A Tale of Two Treos
Posted on 10 November 2006, at 3:28 pm, by Judie Lipsett
I need a Palm device since I don’t currently own one, and because of that I thought it would make perfect since to get a Palm OS Treo.
My main mobile phone is currently a Samsung A900, but it has no geek cred. 
So a little background: I generally prefer to carry two devices, a mobile phone and a main brain. I thought it would be cool to have a “smarter” mobile phone that I could carry by itself on quick trips to the store, or on days when I was travelling “light”.
The Palm Treo 700p actually sounded pretty close to perfect, which is why I was pleased when I was sent one to review. A “try before you buy” opportunity, if you will.
Once I had the 700p review unit in hand, I fell in love with the hardware…
Here’s a close-up of the keyboard:
…but after using the device for a few days, I decided that I would also like to try the Palm Treo 700wx Windows version. Knowing that Palm probably wouldn’t want to send me a second review unit at the same time, I purchased a brand new wx on eBay.
Once again, a close-up of the keyboard:
Now don’t get me wrong: there have been things that I really like about each Treo as well as minor disappointments, but I’ve been surprised by the results.
Notice the difference between the signal bars on the wx (left) and the p (right); I wonder why they are so different?
I always thought that I was “OS agnostic”, to use Alison’s phrase, but now I realize that to say so would be lying. There are things that I like about the Palm OS and the way that it is implemented on the Treo, but…
I have determined that I prefer the Windows Mobile 5 / Pocket PC OS.
“Why” will be a post for another day. I’d also love to hear the thoughts of others who have tried both.
*****
And before you ask why I am not getting a 750, 680, or any other GSM Treo, some back-story is in order:
My main voice carrier is through Sprint, which (like Verizon) is CDMA. This is the number that has replaced my home phone – everyone calls me on it. It would be a major hassle to switch to another number, and no – it can’t be transferred. I carry the Sprint Power Vision plan on this number, so I can use all the data I want.
Since I also like to test out GSM/GPRS devices, I have the $29.99 unlimited data plan with T-Mobile which allows all the surfing I want, 300 SMS, and $0.20/minute voice calls. Obviously I don’t use this line for much more than surfing, but it has come in very handy at times.
More later…
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6 Comments For This Post
November 10th, 2006 at 5:01 pm
I’m one of those ‘OS-agnostic’ types that has used both Palm and Windows Mobile, and also Windows and Mac extensively. I haven’t had a Palm in a couple of years though, and I tried one again a few days ago. I have nothing against the user interface – I think it definitely has its merits. Many people stick religiously to one OS or another simply because they’re familiar with it, and hence view any other system as ‘too difficult to use’ without really giving it a chance.
IMO, where the Palm falls down is compatibility with desktop file formats. Yes, it’s come a long way since the early days and can now recognise Office file formats natively as well as multimedia files like MP3, video and pictures. But these are incremental enhancements brought about by software – the actual Palm OS still only read PDB files (and PRC for programs), whereas Windows Mobile has had this compatbility from day one. Doing more advanced stuff on the Palm has always been a bit frustrating. I remember trying to chat on IM, download email and surf the Net simultaneously on the Tungsten T3 over Wi-FI and it being a miserable experience, with each app not always holding the ’state’ that it was when I left it to use another application.
And the argument that Palm has more and better software than Windows Mobile is well and truly dead, and has been for awhile. The richness of the Windows Mobile third party software catalogue (and even the accessories market) makes the platform infinitely expandable – the same can’t necessarily be said about Palm.
November 10th, 2006 at 5:14 pm
“Many people stick religiously to one OS or another simply because they’re familiar with it, and hence view any other system as ‘too difficult to use’ without really giving it a chance.”
-I totally agree, and think that it is a shame when that happens. There are good points to every OS…even the “lesser discussed” ones such as Linux and Symbian. But when it comes down to it, I think it is fair to say that there is probably one OS that each person feels a bit more affinity for – whether it be a comfort issue or because it does exactly what they need, in exactly the way they want it done. I’ve decided that for me that is defintiely Pocket PC.
“IMO, where the Palm falls down is compatibility with desktop file formats.”
-Yes, that has been a problem for me – even with the Documents to Go fix.
“I remember trying to chat on IM, download email and surf the Net simultaneously on the Tungsten T3 over Wi-FI and it being a miserable experience, with each app not always holding the ’state’ that it was when I left it to use another application. ”
-Yes, and I never realized how big of a deal this was to me until I began to take it for granted that it was possible to do all things at once…and then found that it wasn’t necessarily so on the Palm.
“And the argument that Palm has more and better software than Windows Mobile is well and truly dead, and has been for awhile.”
-Well said! However…! There are still a couple of programs that I would like to see ported o Pocket PC that have never made it over from Palm. Of course, I could probably cheat and use a program such as StyleTap to port them over.
November 11th, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Judie:
Did the WM5 device ever lose signal during your tests, when the Palm was doing OK? It is strange to see signal level meters so off from one another. It concerns me to see this on the WM device…
November 11th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
gt2697 – the WM5 Treo has not dropped a single call, nor does it have any in-call static, nor has it had any other easy indicator of truly poor signal strength. It is the weirdest thing! As you saw in the picture – these are two Sprint CDMA phones lying side by side, yet there is a complete disparity in what the signal meters are reading.
FWIW: the WM5 Treo is showing 2 bars at the moment, and the Palm OS Treo is (of course) showing four. They both sound completely clear and other than what the signal meter says I would say that there is no difference in the reception.
November 11th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Sounds like the difference may be in the way the OS is actually reporting the signal?
My wife still uses a Palm – I used a Palm for years, up through the M505, but then won a free iPaq from a website contest, and it has been Windows Mobile ever since. Every time my wife asks me to help her with something on her Palm, I quickly realize why I left.
For me, it was the simple things like using expansion cards. With WM, it just works; in fact, it works just like your desktop. You plug in the card, and the OS sees it. You can install apps to the card, you can put data on the card and access it directly. I remember using an expansion card with my M505 as being distinctly “Kludgy” – I was using some third party apps to work around the OS limitations, but it was still frustrating in action. I know that expansion cards were officially new to the Palm OS with the M505, and the experience is probably better now, but that was ultimately what pushed me away.
The “persistent state” of the applications is the other biggie, as mentioned above. Yes, I need to use a third party app to manage memory and close apps as I deem necessary, but being able to access several apps repeatedly and have them stay in a consistent state is nice – it somewhat replicates the desktop.
I will be very interested to see your report on your time with both units, and whether your preference for the WM unit still stands after a few weeks.
November 11th, 2006 at 11:36 pm
“Sounds like the difference may be in the way the OS is actually reporting the signal?”
Most likely. I am sure that if I spend some time Googling it, I may find that it is a common issue.
Ha, I am starting to think that it might be an interesting project to collect data from people about what they like best about each OS, and what they like least about each OS.