Smartphone Reviews » Palm

Palm Centro to launch soon

Leroy — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:13:13 +0000

Q4 2007, according to Sprint. That means very, very soon. This is about as official as these things get, so you can bet on it. Sprint is the carrier for now, with no word on whether anyone else will get it. Likely Verizon will have access to it in a few months, as that’s how these things usually pan out.

Click on the pic for some of the specs – the rest are still a mystery.

Tags: palm, centro, sprint

Palm Cancels Foleo

Leroy — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 00:45:03 +0000

The Palm Foleo was created as a sort of sub-laptop device – something easier to enter data into than your Treo, but easier to lug around than a laptop. What it ended up as was a completely pointless device. Carrying one around is basically no different than carrying a laptop – without the functionality, of course. Overpriced, underpowered, and pointless pretty much sums it up. Fortunately the execs at Palm figured this out before actually launching the Foleo to the public – though apparently the R&d for the device cost them a cool $10 million. Good to see Palm dropped it before they wasted any more time and money. C’mon Palm – now it’s time to work on a new OS, and some new Treo models.

Tags: palm, foleo

Palm Centro

Leroy — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 01:20:47 +0000

There are now various pics of the upcoming Palm Centro floating around – though no hard specs yet. Word is that it’s a small unit with lower hardware specs, aimed at the youth market. Target price is reported to be $99 – though I’d say that’s surely with a contract. Still, an impressive price target, and opens up the Treo line to younger users. Get em hooked while they’re young, right?

Treo 750v Review

Leroy — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 16:42:58 +0000

The Treo 750v is a device destined for just about every market except the US. Since I’m American, that is a bit of a disappointment to me, but there are many Treo fans worldwide who will welcome this device with stylus in hand. The most noticeable difference between the 750v and the 650 before it is the lack of an antenna. It is also ~1mm thinner and 26g lighter than the US 700w/wx. Along the way, the SD card slot has shrunk to a mini-SD slot, and had to be moved to the side of the device, rather than it’s normal spot up top. Overall, the Treo 750v is definitely the smallest, sleekest, most stylish Treo we’ve seen yet.

Treo 750v Specs

Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition
3G UMTS
300 MHz CPU
240×240 Screen
Bluetooth 1.1
Approx 60MB of available memory
MiniSD Slot
1.3 Megapixel Camera

Treo 750v Reviews

Trusted Reviews reviews the Treo 750v and writes – ‘The absence of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 1.2 and lack of front facing camera and the need for a separate charger all annoy. These aside, Palm has done something quite special with the Treo 750v. The company has enhanced a widely used operating system with clever tweaks that reflect how users (or at least how this user) wants to work, making it easier to perform a lot of standard tasks. In doing so, Palm has added value to Windows Mobile in ways others have not managed and produced hardware that is neat, tidy and ergonomic.’

ZDNet UK reviews the Treo 750v and writes – ‘The obvious comparison is with the BlackBerry Pearl 8100, launched last week. But whereas RIM is shrinking the BlackBerry and adding ‘phone’ features to appeal to consumers, Palm is sticking with a bulkier device and appealing to business users with its emphasis on Microsoft’s push email functionality. Having said that, the Treo 750v does also have a camera and a media player, so it could have wider appeal when it becomes available on the Vodafone network at the beginning of October.’

Treo Central reviews the Treo 750v and expresses their concern about Palm’s choice of manufacturer’s – ‘Surprisingly, the Treo 750v is manufactured by HTC, and not another manufacturer such as Inventec that would help diversify Palm’s portfolio of manufactures. While HTC does a terrific job of building quality products, because they have recently started to market and create devices themselves they are in direct competition to Palm and their devices.’

Treonauts reviews the Treo 750v and writes – ‘As many other PalmOS Treonauts will undoubtedly agree, I am feeling increasingly disappointed to see that all of the latest first launches of new hardware form factors (such as the Treo 700w previously) are being released under Windows Mobile first. I have no doubt that this is not Palm’s fault but that of the carriers who for one reason or another find themselves motivated to promote WM ahead of PalmOS.’

Jason Langridge reviews the Treo 750v and writes – ‘One of the areas Palm has spent a huge amount of time on is ensuring the device can be used one handed. I did post an article last week on this and got a huge amount of comments on this very topic! With the Treo 750v I never ever pull out the stylus to operate the device. Pretty much everything can be achieved through the soft keys and on the device with the 5 way navigator. There is only one exception I’ve found – that is that you can’t align the screen ’

The Treo 750v looks like it will be a huge success – it has more of a Euro-type look and feel. Hopefully we can see the next generation Treo’s here in the States follow suit, and slim down just a tad.

Tags: Treo, Treo+750v, smartphone, vodafone, GSM

How to use your Treo as a flashlight

Leroy — Thu, 21 Sep 2006 12:57:04 +0000

Every Treo user has done it – some do it more than others. Admit it – you’re guilty too! If you haven’t been using your Treo as a flashlight, then you’re missing out. Treonauts attempts to bring us all out of the closet, complete with this picture of a Treo being used to read a menu in a dimly lit restaurant. If you’re one of the unlucky few who hasn’t figured out the secret yet, don’t worry. You don’t need to install any fancy software or hacks. Simply press option + menu on your Treo 700p and watch the screen light up to the max. Now you won’t have to worry about stumbling blindly into the bathroom at night because you don’t want to wake up your wife. Treo to the rescue, again!

Shorter antenna for your Treo 650

Leroy — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:06:19 +0000

Are you tired of the large, ugly, bulky antenna sticking out of your Treo 650 smartphone? Well, you’re not alone. Treoantenna.com has solved your problem – they are soon going to release to the public a shorter antenna for your Treo.

Installation should take about 5 minutes, and sounds very simple. All the needed tools are included for the $35 you pay for the antenna – a bargain to make your Treo look much more stylish.

Via Treo Today.

Tags: palm, treo, antenna, style, treo+650

Sprint Treo 700wx Review

Leroy — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 00:53:29 +0000

Verizon has had the only Windows powered Treo for long enough. Today Sprint introduced the new and improved Treo 700wx. This is great news for Sprint users like myself, who until now only had the Palm OS powered Treo 700p. The Treo 700wx is very similar to the Treo 700w , with the main difference being the desperately needed memory increase. The Sprint Treo 700wx also comes with DUN, which allows you to use it as a modem for your laptop. How much does the Treo 700wx cost? $649, or $499 with a 2 year contract.

Sprint Treo 700wx Specs

312 MHz Intel XScale CPU
128 MB Flash ROM with 60 MB for storage
64 MB RAM
240×240 pixel screen
EV-DO access or Sprint’s Power Vision network
Bluetooth 1.2
Windows Mobile 5.1 Pocket PC Phone Edition

Sprint Treo 700wx Reviews

Mobile Tech Review reviews the Treo 700wx and writes – ‘The Treo is hard to beat in any form, and the 700wx improves on the 700w by adding more memory. This and the 700w are by far the easiest Windows Mobile Pocket PC phones to use one-handed and Palm’s usability enhancements and hardware design are a winning combination. The smartphone is responsive and stable and generally a joy to use in business and messaging-centric settings. Sprint’s Power Vision EVDO service is a bargain at $15/month for unlimited data transfer and the Treo’s web browser and strong email client will keep you well connected (including push email).’

PC Mag reviews the Sprint Treo 700wx and writes – ‘Sprint currently sells two excellent handhelds. One is the Palm Treo 700p, which combines the familiar Treo form factor with a gorgeous 320-by-320 screen, EV-DO networking, and the very snappy performance of the Palm OS. It’s hands down my favorite Treo and one of my favorite handhelds ever. On the Windows Mobile side, the Sprint PPC-6700 offers more power with a faster processor, a better screen, and integrated Wi-Fi wireless networking. It’s the best device for frequent travelers currently on Sprint’s network. So while the Treo 700wx does a decent job, it’s simply outmatched by the competition on two fronts.’

Treo Central has a first look type of review for the Sprint Treo 700wx and has apparently fallen in love – ‘The 700wx is fast. EvDO is fast. The device itself is very responsive – especially compared to the 700w.’, ‘Yes, it works as a dial-up modem. Windows only (so far as I can tell – it requires software be installed on the desktop), and it works. Works great‘

Treo Central completed their full review of the Sprint Treo 700wx and is 100% in love with it – ‘The burning question, I suppose, is whether it’s the best smartphone currently on the market. Not to put too fine a point on it: is it better than the 700p? Here’s my take: the 700wx is more powerful and has more functionality but WM5 is still less intuitive and easy-to-use then the 700p’s PalmOS. Nevertheless, for me, the 700wx is better.’

Cnet reviews the Sprint Treo 700wx and writes – ‘As we mentioned earlier, we experienced improved performance with the 700wx over the Treo 700w. The device was responsive as we performed various tasks, even with multiple applications open. We had no problems transferring, viewing, or editing Office documents, and music and video playback were also smooth.’

Tags: Treo, treo+700wx, Smartphone, pda,

The sequel to Palm OS

Leroy — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 20:56:05 +0000

We all know that Palm OS is sorely in need of an update. Palm has been under fire for lack of OS progress for years – justifiably so. Palmsource was present at LinuxWorld recently, and had some information on the status of the Access Linux Platform.

One of the biggest changes I see is resolution support. Currently, Palm OS devices are 320×320 resolution. The next generation of Palm OS looks to support 320×240 – a step down in resolution. I can only hope that this is a misprint, and the correct resolution will be 320×480 – an upgrade.

Current Palm OS applications should work seamlessly with the Palm OS emulator, which should come as a relief to Palm OS fans everywhere. The wealth of applications available is, after all, one of the saving graces of the Palm OS.

Will Palm OS 6 ( as it will probably be called ) be the next generation OS we’ve all been waiting for? I don’t know. They need to rethink the resolution issue, and quickly. They need to bring back the stability that Palm used to be known for – this will be key in beating Windows Mobile.
Via SmartphoneToday.

Tags: palm, palm+OS, linux, ALP,

Sprint Treo 700wx coming soon

Leroy — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 22:04:32 +0000

It looks like Sept. 3 is the big day, according to Treonauts. Sprint will be releasing an improved version of the 700w. Packed with 64 MB vs 32 in the 700w, the Treo 700wx addresses the biggest complaint about the original.
Verizon had their 6 months of exclusivity, now it’s Sprint’s turn to shine. Given my problems with the 700p, I’m going to give this one a look.

Palm Treo 700p – My first impressions

Leroy — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 14:02:02 +0000

This is the smartphone I’ve been waiting for, for who knows how long. Where do I begin? I have no problem saying that this is the best smartphone I’ve used to date, ever. I can say that with confidence.

The shining spot on the Treo 700p is absolutely the EV-DO. Using Blazer no longer makes me want to poke my eyes out as I wait for it – it moves zippily along most of the time. One pet peeve of mine is loading time – it takes for-freaking-ever to exit blazer, and even longer to reopen it. This issue is even worse when looking at a large page. I guess this is due to the fact that Palm OS doesn’t multitask- so it really isn’t fair to compare it to my wife’s PPC-6700 which loads up PIE in a flash. The EV-DO alone makes the Treo 700p a worthwhile upgrade to Treo 650 users, in my opinion. For the right price, that is.

The increased memory should bring nothing but joy…. but I can’t say that it does. It sure is nice having all that memory – on paper it’s great. However, you’ll notice that as you use more and more of the memory, your Treo begins to slow down, slower and slower. I can’t imagine what it would be like if you nearly filled it. What good is the added memory if I can’t use it?

Stability – those of you who are long time readers have read about the stability – or lack of – on my Treo 650. It was crashing 4-5 times a day or more. With the 700p – it’s still crashing once or twice. I want to pin it on a 3rd party app.. but I’m having trouble. It only seems to crash when Blazer is involved. I’m not pointing fingers just yet, but….

Camera – yup it’s better, but still struggles in low light. I won’t use it much. It’s only for use in a pinch, and good at what it is designed for.

Overall, I’m glad I upgraded. Yes, my Sprint plan is more expensive now, with the Power Vision and now I have to pay for SMS. But I’m impatient, and want things as quick as possible. As soon as they have an Intel Core Duo CPU in a Treo, you can be sure I’ll sign up for one. Until then, the Treo 700p is the best we’ve got. Good job Palm. Here’s hoping you can release an update to fix the speed issue ASAP.