It all works seamlessly for the user and overall the experience is very good. The 700wx is virtually the same look and dimensions as its predecessor the Treo 650, but for some slight reshaping of the keys. Whilst it doesn’t have the new look and feel of the Vodafone’s Treo 750v, it’s still a great form factor that can provide upgrading users with the familiar shape they are already accustomed to but with new Windows Mobile functionality, a 1.3MP camera and Telecom 3G capability.

The body is made of hard plastic which feels quite sturdy and long lasting. The antenna sticking out from the top of the device is the only thing breaking the smooth design lines. The 700wx’s dimensions are 111 x 58 x 22.5mm and it weighs in at 180 grams. On the front the 2 x 2 inch touch-screen displays 65,000 colours in a 240 x 240 pixel resolution. However, this is closer to being 240 x 200 pixels, due to the ever present top bar as well as the bottom soft key shortcut bar.

The screen performed well in all types of conditions, displaying vibrant colours and crisp text. Even outdoors and in direct sunlight it was useable and held up well. Above the screen there is an earpiece opening and a network connectivity LED light. Below the screen are the navigation keys and the Palm’s famous QWERTY keyboard.

The navigation keys consist of the two soft keys, dial and end keys for calls, Start and OK keys as well as the five-way navigation D-pad, allowing for the one-handed operation of the 700wx, without having to use the stylus. The number keypad is integrated seamlessly into the QWERTY keyboard, which made dialling easy and similar to standard phone operation. On the left hand side are the volume keys which are easily accessible with the thumb while in a call, as well as the programmable smart key which opens the Windows Media Player with a long press by default.

At the top are the stylus opening, infrared and SD card ports (supporting SD, SDIO and MultiMedia Cards), as well as the famous Palm silent switch allowing all sounds on the device to be muted with the single press of a button. When the silent mode is no longer needed, sliding the button off restores all sounds back to the original level. This is a very easy and useful tool for meetings. At the bottom are the 2.5mm plug used for a stereo headset (which is included in the sales pack), a multi-port for accessories, an AC charger connector and a microphone.

The back of the device features the 1.3MP camera lens with self portrait mirror, the external speaker and the battery cover taking most of the rear surface. Being a Windows Mobile device, the Treo 700wx starts and shuts down with the press of the End key (which also doubles as a power key).

Navigation
Using the Treo 700wx is a pleasure. The endless features are intuitively stacked away behind a hierarchy of menus, similar to the standard Windows desktop experience. And the touch-screen interface makes it completely natural and accessible, allowing the user to click anywhere they want without having to scroll through the whole list of items before arriving at what they want to access.

The backlight of the QWERTY keyboard is evenly spread across all keys and is perfectly usable even in total darkness. All keys glow white with dark grey letters, except the number pad which is reversed (white letters on dark grey background).

There are three main ways to navigate the 700wx: stylus with the touch screen, navigation buttons and keyboard combination as well as voice command. The touch screen is the most common usage, and it also includes the standard on-screen keyboard as well as hand-writing recognition software. For users who prefer to type the conventional way or have one-handed operation, the built-in keyboard is quite comfortable to use.

Voice command navigation is a great time saver. To set it up, the side smart key should be modified to open voice command instead of the Media Player (which is the default setting). Once set up, with a long key-press you can say “What’s my schedule today?” and the built-in speech software tells you your appointments. Aside from this, you can dial your contacts using your voice as well as start programs.

To start Word Mobile, instead of going into the Start menu, selecting Programs and then scrolling to the bottom of the list to click Word, you can simply say “Start Word”. The voice recognition is incredibly accurate out of the box, without any setup and can save a lot of time for the mobile user on the go. Overall, navigating the 700wx was easy and intuitive.

Calling
Treo 700wx is a CDMA 800/1900 MHz digital dual-band EvDO and 1xRTT device, operating locally on the Telecom network. In terms of data, the average download speeds are 400-600kbps. The quoted standby time is 300 hours with five hours of talk time on its 1800mAh Lithium-Ion battery.

We found this to be relatively accurate and the battery can easily last two days with moderate use of standard functions (phone, messaging, email, document editing), however this will vary from user to user and depends on the actual use. Calls sounded very loud and clear for both parties. The built-in speakerphone function worked well also, being very clear without sound distortion or echo.

The speakerphone can also be turned on before the call is answered by going into the menu and selecting it, immediately after pressing the Dial key. A new feature since the Treo 650 is the ability to type the few letters of a name right from the Today screen and the phone will propose the matches from the address book, at which stage you can simply click the Dial key to make the call. This is a very good improvement. Another excellent feature are the photo speed dials which are listed on the Today screen.

After setting up the speed dials and adding photos to contacts, you simply make one click from the Today screen to make a call. Builtin Bluetooth 1.2 allows for wireless communication through the Bluetooth headset, adding for extra comfort and ease of use.

One tip with voice dialling – you could set up a contact called Voicemail and save the appropriate numbers under Home, Work and Mobile fields. If you then wanted to check the voicemail on your landline at home for example, you could press the voice command button and say “Voicemail at Home” and the phone will dial the Voicemail contact with the Home location number. Overall, managing your calls is very easy with Treo 700wx.

Camera
Treo 700wx sports a 1.3 megapixel camera with a maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels. The quality of the camera in terms of printing images isn’t particularly high, but is quite appropriate for keeping in touch with friends and family, or for sending a quick snapshot of a building or a shelf positioning for business purposes via email. The camera supports normal, burst and timer modes, brightness control, resolution (from 160x120 to 1280x1024 pixels), 2x digital zoom and image quality adjustment (low, normal and high).

The camera also has a video recording mode with brightness control and two resolutions (176x144 and 352x288 pixels). The quality of the video is suitable for playback on mobile devices or for email. Overall, the camera is quite standard and while not the most outstanding feature of the device, should serve the image needs of business users.

Messaging
Messaging is a very important feature of the 700wx. In addition to SMS text messaging and full email (POP3/SMTP/IMAP), it also provides out-of-box compatibility with Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 for push delivery of email, Contacts, Calendar and tasks from your corporate Outlook account. This makes the 700wx a very versatile tool as you can take the office with you wherever you go (if you want to do that).

Messages are handled by the Outlook Mobile on the device, which resembles the standard desktop application. Email can be composed in the same way as on the desktop, with attachments able to be both received and sent in emails. The built-in Pocket MSN Messenger adds another way to stay in touch with important contacts.

Applications
Being a Windows Mobile device, this is where the Treo 700wx shines. In addition to Mobile Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint) there is also a PDF viewer, calculator, notes, tasks, Windows Media Player for music and video on the go and Internet Explorer Mobile. There are also two included games: Bubble Breaker and the old-time-favourite Solitaire.

Web search is now possible directly from the Today screen, so accessing the web at 3G speeds coupled with the new .mobi website formats should drive an increase in mobile web usage. Installing new software is easy as there are many third-party applications for Windows Mobile platform.

A good place to start would be www.handango.com. In terms of connections, it’s possible to connect the 700wx to the outside world through the network, Bluetooth, infrared and USB. Data such as contacts, emails and calendar can be synchronised with the desktop using ActiveSync 4.2. There is no Wi-Fi connectivity built-in, however.

Summary
The Treo 700wx is a great productivity tool and a very good upgrade from the 650 and the first Treo driven by the Windows Mobile platform. With the touch screen, backlit QWERTY keyboard and voice command, one has a lot of choices for using the 700wx.

Mobile Office and Windows applications keep you connected wherever you may be – to send and receive emails, work on your documents, access an important PDF file or practise a PowerPoint presentation on the way to the meeting. Web browsing is easy – especially at broadband speeds. Overall, the Treo 700wx is a great device for a busy user who needs easy communication and critical tools on the go.

For more information on Telecom Mobile visit their online exhibit here.

For more information about Mobility visit the Mobile Business Research Pavilion

February 2007

By Dushan Delic