Sprint Treo 755p

I had a chance to try the Sprint Power Vision(SM) Smart Device Treo™ 755P by Palm...

It's available in Midnight blue or burgandy.
The dimensions are 4.4" (l) x 2.3" (w) x 0.8".
It weighs 5.6 ounces.
The color touch-screen is a 1.74" x 1.74" TFT display with 65K colors, and 320 x 320 color pixel resolution.
The Camera/Camcorder is 1.3 Megapixels with 2X digital zoom.
Memory consists of 60 MB available for end user storage, of the 128 MB of total RAM.
The MiniSD Expansion Slot supports cards up to 4GB.
It works on Digital Dual-band (1900 mHz and 800 MHz) CDMA, and Sprint's EV-DO.
Continuous digital talk time is reported to be up to 4.2 hours.

Supported File Types
Pictures: JPEG, BMP, WBMP, GIF, PNG
Videos: MP4, 3G2, ASF

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A ringer "On/Off" switch is on top if the unit (VERY convenient). It makes it simple to switch from ringing to vibrate modes.

There's a built-in QWERTY keyboard (as a Palm aficionado, this is my first experience with one). The dial-pad is on the touchscreen.

There is a speakerphone mode, but I suggest you don't try to use it unless you are in a quiet environment.

Using the microphone on the earbuds that were provided, I was on a call sitting in a parked car with the windows open. Many times during the call I was asked to repeat myself. (I use a dual-headphone headset...not earphones...with a boom microphone that has always worked best for me.)

Per page 78 of the "user guide": "...your device is compatible with the following types of headsets that are sold separately: Wired headsets with a 2.5mm connector (3-pin or 4-pin). Wireless headsets and car kits enabled with Bluetooth 1.1 or 1.2 wireless technology. For a list of compatible hands-free devices, go to www.palm.com/treo755psprint-support..."

A set of earbuds were provided. They looked similar to a set I own. I was going to use mine and not place theirs in my ears but, even though mine match the decription in the "user guide", my earbuds did not work with this phone. I used the set provided with the Treo...

On page 79 of the "user guide": "The headset designed for Treo 180, 270, and 300 devices is not compatible with your Treo755P...Standard headsets sold with other Sprint phones are compatible..."

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BLUETOOTH COMPATIBILITY
* Bluetooth (v. 1.2)

(Per Jabra technical support: "The BT620s is compatible with the 755p, you could also use the BT8010 or BT320s.")

There is a compatibility list at palm.com

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Per treocentral.com, the Plantronics Pulsar 590A Bluetooth Stereo Headphones for Treo 755p should work, but...

I e-mailed Plantronics:
"Are there any (bluetooth) units compatible with the Palm 755p?"

The response from a "Plantronics Technical Support Specialist" was:
"We had to pull the Treo 7xx devices from our compatibility guide because of the connectivity problems we were having with them. We heard Palm is coming out with a software release that may correct these connectivity issues."

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Per pcmag.com:
"...You can connect Bluetooth mono headsets, but there's no support for Bluetooth stereo music playback..."

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When I received the unit, no Multi-Connector/Palm® Desktop HotSync/USB cable (3170WW) was in the box. I have a Palm® Cradle Kit (3199WW) for my TX and LifeDrive...the units never seated securely in the cradle, but the cord fit the 755p great!

Software Applications include the standard Palm OS productivity tools: calendar, contacts, memo, tasks, world clock, calculator, memo pad, and alarm clock.

I LOVE the Voice/Memo Recorder! It records files in the "qcp" format. You can mail the files from the phone, and I was able to send the files, via bluetooth, to a computer. I wanted to send a file via a phone number, like text messaging, but it wasn't possible (it's on my wishlist).

Documents To Go® version 8.0 is included. It offers Microsoft Office compatibility:
you can download, view, and edit Word and Excel compatible files...
rehearse PowerPoint presentations anywhere...
and view PDFs.

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If you have an "appropriate service plan", you can use the phone as a wireless modem. If your laptop is Bluetooth® enabled, you should be able to connect the Treo 755P to your laptop via Bluetooth wireless technology...otherwise, you can connect using the included USB cable.

It is possible that when you are using a USB cable, the smartphone will be charging.

If the Data Transfer Mode (DTM) is set in the default position and you are in an active data session, you will be notified of incoming voice calls (rather than having them go automatically to voicemail). the data session is suspended when incoming calls are picked up.

You can send and receive wireless email from multiple corporate and personal email accounts, including Notes/Domino and Novell Groupwise environments (with additional software).

Using Microsoft® Exchange ActiveSync® with Direct Push Technology you can connect directly to your company's Microsoft Exchange Server to get your Outlook® email as it arrives, and update your calendar and contacts. Copies of messages, including attachments you've sent and messages you've deleted, are added to the Sent Items and Deleted Items folders on your company's server...your computer and smartphone will both be in sync. It is possible to accept and decline meeting invitations which are automatically added to your calendar, and updated on the server. You can view the meeting location and attendees on the Treo™ smartphone. The Global address lookup (GAL) of you company directory is accessable. All calendar events time-shift based on the time zones when you are traveling.

Of course, check with your company's system administrator...

You can get wireless email access to POP3 and IMAP accounts like AOL, Gmail, Earthlink and Yahoo! with the included Versamail® application.

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The web browser (Blazer v4.5) lets you stream files to play music and video files in formats such as MP3, WMA, and WMV.

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Sprint Mobile Broadband with Power Vision provides:
customized, up-to-date web content such as sports, weather, news, money and movie information...
and live TV.

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In case location makes the difference, I feel the need to say I live in zipcode 85743...outside of the city limits of Tucson, Arizona. I needed to be patient because, when using the keyboard and stylus, the response to commands "lagged". Maybe it was due to my location...

In the "My Local TV" section, there were some Phoenix stations. "12 News" provided a weathercast, and http://12news.azcentral.com
It was a little jerky with some glitches/dropouts. Same with the "I-cast". My opinion is that Sprint PowerVision needs much better buffering.

(Verizon's V Cast was better.)

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BEFORE YOU GET SATELLITE RADIO

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Sprint Radio Premier has local radio stations...I was able to access four in Phoenix. The sound quality is like a low quality mp3 file...due to the complaints I've heard from others, I'm going to assume like XM. I'm not complaining: due to the state of the technology, it should be expected. Be content to be able get the service provided.

Formats available from Sprint Radio included:
70s
todays hits
urban
ac
latin
reggaeton
smooth grooves
indies
hip-hop
country
dance

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SIRIUS MUSIC channels (commercial-free music) -
SIRIUS Hits 1: Todays Top 40 Hits.
The Pulse: Pop and Rock from the 90s to now.
60s Vibrations: The musical revolution of the 60s and early 70s.
Totally 70s: The most popular music from the 70s.
Big 80s: The hit music of the 80s.
Vinyl: Classic rock of the 60s and 70s.
Hair Nation: Glam rock from the 80s.
First Wave: The 80s Alt-rock revolution.
Soul Town: Classic soul hits.
Heart & Soul: The R&B hits from the 80s, 90s, and today.
New Country: Todays hottest country hits.
Prime Country: Country music superstars of yesterday and today.
Jazz Café: Smooth jazz instrumentals and vocals.
SIRIUS Blues: Authentic blues music, from past to present.
Broadways Best: Songs from Broadways most popular shows.
The Beat: Todays biggest dance hits and remixes.
Area33: Trance and progressive house dance music.
SIRIUS INTERVIEWS: Interviews and performances of favorite artists.

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PocketTunes is preloaded so you can play music files...

When I had the phone, service from Pandora was planned to come for Sprint Power Vision phones.

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With the time I was allowed with the phone, the Sprint Power Vision Network had too much for me to cover in detail. Some of the services available include games, and other web-based products (IM, chat rooms, etcetera).

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Sprint PCS Video Mail and Sprint Picture Mail allow you to take, save, publish, and share pictures and videos.

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To send a text message was not simple enough...I was not able to find a SIMPLE menued option to send one, then create the message (like other mobile phones): it was easier to create a new "contact", then send a message...

In general, I believe (based on my experience) that a "hybrid" ANYTHING is not as good as a seperate phone and PDA (no different for audio and computer equipment: lose one, possibly lose it all). For example, there is no "pound" (#) key on the keypad: it's on the touchscreen...as is the letter and number combination keys.

However, compared to my PPC-6700 phone (Windows Mobile 5), the 755p is a better device.

I own a Palm Tx, and LifeDrive. If you don't, consider getting the Palm Treo 755p (with the Foleo)...

Do I want one? Yes. I do like the keyboard on the phone. (I would use it in addition to, and to compliment, my primary Palm PDA.)

To compliment the 755p, I want the Palm Foleo