Palm’s New Treo 700w

By Gerry Morris

This month I want to talk about a new product recently made available through Verizon Wireless, the Palm Treo 700w. The new Treo utilizes Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. This marks the first time Palm has departed from its own operating system and partnered up with Microsoft.

I’ve made it clear in my past columns that I think the Treo 650 is by far the best smartphone for the way lawyers do business. Its closest competition, RIM’s Blackberry line, doesn’t yet offer the versatility of the Treo because of the latter’s ability to run the thousand’s of available Palm (and now Microsoft) applications. Recently, Blackberry’s patent fight has made its future unclear. The only criticism consistently lodged against the Treo was from those that prefer the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system.

I have not personally used a Treo 700w but the available information from Palm and Verizon indicates that it has all the functionality of the 650. Installed applications include the familiar email, calendar, tasks and contacts application that sync with Microsoft Outlook. The email application can be configured to retrieve mail from a POP account via the Internet. Applications are included to allow the user to compose and edit documents from Microsoft Office applications including Word, Powerpoint and Excel.

The basic device is very similar in its particulars to the Treo 650 but with some improvements. One welcomed improvement is the increase in built-in memory from approximately 24 meg on the 650 to 128 meg on the 700w. The built in memory on the 650 fills up pretty fast if you have a lot of applications or want to store documents, pictures or videos there. Both models accept SD card memory for data storage or applications to expand usable memory. I have a 1 gig card in mine and use it to store Word documents, photos and audio files. You might get by without one with the 700w.

Another feature that has been improved over the Treo 650 is the 700w’s built in camera. The Treo 700w includes a 1.3 megapixel camera in contrast to the .3 megapixel one included in the 650. I view the camera in my 650 as more of a novelty than a tool. The pictures are fair under good conditions but nothing to write home about. The camera in the 700w might be much better. I debated whether to purchase the 650 model without the camera so that I wouldn’t have to check my phone with security when entering a federal courthouse. Every time I leave it with the guards and go to court with a hard copy printout of my calendar rather than the electronic one I question whether I made the right decision. A 1.3 megapixel camera may be more worth the hassle.

Otherwise the main differences in the 650 and the 700w are those between the functionality of the Palm apps and the Microsoft compatible apps. If your mail system utilizes Microsoft Exchange Server, there’s an upgrade that allows for email to be pushed to your device, which basically means that you get it as soon as it arrives on the server rather than waiting for your phone to connect and check the server for email. Also, the Mobile Outlook app is a bit more feature rich than the comparable program group in the 650. Some of the new features incorporated in the software of the 700w are available as add-ons for the 650 from third party venders. For instance, see http://www.ludustech.com/.

The Treo 700w includes Bluetooth capabilities for use with wireless headsets and carkits. Check the Palm website, it doesn’t appear that a keyboard is currently available, but I would expect one soon.

Verizon Wireless is currently the only service provider offering the Treo 700w. For more information about the Treo 700w, and available service plans, try http://vzwshop.com/treo700w/. Other service providers should offer the 700w by mid year. Also, CNET provides a good review of the 700w at http://reviews.cnet.com/Palm_Treo_700w/4505-6452_7-31473222.html. Also, here’s the link to my original article about how I use the Treo in my practice. http://www.texasbarcle.com/CLE/site/LawOfficeMgmtNewsletters/05_03_07.pdf


E. G. “Gerry” Morris is a solo practitioner and has practiced law for over 27 years in Austin, Texas. He is certified as a Criminal Law Specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. His firm web site is at www.egmlaw.com. Email your comments and questions to Gerry at tech@egmlaw.com .