Palm Treo 750 Cell Phone Review

Alerts (8.0)
Alerts on the Treo 750 can be set for any time period before the appointment or task is due. You can only set a single alarm type for all alerts in the sound options, so you cannot have different tones for different types or categories. Vibrate alert only works if you have set the global alert to include vibrate or if the phone is in vibrate mode. When an alert sounds, you get a single tone by default (this can be set to repeating in the options) and a message pops up on the screen with information about that particular appointment or task. You can either dismiss the event or snooze it. If you miss the alert, you will notice an alarm indicator on the top bar and a reminder indicator assigned to the left soft key on the Today screen next time you turn on your phone. We liked the fact that you can set any time period for when an alert will sound, this options is missing from the Blackberry 8703e. We also liked the snooze function. We did not like the fact that by default alerts are not repeating and that we could not set different tones for different types of alerts.

Over the Air PIM Sync (2.0)
The Treo 750 provides over the air synchronization with Microsoft’s Exchange server. There is no support for additional services, although you can add this functionality in with third party software, for example, Blackberry Connect. Synchronization with an Exchange server includes email, contacts, calendars and tasks, this is better than the Blackberry solution that does not include tasks.

Address Book

Sample Contacts for Address Book Tests:

Adding Contacts (6.21)
To test how easy it is to add a contact to the Treo 750 we time how long it takes to add a name and phone number to the device from standby. We do this for five different contacts with diverse names and then take the average. The Treo 750 took an average of 16.1 seconds to add a contact. This is a good score, but only slightly better than other smart phones like the Treo 700p (17.7 seconds) and the Blackberry 8703e (17.9 seconds). Accessing contacts on the Treo does take a little bit of searching. As with many things, there are multiple ways to get to where you want, we found the fastest to be launching contacts via the left soft key menu on the home page. You can also access your contacts in the Start menu by default and you can always find them in the Programs menu.

Sorting/Search (5.5)
The Treo 750 provides you with a good selection of options for sorting through and searching you contacts. When you enter the contacts program, they are organized by last name by default. You can immediately start searching for a contact by first and last name simply by typing the name out on the keypad. You cannot search by business in this view, however, you can use the left soft key menu to view contacts by business and then search by business name. Of course, in this case, you cannot search by name. We wish that the 750 supported searching by both name and company simultaneously like the Blackberry 8703e. In either case you can filter your contacts by category via the left soft key menu. We found the contacts sorting and searching on the Treo 750 to be a little too complicated for our tastes. Albeit, many people will not need to access these advanced options, still when you need them we would like them to be easier to use.

Fields (8.0)
The Treo 750 has 40 different fields for your contacts. If you need to record something about a person, say their anniversary, spouse or perhaps government ID, you will likely find it. And if you don’t, there is also a notes field that allows you to put in whatever information you consider important. Of course, all of the basics are here, including a picture and a custom ringtone for each contact. We liked that the 750 had so many fields for contacts, but we do wish the interface were a little better organized. For example, it would have been nice to have one tab for commonly used items and another for more esoteric ones. Still, we must admit that Windows Mobile on the 750 provides you with one of the larger selections of contact fields of any device, even edging out the Blackberry 8703e’s 37 fields.

Speed Dial/Voice tags/Voice command (5.7)
One of the Treo 750’s Palm enhancements can be seen in the speed dial options. Not only are you able to assign a speed dial to any letter on the keyboard (most Windows Mobile devices only let you use the number keys), but Palm has also allowed you to place speed dials on your Today screen. These can be either text or you can use a contact photo. This gives you easy one touch access to important contacts, but you should note that it does take up quite a bit of your limited Today screen real estate. The 750 does not have voice tags aboard, which is a shame. It does however include a copy of Microsoft’s Voice Command software, which is not a standard feature on Windows Mobile Devices. We used this voice command software to try and dial each of our five test contacts, which have diverse names, and it was able to recognize them all. Theoretically, voice command can do a lot more, but we did not have much success using it to launch programs or any of the other things we tried. Overall, we were pleased with the expanded speed dial capabilities, and the presence of Voice Command is a nice add on, even though we are yet to be convinced of its utility beyond dialing contacts.

Calendar

Adding Calendar Items (14.79)
To test how easy it is to add an appointment to a phone, we time how long it takes to go from standby to having entered a simple lunch appointment. We repeat this test 5 times and then take the average. The Treo 750 took an average of 6.76 seconds to add a new appointment. We found it fastest to scroll down to the calendar plug-in on the Today screen to launch the calendar program. Then, you open the menu with the left soft key and hit the select key to launch a new appointment interface.

Compared to other devices the Treo 750’s 6.76 second average was extremely fast. The Blackberry 8703e took 11.1 seconds, while the Treo 700p took 12.2 seconds. We were very pleased with the Treo 750’s performance in creating new appointments.
           
Calendar Views (5.4)
The Treo 750 provides you with five different calendar views, including agenda, day, week, month, and year. The agenda view is a simple list of all the appointment for the given day in chronological order. Each appointment lists the subject and time. By default, no indicators for things like recurrence and reminders, however, you can turn these on in the calendar options.

   

The day view shows a full day in one hour blocks with appointments in white blocks covering the hours they are scheduled for. Again, icons are not shown by default. On thing we did not like was that up and down on the D-Pad does not move from time slot to time slot but rather pages up and down. This means you have to touch the screen to open an appointment.

The week view shows a 5 day week that starts on Sunday. Both of these can be changed in the options. On the left hand side are the hours of the day. Left and right moves you between days while up and down moves between weeks. This requires that you use the touch screen to move the slider up/down to view earlier or later hours.

The month view shows 6 full weeks. Days with appointments are indicated with a small triangle in the lower left corner, while days with all day events have a box around the triangle. Up and down moves the view up or down one week while left and right move the view a month at a time. In order to select a day, you must again use the touch screen.

The year view shows 6 months at a time, up and down moves you forward or back 3 months at a time. There are no indicators to show that a day has an appointment listed. All views can be filtered based on categories, which we liked, however we think it’s rather wasted on the yearly view as there is no information about appointments present. We did like that once you set a filter it applied to all the views however. Overall, we found the agenda view to be the most useful. The other views were of limited utility, mostly because you cannot navigate them easily using the controls.

Fields (10.0)
There are 13 fields available for calendar appointments. These include basics that you would expect from a smart phone like location and categories, but it also includes some more advanced items like inviting contacts to an appointment. We were also pleased to see a notes field included. Overall, we found the fields on the Treo 750’s calendar program to be fully featured. The only major item we would have liked to see is the ability to set a time zone as you can on the Blackberry 8703e.

To Do/Tasks

Adding ToDo/Task (5.92)
To test how easy it is to add a task to a phone, we time how long it takes to go from standby to having added a simple task. We repeat this procedure 5 times and take the average. The Treo 750 took an average of 16.9 seconds to complete this process. Although not much worse than the Blackberry 8703’s 15.8 second average, it is significantly worse than the Treo 700p’s 12.9 second average. The Treo 750 is hurt by the fact that there is no quick shortcut to tasks available by default. Instead, you must go into the programs menu to launch the application. You may be able to shorten this time by adding the tasks plugin to the 750’s Today screen under options.

ToDo/Task Sorting and Prioritizing (7.0)
The tasks program on the Treo 750 allows you to filter your views by category or to view only active or completed tasks. You can also assign priority to tasks and sort them by priority. We were pleased with the sorting and prioritizing options on the Treo 750, they are comparable to those found on other smart business devices like the Blackberry 8703e.

Fields (9.0)
The Treo 750’s task program contains 10 fields. These include basic fields like title, start and end dates, but also more advanced fields like recurrence, reminders, and categories. The 750 also includes the ability to set your task status, which is a nice feature that is also found on the Blackberry 8703e. We wish however that you could also set a time zone for your tasks as is possible on the 8703e.

Notes

Adding Notes (4.29)          
To test how easy it is to add a note to a phone we time how long it takes to go from standby to creating a new note with the text: lunch 12pm tomorrow. We repeat this procedure 5 times and take the average. The Treo 750 took an average of 11.65 seconds to create our test note. We were slowed by the fact that we needed to go to the programs menu in order to launch then notes applications. On the other hand, we were helped because the 750’s auto complete feature helped us type out the word “tomorrow”. In this case, the Treo 750 comes in behind both the Blackberry 8703e’s 11.1 second time and the Treo 700p’s very good 8.3 second time.

Note Interface (3.0)
The notes program on the Treo 750 does not allow you to categorize your notes, meaning that you cannot filter your view either. Notes are organized in a simple alphabetical list. You cannot search through your notes. The left soft key on the interface is mapped to start a new note dialogue, while the right soft key opens up a menu where you can do simple tasks like deleting, copying, emailing, or beaming a note. Overall, we were not impressed by the interface, it is very basic and does not offer many advanced features. There are several third party options available if you want a more robust notes client.

Note Formatting (2.0)
The Treo 750’s notes program does not provide many formatting options. You cannot bold, italicize, or underline text, nor can you change the font. You can however change the zoom level using the left soft key menu. You can also hand draw items into notes using the touch screen on the 750. To do this simply choose draw from the left soft key menu. We were not impressed with the formatting options on the notes applications, although we did like the ability to use free hand though, this is missing from the Treo 700p.

Voice Memo (2.0)
The Treo 750 allows you to create voice memos inside the notes application. You can add a voice note to any existing note by activating the recording toolbar on from the left soft key menu. You can also create a stand alone voice memo by again activating the recording toolbar, this time in the main notes interface. The controls on the recording toolbar must be managed via the touchscreen, which we feel is a rather clunky interface and doesn’t work well for people that just want to create a quick voice reminder that they can check later. You can send voice notes via email but not via MMS. We were not impressed by the voice note functionality on the Treo 750, we feel that other phones like the those running the Series 60 software have a much more straightforward and usable interface. Because the Treo 750 runs Windows Mobile 5, an extensible operating system, you can install third party programs to better meet your voice memo needs.

[page title="Multimedia"]Music and MP3

Accessing Music Software (4.59)
To test how easy it is to access your music, we time how long it takes to go from standby to playing a song in the music program. We configure the music program to point at our test album. The Treo 750 took an average of 4.36 seconds to get a song playing. This is an average score, worse than the Treo 700p’s 3.1 seconds but slightlly better than the LG Chocolate, which took 4.73 seconds on average. The 750 is  helped by the fact that the shortcut key on the left side of the phone is assigned to Windows Media Player by default. Note thought that this process can be significantly longer when storing your music on your storage card as every time you relaunch Windows Media Player Mobile you need to manually point to the library on the storage card as opposed to on the handset. This isn't a problem if you just let the program run in the background on a regular basis.

Dedicated Music Controls (4.0)
The Treo 750 does not provide any dedicated keys for controlling your music while it plays in the background apart from the volume keys, which are simply controlling universal volume. As a business device, this is not functionality that we would expect to see out of the 750, still it would have been nice. Shortcut key on side mapped to Windows Media Player.

Music Software Functionality and Organization (4.2)
The Treo 750 uses Windows Media Player for music playback. This software does support playlists imported from Windows Media Player on the desktop, however, it does not support standard .pls playlists, nor does it allow you to create and manage playlists on your device. Windows Media Player will recognize standard idv3 tags from Mp3 files, and also recognizes windows media tags. Unfortunately, it does not recognize tags from AAC files created in iTunes.

   

You can browse your music by title, artist, album, or genre. Windows Media Player did not recognize our album art; however, it should support album art imported via Windows Media Player. You can also set a rating for music. You can easily search your device and add media files to your library automatically and as a multi-tasking operating system you can listen to music in the background. Unfortunately, there is no equalizer. Overall, we found Windows Media Player to provide good functionality. We liked it better than the Treo 700p. If you are looking for more functionality, there are an array of third party solutions. We suggest you take a look at Coreplayer.

Online Song Downloading (0.0)
The Treo 750 does not support any online song download services. It should be noted that as of the time of this writing Cingular does not offer any over-the-air music downloads.

Streaming (2.0)
The Treo 750 using Windows Media Player Mobile was only able to stream using the Windows Media standard. We were unable to play streaming audio using either Mp3 or Real audio. We were not surprised that Real Audio was not supported, but we would have very much liked support for standard Mp3 streaming. The Treo 700p was able to handle both Mp3 and Windows Media streaming audio.

Podcast Support (0.0)
The Treo 750 does not include any Podcast download or organization software. At this time, the only major smart phone platform that has this available natively is Series 60’s excellent podcast client.

Music Sync with PC (7.0)
The Treo 750 can synchronize your music with Windows Media Player on a PC. It does not support iTunes, for obvious reasons. Windows Media Player synchronization is handled via activesync and can place your selected playlists directly onto your memory card every time you synchronize with your PC. Music synchronization with a Mac is not supported natively, but it can be achieved through third party software.

Music Formats and DRM (5.0)
The Treo 750 using Windows Media Player Mobile is able to play WMA, AAC, Mp3 and Wav files. It does not support Real or Org Vorbis. In addition, the 750 supports files protected with Microsoft’s PlaysForSure DRM. It does not support files that are encoded with Apple’s Fairplay DRM. The Treo 700p did not support any type of DRM out of the box.

Music Interruption (9.0)
Windows Media Player Mobile on the Treo 750 pauses music automatically when you receive or make a call. When the call is over, music will resume from the point at which it previously paused. We did find a small lag before the music started playing again. The 750 did not handle this as cleanly as the Treo 700p, but only just barely.

Video

Video Software Access (2.91)
To test how easy it is to access video on a phone, we time how long it takes to go from standby to a playing a video. The media software is configured to point to our test video. The Treo 750 uses the same Windows Media Player Mobile to play music and video, however the video access score time was longer due to the fact that we had to navigate more to get to our video file and the program took longer to load it. The Treo 750 took an average of 6.88 seconds to launch a video. This is a poor score, significantly slower than the Treo 700p, which took 5 seconds, but still faster than the Motorola Q’s 8.6 seconds.   Just as with music you will need to manually navigate to the libarary on your storage card if that is where you store your video, which will add even more time to the 750's already long average.

Video Controls (9.0)
The Windows Media Player Mobile on the Treo 750 provides a good array of controls for video playback via the D-Pad and soft keys. It also allows you to reconfigure the controls to suit your own needs. The select key on the D-Pad controls Play/Pause, left and right move to the next and previous video in the playlists and act as fast forward and rewind when held down. The left soft key takes you to your currently playing up and down control volume. All other controls are accessed via the touchscreen or the left soft key menu.
           
Video Software & Organization (6.0)
The Treo 750 uses Windows Media Player Mobile to manage and playback video. As such, the music software functionality and organization section will also provide you a good idea of how it handles. Windows Media Player Mobile automatically updates your library by searching your device; you can initiate this via the left soft key. As with music, you can give videos ratings. The software also supports full screen viewing, although because of the Treo 750’s square screen videos will usually show a letterbox effect in full screen. Compared to the Treo 700p, where the only video software was that used by the album to play back videos you took, the 750’s video software is a big step up. We also like the functionality better than the Real Player that is included with Series 60 devices. In particular, the library management is significantly better. The 750 recieves a better score for video than for music because the competition has set the bar lower in this area.

Video organization on the Treo 750 is very similar to the music organization as they both use Windows Media Player Mobile. You can scan your device to find compatible video files. You can either view all your videos or view them by genre. You cannot search for videos using Windows Media Player Mobile. You can play video in the background. There is support for playlists imported from the desktop version of Windows Media Player, but you cannot create playlists on the device. Compared to the extremely basic video organization software found on the Treo 700p or the poor video organization on Series 60 devices the 750 does very well. That being said we would have liked to see more advanced options, such as choosing between movies and TV shows for example.

Video Sync with PC (7.0)
As with audio, you can synchronize video content with your PC using the desktop version of Windows Media Player and Activesync. You can also synchronize copy protected software such as that bough from Amazon’s Unboxed video store. You cannot synchronize video from iTunes. Compared to other phones where there is no synchronization support, we are quite pleased with the video sync capabilities of the Treo 750.

Video Formats (5.0)
The Treo 750 was able to play back all 3 of our 3GP encoded files as well as our test MP4 and Windows Media Video file. It was not able to play back Flash, Quicktime, or Real Media encoded files. We were pleased with the range of video formats that the 750 was able to handle using Windows Media Player Mobile. This is better than the Treo 700p which only has very basic video software on board.

Video DRM (5.0)
The Treo 750 is able to play back video with Windows Media DRM encoding, such as that sold by Amazon.com’s Unboxed store. It is not able to play back DRM encoded iTunes or Real video. Video DRM has not become widespread aside from iTunes, but it’s nice to see that you have some options with the 750. The Treo 700p does not support any video DRM formats.

Video Playback Smoothness (10.0)
To test video playback smoothness we attempt to play 5 test files ranging from 48 kbps to 768 kbps. We judge how smoothly each clip plays back. The Treo 750 was able to play back each of these five files smoothly and easily, even in full screen mode. This, is much better than the Treo 700p which ran into problems at 360 kbps.

Online Video Downloading (0.0)
The Treo 750 does not support any online video downloading services out of the box.

Video Streaming (unscored)
We do not score streaming video because there the formats available are not standardized yet. We do however test some streaming video sites to see how handsets handle them. The Treo 750 was not able to stream 3GP video from zoovision.com, but it was able to handle Windows Media encoded streaming video from windowsmedia.com. We were disappointed by the inability to stream 3GP video, but again because formats are so varied we cannot draw any definitive conclusions from this.

[page title="Software"]OS (8.5)
The Palm Treo 750 runs Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition. Windows Mobile is one of the major smart phone operating systems on the market. Like almost all current smart phone operating systems, Windows Mobile 5 does have some stability issues. If you demand a lot from it in terms of multitasking or install many third party programs, you may see some stability issues or slowing in responsiveness. A soft reset usually addresses these issues, and most average users will not see many problems.

Despite this, Windows Mobile has come a long way in the past few years and now provides users with a range of business and multimedia functionality as well as much more flexibility than you would get on a regular cell phone. Most of the applications that we discuss in this review are standard for Windows Mobile. Some have been enhanced by Palm, and when this is the case, we mention it.

Getting around Windows Mobile 5 is fairly straight forward. Your favorite applications are listed in the Start menu, which can always be accessed by tapping on the upper left corner of the screen or by using the hardware key on the 750. Applications can be minimized by tapping on the X or OK that appears on the top left of application screens, or again by using the dedicated hardware keys. These dedicated hardware keys make navigating through Windows Mobile very simple on the Treo 750.

We award a standard set of points to all Windows Mobile devices. Any improvements that result from Palm enhancements are awarded in the specific section to which they apply.

Home Screen Score (9.0)
The Today screen in Windows Mobile is meant to be the center of your smart phone experience. Unlike many regular phones where you can only change the shortcut keys, or even a smart device like the Treo 700p where the home screen is simply a list of applications, the Windows Mobile today screen attempts to provide you with pertinent information from important applications, as well as shortcuts and other useful services. It is also very customizable, allowing you to turn plugins on and off or install new ones to meet your needs.

    

Palm has taken advantage of the Windows Mobile Today screen’s flexibility to add a great deal of functionality to the Treo 750. In addition to standard Windows Mobile plug-ins that allow you to view information from and access programs like you calendar, mail and tasks Palms has added several of their own plug-ins. These include a speed dial plugin that allows you to add speed dials directly to the home screen. These speed dials can either appear as buttons on screen or you can use contact photos if you have them.

Palm has also added a plug-in that allows you to dial phone numbers directly from the home screen. You can simply begin typing out a phone number or a contact’s name to look up their number. Palm has also added a search bar that allows you to easily enter in a query and launch a Google search directly from your home page. Finally, Palm has assigned the left soft key on the home screen to a menu that gives you access to several useful functions, like managing your home screen options, speed dials and opening your contacts. If you don’t want all of this functionality you can just turn off all the plug-ins and leave yourself with a clean and simple home screen.

The combination of an already powerful and flexible home screen interface via the Windows Mobile Today screen together with Palm’s enhancements make this one of the best home screens we have seen on a phone.

Extensibility (6.0)
The Palm Treo 750 runs Windows Mobile 5, a smart phone operating system that is one of the most extensible on the market today. Although different in interface, it is similar to the Nokia E62’s S60 OS and the Blackberry 8703e’s Palm OS in that there are hundreds of third party applications available for you to install. One caveat however is that the Treo 750 uses a square screen, while most Windows Mobile devices have traditionally used a 3:4 orientation screen. While many programs have now been updated to work on the square screen, you may find that some older programs have not. You will also find that fewer games are available for square screens. We also noted that Palm choose not to include a Java midlet manager, meaning that you will not be able to download and use Java games and programs such as Opera Mini or Google maps.

Despite these limitations however, the Treo 750 is head and shoulders above regular phones in terms of extensibility. The catalogue of applications that will work on the Treo is still larger than the total number of applications available for the Blackberry platform, albeit not as large as the total number of Windows Mobile 5 applications.

Customizability (8.0)
As a smart phone the Treo 750 has a range of options available to customize your experience on the device. You can change the look of the phone with themes, 3 are available on the device by default but many more can be purchased or downloaded for free from the internet. You can also globally change how large text is, although you cannot change the font type. As we’ve discussed, you have a multitude of options for changing the look and functionality on your home screen. You can also use any photo on the device as a home screen background.

If you don’t like the programs that are listed in the Start menu by default, you can change those. You can change which sounds are played or not played for most events on the phone, and you can change your regional settings if you live in a different part of the world than the United States. Finally, because Windows Mobile 5 is an extensible operating system, you can install third party programs that can significantly change the look and feel of the device. Compared to regular phones, the options to customize the look and feel of your Treo 750 are much better. Even compared to smart devices like the Treo 700p or the Blackberry 8703e, the 750 is slightly ahead due to the customizability of the home screen.

OS Responsivness (6.0)
Windows Mobile 5 on the Palm Treo 750 does OK in terms of responsiveness. For the most part, you will not notice significantly lag, but you will notice small pauses the first time a program is launched or if you have many applications running at the same time. This can become even more noticeable if you have processor intensive tasks like video running. Compared to the Treo 700p running Palm OS and the Blackberry 8703e running Blackberry’s OS, two of the most responsive smart phones we have ever used, the 750 does lag behind a bit. We did find though that it performed slightly better than other Windows Mobile devices like the Cingular 8525. We are not sure if this is due to hardware issues or a result of Palm’s enhancements, but we did notice that the 750 had more free RAM than we would normally see on a Windows Mobile 5 device.

Gaming (4.3)
The Palm Treo 750 ships with Bubble Breaker and Solitaire. These are fully featured versions of the games, which we appreciate and are distracting enough that you can kill an hour train ride by playing one or the other. As we mentioned above, the range of games available for the Palm Treo 750 is less than other Windows Mobile 5 devices due to the square screen. That being said, we were still able to find 149 games for the Treo 750 on Handango.com. Unfortunately, due to the lack of a Java midlet manager you will not be able to install and play Java games. The controls on the Treo 750 are average for gaming. The large directional pad and soft keys make moving around and accessing functions fairly easy. Many games for Windows Mobile require you to interact with the touch screen, and in this case, the smaller screen resolution on the 750 does make for a slightly more cramped interface. Overall, we felt the 750 was an average gaming platform, nowhere near the functionality available from a Nokia N-Gage but better than the Blackberry 8703e or the Razr V3m.

Browser Features (8.0)
Internet Explorer Mobile on the Palm Treo 750 offers good functionality for a mobile web browser. It supports WAP and HTML, as well as Javascript. Images, encryption, frames and cookies are also supported. You can save images found on web pages to your device; however you cannot save an entire web page. More advanced features such as automatic RSS feed management, password management, and auto fill for fields are not available in Internet Explorer Mobile. Neither is Flash, although a plug-in is available free from Adobe. Although we were pleased with the range of functionality available, Internet Explorer Mobile does not offer many of the advanced features available from the excellent Series 60 web browser or third party products like Opera.

Browsing Interface (6.5)
Internet Explorer Mobile on the Palm Treo 750 offers a good range of interface options. Web pages can be rendered in three different ways, desktop lets you view the pages as you would see it on your desktop, but requires a significant amount of scrolling to get around. The default view organizes information from the web site into columns, while single column view organizes information into a single column that fits within one screen width. You can choose from five zoom levels that change the size of text on your screen. You move around the screen using the directional pad, which moves from link to link. You an also use the scroll bar on the touch screen to move up or down. One Palm optimization is that holding down the option key and pressing up/down will page up and down. Option left will move you to the top of the page, while open right moves you to the bottom.

You history is organized into a simple chronological list of the web sites you have visited. History is saved between sessions and you can set how many days of history are saved in your options. Bookmarks can be organized into folders and edited after you have created them. One small issue that we noticed is that unlike the smartphone version of Windows Mobile 5, you cannot change a bookmark’s folder once it has been saved. Bookmarks are organized alphabetically, and you can jump directly to a letter by hitting the appropriate key on the QWERTY keyboard. You cannot search through your history or bookmarks.

The left soft key will take you to favorites if you have just opened the browser, otherwise it acts as the back key. The left soft key opens a menu that gives you access to browser functions and settings. Inside the options, you can change you home screen, history, and security settings. You can also clear out your history, cache, or cookies manually.

More advanced features like tabbed browsing or viewing a full view of the website and then zooming in like the Series 60 browser are not supported. Overall, we found the interface of Internet Explorer Mobile to be well thought out and fairly easy to get around. One thing we would have liked to see in the single column view  is the option to use up/down to move between links while left/right pages up or down as Opera Mini allows you to.

Browser Access Speed (8.0)
To test how easy it is to access the browser, we count the number of steps required to launch or website. We choose to use steps rather than a timed test because network conditions could have a significant impact on a timed test. Entering the URL is counted as one step. The Palm Treo 750 took 5 steps to reach our website. This is the same as the Treo 700p but better than the Blackberry 8703e’s 7 steps. We were helped by the fact that when we open the Start menu to launch Internet Explorer Mobile, we can simply hit the “I” key as a shortcut, rather than navigating to it with the directional pad. We were also helped by the fact that the browser launches with the address bar highlighted, ready for us to type in our web address.

Calculator (6.0)
The calculator on the Palm Treo 750 is better than that found on most regular phones, offering a few advanced features like square root and percentages in addition to basic arithmetic functions. It was able to handle each of our test formulas without problem. We liked the fact that the keypad and basic functions are automatically mapped to their equivalents on the 750’s keyboard. We found the calculators on the Blackberry 8703e and Treo 700p offered more functions however, including some advanced features like metric conversions.

Alarm (8.0)
The alarm on the Palm Treo 750 is part of the clock program You can set up to 3 different alarms, they can each be turned on or off and can go off on the specific days of the week that you assign. You can also set the sound to be used for the alarm, whether it will repeat, turn vibration on or off and set the screen to flash when it goes off. We found the alarm features on the Treo 750 to be significantly better than the Blackberry 8703e where you can only set a single daily alarm.

Document Software (6.0)
As a smart phone, the Palm Treo 750 allows you to both view and edit popular office documents. Word Mobile and Excel Mobile allow you to both view and edit Word and Excel documents, with a  good range of features, albeit not as good as those found on the desktop. Powerpoint mobile allows you to only view powerpoint presentations. Windows Mobile 5 does not include a PDF viewer by default, but Palm has included the Picsel PDF Viewer to meet this need. Overall, we were very happy to see the range of office document software available, the Blackberry 8703e only allows you to view documents that are attached to emails. The Treo 700p does include an excellent document viewer and editor, which is able to edit Powerpoint presentations, however the 700p is not able to view standard PDF documents, requiring that you convert them on your desktop first.

   

Points are per format, 1 if the software can view that format (but not edit it), and 2 if it can be edited in a way that preserves the format of the document. Think about it this way: if the software allows you to view a file (but not change it), it gets 1. But if you can open a file, make changes and then send it back to someone so that they can see the changes and continue to edit it themselves, it gets 2

Additional Software (2.0)
In addition to the software discussed above, Windows Mobile 5 and Palm include additional software including a nice Tour that helps you get started with your device and a Terminal Services Client for those who need advanced access to their server. We decided to award additional points for two pieces of software. The first is the file explorer that comes standard with Windows Mobile 5. File explorer allows you to look at all the files on your device and manage them just as you would on your computer at home. For example, you can easily move a folder from your device to your storage card or copy a song from your music folder to the rings folder in order to use it as a ringtone. Windows Mobile 5 also includes a search function that allows you to search for files on your device. Although the interface is not as nice as the search feature found on the Blackberry 8703e or the Nokia E50, it is nice to have this available if you simply can’t find what you are looking for.

[page title="Battery Life"]Call Time (4.76)
To measure battery performance during calls we make a call to the phone using skype and then play an audio book over the connection to simulate speech. We then time how long the phone lasts before it shuts down. The Palm Treo 750 came in right at the manufacturer’s stated talk time of 4 hours, lasting 3 hours and 58 minutes in our test. This is slightly below the Treo 700p’s talk time of 4 hours and 15 minutes, this despite the fact that the battery in the 750 is roughly two thirds the size of the 700p’s battery. The Blackberry 8703e did significantly better at 5 hours and 23 minutes. 4 hours of talk time is near the bottom of what we would find acceptable from a business oriented phone like the 750. We wish that Palm could have squeezed a slightly higher capacity battery in. Extra and extended batteries are available for the 750, although the extended battery adds significant bulk to the handset. It should be noted that our test was run while the Treo was connected to Cingular’s 3G network, you may be able to get more talk time if you are in a 2G only coverage area or if you change the phone settings to only use 2G.

Music Playback (11.08)
To test battery performance when playing music, we loop an album and then time how long it takes for the device to power down. All settings are left to their default, so in the case of the Treo 750 the screen did eventually shut itself off while music played in the background. The Palm Treo 750 lasted a very impressive 15 hours and 23 minutes. By contrast the Palm Treo 700p lasted 8 hours and 8 minutes and the Motorola Q only 5 hours and 25 minutes. We were very pleased with the music playback score for the Treo 750. The long battery life combined with a high capacity MiniSD card make the 750 a solid music device in addition to a good business phone.

Web Browsing (3.66)
To test how long a phone lasts when browsing the web we point the browser at a website that refreshes itself automatically every 10 seconds. We make sure that the screen does not go off either through settings or manually. The Treo 750 lasted 3 hours and 3 minutes in our web browsing test. This is an extremely poor score and is most likely caused by a combination of battery intensive 3G data along and the smaller 1200 mAh battery. By contrast the Treo 700p on Sprint's EVDO network lasted almost a full hour loner in our web browsing test, reflecting the much larger 1900 mAh battery.

Idle Time (not included in rubric)
In the interest of ensuring timely reviews, we did not test the Palm Treo 750’s standby time. The manufacturer’s rated standby time is 10 days 10 hours.

[page title="Connectivity"]Cellular Bands (8.0)
The Palm Treo 750 is GSM quad-band phone that supports GSM 850/900/1800/1900 bands. This means that the phone can be used anywhere in the world where GSM is supported, which means most of the world. Being a world device is a nice feature for a business oriented phone that might be used by business people that travel extensively. Points in this section are awarded on a standardized basis depending upon the bands that are supported.

Data Support Score (6.0)
As a GSM phone, the Palm Treo 750 supports both 2G data technologies such as GPRS and EDGE, as well as the newer and faster 3G UMTS standard. UMTS should allow you to reach average data speeds of between 300 – 400 kbps in good coverage areas. Unfortunately, the Palm Treo 750 does not support the much faster upgrade to UMTS known as HSDPA. HSDPA devices like the Samsung Blackjack and Cingular 8525 can reach average speeds of between 800 and 1000 kbps. One nice feature of the Treo 750 is that it is one of the few phones that will support 3G data on both the 850/1900 bands used by Cingular and the 2100 band used globally. This means that world travelers can take their phone overseas and still get 3G data, although we would hate to get your cell phone bill. The Cingular 8525 also supports overseas 3G, but the Samsung Blackjack does not. UMTS is slightly slower on average than the EVDO provided by devices like the Blackberry 8703e or the Treo 700p. Our score for data support is standardized based on the technologies and bands supported.

Bluetooth (5.5)
The Palm Treo 700p supports Bluetooth 1.2. This one version behind the latest 2.0 standard and does not support multiple simultaneous connections. In our test pairing using a Bluetooth headset, we had no problems initiating a partnership using the Bluetooth wizard on the 750. We were not able to obtain a definitive list of the profiles supported by the Treo 750, however based on our testing at the least is supports serial port, headset, hands free and dial up networking. It also supports A2DP and AVRCP profiles for using stereo Bluetooth headphones as well as controlling your music using the headphone controls. We were pleased with the functionality of the Bluetooth software on the Treo 750.

WiFi (0.0)
The Palm Treo 750 does not support Wi-Fi. This is a feature that Palm users have been hoping to see for some time, and it was a disappointment that the 750 does not include it. It is likely that carrier concerns about customers using Wi-Fi as an alternative to their data networks played a part in Palm’s decision. Still, for an expensive high-end smart phone like the Treo 750, we find it disappointing that this technology has been left out.     

Infrared (7.0)
The Palm Treo 750 does support infrared, providing short range line of sight data transfer between compatible devices. Infrared seems to be on its way out, however, its nice to see on a business device like the 750 as there are still a lot of legacy devices out there that support this wireless technology.

[page title="Hardware"]Keypad

Text  Words Per Minute (8.8)
To test how easy it is to type on the Palm Treo 750’s keyboard, we calculated how long it took to type a sample piece of text using the notepad application and two hands. We repeated this test 5 times and used the average to calculate the word per minute score. The Treo 750 took an average of 21.89 seconds to type out our sample text. This works out to 43.8 words per minutes. This is an excellent score and is comparable to the Blackberry 8703e’s 41.9 words per minute. The Treo 700p (38.5 WPM) and the Motorola Q (39.6 WPM) come in just behind the 750 and the 8703e. We did find the keyboard on the 750 to be slightly cramped, so those with large hands may find it less usable.

T9 and Auto Complete (5.0)
The Treo 750 supports auto complete when typing, a nice feature that can help you get past those longer words like “tomorrow”. We were glad to see this feature as it is missing from both the Treo 700p and the Blackberry 8703e. Suggested words will pop up automatically as you type, you can select the word simply by hitting the space bar.

One OR Two Hand Usability (5.0)
For the sake of completeness, we always do our words per minute test using one hand as well to give readers a feeling for how big the drop off is between one and two handed use. Again we timed how long it took to enter a sample piece of text and took the average from 5 repetitions. The Treo 750 took an average of 38.71 seconds to enter our sample text one handed. This works out to 24.8 words per minutes, a drop of over 40% from our score using two hands. We see significant drops like this with QWERTY keyboard often, for example the 8703e went from 41.9 to 25.8 words per minutes. Using T9 on the Motorola Razr is faster than using the Treo 750 keyboard one handed.

Keypad Backlighting (4.0)
The Treo 750’s keypad backlighting clearly illuminated the primary and secondary functions of the keys. The keypad backlight is set to go off automatically go off after 10 seconds without a key press. The only way to turn it back on is to hit a key again. You cannot change the time out period. The brightness of the backlight is linked to the screen brightness. This setting can be changed in options or can be accessed easily through a keyboard shortcut (option + P). Unfortunately, there was not light sensor to automatically adjust the backlighting and no way to adjust keyboard backlighting separately from the screen.

Controls

D-Pad/Joystick (8.0)
The directional pad on the Treo 750 is very similar to the Treo 700p. It is squared off a little more, but otherwise, you still get the large center dimple for actions surrounded by a raised directional pad. The raised edges are particularly helpful as they provide good tactile feedback and help you avoid mistaken presses. Compared to the directional pad on the Razr V3m, which is completely flat, the Treo 705’s directional pad is much more usable. It is also positions very comfortably to be used one-handed and is in easy reach of all the other control keys.

Touch Screen (6.0)
As with other Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phones the Treo 750 has a touch screen. We found the screen to be fairly responsive and accurate when using the included stylus. The interface was not meant to be used with a finger however, with some Palm specific exceptions such as the speed dial buttons on the home screen. The small physical size of the screen is also a limitation on how usable the touch screen is with a finger, although it does come in handy, for example when moving items about.

Jog Dial (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not have a jog dial. Jog dials like those found on the Blackberry 8703e or the Motorola Q allow you to quickly scroll through lists, and this makes them ideal for moving between emails for example.

Soft Button (8.0)
The Treo 750’s two soft key flank the D-Pad and sit just beneath the associated functions on the screen. The soft keys are elongated and very easy to find by feel. When pressed you receive solid tactile feedback, however the click is not very audible. We would have liked to see the keys be a little thicker, however overall we found them very easy to use.

Volume Control (7.5)
The volume control on the Treo 750 is found on the left side of the device near the top. It is a silver plastic rocker switch. The key is large and easy to find by feel; up and down are easy to differentiate due to the notch that separates them. You do have to shift your hold when using the device one handed in order to access them, but this also helps keep mistaken presses to a minimum.

Power and Standby (6.0)
As we stated previously, there is no power key on the Treo 750 that turns it off completely. The end key does double-duty as a standby key, however, when you press it on the home screen. When you are not on the home screen, it will take you back there directly, meaning that you need to press the key twice from an application in order to put your device into standby. This is different than the 700p where the key will put you into standby anywhere you are at. We prefer the 700p’s approach, especially considering that the talk key will also take you back to the home screen from an application, meaning there is little need for the end key to do the same. It is however very well positioned for easy access.

Other Buttons (7.0)
In addition to the keys we’ve already discussed, the Treo 750 has two keys dedicated for use with Windows Mobile 5. These are the Start and OK keys that flank the directional pad. The Start key will open the Start Menu wherever you are on the device, giving you access to a list of customizable applications. The OK key minimizes the application or window you are on, or in rare cases will dismiss a dialogue. The presence of these keys makes the interface much easier to navigate one handed. In addition, both these keys can be customized to new functions and have secondary functions. In the case of the Start key, the secondary function is accessed by holding down the keyboard option key and then hitting the Start key. This makes it of little use when you are working one handed. The OK key however activates its secondary option when you press and hold it, making it very accessible. By default, the Start key’s secondary optio