Sprint Palm Treo 700wx Review

[Gamer03]

I recently ordered my Sprint Palm Treo 700wx through the SERO program. The phone is easy to use right out of the box.

Service plan:

Sprint SERO 500:

• 500 fair and flexible minutes
• Unlimited n&w at 7 pm
• Unlimited mobile to mobile
• Unlimited Power Vision Access
• Unlimited picture/video messages
• Unlimited text messages
• Caller ID, Call Waiting, Three-way Calling, Call forwarding, and Voicemail

The plan costs me $30 per month before taxes.


Sprint Palm Treo 700wx:

What Came In The Box:

1. Sprint Palm Treo 700wx
2. Standard Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Battery
3. AC Travel Charger
4. Stereo Headset
5. USB Sync Cable
6. Manual
7. Software (Active Sync)
8. Read this first poster, getting started packet, and terms and conditions of services


Pros:
1. Excellent call quality and reception. I believe the Treo 700wx is just as strong as the Treo 700p
2. The earpiece is loud for the phone
3. The speaker phone is loud unless in very noisy environments
4. The screen is very easy to see both indoors and outdoors in the bright sunlight
5. The device is easy to use one handed
6. The vibrate is very loud
7. The overall quality of the phone is sturdy


Cons:
1. The battery life is average. I purchased an extended battery (See below) to fix this problem
2. The keys take a little getting used to and need to be pressed down firmly enough to make sure that they are pressed
3. After using a few programs in a given time, you need to go into the memory of the device and stop the running programs to free up memory


What It Lacks as a Phone:
1. No built in picture or video messaging unless you send the pictures to a friends mms address via e-mail
2. No built in GPS receiver to use navigation programs like other Sprint phones have. You must purchase a separate GPS receiver and software to use this feature
3. No built in IM programs
4. No voice dialing, but can be fixed if you buy extra software


What It Lacks as a PDA:
1. No built in WiFi, but this can be fixed if you buy a WiFi SDIO card


Programs That I Installed on My PDA:
1. Shape Services IM+ for Windows Mobile Smartphone ($29.95)
2. Sirius WM5 (free but need a subscription to listen to the channels or use the free trial period)
3. TCPMP (Free media player)
4. Google Maps (free)
5. Opera Beta 8.65 (free until June 1st)


Reviews of Programs That I Installed:
1. Shape Services was definitely worth the money. I use AIM a lot and I have tested it out with my family while they have used a PC and I used my phone. The software is instantaneous and sending/receiving messages is in real time and not delayed (even by a second)
2. Sirius WM5 works great. I stream my favorite stations and the audio is excellent when using the included stereo headphones
3. TCPMP is good. This allows you to listen to Sirius while not having to stream it to WMP
4. Google Maps works great and is pretty accurate. I have yet to trial it with a GPS receiver since I do not have one
5. Opera Beta 8.65 works great. I can post on the WAP site of WA with ease


Accessories That I Have Purchased:
1. Palm Vehicle Car Charger
2. Seidio 3200mAh Ultra Extended Battery (the package came with both a Sprint and Verizon battery door). Also the extended battery only adds 1.3mm of depth to the phone and a little bit of extra weight but it is not noticeable enough to be considered "heavy."
3. Dane-Elec 4GB Secure Digital Card


CAMERA SAMPLES:

Picture 1 (Alligator with catfish in mouth on with recent tour with group out to Corkscrew:



Picture 2 (My Suburban after washing all of the love bugs off of the windshield and hood):




Overall, I would highly recommend this device to anyone. Sprint has vastly improved in my area and the phone has excellent reception. I was even able to call out in an area where my dad could not use his Motorola E815 with Verizon.

[Alienware_51]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/160)

Great review Gamer03, I like how you categorized everything, you stated your info nice and clear. On the other hand, how do you like the touch screen? When I tried one out it just didn't seem right for me and was too touchy.

[Gamer03]

Originally Posted by Alienware_51

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8700/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/160)

Great review Gamer03, I like how you categorized everything, you stated your info nice and clear. On the other hand, how do you like the touch screen? When I tried one out it just didn't seem right for me and was too touchy.

Thanks Alienware. I used Charlyee's style and added a few categories. Thanks Charlyee.

I like the touch screen. At times it can be a little sensitive, but it does not bother me and I have yet to touch a button that I did not mean to touch.

[Charlyee]

Wirelessly posted (SAMSUNG-SGH-I607/I607FG1 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; Smartphone; 320x240) UP.Link/6.3.1.17.0)

Originally Posted by Gamer03

Thanks Alienware. I used Charlyee's style and added a few categories. Thanks Charlyee.

Thank you Gamer, I am flattered that you liked my style . I have to remember the to add those same categories next time .

It is an excellent review, thanks for posting it. Sounds like it is a great device & your are really enjoying it.

Good luck & have fun using it.

[budney]

Nice review Gamer for not having the device that long.

I am surprised about your battery life with the stock battery. For a PDA device the 700wx has great battery life. I didn't need an extended battery like I do with my Q or then I had my 6700.

And with any WM device memory management in crucial MemMaid, SKTools, and a task manager (iLauncher, SmallMenu/Plus) are a must.

[Andy]

I would also like to say Thank You for this great review- it is always nice to hear a review from someone that knows what they are talking about and someone you trust.
This will make my decision much easier, if I bite the bullet and join the SERO club.

[Gamer03]

Originally Posted by Charlyee

Wirelessly posted (SAMSUNG-SGH-I607/I607FG1 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; Smartphone; 320x240) UP.Link/6.3.1.17.0)



Thank you Gamer, I am flattered that you liked my style . I have to remember the to add those same categories next time .

It is an excellent review, thanks for posting it. Sounds like it is a great device & your are really enjoying it.

Good luck & have fun using it.

Your welcome Charlyee. Yes, I do love the device and I especially love the price of the monthly bill.

Originally Posted by budney

Nice review Gamer for not having the device that long.

I am surprised about your battery life with the stock battery. For a PDA device the 700wx has great battery life. I didn't need an extended battery like I do with my Q or then I had my 6700.

And with any WM device memory management in crucial MemMaid, SKTools, and a task manager (iLauncher, SmallMenu/Plus) are a must.

Yes. The stock battery is good, but I like to stream a LOT of Sirius using the program Sirius WM5, so this is one of the main reasons that I bought an extended battery.

Originally Posted by Andy

I would also like to say Thank You for this great review- it is always nice to hear a review from someone that knows what they are talking about and someone you trust.
This will make my decision much easier, if I bite the bullet and join the SERO club.

Your welcome Andy. Also, the price of the phone is $100 cheaper until I believe June 30, and remember you also get unlimited text messaging until June 30 (unless they decide to extend the promotion). So you can't beat 500 anytime minutes, unlimited n&w @ 7 pm, the basic features, unlimited PV, unlimited pic/video messaging, and unlimited text messaging for $30 per month. Also, if Verizon and Sprint are similar in coverage in your area, then I say go for it. I did, and I am definitely glad that I did. Plus now it sounds like Verizon is getting even worse with regards to not being able to e-mail ringtones to your phone. There is no way that I am going to pay Verizon's (or any other carrier's rates) for ringtones when I can take the time and make my own using Audacity and RazorLame.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Gamer03

Your welcome Andy. Also, the price of the phone is $100 cheaper until I believe June 30, and remember you also get unlimited text messaging until June 30 (unless they decide to extend the promotion). So you can't beat 500 anytime minutes, unlimited n&w @ 7 pm, the basic features, unlimited PV, unlimited pic/video messaging, and unlimited text messaging for $30 per month. Also, if Verizon and Sprint are similar in coverage in your area, then I say go for it. I did, and I am definitely glad that I did. Plus now it sounds like Verizon is getting even worse with regards to not being able to e-mail ringtones to your phone. There is no way that I am going to pay Verizon's (or any other carrier's rates) for ringtones when I can take the time and make my own using Audacity and RazorLame.

You are absolutely right, Erik. It hurts paying Verizon so much money every month and seeing them cripple and lock more features every month. IF I decide to take this offer, it would, for now, be a second line, primarily for Data. At some point, I may try to port my Verizon number over if I don't need the IN Calling anymore- because without IN Calling I'm not sure if 500 daytime minutes would even be enough for me...probably not.
But yes, $30 for all you get with SERO is unbelievable!!!!

[azcellphonejunkie]

Great review Erik!

One question, do you use the device with any push email services? I had the 700wx with Verizon for 3 weeks and had constant problems with it. One if the biggest problems was that the internet connection to EVDO would not stay connected. I had many issues a day where it would appear to be connecting, and would fail. This caused mail to not get pushed out in a timely manner, and ultimately my frustration to return it.

Other than that, I agree with you on the other items. It is a great all around PDA phone, I just wish they would get thier antenna-less model out for CDMA soon!

[Gamer03]

Originally Posted by azcellphonejunkie

Great review Erik!

One question, do you use the device with any push email services? I had the 700wx with Verizon for 3 weeks and had constant problems with it. One if the biggest problems was that the internet connection to EVDO would not stay connected. I had many issues a day where it would appear to be connecting, and would fail. This caused mail to not get pushed out in a timely manner, and ultimately my frustration to return it.

Other than that, I agree with you on the other items. It is a great all around PDA phone, I just wish they would get thier antenna-less model out for CDMA soon!

Hey Mickey. The only thing I use to check my e-mail is the built in delivery feature which checks to see if I have any new e-mails every 10 minutes. I have noticed that it varies from e-mail to e-mail. For instance, one test message I received beeped on my device within 5 minutes of me sending it, and another message that was sent to my e-mail (gmail) from a friend did not get "downloaded" to the device until 45 minutes after it was sent. So I guess it is a hit and miss. I am currently looking into push e-mail programs. Hopefully I will find a good free one.

I have not noticed my EVDO not staying connected. It seems to be connected when I need it to be. Also, I have heard rumors that Verizon will be getting an antenna-less model like the Treo 755p for Sprint later this year, but I don't know if this is right.