It really seems to be the season of unexpected (and previously unimaginable) alliances.
- Microsoft's XBox is using IBM's PowerPC chip rather then Intel
- Apple computers will now have Intel chips instead of IBM's PowerPC
- Steven Job's (Mr. anti-establishment) is now on the board of Disney Corp. (the establishment) and is their largest single stockholder
Not since Richard Hatch and the "rat" with the "snake" alliance on the first season of the television show Survivor have we seen such unlikely bedfellows. As unlikely as these alliances may have once seemed, the most unlikely alliance of them all is in the world of mobile devices: a Palm device running Windows Mobile 5.0.
When the three-way alliance of Palm, Microsoft and Verizon announced a few months ago that they would be bringing the Palm Treo 700w to market in January 2006, I was intrigued but was taking a wait-and-see attitude (webcast of Palm Treo 700w announcement: 300 kps - 100 kps)
In the 20+ years that I've worked in the computer industry I've heard of many supposedly "great" alliances that have failed to deliver on expectations. Well … I picked up my Palm Treo 700w this week and all I can say is WOW!! This is not one of those failed alliances.
In my opinion, this is one of the best Windows Mobile devices I've seen - Palm hardware running Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 for Pocket PC Phone Edition with phone & data services provided by Verizon. If you're interested in the details of the 700w, checkout the specs.
The 700w just feels right. Being a person who needs easy access to the PDA features, I really like that it's a Pocket PC Phone Edition rather then a Smartphone. What blows me away is the 700w's incredibly compact size while still being very usable as a PDA. I compared it to my iMate SP31 Smartphone and its amazing how similar in size they are.
- The 700w is the same length as the SP3, and only a 1/2 inch wider and a 1/4 inch thicker.
I really like the SP3 and if my primary concern was for phone features the slightly smaller size of the SP3 is very convenient. That said, to pick up all of the Pocket PC features provided by the 700w with such a small difference in size is pleasing to say the least.
Being a Pocket PC Phone Edition rather then being a Smartphone, the 700w provides great PDA-oriented usability features in that little bit of extra size.
- Slightly larger screen then 96DPI Smartphones (240x240 vs. 176x240).
- Full QWERTY keyboard
- Being a Pocket PC, it has a touch screen with stylus.
- For those occasions where one-handed usage is preferable to traditional two-handed, stylus-based interaction, the 700w also provides the 5-way navigation control and 2 softkeys2 enabling the user to perform many common actions using just one hand - just like a Smartphone.
I'm going to be working with the Treo 700w a great deal over the next couple of months to see what it's like from a developer's point of view. I'll be sure to share what I find.
One thing I've been wondering… is Satan getting cold - 'cause Hell must be freezing over. There's no other explanation J
1The iMate SP3 is the same hardware as an Audiovox SMT5600
2The inclusion of softkeys is a newly added requirement for all WM 5.0 Pocket PCs
Posted
Feb 01 2006, 11:53 AM
by
jim-wilson