Palm’s Treo 755p arrives today by way of Sprint. The device is cut from the same mold as the 680 and 750 found on AT&T. Unlike its 700, however, the 755p utilizes Palm OS 5.4.9.
The 680 and 750 both received generally positive reviews, but they each took a degree of flak for the implementation of Windows Mobile. I’m generally pretty ambivalent to WinMo devices, but they do comprise the majority of my smartphone experience. In fact, the 755p is the first Palm OS smartphone I’ve yet used. So let’s take a look to see how it holds up.
Palm has for years been considered a workhorse amongst users of PDAs. Its practical features perform tirelessly and use of its devices has been heralded as a transparent sort of task. I was pleasantly in agreement with these beliefs, Palm OS does indeed present a far more agreeable user experience than any version of WinMo I’ve yet tried. Everything just functions as it should — and quickly.
The 755p is considerably more peppy than the 750. One reason for this is the 312MHz Intel processor that the 755p wields over its GSM cousin. Response times on applications is immediate, or at least nearly so. What’s more, all of the applications included on the 755p have a clear and discernible place. There is no bloating that I detected, just a very streamlined user experience.
Another clear boon of the device is the implementation of EV-DO. Sure the 750 has UMTS, but consistency is the name of this game and in that duel EV-DO comes out ahead every time. It acquires stronger signals more frequently and pushes data at a far more reliable rate. I don’t recall a single instance when EV-DO was unavailable to me. That’s not to say it wasn’t at some point, just never when I needed it. This fact alone stacks the odds heavily in favor of Sprint and the 755p.
Now users of the Treo 700p might be hard pressed to find a clear reason for upgrading. As far as I can tell, there are only two differences. As I mentioned above, the 755p uses the new Palm body style. That means it is slightly smaller and it has an internal antenna — so no giant protrusion from the top of the device. Secondly, it uses a slightly revised version of Palm OS, revision 5.4.9.
Is that worth upgrading? I really can’t say. To me this seems to be mainly a cosmetic upgrade. So if the external antenna of the 700p is a major drag for you, then by all means go for it. Otherwise you might want to wait for a more distinct upgrade. At any rate, it is a good device with solid performance. I’m going to withhold Best Byte marks on this one though because it is such a minimal upgrade.