Jason Dunn
01-08-2007, 08:05 PM
<i>A few weeks back I was in a conference call with Palm, getting an advance briefing in the Treo 750. Here are my notes from that call. I'm still waiting on getting a 750 in my hands - they ran out of Cingular SIMs, and since it's locked to the Cingular network, I can't use my <a href="http://www.fido.ca">Fido</a> SIM.</i><br /><br />The Treo 750 looks similar to the GSM-based Vodaphone unit - this time, it's coming from Cingular. No surprises there! This is the first UMTS Treo for the North American market - Rogers will be launching this phone on their forthcoming UMTS network, so eventually I'll have some options in Canada. The 750 is a true world-phone, covering 850/1900/900/1800 bands, and the 2100 band for UMTS. Many of the UMTS devices don't have the 850/1900 bands, making them less effective in North America. I was told that the Vodaphone version is "better focused" for the 900 band, while the Cingular is tuned more for the 850 band - most customers wouldn't notice the difference though.<br /><br />Stat attack: 34 percent compound annual growth rate for "smart devices", 744 million mobile-enabled workers worldwide, 65 percent of the US work force (104 million) is now mobile.<br /><br />UMTS offers simultaneous voice and data, which is something I actually didn't know because I've never used a device on a UMTS network - I run into being able to only use one or the other on my GSM phones, especially if I'm using my phone as a modem via Bluetooth. I was told that the Treo 750 can be set to manually connect to GSM only, if you're in a market that lacks UMTS, thus potentially saving you some battery life.<br /><!><br />The Treo 750 has the typical Palm software tweaks and bonuses: Picsel PDF Viewer, a threaded SMS/MMS messaging tool (which is so much better than the default application), contact smart filter right from the home screen (Intelligent Dialler is what they dub it), the photo speed dial plug-in (which has some cool options for bringing up voice mail controls), Google today-screen plug-in that allows for quick searches, the "ignore with text message" option (it brings up the SMS tool so you can fire off a message telling the person why you didn't pick up), and other enhancements. I have to hand it to Palm, they truly grasp how to add great software to the device, not just tossing a few shareware apps on a CD and calling it a day. The other Pocket PC companies in this space should take note.<br /><br />The hardware specs are about what you'd expect: 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth Stereo headset support, wired stereo headset bundled in the box, a external miniSD slot, 240 x 240 16 bit TFT touchscreen, a ringer/silent switch (so much nicer than doing it via software). The hardware is as follows:<br /><br />• 128 MB of RAM (60 MB accessible to user)<br />• Samsung 300 Mhz CPU<br />• 2.4" inch screen, same as 700w<br />• 1200 mAH battery, 4 hours of talk time, 250 hours standby<br />• 4.4" by 2.3" by 0.8" and weighing in at 5.4 ounces - it's 14% ligher than the Treo 650.<br /><br />Palm has included some very interesting out of box support: they offer free end-user setup within 90 days of purchase. They stressed to me that they want people to call them for support rather than the carrier, the goal being to reduce the return rates.<br /><br />I asked about why they offered a USB sync cable instead of a cradle, and we had a discussion about how people are needing to connect to their PC less often because of Exchange ActiveSync. I prefer having a cradle for ease of use in charging - it's much nicer to be able to slap it into a cradle for charging, but it seems most people are using the cable or another power accessory to recharge their device. Am I the only one that misses the cradle?<br /><br />At any rate, it looks like the Treo 750 is going to be a great unit for people that need the enhanced power of a Pocket PC-based phone device - I've seen using a T-Mobile Dash Smartphone the past few days and am really enjoying it. Will the Treo 750 be even more useful to me? We'll see!<br /><br /><i>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys mobile devices, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He still feels a bit strange saying "Windows Mobile Palm".</i>