I must admit, I have been a bit reluctant to jump on the smart phone bandwagon. The idea of checking my e-mail anytime and place just didn’t seem like the best idea. At work I was offered a Treo 700w so I could learn how they work before they were issued to all our sales staff. It didn’t take me long to fall in love. The Treo 700w is only available from Verizon Wireless however I’m sure it will eventually be a very common device. The biggest improvement over older smart phones is the ability to connect to an exchange server. The functionality however is only available if you’re running Microsoft Exchange SP2.
My first handheld computer was the Compaq iPaq 3850. I was happy with the device, but it didn’t offer much connectivity options back to home base. Also the device was a tad bulky to carry around in a pocket. It always seemed silly to carry around a cell phone and iPaq. The Treo 700w solves that problem by combined an amazing cell phone with all the Windows Mobile features you need. Although there is less screen real estate, the device seems much faster then my iPaq. They have definitely made major improvements in mobile computing. This palm device uses Microsoft Windows Mobile (scary). I’d prefer the traditional palm interface, but the ability to synchronize with Exchange without any special configuration too nice to pass up. I am willing to deal with some interface short-comings for this extra functionality.
Some of the most important features are:
- ActiveSync with Exchange server
- Slimmer profile then Treo 650. More like a 90’s cell phone then a handheld computer
- Clear bright screen
- Improved layout on desktop page
After using the Treo 700w for just a few days I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to access all of their change contact, calander, and e-mail on the road. This is not only the best solution, but also one of the only solutions which works directly with Exchange. I am sure more smart phones will be released using this new technology, but for now this is by far the best handheld and phone I’ve ever owned.
