cell phones: palm Treo 700w Smartphone (Verizon Wireless) ...

cell phones: palm Treo 700w Smartphone (Verizon Wireless) ...

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	• palm Treo 700w Smartphone (Verizon Wireless) Palm Palm view larger image
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Excellent Value

After reading several reviews on Amazon concerning the Palm Treo 700w, I felt a need to put positive light on this really useful device. I'm not a power user and only just recently upgraded from a normal cell phone to a smartphone, and before that, never owned even a PDA, I could never find a justifiable cause to have a PDA till my old LG began to give me trouble and a smartphone was recommended to me by friends and family. After browsing Verizon stores and not being able to find anything I really liked, I hopped online and stumbled across my Palm Treo 700w on eBay for about $100 used. Not bad and something within my tight budget. That little discovery has rocked my world in a very positive way.

For starters, I'm a student and small business owner, so, money is very tight when it comes to anything that's personal, but what was a deal maker for me was the phone having pocket versions of Excel and Word. These are great and for a student who does spend a lot of time on the fly, this is a great solution. It helps to not have to pull out my laptop to work on school or work related documents. Sure a thumb keyboard takes some adjusting to get used to, and it takes time to write out much, but Pocket Word is wonderful for notes and even just getting a start on the multiple essays I write for work. Notes are also a great function as well and I love it for having to jot down quick notes in a hurry and not have to dig in the monster of a backpack I have, for pen and paper.

I understand these functions are all on MS Mobile OS, however that was what set the deal for me, considering this allows me to use my laptop and phone in combination with one another. I'd considered Palm 700p, however it was the lack of the above listed functions that made me go for the 700w.

I admit I do not have much need for push email, although text messaging is a dream on the 700w, its nice to be able to use one hand and be in a familiar set up over trying to type with a numeric keypad. Before I didn't send text messages often do to difficulty with this, however, I've used messaging more now that this phone has come into my life which is alot of the time easier than calling every time I need to tell someone I'm going somewhere or coming home.

Calander and contacts are nice, I enjoy being able to set my photos to contacts on my list and calander I'm still getting used to, I'm still transitioning out of pen and paper.

Still, I have had no problems with having to do hard resets, I don't quite get where all of that's coming from, then again I power the phone down often out of necessity for classes and meetings and don't leave it running all the time so that could be my saving grace as well.

Phone quality is excellent, even considering this phone was a year old at the time of its purchase and seeing some use. I live in a mountanious region and often cell signals and strength are tricky business. I can't help but say I love being able to make a call from my kitchen table whereas before, I'd have to go to the porch at least to get any kind of signal. Sure its big and a bit bulky, but I have a wired in Planatronics headset I use anyways, so its size and bluetooth are irrelevant to me considering I find it safer to drive with a headset on anyway, for starters when people see the head piece and the wire, they do know you are on the phone, and second, you can focus on the road.

Only qualms I really have and they may be due to me buying it used off eBay could be with battery life, true I charge it on a nightly basis out of habit, so its not a major issue and not enough to make me mark it down for it, however after a day of heavy use (mostly calls) I do find myself with a low battery and a need to try and make it to the car or home charger asap.

But overall, I rate this phone for five stars for the convenience it provides, I love having Windows Mobile on it for the functions it brings with it, and overall reliability it offers. I've had no trouble out of this phone and I would not hesitate to recommend it to a friend. Sure its no iPhone, but hey, no complaints here, it simply works for what I need it to do. If you are out there for the latest gadget that does all and are willing to pay the price, then by all means go for it, however if you want older tried and true hardware, then give the Palm Treo a fair chance to work for you.

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To keep your smartphone's applications up to date, and to optimize the performance of your device, you may need to perform firmware and/or software updates just as you would on your PC. To learn more about updates for your device, please visit Palm's support site. Note that by clicking this link you will be leaving Amazon.com. A lot of folks said it would never happen, but here it is: a Palm device running Windows Mobile software. This isn't just any device, either. It's the latest version of Palm's wildly popular Treo series of Smartphones. Everything that's great about the Treo hardware is here, plus all the power of Windows Mobile 5.0. And to top it off, the Treo 700w is fully compatible with Verizon wireless' EV-DO mobile broadband data service. Simply put, everything you need to do your work on the move, and at blazing speeds, has arrived.

Design

Legendary Palm hardware meets Windows Mobile 5.0 software. View features.

The innovative Today screen keeps all your vital info in one place. View details.

An integrated application captures and organizes your photos and videos. Under the hood, the Treo 700w features 128MB of RAM (60MB available for end user storage) and an Intel XScale 312MHz processor. The design retains the same basic form factor as the Treo 650 with a few changes. Aesthetically, the new Treo has more angular lines and a more professional-looking gray color. At 6 ounces, it's also slightly lighter than its predecessor. The button layout above the full QWERTY keyboard has been changed to accommodate the Windows Mobile 5.0 interface, and the screen sports 240 x 240 resolution.

Like the 650, the top of the 700w features an expansion card slot for SD, SDIO, and MMC memory and expansion cards, and get this: Unlike the 650, the 700w supports the Palm Wi-Fi card. Up top there's also an infrared port for line of sight data transfers, as well as a handy switch for turning off the phone's ringer. Below the screen, a five-way navigator controls most of the phone's menus and operating system functions. The left side of the unit features a volume up/down toggle plus a handy user-customizable button that can be assigned to any phone or PDA function. The rear of the unit houses a loudspeaker, as well as the 1.3 megapixel camera unit. A touchscreen stylus can be tucked away on the right side of the phone. Meanwhile, a combined charging, data, and accessory attachment port, called the Palm "multi-connector" is housed on the bottom of the unit, as is a standard 2.5 mm stereo headset jack.

Calling and PDA Features
Like the Treo 650, the Treo 700w's phone and PDA functions are designed to provide an integrated, seamless experience -- only this time its all handled by Windows Mobile. The hallmark of the Windows Mobile experience is the "Today" screen that summarizes all the important information you need to make it through the day. Here you'll get message notification, upcoming appointments, dialing functions, and a Google Web searching all in one spot. As a phone, the Treo 700w features all the functionality folks expect from a cell phone, including a handsfree speakerphone, polyphonic ringtones (polyphonic MIDI, MP3, WAV and video ringtones are supported), a vibrate mode, and picture caller ID. Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile combines email, calendar, contacts, tasks, and notes into a single application that seamlessly integrates with the 700w's phone functions. Meanwhile, headsets, car kits and other wireless peripherals can also be paired with the unit via Bluetooth (the Bluetooth 1.2 specification is supported).

Staying productive on the road is made possible by the Microsoft Office Mobile suite, which includes Word Mobile, Excel Mobile, and PowerPoint Mobile. You also get Picsel PDF Viewer for viewing PDF document attachments, and the File Explorer application makes it easy to browse the files on your 700w.

Messaging and Internet
The really big news about the 700w is that it supports Verizon's BroadbandAccess high speed wireless data service, allowing you to get DSL speeds wherever you have broadband data coverage. And what can you do with all that speed? Surf the Web faster than ever before using the bundled Internet Explorer application, or log into Pocket MSN and check your Hotmail, use MSN Messenger, or browse the MSN Mobile portal. Robust SMS and MMS functionality is built into the Windows Mobile interface, too.

One of the most important tools bundled with the 700w is Microsoft ActiveSync, which allows you to quickly synchronize your device's tasks, calendars, email, and contacts with your desktop. You also get Exchange ActiveSync, an application that lets you synchronize data with an Exchange server. Syncing can be done via USB, or wirelessly via Bluetooth.

Imaging and Entertainment
Another great feature of the 700w is that it supports Windows Media playback right out of the box. With Windows Media Player 10, Palm users can finally play streaming and downloaded video and audio content in a variety of formats, even purchased music from "Plays For Sure" supporting stores. You can also keep your tunes loaded on a memory card and listen to stereo sound wherever you roam (requires an optional stereo headset adapter).

The Treo 700w's built-in camera sees a bump in performance with the ability to take 1.3 megapixel (1280x1024) stills. The camera also features a 2x digital zoom, a self portrait mirror, and automatic light balancing. While the camera is great for taking stills, it can also function as a camcorder, allowing you to capture MPEG4 video to the unit's memory. An integrated media application organizes your captured photos and videos.

And last, but certainly not least, the Treo 700w keeps the fun going when you've got some downtime with great games. Bubble Breaker and Solitaire ship with the handset, but more Windows Mobile games are available.

Suggested Service Options
To get the most from the Treo 700w, you'll need to choose two additional service features on top of a voice plan. First, consider a Verizon BroadbandAccess plan, which also includes lower-speed data access in areas where broadband service is not available. If you are a frequent SMS or MMS messaging user, it's a good idea to get an Unlimited IN messaging plan to avoid pay-per-message charges. To learn more about phone options, consult our cell phone options guide.

EV-DO Wireless Broadband Coverage
Learn more about where BroadbandAccess (EV-DO) coverage is offered. View EV-DO demonstration.

Vital Statistics
The Palm Treo 700w weighs 6.0 ounces and measures 4.4 x 2.30 x .90 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.7 hours of digital talk time, and up to 15 days of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/CDMA 1900 frequencies, as well as the EV-DO and 1xRTT data frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

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