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"A few corrections..." on by Tinmania
Pros: Additional memory, EV-DO
Cons: Lack of Wi-Fi, miniscule OS "upgrade," same CPU as last two predecessors.
Summary: As of this writing, 1:30 AM 5/18/06, the CNET review contains a few errors that pertain to comparisons to other devices.
"Windows-based devices support only up to 320x240 pixels."
The above statement is false. Windows Mobile devices support far more than "320x240 pixels" (e.g., there are 480x640 WM devices). What they do not support is 320x320 resolution, thus the decision to go with 240x240, which is supported by WM.
"Yet another distinction is that the Palm Treo 700p is the first Treo to offer built-in dial-up networking capabilities (DUN)."
The above, too, is false. The Treo 650 was designed to support DUN via Bluetooth. Sprint's initial ROM didn't enable this feature, but a subsequent ROM upgrade--nearly a year ago--certainly did. As of this writing, the manual that ships with current Sprint Treo 650s explicitly detail how to do it. That same manual, again, as of this writing, is available on Sprint's Website as a PDF.
It bears mentioning, since this review is centered around Sprint's version of the Treo 700p, that users under older Vision plans (CDMA 1x) will be forced to move up to a "Power Vision" plan--even if they don't live in an EV-DO coverage area. Since Sprint did not overlay EV-DO in approximately 66% of its CDMA 1x coverage areas, many people will be affected by this.
Moreover, as many old--and plenty of not-so-old--Vision plans included such items as Picture Mail and text messaging, upgrading to a Power Vision device, including the Treo 700p, may end up costing the customer significantly more each month. In my case it would mean at least a $35 monthly increase (plus those never-ending taxes), though I cannot receive an EV-DO signal in my area. Even if I did live in an EV-DO coverage area, I'm not sure it would justify an additional $500 per year.
So, though I have tested a 700p, and indeed wouldn't mind upgrading from my current 650, I cannot see paying the extra monthly charges in order to do so.
Wake up Sprint: You can only nickel-and-dime customers up to a certain point. And penalizing loyal customers by forcing an unwanted, and in many cases unusable, Power Vision plan on them is not wise (the 700p is perfectly capable of being used in non EV-DO areas, it will merely use the CDMA 1x signal instead).
As far as Palm goes, they probably did the best they could with the current state of the Palm OS, which is now owned by the company Access. Adding Wi-Fi to the current version of Garnet (Palm OS 5), on a *phone* device, has proven to be quirky and unreliable. I see no reason why a ..1 OS version increase (it went from version 5.4.8 to version 5.4.9) would change that.
In addition no Palm OS 6 (Cobalt) device has ever been released, and it's quite likely that none will. So Palm cannot be faulted for not including it on the 700p. Access has already announced the direction they are taking the Palm OS, and Cobalt is not apart it. ALP is where it's headed (Access Linux Platform). -
"Treo 700p needs no WiFi." on by ispsec
Pros: Everything the Treo 650 is and EVDO
Cons: Not the new Linux based Palm OS.
Summary: I am tired of hearing reviews that people say, "No WiFi built-in".
Built in WiFi is for people that have not a clue, I say.
About to yell:
THIS IS A PHONE ON A PHONE SERVICE. HOW COULD THEY MAKE MONEY WITH WI-FI BUILT IN. THAT WOULD DEFEAT THE PURPOSE OF HAVING A BUSINESS.
Okay done.
EVDO is a great added feature to this already packed phone. With the new keyboard layout and feature set I will upgrade from my Treo 650 just for the EVDO. Speed baby.. It's all about the speed.
With PDANET this phone will be a very fast portable cable modem when attached to my laptop. Can you say Internet anywhere?
I give this 9 out of 10 just because it does not have the Linux based Palm OS that we are all waiting for in the future.
[Edited by: admin] -
"Still has stability issues" on by jmanstarr
Pros: Better sound quality than 650; Better initial software than 650; EVDO capable; Custom ring tones for each contact
Cons: Prone to crashing; Issues with GoodLink
Summary: As an early adopter of both the Treo 600 and 650, and I purchased the 700p with the same enthusiasm (all with Sprint). I liked my 650, but I was unhappy with the lack of stability in the operating system.
Well, after 2 days I can't give the 700p much love. While surfing the web to download ring tones, the OS crashed and rebooted six times in 20 minutes. And I have noticed that, overall, there are frequent "hangs" ... while playing solitaire or bejeweled, navigating the menus, web browsing, or accessing contacts or GoodLink apps, the system will hang from 1 to 6 seconds before an action is completed. This becomes rather annoying in short order.
GoodLink has its own story. After getting version 4.8 or higher, I have learned that it interferes with picture ID and the custom ring tones. This was not the case with my 650, and I find this to be highly annoying as I love those two features.
I plan on submitting some inquiries to Plam, Sprint, and Good to see if these are known problems, unique to my device, or unreported. If they can't fix these I am going to regress back to my 650. Hard to justify the $$$ for the 700p until some of these issues have a resolution. -
"AMAZING PHONE BUT MAY NOT BE WORTH IT TO UPGRADE" on by dsm51182
Pros: LARGE DISPLAY, BLUETOOTH, EV-DO, CAMERA, CALL HISTORY, KEYBOARD, TOUCH SCREEN, SMALL SIZE, STRONG RECEPTION, PALM OS, MP3 PLAYER, SPEAKERPHONE, LONG BATTERY LIFE
Cons: HIGH PRICE, NO MIDNIGHT COLOR THEME
Summary: I gave this phone a 10 out of 10 because the phone itself is an amazing phone and there is NO other phone out there right now that can compete with the features and design. However if you are a current treo 650 owner an upgrade may not be worth it for the price. The phone has EV-DO which is nice if you surf the net, but if you do not use the internet there are really not many plus'. The camera seems pretty much the same in quality, the speakerphone on the 650 is actually louder than the 700p. AND NO MIDNIGHT COLOR THEME? Whats up with that, I liked that on the 650. The phones interface is pretty much the same as the 650 except for some button lay outs on the phone itself. The phone is a great all around phone and anyone looking to get a new phone this would be the top of the line, I love mine because I use the internet all days for business and E-mails. I also loved my 650 just as much...
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"Almost Perfect" on by smiffsmack
Pros: Graphics, Broadband, Bluetooth, better Camera
Cons: Personal Navigation issues; lack of software available
Summary: Just to start out, I would like to give out a little background info on myself. I started out with the Treo 300(sprint) a few years back, and have had the Treo 600(sprint) for 2 straight years. I bought my wife the sprintTreo 650 a couple of months ago (she loves it). Altogether, I have been very happy with my Treos. They have gotten me out of trouble more than once. Initially I had some issues with navigation. But I think much of this was due to the habits formed from my other Treos. Now into my second day with the Treo 700P, I have gotten the hang of it I would say 85%. Folks need to realize that there is a learning curve with equipment like this. You should not expect to jump right into this phone and think you will be able to master it in an hour or so. Part of the reason that they call us techies is that we love to discover and tinker with our new toys. Features: I really like the speed of the Sprint Power Vision ($5 more per month for me. Sprint Tv was not the greatest, but is somewhat entertaining. The Bluetooth was figured out very easily. The camera and video camera look very nice for a phone. The hotsync cord charges your phone when plugged in, through your PC. It did not sync my old Treo 600 contacts and info at all though
, so I had to beam everything via IR port. I downloaded some games (Pacman, Atari Retro, Madden NFL) and they look REALLY nice. You can download, save and play MPEG's fairly easily with good sound just by clicking. It comes with stereo headphones (for music) that have a microphone attached that can be used to answer calls with as well. It has a handy little button on the side that lets you easily input voice memos (that can be later used as ringers). The calendar feature is the same one that has been sufficient since using it on my Treo 600. Being able to open Microsoft Office documents is a great feature (though I personally don't need it).
All in all, this device is darn near perfect. But I hesitate in giving anything a 10 usually. But at least I own this device and actually am familiar with most of the applications. I am irritated by folks who give gear a rating of 2 because they tried it for a second or saw it in a mall and think that they know what they are talking about. For all you Treo haters out there...... this phone will only fuel your fire....it's that good.
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