One of the best PDA/Phone combinations available

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy one-handed use Excellent phone functionality

Cons: Insufficient memory 240x240 screen breaks some applications No WiFi Awkward stylus

The Bottom Line: 
Great phone, great PDA, only minor drawbacks due to the memory and screen-size issues with some applications.

Author's Review
When I first read about the uholy marriage of Windows Mobile and a Palm device I was understandably both intrigued and skeptical. The Palm Treo's have been a top choice of PDA-Phone users ever since their introduction. However, there is a segment of that population (myself included) that prefers Windows Mobile over PalmOS. Mainly because the applications that I want and need, run on Windows Mobile and not PalmOS.

The phone functionality is second only to dedicated phone devices. Its phone software is easy to use and straight forward. The dialpad keys (on the touch screen) are sufficiently large to be easy to hit. Voice quality is great and earpiece volume is more than adequate. Likewise the device seems to have much better reception than the PocketPC devices I have used. I am having 2 ongoing issues with my current XV6700 PDA phone, earpiece volume and reception. Both I am tempted to label as "terrible" on my current phone, and are probably two of the things I miss the most from the Treo 700w.

The Treo 700w unfortunately does come up short in a few critical areas. The first (and one of my biggest problems with the 700w) is its screen. The 700w has the same screen as its 600/650/700p cousins, meaning it is 240x240. Much to my disappointment, this causes compatibility problems with more than a few Windows Mobile software packages. There is of course ever growing support for the 240x240 screen resolution in Windows Mobile. That coupled with the possibility that you may not need any applications that require the more traditional PocketPC screen size may make this a non-issue.

The Treo 700w also does not support the "Transcriber" input function of Windows Mobile. Transcriber allows you to write entire words on the touch screen and have them "Transcribed" into words. For some this is much easier than the traditional symbol based writing techniques. This isn't a big deal because of the handy finger keyboard just below the 700w's screen. Speaking of the keyboard. It is part of what makes the 700w such a great device. Unless you have extremely large fingers, the keys are pretty easy to hit without errors. Also, unlike the sliding keyboards of some PPC devices it allows easy one-handed operation. In addition to the keyboard, there are the usual Windows Mobile 5 softkeys. Along the side is a the up/down volume buttons and a voice-command/voice memo button. Along the top is the IrDA port and a switch that allows you to switch between audible and vibrating alerts (very handy).

I found the the Treo 700w's stylus a little bit awkward when compared to most PDA styluses. It's a little too-short, and has a strange nub at one end that can make its use somewhat uncomfortable.

The Treo 700w does allow the use of over the air networking, providing you with Internet access virtually anywhere. There is also of course Bluetooth for hands-free calling, GPS units (Tom Tom Navigator works great on the 700w), and other Bluetooth-enabled devices. There is no WiFi however. This is somewhat annoying in that it's nice to be able to switch over to WiFi to enjoy greater speed when it's available. Palm (and other manufacturers) do make a SD-based WiFi card that will work in the 700w. However, that prevents you from using any applications or storage that you may have on any SD cards you use in your phone. The 700w's minimal memory (which I will address later) also makes this problematic. For those that aren't familiar with a PDA/Phone device, be forewarned that you will need a data plan in addition to your cellular plan. Typically these plans run in the range of $40/month for an unlimited plan. Think you can get away with a lesser plan? Think again. I have seen 20MB plans and 40MB plans and let me tell you from personal use, that you will hit these caps in no time if you use the phone at all for what it's meant for.

The SD card slot in the 700w is also not sufficiently recessed into the case. This means SD cards stick out just a tiny bit from the case, which can cause you to accidentally (possibly even unknowingly) eject the SD card and lose it.

Finally the biggest and most annoying problem with the 700w is it's woefully insufficient amount of memory. The 700w has 128MB total (about 64MB RAM and 64MB of flash memory). This is totally insufficient for Windows Mobile 5 which is an absolute memory hog. Prior to my 700w I used a Dell Axim x51v as my PDA. It had 256MB of memory which is more on the level of what Windows Mobile 5 needs. You will find the 60MB of user available RAM vanishes very quickly once you load in your contacts, calendar, and maybe an application or two. You will find that you will need to install nearly every application to an SD card in order to maintain a workable amount of memory. This lack of memory creates all sorts of problems for the 700w. You will find once you fill the memory up that the 700w will start to behave very slow and erratically and will necessitate FREQUENT soft-resets. This problem has been addressed in the newer 700wx which has 128MB of flash and 64MB of RAM. While I haven't had the opportunity to use a 700wx yet, I am told that the extra memory helps out a lot and makes the Treo 700wx MUCH more stable than the 700w.

Battery life is about what you would expect from a PDA Phone. For the most part I was okay on the included standard battery. It would last pretty much the entire day, but I would need to get it right on the charger at night. Compared to other PocketPC devices the battery life is actually quite good. It was certainly better than the life of my XV6700 with a standard capacity battery which could barely make it through an 8-hour workday. My recommendation to anyone considering a PDA phone is to buy an extended battery (the largest capacity available) immediately.

All in all the 700w is a great phone as long as you don't push its memory capacity or need a Pocket PC application that requires a 240x320 screen. It is a well designed, ergonomic, functional, and durable PDA phone, and really is only eclipsed by the newer 700wx (because of the increased memory).