Introduction
I have been using Sprint's PPC6600 for a couple of years and just recently decided to give the Treo 755P a try. The last device Palm device I used was regularly was the Treo 600, and so the 755P would be the third revision beyond the 600. So my expectations for this step back to the Palm platform had high expectations. In this review, I'll try to capture my experience, my likes, and my dislikes. As with any review and comparison, there is a lot of personal preference involved. To set things in perspecive, I'll say that I'm probably in the middle of the pack of PDAPhone users in terms of needs... I'm not a beginner, but I'm also not an expert.



Why did I switch? My PPC6600 had been having a lot of voice quality problems, among other issues. This will be my 4th replacement in the time I've used it, and quite frankly I'm bored and looking for something new. The PPC6800 seems to keep being delayed, so why not take a ride on the Palm side for a while? One thing I want to make clear is that both of these PDAPhones are excellent devices and server different users needs equally well. So here is my experience.

Treo 755P Specs

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Radio</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>CDMA 850 / 1900Mhz, 1xEV-DO r0</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Weight</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>5.64 ounces</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Size</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>4.4" x 2.3" x 0.84"</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Platform</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>Palm OS Version 5.4.9</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Processor</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>312Mhz Intel Xscale</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Memory</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>128 MB RAM; (62.8 MB user accessible)</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Battery Life</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>4.2 hrs talk, 240 hours standby</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Display</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>320x320 pixel, 65K color, Touchscreen TFT</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Expansion</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>miniSD, IR, USB1.1, Bluetooth</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>Camera</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>1280x1024, 1.3 Megapixel, Video Capable</TD></TR><TR><TD class=gensmall align=left width="25%" bgColor=#b9d3ee>In the Box</TD><TD class=gensmall align=left width="75%" bgColor=#f0f0f0>AC Charger, Battery, USB Sync Cable, Sprint Charger Adapter, Stereo Headset, CD, Printed Material</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


Initial Impressions

As I said, I had pretty high expectations from the time I first opened the box. As I opened the box, my memory drifted back to when I received my first Treo 600. The box itself is actually well done, and everything was well packed, with lots of marketing glitz throughout. They even thought about the fold-out Quick Start guide and if you flip it over its a pretty nice poster of the Treo 755P.

Once I held the Treo 755P in my hand, I loved the feel. It feels very nice in the hand, with its new "rubbery" feeling paint. It is available in maroon or blue... I got the blue. Its interesting that the rep at the Sprint store didn't ask me which I wanted, so maybe they only had the blue in stock. According to my postal scale, the weight 5.6 ounces, compared to 7.3 for the PPC6600. Together with the smaller size, the Treo definitely wins the size comparison and the Treo 755P just has a very elegant and polished design. While Palm is touting it as being "thinner", it is, but not by much.





Display
The display of the Treo 755P is very nice. At 320x320 pixels, and being much smaller than the 6600, it is a lot higher resolution. It is also very bright and easy to read, and the colors are well saturated. The touchscreen responded nicely, with or without the included screen protector installed. What you give up is size, but I honestly didn't miss it on anything except looking at a weekly calendar view. It is certainly a minor thing, and the trade-off of having a smaller device to carry around makes it worth it.

Sound

The audio quality of the Treo 755P is very good. It has a small speaker on the front used for phone calls, and a larger speaker on the back used for the speaker phone, or playback of PDA sounds, music, etc. I found the sound quality loud and crisp. While I often had trouble with the PPC6600 volume being loud enough for me, the Treo 755P was a pleasure to use.

A couple of features that are very welcome over and above what the 6600 allowed related to ringer sound control. First, there is a hardware switch on the top of the 755P to silence the device. With the 6600, you have to use the stylus or your finger to select the icon for the speaker and move the volume slider down. The peace of mind of a hardware switch makes me wonder why any PDAPhone would overlook this critical feature. In addition, you can select vibrate to occur with the sound. I often missed 6600 calls because the vibrate wasn't very strong and if I forgot to set the ringer when in my office, I'd not notice the vibration. The Treo does a better job with this, as did my Treo 600 from a couple years earlier.