Palm Treo Pro
Since the release of the 700w on Verizon back in early 2006, the Windows Mobile based Palm devices have been popular in the enterprise. Being able to sync natively to Exchange servers has been one of the benefits that keeps people with Windows handhelds. However, this is changing as licensing of the Activesync protocol has come to most smartphone platforms. Also, other than some small tweaks, the hardware has been relatively unchanged over the past few years. Coming from the successful 700/750 series and the recent release of the Sprint 800w, the form factor has largely remained bulky and uninspiring. This is all changing with the introduction of the Treo Pro. This is arguably the best hardware Palm has made to date. Even those that aren’t fans of Windows will take note of the sleek design that at quick glance looks very similar to that of the iPhone 3G. Although it’s a little taller and wider than the 750, it trims almost 40% from the thickness, reducing the total cubic volume by 35 percent. Here in the US, no provider has picked up the phone, so you’ll be paying a premium to get it from Palm, $550 to be exact. The thriftier shoppers out there take note; there are cheaper prices from 3rd party vendors that will save you about 13% off of Palm’s pricing.
In the Box
- Palm Treo Pro handset
- 1 Standard 1500 mAH Lithium Ion Battery
- MicroUSB AC charger brick
- Stylus (in slot on phone)
- Stereo Headphones
- MicroUSB Charging Cable
- NO guides or CDs – these are on the phones memory and appear when plugging in the phone.
Specs
Because it is unlocked, this phone operates on virtually any GSM/WCDMA network in the world. Bands included are GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1800, GSM 1900, WCDMA 850, WCDMA 1900 and WCDMA 2100. As a 3G device, the phone works very well on the AT&T network. However, T-Mobile users will still be left out, their 1700 AWS spectrum is not accessible for 3G speeds. The battery has been increased from that of prior models, shipping with 1500 mAH standard. This added capacity is definitely nice and coupled with the power saving features of Windows Mobile 6.1, you’ll find that the phone easily makes it through a day. With minimal use, 2 days between charges is doable. A 2MP camera takes shots that I don’t find much better than old 1.3MP one in the Treo 750, something I was hoping would be improved. A 3.5mm headset jack is definitely nice, something that should be standard on all music capable devices. Wi-Fi and GPS round out the list of features, making this Treo, the most connected yet.
Technology: GSM/EDGE/WCDMA
Frequencies: 850/900/1800/1900/2100
Weight: 4.69oz
4.49” x 2.36” x 0.53”
Cubic Volume: 5.61”
Phone
As a phone, the quality is on the level of other smartphones on the market. Palm had changed the location of the microphone hole from the bottom of the device to the front on the 800W, allowing for much better noise cancellation. Unfortunately, they didn’t take this same approach on the Pro, so you’ll still note some outside noise if talking to someone using this handset.
Data/Internet/Connectivity
The built in Activesync application in all Windows Mobile phones allows for easy and seamless integration with an Exchange server for email. All mail, contacts, calendar and tasks are pushed over to the device behind the scenes, giving the business user a pleasant experience. For internet access, Internet Explorer is the built in program. Often times, users will find that unlocked devices don’t quite work as well as those that you purchase from a carrier. The Treo Pro bucks this trend with fantastic RF strength, even receiving Australian operator Telstra’s “Blue Tick” certification (http://www.intomobile.com/2008/09/04/telstra-awards-palm-treo-pro-blue-tick-signal-strength-certification.html). Using the phone as a modem is also quite handy. The built in Internet Sharing application is a great for on the go tethering via USB or Bluetooth.
The Wi-Fi experience on the Treo Pro is one of the best around. By integrating a hardware button onto the side of the phone, the user is able to toggle the device’s Wi-Fi on and off and give the user access to settings that most Windows devices force you to dig to find. The GPS is also quite nice, and locks in seconds when outdoors. Using the GPS with free programs such as Google Maps doesn’t give you turn by turn directions, but at least allows you to see where you are with precision accuracy.
Hardware
The Treo Pro takes a diversion from the styling of anything ever made by Palm. Sleek lines and innovative, user friendly features make the hardware the best part of this phone. While it takes some cues from the prior Treo models and the newer Centro, there are many more differences than similarities. The higher resolution (320 x 320) looks good, but compared to VGA devices such as the HTC Touch Diamond, it has me wanting more. The bezel around the screen has finally been changed, now appearing flush with the touch screen.
This allows for much greater usability for the display with your fingers, keeping me from ever feeling the need to use the stylus. Like the Treo 800w, the screen saver incorporates the time, date and any missed calls/voice mails/SMS messages without having to turn on the display. A great thing for those chronic phone checkers among us.
On the front, you’ll find a 35 key QWERTY keyboard that has received mixed reviews from people that have used it. I found the 750 comfortable, but it often missed key presses. The Treo Pro has keys that are closer together than the 700 series, but larger than the Centro. Keep in mind that these are also hard plastic keys, not the rubber ones found on the Centro line. While easy to get used to in size, one thing that constantly annoyed me was the size of the space bar. Taking up more room than I felt was necessary, it is very easy to accidentally insert a space when trying to type the letters “C” “V” and “B”. Most of the time I typed the word “give”, it turned out “gi ve”
Finally, dedicated Send and End keys bookend a Start, OK, Calendar and Email buttons that surround a 5 way circular navigation pad. As seems to be the trend with the newer Windows phones, the 2 soft keys have been removed, and the bottom virtual keys on the screen is your only option for these.
The backside of the phone is a smooth black plastic that while quite slick, is still nice to look at. Keep in mind that smudges will be a constant on the phone, but a quick wipe off brings back the beautiful shine. The 2.0MP camera can be found at the top center of the device, and the speaker is off to the left. Palm has placed it on the side in such a way that allows for either calls from the speakerphone or music to be played while the device is laying flat, and the sound comes through very clearly.
On the top, you will find the typical ringer/vibrate switch (found on all Treo smartphones), as well as a dedicated button to power on and off the phone. This is the first palm device that has this dedicated power button, which makes a lot of sense for quickly turning the radios on and off.
On the left side, a volume rocker button and user definable button which I set to open the camera.
On the right side is the IR port and the dedicated Wi-Fi ringer switch. Palm has engineered this as a button instead of a switch to allow for multi-function control. Press it once, Wi-Fi is activated, press it again, wireless settings pop up. Hold it down for a second, the Wi-Fi is shut off. It takes a minute to figure out, but well thought out in design.
On the bottom is the MicroUSB port for charging and synchronizing. This plug is definitely becoming the standard among the industry, and it’s nice to see that it again. Next is the 3.5mm headphone jack. Again, this should be the industry standard, but is taking a while to catch on. The microphone port is next in line, followed by the stylus hole. A quick note about the stylus, they’ve made it much better than on the 800w model. The flimsy one that is found in that unit fortunately did not make it’s way to the Treo Pro. Instead they went with a smaller (and shorter) solid metal design. While not as long as one might hope, there is certainly a great deal of comfort not having the thing bend when trying to use it.
Compared
Side by side, you can see the Treo Pro compared to the Diamond. Pro is bigger, but very close in thickness.
Next to the 750, the Pro really shows how much it has slimmed down.
Software/Features
The Treo Pro is running Windows Mobile 6.1 professional. Readers that have used Windows Mobile in the past take note, all of your favorite features are still accessible (including the popular Internet Sharing). WM 6.1 steps it up a notch with the stability of the software, as well as the speed. The phone has 256MB of Storage Memory (100MB user available) and 128MB of Program Memory. This means your Treo can handle lots of installed applications without the need to put them on memory cards, and allows you to have many open at the same time without fear of the dreaded “out of memory” message. Through the time I tested this device, I’ve had only one issue that caused me to reset (Slingbox doesn’t install properly on this device). This was only matched by the 800w in reliability.
Overall
The bottom line on the Palm Treo Pro is very positive. With an all new design, the Treo has left it’s stuffy looks behind, and turns heads when compared to the other front facing qwerty devices on the market. The keyboard isn’t perfect, but it’s a small compromise for a device that has really stepped into the position of leader in its class.
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