Dear Gear Diary…
Posted on 02 May 2007, at 2:07 am, by Judie Lipsett
Q. Hi Judie,
My name’s Andy, and I’m a sound engineer for theatre/concerts in NYC/on tour, and have been reading your reviews for a long time on The Gadgeteer and, now that I’ve discovered it, at Gear Diary. I’ve been a long time Palm devotee, as well as a PC/Windows user, but lately have been worn down and plan, within the next month or so, to make the jump into Mac Book Pro land (with Boot Camp to XP, just in case, of course!).
At that point, something clicked and made me start questioning my avoidance of Win Mobile, and since I’m nearing the time when I’ll have to replace my Treo 650, I’m starting to consider going to a 700wx or 750 (should it ever come to Verizon) as opposed to a 700p (provided Palm’s promised patch fixes at least some of the lag issues, since the lag on my 650 is bad enough!) or a 680 (again, should it come to Verizon).
Anyway…I saw in your 700-series reviews that after trying the 700p vs the 700wx, you ended up with the Windows version. You noted that you would save the why for another time, which I’m not sure if I’m either just missing in the archive, or if you haven’t actually expounded on that further yet. If so, would you mind sharing at least the condensed version, LOL? I’ve avoided Win Mob for years under the whole, “I love my Palm programs, and _everything_ is so many more steps on Wind Mob” mantra, but I’ve realized I’m nay-saying without actually trying, so…
From left to right: the Treo 700wx and the Treo 700p
I guess the big things for me are the features/add-ons I’ve grown to rely on, primarily: -The expanded calendar functions of DateBk6 -The pop-up “today” screen and clock of “Key Guard Time” (that’s a key for me–a today screen I have to manually go to is useless for my ADD brain; KGT pops up the “today” list of appointments every single time I turn on my Treo, keeping it fresh in my mind) -The timed/appointment-category-based/manually set ringer, volume, display, etc. profiles of ProfileCare -The ability to scroll using the side volume keys thanks to Butler.
There are other little things, too, and some big ones, like using BrightCam to automatically adjust the display brightness via the camera, that I don’t think I could do without on my Treo. Do you know of any comparable features, be they built-in or third-party, on Windows Treos?
I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m challenging you, LOL, I’m truly asking your advice as a respected reviewer who I know has extensive experience with both OS’s, and has made the switch.
Thanks in advance,
Andy
http://onefromtheroad.com/
Tools, Toys and Tales for StagehandsP.S.-Big dumb question while I’m thinking about it, does the 700wx play nice with Mac OS?
A. Hi Andy,
I bet that you had just about given up on me ever answering you, and for that I apologize. I would say that my dog ate my homework, but in reality…
1. I have been so behind on everything that I kept meaning to answer your questions, but I just never got around to it. I mean, this entry has been formatted in WordPress and ready to be answered for over a month – and I kept putting it off. Until I finally got serious, answered everything, was pretty happy with my reply, was about to hit “Publish“, and then…
2. WordPress dumped my entire reply. (Gahhhh!)
After that I just gave up for a few more weeks.
So here I am again, about to give it another shot. This time I will make sure that I hit the “Save and Continue Editing” button until everything is answered to my satisfaction. Thanks for not giving up on me! 
On to your questions…
I’ve been a long time Palm devotee, as well as a PC/Windows user, but lately have been worn down and plan, within the next month or so, to make the jump into Mac Book Pro land (with Boot Camp to XP, just in case, of course!).
I am sure that Mitchell and Chris Spera will roll out the welcome wagon for you! Well, that’s assuming you are still gonna make the jump? I know it has been at least a month (or more) since you wrote…
At that point, something clicked and made me start questioning my avoidance of Win Mobile, and since I’m nearing the time when I’ll have to replace my Treo 650, I’m starting to consider going to a 700wx or 750 (should it ever come to Verizon) as opposed to a 700p (provided Palm’s promised patch fixes at least some of the lag issues, since the lag on my 650 is bad enough!) or a 680 (again, should it come to Verizon).
Well, here’s the thing: Verizon is CDMA (just like Sprint), so your only options at the moment are the 700p (Palm), the 700w, or the 700wx (both Windows). The 680 and the 750 are both GSM models, so I wouldn’t hold your breath that either will be coming to Verizon or Sprint any time soon. However – we CDMA users may get lucky and see antenna-less CDMA Treos later this fall or early next spring. Hey, It could happen! They won’t be called 680 or 750, though; I can guarantee that. But I digress…
Anyway…I saw in your 700-series reviews that after trying the 700p vs the 700wx, you ended up with the Windows version. You noted that you would save the why for another time, which I’m not sure if I’m either just missing in the archive, or if you haven’t actually expounded on that further yet. If so, would you mind sharing at least the condensed version, LOL? I’ve avoided Win Mob for years under the whole, “I love my Palm programs, and _everything_ is so many more steps on Wind Mob” mantra, but I’ve realized I’m nay-saying without actually trying, so…
Yeah, I really did drop the ball on that discussion! The short answer is that it just came down to the fact that Windows Mobile does what I need it to do. I am spoiled by the multi-tasking, the way Office documents integrate out of the box, the way my Treo syncs so perfectly with my Exchange account, the third-party software available that does exactly what I need it to do…I could go on and on.
Really, I have just been much more satisfied with Windows Mobile as a whole than I have been with Palm. That’s not to say that I can’t appreciate how snappy the Palm OS usually seems to be when I revisit it, but “snappy” is easy to do when there isn’t much going on in the background.
Ouch! Was that a rotten tomato someone just lobbed at me? Well get in line!
I guess the big things for me are the features/add-ons I’ve grown to rely on, primarily: -The expanded calendar functions of DateBk6 -The pop-up “today” screen and clock of “Key Guard Time” (that’s a key for me–a today screen I have to manually go to is useless for my ADD brain; KGT pops up the “today” list of appointments every single time I turn on my Treo, keeping it fresh in my mind) -The timed/appointment-category-based/manually set ringer, volume, display, etc. profiles of ProfileCare -The ability to scroll using the side volume keys thanks to Butler.
Comperable calendar add-ons would be Pocket Informant, Agendus and Agenda Fusion. Of these, Pocket Informant is my favorite, but each has a faithful following due to each program’s special features; All of them have free trial periods, so you’ll have the opportunity to figure out which one best meets your needs.
Windows Mobile has a built-in Today Screen, so there is no need for a add-on unless you just want one – and there are plenty that will expand upon your appointment display needs.
Profiles can be set with several programs including Spb Phone Suite and phoneAlarm – to name the first two that popped in my mind.
As far as scrolling with the side volume keys, I havn’t actively searched for such a program, so if there is one I am not aware of it; I generally just use the D-pad for this. If anyone knows of such a program, please speak up. 
There are other little things, too, and some big ones, like using BrightCam to automatically adjust the display brightness via the camera, that I don’t think I could do without on my Treo. Do you know of any comparable features, be they built-in or third-party, on Windows Treos?
BrightCam is another application I haven’t tried, but if I understand its purpose correctly, it is using the Treo’s camera to measure ambient light so that the keyboard and backlights will adjust to the available lighting conditions and “know” when to come on and at what brightness. Right? So many Pocket PCs I’ve owned have had a specific light sensor built in as a battery saving option, and I always wind up disabling it. Always.
I have my Treo set to light up on medium brightness (on battery power) when a call comes in or when I push the screen button…and I haven’t missed a call yet due to not being able to see the screen. However, if you can’t live without it, then I bet that others probably feel the same way; which means that if you asked, the BrightCam designer might be willing to create a little WM5 version for you all. It would be worth asking!
I hope this doesn’t sound like I’m challenging you, LOL, I’m truly asking your advice as a respected reviewer who I know has extensive experience with both OS’s, and has made the switch.
Nah, I don’t see any of your questions as a challenge. The whole thing is that these Palms and WM devices are tools, and just as certain jobs require different specialized tools, different people will have different needs requiring a certain PDA. There’s no reason to get bent out of shape because anyone likes one OS over the other, because one or the other OS may just “fit” that particular user better, so that will be the OS he or she should use.
The cool thing is that the Treo offers both major operating systems – which was way smart of Palm. We get to have the choice of whichever OS we would prefer in a great bit of hardware; I’m grateful to Palm for that! :thumbup_tb:
P.S.-Big dumb question while I’m thinking about it, does the 700wx play nice with Mac OS?
Hrmmmm…that’s not really a dumb question, and it could be the deal breaker. While there are plenty of people that will tell you that The Missing Sync or PocketMac will take care of Mac < -> Pocket PC syncing effectively, there are just as many people that will go to their graves complaining about how neither ever worked properly for them. Maybe one or the other will work for you…I don’t know. Since I don’t own a Mac, I couldn’t really say.
I would love to hear from other Treo users – both Palm and Pocket PC versions. It would be great if you could say what you like best about your chosen OS, and why it works for you. If you are feeling brave, let us know what turns you off abou the “other” OS.
It would also be great to hear from Mac users who are successfully syncing their Pocket PCs. Perhaps you all are having better luck than I thought possible – let me know!
Related posts:
May 2nd, 2007 at 3:45 am
I’ll wade in on this to say that I have a G4 Powerbook with Missing Sync for Palm OS and Windows Mobile both installed. At present my devices are a Treo 680 (Palm OS) and a QTek 8500 (Windows Mobile for Smartphone) and they both sync perfectly with the Powerbook. Previously I had a T-Mobile MDA (Windows Mobile PPC Phone Edition) and that also synced with the Powerbook without problem.
If you are considering a Windows Mobile Treo and Macbook, MarkSpace, who make the Missing Sync, have recently updated the app again to add extra functions and improve bluetooth syncing. On the whole I found their email support very helpful when I was using the beta of Missing Sync 2.5, but since the full release of MS3.0 it’s all just worked. The other thing which has proved useful is that Missing Sync also includes conduits for some popular programs like AvantGo, which AvantGo don’t themselves provide.
I can’t tell you anything about Pocket Mac I’m afraid as I never tried it. Missing Sync was one of the first things I got when I got my Mac and as it just worked, I didn’t try anything else.
Hope this helps.
May 2nd, 2007 at 4:29 am
Nice reply Judy. Despite the time it took you to get back to the guy you did a good job of covering every angle of his questions. Posts like this are the reason I keep coming back to Gear Diary.
May 2nd, 2007 at 6:40 am
Welcome to the Dark Side, dude! I use my MBP as my primary PC, and yes, I said PC. My primary OS is XP/Vista; and MacOS is used for multimedia stuff (iTunes, iPhoto, etc.) I’ve been very happy with it.
I am not a PalmOS fan, so getting me to SERIOUSL, 100% give you the goods between the 2 OS’ is going to be difficult. Not because I can’t do it; but because I really don’t use PalmOS (and haven’t for about 4 years..after OS5 was released). I just don’t like it, and couldn’t get used to it.
The WM based Treo’s are great. I have written reviews on the entire WM Treo line. the 700wx and the 750 are good. If you’ve got Cingular/ATT, and you want to stick with a Treo, its a no brainer. Its a great device. If you’ve got VzW or Sprint, the 700wx is good, and you’ll like it too. The key here is the carrier: Which one has the best signal where you’re living and likely to travel to.
My experience with Sprint hasn’t been very positive. Their signal is just too weak, despite the fact they share towers with VzW in many areas, including Chicago.
Your best bet is VzW or Cingular/ATT (not necessarily in that order). The software setup is virtually identical, and you’ll be pleased with both.
The Missing Sync is your best bet if you want to sync with OSX, before Leopard is released. My guess is that with the iPhone release immenant, some kind of smartphone synching will be built into Leopard or will be added soon after. Keep your eyes open for that. In the mean time, Boot Camp works just great to get you into XP/Vista.
Let us know if you have additional questions!
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:19 am
No tomato, but I do disagree on Palm vs WM. WM is sluggish even when nothing is going on in the background, and simplicity is actually one of the hardest things to do right. Ever hear Mark Twain’s famous line: “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I’m writing a long one instead.”?
May 2nd, 2007 at 8:02 am
@Alison – Thank You for weighing in with your experience! I needed a true Mac & Palm user to speak up, and…there you were.
@melvynadam – Thank you.
@Chris – Great reply, as always.
@reidme – Good one, quoting Twain!
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