Palm Discovery would like to extend a BIG THANKS to Amy Clark of Environics for providing the product for this review.

Welcome back! We are now in Part 3 of a 3 Part review of the Palm Treo Pro smartphone and coming to the observations portion of the review. If you have not read Part 1 (Overview) or Part 2 (Software), you may want to check them out. So far we have covered how the smartphone looks on the outside in Part 1 as well as the software and features on the inside plus comparisons with other smartphones in Part 2. I will now begin to provide some of my observations and opinions (both positive and negative) of the Treo Pro smartphone.

Please keep in mind that I own three Palm OS devices: Palm Zire 71, Tungsten T3, Treo 650, one Windows Mobile device: Treo 750 and a Symbian OS device: Nokia E71 so my views will clearly be much different than someone who is a first time smartphone buyer and user as my opinions will be based on expectations of it compared to what’s out there and also based my previous experiences with Palm branded devices.

Here are my observations:

Coming from Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices, I have to say that the Treo Pro may very well be the “BEST” smartphone ever to come out from Palm, although it is a Windows Mobile and not a Palm OS device. The Treo Pro addresses a lot of the concerns and wants that many people have been wanting: built-in Wi-Fi (a HUGE feature that finally came, built-in GPS (another want that we’ve been asking for although a paid subscription is required for accessing maps), a camera that offers more features than previously available, 3.5mm audio jack (I know that many want that than the 2.5mm previously on older Treo models), slim body and design.

Unfortunately, the Treo Pro may have arrived a few years too late. If you look at the other smartphones available right now from HTC (makers of the Treos), Samsung, Nokia, etc you could find a lot of others that offer similar features to what the Treo Pro offers and maybe even a bit more. So, why would anyone (other than fan of Treos or the Palm brand) choose a Treo Pro over all the other choices? I’m struggling to find an answer myself. Had the Treo Pro came out even three years earlier, maybe things would have been different. Who knows? At least, now that the next generation Palm device, the Palm Pre is out, perhaps, we may finally find the ultimate smartphone device that does everything.

Please keep in mind that I am looking at the Treo Pro from the point of view of someone who owns a and LOVES the Nokia E71 smartphone (check out my review of the Nokia E71) and has made some comparisons between what each smartphone offers. So, obviously I do have a bias and looking at the Treo Pro with a different set of eyes than say, someone who still owns a Windows Mobile or Palm OS device and looking for an upgrade.

Regardless, if you have checked out my videos and comments from Part 2, you would have likely picked up on some of my likes and dislikes of the Treo Pro.

I Liked:

The overall package of the Palm Treo Pro starting from its unique beautiful packaging is quite nice to see. I also like the design of inside with the way how the contents are stored, using cardboard to provide a divider (very environmently conscious with minimalist design) plus the way how the quick start brochure is presented.

Also related to the packaging and design is the idea of using one cable for both computer smartphone synchronization AND for charging. This definitely cuts down on the bulk. No longer do you carry a bulky heavy charging cable with adapter AND a USB data cable for synchronizing, you only carry the adapter and the cable. Very great design. I’m very impressed with this design, especially with the flippable wall prong that can be flipped back into the adapter when not in use. They’re certainly thinking business travelers and minimizing bulk and weight. Kudos!

However, as many of you know, I am not someone who is easily swayed into styling or design but more on the features and substance. So here I go.

The main thing I really “like” about the Treo Pro, which in my view is a huge “PLUS” is the built-in Wi-Fi. It makes a HUGE difference to surf on the device with built-in Wi-Fi. You no longer need to carry the Wi-Fi card with you and have to remove your memory card and put the Wi-Fi card in, wait for the card to detect the network before you can surf. Also, with built-in Wi-Fi, that leaves you with full access to the storage card for saving and downloading files while you’re surfing, something you are restricted in doing with Wi-Fi cards as you will need to save to RAM and later transfer to the card when offline. Having built-in Wi-Fi also means that you will experience less network time outs as the connection normally stays on (except when the device auto-locks).

A related plus is having a dedicated Wi-Fi hardware button on the right side of the smartphone, making it easily accessible. Turn on Wi-Fi simply by the press of the button. Love it!

I like having built-in GPS, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to access or check out the features since accessing the built-in GPS feature required that I pay for subscription to Navteq. I wasn’t able to find a free 3rd party app during the loan period to possibly access the built-in GPS without the Navteq software so I don’t really know if it’s possible to still use the built-in GPS without paying for a subscription. Perhaps anyone who knows may be able to comment on this post and provide some answers? Thanks!

I like the much improved camera, now offering some more features in the software that wasn’t available on my Treo 750 plus also offering a slightly higher 2.0MP resolution. There are features to change the white balance, brightness, and many others. It’s unfortunate that we had to wait until 2009 before these features came out in a Treo smartphone. Also, there is no flash yet on the camera which I think is very important. Perhaps a newer model may come up with one? Coming from a Nokia E71 which comes with flash, I must say that it makes HUGE difference.

I like the interface of Windows Mobile 6.1, although it is a very slight upgrade from 6.0 and not much change or noticeable difference. The theme choices are nice and there are a few more ringtones available. However, as I noted in the videos, there is a component missing in the ringtone management area. In the Treo Pro unit I was reviewing, the “New Sound” which was previously available on older Treo models which allowed me to record a short clip (voice memo) is no longer there. However, there are more nicer themes available in version 6.1. I really like the Zen theme.

Being someone who has owned smartphones that had the 2.5mm jack and required either buying headphones with 2.5mm jack and a microphone, or 2.5mm audio converters with mic, I must say that finally getting a smartphone with 3.5mm jack is a nice change.

Of course, the usual Treo features like the ringer switch at the top is always nice to have. During meetings or in public places where it’s not convenient to have the phone ring, simply switch the ringer switch off but still be able to know when a call comes in as it will vibrate.

The much better placed built-in speaker, although still somewhat on the back but it’s now closer off to the side. The casing design ensures that part of the sound will come out on the side as well as on the back. So now, when you place your smartphone on its back on a flat surface, it won’t completely block or muffle the sound. That is a huge improvement compared to previous Treo models.

Coming from previous Treo models that didn’t look very well in direct sunlight, I like the LCD screensaver screen with time and date that makes it much easier to view in the sunlight. However, with this LCD display, it does make it look quite retro, especially when compared to the screensaver display on the Nokia E71, which looks much better. Check out the pictures from Part 2.

On the other side, here are some things I did not like and hopes can be improved upon.

I Didn’t Like:

Coming from a Treo 750 which has the left and right softkeys/action buttons, I was shocked at the loss of the physical hardware softkey (left and right action) buttons as I was quite used to using them for navigation. I was quite frustrated over this.

Somewhat related to the softkeys was the short stylus since I now need it when navigating the virtual softkeys. Of course, I usually end up using my fingers instead since it seems a pain to reach for the bottom right of the Treo Pro and pull it out. Also, I was not very happy with the much shorter stylus as it felt very tiny and I didn’t get used to it. I ended up navigating either with my finger, with the directional keys, or even using my Treo 750’s stylus instead. This is likely a personal issue and I’m sure many may disagree with me on the frustration with a shorter stylus.

Aside from the stylus, there are other irks and “why did they do that?” that make me scratch my head when it comes to the Treo Pro.

The casing of the Treo Pro is one of those “why did they do that?” things I think about. Although I love the beautiful black color of the Treo Pro which makes it stand out from all other Palm devices, I am however a bit unhappy about the casing. The plastic casing tends to be a bit slippery (same characteristic I’ve mentioned with other Palm devices) and unfortunately, also get very greasy and yucky after holding it for a while. Again, this same observation which I’ve mentioned with the Nokia E71 is also a problem with the Treo Pro. So, I’d strongly suggest getting a case to cover it up and hopefully help you get a better grip on the smartphone.

Related to the casing is the design of it, or more specifically, why it tends to cover up many areas where I’d need to access on a frequent basis.

When the battery/back cover is snapped on, both the microSD card slot AND the reset button is inaccessible.

Let’s first tackle the normally inaccessible microSD card slot when the battery cover is on. I must admit that I wasn’t very enthusiastic about the plastic cover over the miniSD card slot on my Treo 750 but at least, I can easily pop up my card and swap it with another. With the Treo Pro, since it is covered up, I will need to remove the battery cover first before I can access the card slot. Unless of course, I drill a hole or cut up part of the casing so that I can access the slot. I understand that there is the danger of the card “accidentally” popping out but for me, I’ve had my Treo 750 for many years WITHOUT the plastic cover and I have NOT experienced the card popping out accidentally, unless I pop it out myself. So, I fail to understand the need to cover up the microSD card slot.

Now, with respect to the RESET button/hole this one really bugs me. Why is that it’s a multi-step process to do a soft reset? First, I need to remove the battery cover. Then I need to remove the stylus and only then do I finally get access to the RESET button/hole! Let’s think about this. Most of the time when we need to do a reset, it’s normally because of a crash and we’d like to be able to QUICKLY get things back on track. Making the reset process a pain to do only makes it even more frustrating especially when your phone is offline and you are likely not at a place that makes removing a battery cover very comfortable. Why oh why is it there of all places? Unlike the Treo 650 where at least, you can drill a hole in the battery cover so that you can quickly do a soft reset, that is now impossible since the stylus is normally blocking it when in its holder. Argh!

Now onto the next observation that I find puzzling. When I was reviewing the Centro, I didn’t think I minded the layout or the small size of the QWERTY keys. But somehow on the Treo Pro, which I don’t think is any different, I found it quite hard to enter data with it. Perhaps I didn’t spend too much time typing or entering text in it (can’t remember now) but when I started using the Treo Pro, I found the keys very hard to get used to. Yes, I’m talking about the nice spring back feel on the earlier Treos like the Treo 750 or even 755p. With these cheaper transparent plastic keys, not only does the cheapen the looks of the Treo Pro, it definitely makes a huge difference when entering text or data in it.

I never liked pure gridline pattern hardware QWERTY keys where everything is above and below each other. It makes typing, especially when not looking at the keys very difficult without making mistakes. And I’ve made a lot of mistakes on this keyboard, such that it frustrated me. Again, very much like I felt with the E71 when I first tried it but ended up getting used to later on, this may very well be true. But then, I don’t own the Treo Pro so I don’t know if I’ll get used to it over time.

One other main frustration I found was the flat hardware keys. Yes, the flushed and flat layout of the Treo Pro really makes it look very nice. However, I was struggling with the top hardware keys, especially the Windows key. It seems that I need to make a big effort to press down hard enough for the key to register. Many times, I’ve pressed the key only to discover that my press wasn’t registered and ended up pressing harder, sometimes needing a few extra presses. This is very frustrating for me as I would expect and want that when I press down on a button that it would register and work, rather than requiring me to press a few extra times. Imagine if your computer keyboard required a few extra presses for each key you press. I’d say, I’d ditch the keyboard if that happened. Again, this may very well be due to the unit I was reviewing and other Treo Pro devices may not have this problem.

Similarly related to my frustration with the flat hardware keys is the not very responsive touch screen of the Treo Pro I was reviewing. I have re-calibrated the screen many times with similar results. I’m sure that on some of my videos it was evident that the screen wasn’t very responsive since I did need to tap it a few times. Since the hardware softkeys are no longer available on the Treo Pro, I am forced to do a lot of tasks with the screen. Along with the flat hardware keys which required a few extra hard presses plus the loss of the softkeys, I am now forced to use the short stylus to tap on a not very responsive screen. Imagine my frustration with the Treo Pro due to all these plus the tiny QWERTY keys which obviously has affected my overall opinion of the device.

I have also found that videos taken with the Treo Pro camera, although it is in .mp4 format, I was experiencing difficulty with playback on my computer with VLC. The audio does not come on. I haven’t updated my VLC player however so perhaps the latest update with the correct codec may solve this.

Again, these observations are my own, based on my bias and expectations of what the Treo Pro should be. I’m sure a lot of people won’t have any problems with the Treo Pro.

Continuing on with a few more observations that are really not a big deal but I thought I’d note regardless.

The Treo Pro with all its new design has also removed the self portrait mirror that previous Treo models had, which aided in self portraits. I guess it doesn’t look nearly as nice with a mirror. I don’t know. There is, however, a metallic ring around the camera, which *could* be somewhat used as a mirror, but then, it’s so small that it’s not very useful as a mirror. Again, it’s not a big deal as many smartphones don’t have a mirror either.

Also related to the back of the device with the mirror is the lack of flash for the camera. Yes, I am well aware that a lot of other smartphones also don’t have flash since it will likely drain the battery and decrease battery life, but sometimes it’s very nice to have flash as it can enhance photos to provide just that little extra bit of light to make the photo look better. Similarly to what I mentioned before, this is not another big deal of not having flash for the camera.

Review Summary

The Palm Treo Pro smartphone may very well be the ultimate Palm branded smartphone running Windows Mobile 6.1 as it offers most of the features that many smartphone users want and need. The most important feature I think is the built-in Wi-fi, something that is finally available on the Treo Pro (although the 800w was the first, the Treo Pro is the first globally available Palm branded smartphone to have it). This enables faster (and cheaper) internet access without requiring cellular data and still full access to the expansion storage memory for downloading and saving. The improved camera now has 2.0MP resolution plus a lot of other features such as white balance and brightness makes it a better photo capturing experience. However, the small grid patterned QWERTY keys, the harder to press flushed flat hardware keys, shorter stylus and loss of softkeys may make it less enjoyable to use. Those are my personal perspectives and should be regarded as such. Overall, when compared to previous Palm branded smartphones, the Treo Pro is the best of the bunch. However, I would have preferred it with the Treo 800w keys and layout with a less crippled built-in GPS that would have worked without a paid TeleNav subscription, allowing me to Google maps or other services. I guess I may asking for too much.

Enjoyed this review? Check out the many other Palm Discovery smartphone reviews here.

Interested in the Palm Treo Pro smartphone? Check it out at the Palm Store USA if you’re interested in either purchasing the CDMA version from Alltel or Sprint, or the unlocked GSM version directly from the Palm Store. Or how about the new Palm Pre running Web OS? Or the Palm Centro running Palm OS? For those in other parts of the world, check out the local Palm store in your country.

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