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CDMA users will likely rejoice with the long anticipated release of the Palm OS Treo 755p smartphone. The last few Treos have not been a CDMA device so it’s a long time coming for those who wanted a Palm OS smartphone to upgrade from their aging Treo 700p released back in 2006. The last CDMA devices released from Palm were the Treo 700w and 700wx, both Windows Mobile Treos.

For those who want to skip over all the detailed review and just want a summary, you can jump to the review summary

The Palm Treo 755p is a Palm OS smartphone similar to the Treo 700p that operates only on the CDMA network such as Sprint and Telus (currently available on both networks), as well as Verizon and Bell (yet to be released on those networks). So, those looking for a Palm OS GSM smartphone will have to get the Palm Treo 680 (or the ancient and discontinued Treo 650). For a Windows Mobile GSM smartphone they’ll need to get the Treo 750 (or 750v for those in Europe).

The main physical difference between the 755p and the 700p is the omission of the antenna. The 755p also is covered in a very sleek looking rubbery silicon coating, which makes the phone much easier to grip and hold and less slippery or prone to accidental drops. This is a welcomed enhancement as I’ve long complained that the slippery casing of previous models may look nice, but they are not practical as they can feel like holding onto a slippery bar of soap. So, good to see that Palm has done something to address that concern.

There is one change, albeit a subtle one that I wanted to note even though it’s not very apparent to most, if to anyone, at all. Although the keyboard looks very similar to earlier models, I personally found it much more comfortable to type on this set of keys than any other Treo models. Maybe this could be because I do enough typing on my ancient Treo 650 so it’s quite different and apparent (to me anyway) when I was typing something on the Treo 755p. Not only are the keys slighter bigger on the 755p than the oval and curved shape of my Treo 650’s, I especially enjoyed the soft spring back touch of the keys compared to the stiffer and rigid feel I get with my own Treo.

Keep in mind that maybe I’m off in some cloud and imagining this, but it does seem like the spring back of the 755p is much better than my Treo 650 and I don’t think it’s in my imagination since I wasn’t thinking of it at all when I originally started typing on the 755p for something and then noticed it. Not everyone will notice it either as I’ve mentioned that it became apparent to me when I started using the 755p after years of typing on the 650. I thought I’d mention it anyway.

Aside from those, physically, there isn’t much of a noticeable difference in the looks. The loaner I had was in black and it looks like the 755p does come in blue as well, as I’ve read other reviews that mention the blue color. And, unfortunately, underneath, there aren’t much changes either. Although there are some software updates and additions, the underlying Palm OS is still the same version 5.4.9 as the 700p, which, is the same as the other current Palm OS Treos. If you check the comparison chart and look through the specs, you will also not notice much difference between the various Palm OS Treos as most of them have the 1.3MP camera (except the Treo 680), the 1.2 bluetooth support, 60-64 MB user accessible RAM, 312mhz processor, 320×320 hi res screen. The other main difference is that the Treo 755p now supports the smaller flash memory card, the miniSD card instead of the SD card that many older Treos and Palm devices previously supported.

This is one of the changes I personally am not terribly happy about. I am quite aware that having a smaller flash memory card will enable the Treo to be able to squeeze the hardware inside much easier, but for the majority of Palm users and Treo smartphone owners, this would make all those SD cards we’ve purchased over the years, obsolete since they can’t fit into the much smaller mini-SD card slot. On the other hand, spending the money on such a smaller flash memory card would allow us to be able to still use it on the older Palm and Treo devices, with the addition of an SD card adapter. Although that is an advantage, it still means that we have to spend more money on a new set of flash memory cards. Also keep in mind that the miniSD, being a relatively newer format, doesn’t support as high capacity as a lot of the SDHC cards now do. I’m sure that it will in time, but at the moment, the push towards the mini-SD cards seems to be quite limiting. You may want to take that into consideration.

Here are more details of the Treo 755p (taken from Palm’s website):

Pics of the Treo 755p

Video of Treo 755p

Palm Treo 755p Overview

Video at YouTube Part 1

Video at YouTube Part 2

Video at YouTube Part 3

Video at YouTube Part 4

Here are my observations: One of the first things I noticed about the Treo 755p is its nice looking black color (the loaner I received was in black, not blue as shown in the screenshot above). I’ve always wanted the Black Tie Treo 650 (remember those?) and having the black Treo 755p reminds me so much of it. I really love the rubbery feel of the Treo as it really helps keep my grip on the device. Remember how I had complained forever (or so it seems) that the Treo is always way too slippery and kept wondering why they didn’t do something about it. Well, finally they have with this nice silicon coating, similar to what’s offered as skin cases that a lot of vendors like JAVOEdge, Boxwave and others have provided for quite a while now. And unlike a previous attempt by Palm with their Zire 72 (yes, we are going back in time aren’t we?) with a rubbery like casing that, over time, peeled off, I think this will work. Kudos to Palm for coming up with a better not so slippery casing for the Treos! Although having the silicon coating definitely makes the Treo less slippery, as many of us who own these silicon cases and skins know, they attract dust and particles quite easily. So, you will find that you may need to give it a good wipe with a somewhat moist cloth once in a while to keep it looking new. But that’s not a big deal.

The other nice thing I really love about the Treo 755p as I’ve mentioned previously is the feel of the keyboard, or more specifically, the soft spring back feel of it. I don’t think I noticed much difference when reviewing the 680 but definitely noticed it when reviewing the 755p. I really enjoy typing on the keys so much more on the 755p and it’s one of those things I really wished I had on my 650. I really think that Palm has got it right with the keys. They are a good size and it’s very easy to type on them and now with a softer spring back, it is a joy to type on. Hopefully when I review the 750 that it will exhibit the same soft spring back as I am most likely getting that as my next upgrade device. There’s something to be said about the “Treo experience” that most other Win Mobile devices including HTCs won’t offer. So, I guess I won’t be straying outside of the Palm brand anytime soon.

I am slightly disappointed that there aren’t much differences in the underlying software but not surprised. This is another area where I think Palm really should do something about. As someone has already mentioned elsewhere in a review or opinion on the internet, even so far as to change the skin would at least make it “seem” like there’s something different. Again, I have to mention what I said in my editorial in January that “perception is key“. Even if there isn’t anything that has fundamentally changed, even a slight change to make it perceived as changing will make a HUGE difference. We all paint our houses once in a while to make it “look” newer so why not do something similar with the Palm OS, especially since it’s 10 years old? Again, I almost feel like I’m talking to a brick wall here, but at least I’m talking (even if no one is listening). So now it’s “out there”. I won’t be accused of not saying anything to bring my views to light, albeit a dim one.

If you noticed that I didn’t review the camera and video part of the Treo 755p, please come back in a few days and I will post it up.

Review Summary

The Palm Treo 755p is a solid smartphone. It is what the 700p should have been, without all the lags and problems that plagued an otherwise decent smartphone. It seems stable with adequate free RAM to prevent DBCache problems (something I am still suffering with on my RAM starved 650) and offers some additional software like Google maps, Handmark Express that makes it a pleasure to use for new Treo users. As in older models, having the User Guide or virtual manual in the My Treo application built in the Treo is a great idea which allows new users the ability to carry their manual with them everywhere they go. So rather than look like a noob (who wants that?), they can still show the Treo off to their friends and look cool (but still be able to look up something if they need to at a moments notice) and come out looking like a pro (only you know different). Shhh!

The silicon coated casing is a welcome enhancement in my view since it really helps you get a better grip on it, as opposed to earlier models with a slippery casing. You no longer need to buy a silicon skin or egrips for that reason anymore, but the downside is that it does attract dust and particles so you’ll need to use a semi moist cloth to wipe it clean. Of course, some people may think otherwise.

On a CDMA network with the EVDO speeds, surfing and wireless data transfers are a breeze. Just keep a close watch on your data usage if you don’t have an unlimited data plan or you will find that shocking bill at the end of the month after some video streaming with Kinoma Player 4 EX or MobiTV. That’s one of the best things about the 755p with the fast EVDO connection. Everything from the internet comes to you at blazing speeds and it almost seems that the internet lives inside the 755p. Okay, maybe not but you understand what I mean.

If you are looking for a smartphone on a CDMA network, look no further than the Palm Treo 755p smartphone as it offers Treo experience at an affordable price. If you’ve been holding off on upgrading from a 700p, wait no further as it offers everything you loved in the 700p without all the hassles. However, don’t expect it to offer an upgrade in features as the 755p has pretty much the same things you already have in the 700p. Instead, consider the 755p as more of a stable 700p in a slightly different looking and more appealing packaging and without all the update hassles. That, in itself, may be just the main reason for upgrading to the 755p.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Palm Store USA, Palm UK, Palm France, and Palm Germany. Purchases made with the affiliate links in this posting and throughout the site will help pay for maintenance and related costs for this website. Thanks to your generosity, at the end of each year, I will make a donation to World Vision or Plan Canada. Thank you very much for your past and continued support of Palm Discovery!

(Please excuse all the links and mentions to the site. I am noticing a lot of splogs are now stealing my content so future posts will now unfortunately contain my site links and images in hopes to curb this problem). The interesting thing is that my blog isn’t getting any bigger or any more popular but I guess the content is good enough to steal so I should be “glad” (NOT!) that it’s stolen. Grrr.

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