Sprint PCS Treo 755p Review from a smartphone newbie

To give you a quick glance of what the review is going to be about, I know why they call it the CrackBerry now. After years of waiting for the “right moment”, I finally purchased my very own Treo 755p Smartphone this past week. Ever since that time, it has been a path to discovery.

Pros:

  • The phone is small enough that I can easily put it in my pant pocket, cover and all and it still feels not quite heavy.
  • The Palm software is easier to navigate and use and judging from my past experience with Windows Mobile, it has a lot less control and strangely, a lot less hassle.
  • EVDO is fast and web browsing is a breeze. I even setup my Slingbox with the new client Palm client and it works, albeit choppily.
  • It is easy to make a call, quality is loud and clear and the speakerphone is nice though I tend to not use it very often.
  • Office document editing is painless and the documents are very easy to read in the format presented. I have yet to take documents back to my PC but opening them from GMail is a breeze.
  • Texting is no longer a frustrating and painful experience. I can reply quickly within reason. The keyboard took me a couple of days of getting used to, but now it is more than functional.
  • The screen is brightin sunlight and easy to read.
  • Very interesting escalating ringtones.
  • Email “push” or syncing works well, though not for me. I like GMail to be my respository and not my phone. I wish I could set my phone to delete emails that I have read after a certain period. If I could do that, I would probably use the email feature.
  • Solid feel, fit and finish of the phone. Everything feels like it will hold together (knock on wood).

Cons:

  • The GMail app does not work (yet). I might have a wordaround for this soon and I will post my methods.
  • Battery life is enough to last one day, but not enough to last two.
  • All cables are proprietary, so new chargers and new USB cables for both home and work.
  • Adding a contact from the phone screen without dialing a call is a hassle.
  • Speed dial setup was a learning curve.
  • PCS Vision takes a bit of getting used to on this phone. I think of Vision as a modem service now and know that I have to wait for it to connect.
  • JVM should come pre-installed.
  • Phone security sould be much more configurable. An $8 program provides more security than the phone does. For an enterprise level phone, each application should be lockable.
  • It should come with SOME sort of a case or holder.

Ever since I received my phone in the mail and activated it, I have been using it extensively. I have had it for a few days and I am really happy with it. I even surprised myself and started using the datebook feature. I had failed in the past with a PDA. I think the convenience of having it with me all the time helps a great deal. Overall, it was worth the price. I had seriously thought of getting the Sprint HTC Mogul and that would have also been a good choice (my co-worker Bradon bought one of those) but I am very happy with my Treo 755p. I need to resurrect some of the old code that I had written to work with Sprint. I might even resurrect my old picture blog and modify it to work with videos from Sprint.

PS: Absolutely AMAZING cases here.

6 comments

  1. Tyler Durden says:

    Can\’t you add a new contact in the Phone Screen by pressing Menu >> Add Contact?

  2. Mark says:

    Tyler, yes you can. But on my earlier Sprint phone I could just type the number and then save it as a contact without having to actually call the number. I really miss that.

  3. Good review. I am enjoying my 755p, having upgraded from my 2 year old 650. It is a great phone.

    I have shared a few tips about the 755p.

    Essential Treo 755p Freeware Applications
    http://www.palmloyal.com/addons.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17964

    At glance you may not understand what these app so, but I suggest trying one at a time and getting the value out them.

    Palmloyal Podcast #21 – Treo 650 and Treo 755p Compared and TreoMsgr
    http://www.palmloyal.com/addons.php?name=News&file=article&sid=17966

    Even though you haven\’t had a 650 before, you can no doubt learn what the Treo can do by hearing about the difference of the two devices.

  4. [...] everything about blogging, especially with WordPress. Go ahead, subscribe to our feed!I recently bought myself a Treo 755p with an unlimited data plan and had the itch again to resurrect my moblog. Since I had hacked up scripts in the past to be able [...]

  5. Rafael says:

    I got my 755 last week, upgrading from the 650 I lost. So far I like it, but a couple complaints:
    They took away the shift button on the right, so I keep hitting the Menu button instead of shifting.
    In texting, they took away the \”Look Up In Contacts\” option to text someone who\’s not already in a conversation.

  6. Zi says:

    How long is your Battery last on a standby mode??

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