsets today.
Touch Screen (7.0)
The Treo 700p's touch screen is fairly responsive and accurate. The interface is sometimes well designed to be used with your fingers, for example on screen buttons are large and easy to hit with a thumb or finger. Menu items however are very difficult to use without the keyboard or the stylus. Still, the user interface is definitely easier to use with your finger than Windows Mobile touch screen devices.
Jog Dial (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not have a jog dial.
Soft Buttons (0.0)
The Palm OS that the Treo 700p runs does not use the soft buttons that most phones do.
Volume Control (7.5)
The volume controls on the Treo 700p are located on the left side, near the top of the device. The buttons themselves are large and easy to find by feel, making it easy to change the volume during a call. There are two separate buttons for up and down, the divide between them is a little hard to notice by feel and may result in some mistakes when adjusting volume. The position of the volume keys is a distant from all of the other controls on the device, which can be both good and bad. On the one hand you are unlikely to hit the keys accidentally while operating the device, but on the other hand they do require a little bit of a stretch and readjustment of your hold on the device in order to access them. Compared to other phones that often have small and difficult to use keys, or whose keys are too easily pressed by accident, the 700p’s keys are good.
Power and Standby (7.0)
There is no way to turn the Treo 700p off completely except pulling out the battery. You can put the device into standby fairly easily by hitting the red end key in any program (except during a call of course, in which case the key will end the call). They key sits above and to the left of the D-Pad, just below the screen (where you would expect to find a soft key on most devices), and is easily accessible. The key provides good tactile feedback, and its elongated shape makes it easy to find by feel, although the fact that it is fairly thin can lead one to accidentally hit the messaging or home keys found below it. You can also disable all of the radios in the 700p by holding down this key down. The 700p’s power key is more accessible than many other phones, and provides good functionality.
Other Buttons (10.0)
In addition to the buttons discussed above, the Treo 700p has several additional controls that aid in navigating through the operating system. To the left and right of the D-Pad, and below the send and end keys you will find four buttons. Except for the Home button, each of these have 2 functions, the main one you can access by pressing the button, the secondary is accessed by pressing the option key and the button. From left to right, the main functions are: Phone application, Calendar, Messaging, Home. The default secondary functions are Web, World Clock, and Email, with the Home key having no secondary option. Except for the Home key, you can reconfigure the secondary options of any of the buttons, and for the Calendar and Messaging options, you can also reassign the primary function.
In addition to these controls, you will find a button on the left side of the Treo 700p, which can be accessed with a press and hold to prevent accidental key presses. By default this button is assigned to voice memo, but it can be reassigned to any application you choose. There is also one more button found at the bottom right of the Treo 700p’s keyboard, this menu button gives you immediate access to the menus found in many applications. You can also access these menus with a tap at the top of the screen.
The 700p’s collection of keys makes for a very good one handed usage experience, and we like the fact that almost all of the functions can be reassigned. However, for new users the number of keys can be intimidating, and are sometimes not intuitive.
Display
Primary Screen Gross Resolution (8.5)
The Treo 700p’s 320 x 320 pixel resolution provides over 100,000 pixels, which allows for a sharp display. Video and pictures look good on the display, although the Palm OS does not take full advantage of the high resolution display in their fonts and graphics. The 700p’s 320 x 320 pixel display is currently the leader in square smart phone screen, with Windows Mobile devices relegated to the lower 240 x 240 until Windows Mobile 6 devices start to roll out. The Treo 700p even beats out the vast majority of devices with QVGA (320 x 240 pixel) displays.
Primary Screen Pixels per Inch (8.5)
The Palm Treo 700p display provides 170 pixels per inch, a good pixel density that allows for rich colors and a good level of detail. Apple recently boasted about the 165 ppi display on the iPhone, the Treo beats this. High pixel density means that the screen will display items more sharply and with deeper colors than phones with lower pixels per inch.
Screen Physical Size (6.0)
The Treo 700p has a screen that is 2.4 inches on the diagonal, a fairly large screen on a device with a full QWERTY keyboard. Especially compared with small smartphones like the Cingular 3125 or the T-Mobile SDA, the Treo’s screen is comfortable to use. However, like any phone screen, the real estate is limited, and especially when viewing complicated web pages you can get frustrated.
Screen Brightness (8.5)
The Treo 700p on maximum brightness measured 85 lumens in our test, which is pretty bright. Keeping it at that high level will have a detrimental affect on your battery. The 700p does not have a light sensor to automatically adjust the brightness, but there is a handy keyboard shortcut that allows you to choose one of the 15 brightness settings quickly. The lowest setting turns off the screen entirely. You can also set the length of time that the screen light will stay on, as well as settings for dimming the screen while on a call. As with the keyboard backlight, we wish the 700p had a light sensor.
Screen Bright Light Performance (6.0)
To test a screen's performance under bright light we shine 3000 lux on it, equivalent to a sunny day. The Treo 700p did well on this test. Text was legible and icons were still viewable. Compared to the Blackberry 8703e, which was almost unreadable in bright light, the Treo 700p was much better.
Color Depth (6.0)
The Treo 700p can display up to 65 thousand colors, a fairly standard color depth for phones. Colors are bright and easy to differentiate while blacks are close to true. Compared to other high priced devices however, which sport screens with up to 16 million colors, the 700p is less impressive.
Ports & Storage
Power and Data Ports (2.0)
The Treo 700p uses the proprietary Treo multi-connector for connections to your PC or Mac. There is also a proprietary port used for charging, and unfortunately no USB charging. We understand that Palm wants to ensure compatibility with the large number of Treo accessories that are out there, but we hope that eventually the multi-connector goes the way of the Dodo, and Palm adopts a more standardized port like mini usb.
Headphone Jack and Compatibility (2.0)
The Treo 700p comes with a 2.5mm headset jack; you can purchase an adaptor that will allow you to use a standard 3.5mm headset. Unfortunately the 700p’s Bluetooth stack does not support stereo Bluetooth headphones. Although we would have liked to see a standard 3.5mm headset on the 700p, a 2.5mm headset is almost as standardized, and is a significant step above the proprietary headset jacks being found on many devices.
Internal Storage (1.0)
The Treo 700p comes with 128mb of internal memory, 60mb of which is user accessible. This is enough to load a few applications and store all of your PIM data, but anyone wanting to use the Treo 700p as a multimedia device should invest in a memory card. You may be able to free up some storage by removing unwanted applications, from the main menu screen hit the menu button and choose delete from the app menu. We wish you luck in deciphering which of the applications you want to keep or remove, as many of them have inscrutable names.
Expansion Slot and Format (9.0)
The Treo 700p support SD cards up to 4GB in size. It’s nice to see a device that supports full sized SD cards when newer phones are forced to use the smaller and more expensive mini sd and micro sd standards. The expansion slot is spring loaded, which makes inserting and removing a card easy to do. You can also add an SD Wifi card, although this is of limited utility as you lose your expanded storage. It would have been nice for Wifi to have been built in, or for Palm to have added a second expansion slot.
[page title="Other Features"]
Tethered Modem (6.0)
The Treo 700p can be used as a modem for your PC. In order to achieve this on the Sprint network, Sprint requires that you purchase a data plan that supports this feature, and that you use their software. There are of course work arounds for those who want to take the time to look for them. The 700p supports dial up both as a USB modem and as a Bluetooth modem. Set up is fairly straightforward using Sprint’s software, but can get complicated otherwise. Using a USB connection you can get standard EVDO speeds, but as a Bluetooth modem you will be limited by the Bluetooth connection speeds.
Being able to use your phone as a modem is a nice option, especially for business users. Unfortunately, like many phones setting this feature up requires you to jump through too many hoops in terms of service plans and software. We hope for the day when you can just plug your phone in and dial out without thinking about it.
[page title="Value & Comparisons"]
Value (5.0)
The Treo 700p from Sprint costs $299.99 with a two year contract from Sprint’s online store. This is a good, but not great price for a phone with as much functionality as the Treo 700p. Purchasing the phone without a contract will cost you significantly more at $649.99.
Comparisons
Motorola Q – The Q is a better looking phone than the Treo 700p; it’s thinner, sleeker and generally sexier (in a geek sort of way). It also has a better keyboard; the larger front panel gives more room for larger keys with more space between them. But the Q has worse battery life than the 700p, and Microsoft haters won’t appreciate the Windows Mobile OS it runs
T-Mobile Dash – Again, the Dash is smaller and lighter than the rather bricklike Treo 700p. And it also has a better keyboard than the Treo, with bigger keys and more space between them. But the battery life is nowhere near as good.
Treo 750w – The inevitable comparison is with Palm’s own Treo 750w. And there’s a lot to compare: the 700p and 750w share a lot of components, with the same keyboard, screen and overall design. But the 700p has the advantage of the Palm OS, which is quicker and more efficient than the Windows OS.
[page title="Conclusions"]
Who’s It For
Business User – The Treo 700p is well suited to business users: the QWERTY keyboard makes writing longer emails easy.
Budget Callers – For those looking for value for money calling, the 700p is a bust; it has features they don’t need and is more expensive than a basic phone.
Chatty Teenager – The talkative and texting teen of the family may like the full QWERTY keyboard, but will probably find the device overload for most of their uses. Plus it’s not as cool looking as many other phones.
Media Maven – Media maven’s may like a lot of the Treo 700p’s features, but will need to invest in additional software to ensure full compatibility with different media types.
Conclusion
The Treo 700p from sprint is a strong contender for anyone looking for a smart phone. Highlights are ease of use and the wide variety of functionality that it offers. However, the Palm OS is showing its age in some areas, and we wish that the 700p provided better functionality as a media device. The 700p is not a cheap device, and like all Treos it’s bulky and heavy. Business users will probably be best served by the 700p as it provides an array of PIM functionality and the ability to sync easily with your desktop. Overall we pleased with the 700p, and it will be a particularly good pick for someone who knows the Palm OS (perhaps from an old PDA) and wants to roll the PDA and phone into one device.
| Dimension | |
| Height | 4.40 |
| Carrier | Sprint |
| Type | Traditional QWERTY |
| Low Price | 0.00 |
| Width | 2.30 |
| Depth | 0.90 |
| Weight (including battery) | 6.40 |
| Physical | |
| Number of Screens | 1 |
| Main Screen Dimensions | 1.74 x 1.74 |
| Main Screen Resolution | 320 x 320 |
| Main Screen Colors | 65000 |
| Main Screen Type | TFT |
| Secondary Screen Dimensions | |
| Secondary Screen Resolution | |
| Secondary Screen Colors | 0 |
| Secondary Screen Type | |
| Keys | |
| Number Keys Type | Physical |
| QWERTY |  |
| QWERTY Keyboard Type | |
| Other Control Keys | |
| Internal Components | |
| Processor | Intel XScale 312 Mhz |
| RAM Memory | 128 |
| Flash ROM Memory | 0 |
| Memory Card Slot | miniSD |
| Jacks & Ports | |
| Microphone Jack |  |
| Headphone/Mic Jack | |
| USB Port | |
| Dock Port | |
| Radios | |
| Bands | Digital Dual |
| Bluetooth 1.2 | |
| 802.11 b wifi | |
| GSM 850 | |
| GSM 900 | |
| GSM 1800 | |
| GSM 1900 | |
| CDMA 800 | |
| CDMA 1900 | |
| Bluetooth 1.1 | |
| Bluetooth 2.0 | |
| 802.11g WiFi | |
| External Antenna Port | |
| SAR at Ear | 0 |
| SAR on Body | 0 |
| Flight Mode | |
| Data Standards | |
| GPRS | |
| EDGE | |
| 1XRTT | |
| EVDO | |
| EVDO Rev A | |
| HSDPA | |
| UMTS | |
| Battery | |
| Standard Battery Type | Lithium-Ion |
| Standard Battery Capacity | 0.00 |
| Standard Battery Model | |
| Vendor Quoted Standby Time | 60.00 |
| Vendor Quoted Talk Time | 2.50 |
| Camera | |
| Maximum Native Still Resolution | |
| Image Sensor Type | |
| Megapixels | 1.30 |
| Optical Zoom | |
| Digital Zoom | |
| Built-In Flash | |
| Focus Type | |
| Aperture Range | |
| Shutter Speed Range | |
| Focus Range | |
| Exposure Modes | |
| Exposure Compensation | |
| White Balance Modes | |
| Scene Modes | |
| Video Capture | |
| Video Resolution | |
| Video Frame Rate | 0 |
| Video Format | |
| Maximum Video Clip Length | |
| Audio with Movies | |
| Audio Format | |
| Software | |
| OS | Palm OS |
| PIM Software | |
| Max Number of Address Book Entries | 0 |
| Max Number of Appointments | 0 |
| Included Business Software | |
| Included Leisure Software | |
| Included Syncing Software | HotSync |
| Other Software of Note | |
| Calling Features | |
| Address Book Type | |
| Address Book Photos | |
| Alternative Ring Types | |
| Speakerphone | |
| Can work as PC Modem? | |
| Customization | |
| Ring Tone Formats | |
| Individual Caller Ring Tones | |
| Skins for Look & Feel | |
| Messaging (built-in clients only) | |
| SMS | |
| Yahoo! Messenger | |
| MMS | |
| POP3 | |
| Exchange | |
| IMAP | |
| AOL Mail | |
| Blackberry Mail | |
| Good Mail | |
| AIM | |
| ICQ | |
| MSN Messenger | |
| SMS Message Capacity | 0 |
| Web Browsing | |
| Web Browser | |
| Music | |
| Music Playback | |
| Music Player | Windows Media Player |
| Music File Formats Supported | |
| Downloadable Music Service | |
| Video | |
| Video Player | |
| Video Formats Supported | |
| Downloadable Video Service | |
| Bluetooth Profiles | |
| Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) | |
| Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) | |
| Basic Imaging Profile (BIP) | |
| Basic Printing Profile (BPP) | |
| Cordless Telephony Profile (CTP) | |
| Device ID Profile (DID) | |
| Dial-up Networking Profile (DUN) | |
| Fax Profile (FAX) | |
| File Transfer Profile (FTP) | |