Palm Treo 750 Cell Phone Review - Tour & Design
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 17, 2007 Comment on this |
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Front Closed
From the front the Treo 750 retains much of the Treo look, with a large 2.4” diagonal screen at 240 x 240 pixel resolution. Above the screen, you will find Palm and Cingular logos flanking the phone speaker. To the left of the speaker is a single LED. Below the screen are the control keys for the 750, a large directional pad flanked by two soft keys, Start and OK buttons as well as send and end keys. Below the control keys is a very standard Treo QWERTY keyboard.
Left
The left side of the device houses a volume rocker key near the top and a single programmable shortcut key. This key is assigned to Windows Media Player by default and requires a long press to activate. The volume key is on a rocker switch.
Top
The top of the device houses a single switch that puts the phone into vibrate mode. This switch is a standard feature on Treos. Missing when compared to older Treo models is the SD card slot. You will also notice that the 750 does not have an antenna protruding from the top of the device. On the left side, you see the top of the stylus.
Bottom
The bottom of the Treo 750 houses, from left to right, a standard 2.5mm headset/headphone port, Palm’s proprietary Multi-Connector for data connections to a PC, a proprietary charging port, and the phone’s microphone. We would have liked to have seen Palm go with a more standard Mini USB port, but for now, Palm has decided to stay with their legacy port.
Right
The right side of the devices houses an infrared window near the top for short range line of sight data communication and below it the memory card slot. Unlike previous Treo’s, the 750 uses MiniSD cards instead of full sized SD cards. Just below the memory card slot is a switch that can be triggered with the stylus to perform a soft reset. The memory card slot and reset switch are protected by a hard plastic cover that is connected to the body of the phone and sits flush when closed.
Back
The back of the Treo 750 is covered in a dark blue, soft touch paint, an update from the hard plastic that was found on previous Treos. The bottom two-thirds of the back are taken up by the cover for the battery. Near the bottom, you will find a release switch, while just above the battery cover is the Cingular logo. Above the Cingular logo is a silver plastic casing that holds the Treo’s speakerphone on the right and the 1.3 megapixel camera lens and self portrait mirror on the right. At the top left is the cover for the external antenna port, and on the top right, you see the top of the stylus.
Battery Out
The Treo 750 sports a 750 mAh battery, a step down from the 1900 mAh battery used in previous Treos. Below the battery, you will find a slot for your SIM card. As a GSM world phone, the Treo 750 will work on any GSM network worldwide. It also sports Tri-Band UMTS, meaning it will work on both North American and Global 3G networks.
In the Box (4.5)
The Treo 750 ships with a good selection of accessories. In addition to manuals, you will find a CD loaded with Microsoft’s Activesync software as well as Outlook 2002 for managing your personal information on your desktop and some extras. There is a wall charger, a USB cable for connections to your computer, and a stereo headset for listening to music and hands-free use. You also get a stylus for the phone and a Palm screen protector.
Handling (5.0)
Most of the Treo 750’s differentiation from earlier Treo models comes on the exterior. We found that the addition of soft touch paint, lighter weight, and the increased curvature of the edges made the device easier to hold in the hand than Treo 700p. That being said, it is still a large device for a phone, and when texting or holding it up to your head for extended periods, it can weigh you down. The Treo 750 is roughly the same size in terms of dimensions as other smart phones like the Cingular 8525 or the Nokia N95.
Portability (4.0)
The Treo 750 measure 4.44” x 2.3” x .8” and weighs in at 5.4 ounces. This is slightly thinner and significantly shorter (when you take the antenna into account) than the Treo 700p. It is also almost a full ounce lighter than the 700p. This does make the device more portable. It is also slightly easier to fit into a pocket and doesn’t weigh you down as much. However, the device is still fairly large for a phone. It’s certainly not as portable as phones like the Razr V3m or the LG Chocolate.
Aesthetic (5.0)
The Treo 750 has improved somewhat over the 700p in terms of aesthetics. Although not a sexy device by any means, the dark blue, soft touch paint, internal antenna, and slightly slimmer profile make it a more attractive device in our opinion than the 700p. We think that business users will find it very professional looking, but those who want a fashion phone should probably look elsewhere.
Durability (8.0)
Like the Treo 700p, the Treo 750 feels like a well put together device. The lack of an antenna makes us feel more comfortable about its long term durability. We also like that there are no significant moving parts. The large screen is always a concern, and we suggest that you slap the screen protector included with the device onto the screen as soon as you get it open. The soft touch paint may also be prone to scratches, although we did not see any issues in our short term use. Although not quite up to the standard of the Blackberry 8703e, we do think the phone is fairly durable.
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