Why I ditched my Treo

As you might have already gathered, one of the benefits of working for CNET.com is that you get to try out a lot of the latest and greatest gear. But until a few months ago, when it came to wireless e-mail, I was a pretty old-school guy. I started using a Blackberry 957 when it first came out in 2001, and since it was working fine and I liked the keyboard, I stuck with it until the folks in our IT department told me the company's wireless e-mail system was no longer going support the 957. I had to move to a company-issued Treo 650.

While I'd tested out plenty of smart phones over the years, going to PDA-phone combo device full time was a bit of a shift. My communications arsenal had always consisted of a standalone wireless e-mail device--the Blackberry--and a small flip phone. And the truth is, even though I strongly believed in the concept of an all-in-one über-device that does everything, I'd put off actually buying one because I didn't think the ones I tested came close to being perfect enough for me to shell out between $400 and $500. For better or worse, when you're a tech "insider" and often get sneak peeks at products months in advance of their being released, it's hard to remain completely enamored with the current generation of products for very long.

To be fair, of course, the Treo 650 is not the latest and greatest Treo--though it's the most popular because of its affordable price tag--and I probably would have been happier with the Treo 700W, which offers the alluring combination of high-speed data support (EVDO) and a Windows Mobile OS platform that would allow me to stream video from my cable box using a Slingbox (currently, the SlingPlayer Mobile application runs only on Windows Mobile devices). But one of the complaints about the new Treos is that they aren't a huge advancement over the old Treos. On top of that, I've never been entirely thrilled with the Treo's design--particularly its keyboard--and I was disappointed with the battery life (I had to recharge almost daily), as well as with the sound quality of the phone. Lastly, I ran into problems when I tried to switch from one Bluetooth device to another (in the end, I was able to pair with nothing).

Frustrations mounted. In a matter of weeks, I was having a hard time understanding why all those hard-core Treo fans I'd encountered were so loyal to their beloved device. I was ready to dump this baby. Hard. And I thought I had the perfect replacement.

Its name was the Sprint PPC-6700 Pocket PC phone. It's a Windows Mobile smart phone made by HTC, the Taiwanese company that's made a name for itself as a contract manufacturer for Compaq's iPaq handhelds, among other devices--including, ironically, some Treo models. Verizon offers a very similar version--the UTStarcom XV6700--while Cingular and T-Mobile offer the 8125 and MDA, respectively, both of which work on GSM networks around the world--and lack the 6700's stubby antenna.

Available for several months, the PPC-6700 had just about everything I wanted--features-wise anyway. Not only does it support Sprint's new high-speed EVDO data network--an all-you-can eat plan adds only $15 a month to your bill--but it has built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a nifty slide-out keyboard, not to mention an incorporated camera that also captures video. The PPC-6700 isn't the slickest-looking smart phone on the market, and while the CNET.com review is positive, it's not exactly gushing. But I do like it better than my Treo, and its keyboard--which is oriented horizontally rather than vertically--is a lot roomier than either the Blackberry's or the Treo's. While some earlier bugs can be eliminated--and some functionality added--with a firmware upgrade, the phone still locks up from time to time, and the processor just isn't quite powerful enough to make navigating the phone's menus and launching applications as zippy an experience as it should be.

Of course, when it comes to smart-phone designs, the jury's still out, and tastes vary widely, with some people preferring the candy-bar-style design of the Treo and devices such as the Motorola Q, while others--including me--are more partial to devices with flip-out or hideaway keyboards similar to the ones found on the 6700 or the new Sidekick 3. Personally, I also favor touch screens over non-touch screens, largely because I find it easier to navigate Web pages (click links) with a stylus in hand. Yet at the same time, I like a good scroll wheel on the side of the phone such as the one found on Blackberry models and the resulting single-handed operation it enables.

In terms of functionality and design, the PPC-6700 is close to approaching ideal, but it's not quite there. Take the same phone and make it slimmer; give it longer battery life, a better camera, and a slightly more tactile keypad; and improve the quality of the voice experience; and HTC will have itself a real contender. (Photos of HTC's next-gen Hermes smart phone are circulating on the Web, but it's unclear when this model will be released in the United States.)

Don't get me wrong. I'm neither anti-Treo nor anti-Palm. I just think that with the arrival of Motorola's Q, not to mention slicker Blackberrys, Nokia's E61 Communicator (due out in the United States this fall), and next-gen HTC devices, Palm is going to have to step it up with more innovative designs and features in its high-end models if it wants to avoid having users ditch their Treo 650s for something other than a new Treo. And while I expect to see the company's long rumored "budget" Treo in stores before year's end, the Q is already edging down in price and making key inroads into that market segment. And with the worldwide market for wireless phones in the hundreds of millions, the stakes couldn't be higher.

What's the best smart phone you can buy, and why?