Review: Palm Treo 750v Windows Mobile Smartphone

Palm Treo 750v

Palm Treo 750v

Palm Treo 750v

Introduction

When Palm created its first OS, it was written intentionally to allow slower and cheaper devices to make better use of their system resources. That worked pretty well for a couple of years. When smartphones started to boom, Palm realized the inadequacy of its system, bought Handspring and their Treo platform, and subsequently spent time refining the operating system. The Treo product line was praised by a lot of loyal Palm fans but didn't manage to draw as many new users compared to Windows Mobile (then called just PocketPC) powered devices. This can possibly be attributed to its relatively weak multimedia capabilities.

The spinoff of PalmSource and subsequent purchase of full rights to Palm OS 5 Garnet sound a bit schizophrenic. Whatever the reasons were, Palm now has the flexibility of applying its hardware expertise on both Palm OS and Windows Mobile platforms. The Treo 700w marked the first Palm device operating on a non-Palm operating system, and the new 750v is the evolution of that.

The Treo 750v reviewed today is marketed and sold by Vodafone and its network partners (such as SmarTone-Vodafone). It will be released in some form to other networks in the future, but for now it is a Vodafone exclusive.

Physical aspects

The Treo 750v builds on the already established Treo platform, with a more refined design characterized by smooth curves and a built in antenna. Palm did not trim away much bulk from the old design, with the new device measuring 113mm x 59mm x 21mm (4.45" x 2.32" x 0.83"), which is still reasonable for its class but bigger than the average phone on the market. The Treo 750v weights 158g (5.57oz), which is comparable to a Blackberry. Ergonomically, the Treo is not bad, and the overall curvy shape has made the device feel smaller in your hand. The anti-slip coating and the matte dark blue plastic has made the grip on the device a lot firmer. However, I still prefer the traditional fat Blackberry shape for a messaging device, with a more generous breadth to rest your thumbs.

In terms of button arrangement, there have not been any big changes from the Treo 650. The Palm shortcut keys are replaced by the Windows Start and OK keys, and the volume keys are placed on the left side along with a customizable shortcut key. You can find the Infrared port and miniSD slot on the right side, and the 2.8mm headset jack, power, and data connectors at the bottom. The top has a mechanical switch for silent mode, long a favorite feature for Treo users.

The QWERTY keypad feels about the same as the Treo 650, and the buttons are still towards the small side. The buttons feel like little beans, and because of the smooth surface, they can get a bit slippery with prolonged use. The keypad is definitely not as user-friendly as that on a Blackberry 8700 for example, where the material is more rubbery and the shape of keys is designed more ergonomically. Good news is that the d-pad, softkeys, hang-up, and dial keys all feel great, with good tactile feedback. The whole keypad glows white in the dark and is fairly attractive.

The Treo 750v follows the sturdiness of previous Palm devices and the build quality is excellent. The color scheme used here is appropriate to the target market, and overall the design looks quite failsafe. Keeping in mind that Palm added 3G and improved the camera from previous devices, I am not complaining about the bulk.

 

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