Is the Treo 755 still relevant?
Written: Oct 31 '07 (Updated Nov 08 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap(er), smaller size, attractive design, improved keyboard feel, smaller crisper screen
Cons: Battery door hard to remove and reinstall. No reset button.
The Bottom Line: With features practically the same as the Treo 755, why bother paying more for the 755?
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| nad_masters's Full Review: Palm Centro Smartphone |
Treos used to be for Business Executives and Gadget Lovers. Blackberries and Windows Mobile 6 devices have covered both now. The Centro is now perfect for beginners and students due to the lower price point as well as a very simple interface cira the 90s.
The Palm Treos haven't really changed much from the original Treo 600. The basic shape and design was carried over to the Treo 650 and 700, while with the 750 and 755, the antenna was trimmed off for a smoother look. Still, the PalmOS itself didn't feel or look any different from the very first Palm Pilot. The hardware changed a bit, as the CPU is faster, and memory size changed as well. Other than that, the Treo line pretty much felt the same from each iteration. From the Treo 755, only the memory, LCD, and battery is different. Everything else (like the CPU) is the same, so the Centro is definitely not a downgraded version of the Treo 755.
In a way, the PalmOS doesn't need changing, really. Maybe a new skin or color scheme would freshen it up. However, a lot of PalmOS users agree that it was the simple interface that keeps them loyal despite newer BlackBerrys and Windows Mobile 6 that are gaining popularity.
So the interface seems a bit dated, but so is the hardware itself. The Palm Centro changed that by slimming the phone down a bit, a smaller screen, and (because of the smaller size) a smaller battery. The overall design is smooth and simple. It looks like simplistic design is coming back in a big way. While 755 comes with 128 MB of memory, only around 60 MB is usable. The Centro only comes with 64MB of RAM, but all of it is usable, which makes the Centro come out on top despite the smaller "total" memory.
The price has come down as well. While the Treo 755 is still being sold between $579 to $599, the Centro MSRP is "only" $399. This means while the 755's price can get as low as $179 with rebates and discounts, the Centro is only $99 with the same discounts and rebates (through Sprint). This makes the Centro even more attractive over the 755. In fact, even the software included in Centro is better than the 755. More on that later.
Now I have no idea how Palm was able to include so much of the more expensive Treo 755 functionality into a cheaper Centro, but I am glad they did! Looks like the Centro was named to distance itself from the stuffy all-business feeling of the Treos and positioned more on the cooler looking smartphones such as the Q and Blackberry Pearl.
Software
The PalmOS is the same Garnet version 5.4.9 on the Centro as it is on the 755. Surprisingly, the software suite is actually better than the Treo. While the standard apps are the same (Calendar, contacts, Memo, To Do, etc), others such as Documents to Go is actually an upgraded version from the Treo 755 (from version 8 to 10). This also means that the Centro is the first phone to work with Office 2007 documents out of the box. Even Windows Mobile 6 does not have that capability!
Versa Mail is also upgraded to allow Exchange email to be pushed down along with the usual IMAP and POP3. Not only that, but Sprint included the Sprint Mobile Email, which allows for you to check your Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL/AIM, and Gmail all at once! That's great news for uses of web mail. I personally have all three, so it was an excellent application. With Exchange supported out of the box, the Centro is much more suited for business users more so than the Treo 755.
Also added is the IM applet. This applet isn't as advanced as other 3rd party IM applets, but does allow for you to hook into AIM, Yahoo, and MSN IM networks. While others also include less popular IM networks such as MySpace, ICQ, and others. It is a perfect addition to sway younger crowds to the Palm platform.
Sprint TV is included, and the player is made by Kinoma, which is was a proprietary video player. For those who didn't know, Kinoma allows users to transcode videos from their computer to a special format that Kinoma can play on the Palm. Not an easy way to watch videos compared to Windows Media Player on the Pocket PC, but it finally allowed Palm to play videos. However, there are better players now (Core Player). However, since the streaming video is a closed-source service, Kinoma is perfectly suited for Sprint TV.
Multimedia is finally brought up a huge notch by including the full version of Pocket Tunes Deluxe 4.04. This allows for playback of WMA and MP3 files. Not only that, but with Sprint's unlimited data plan, you mind as well use Pocket Tunes to stream internet radio! Pocket Tunes Deluxe is an excellent Shoutcast player. What surprised me was the fact that there were lots of radio stations already pre-programmed out of the box. Pocket Tunes is a much better audio player than the previously included Real Player. The Centro finally adds the ability to play MP3 files as ring tones instead of relying on 3rd party apps.
Despite the improved multimedia handling, Palm still did not include a way to play back video files from your computer. It would be nice if they have some sort of media player that plays audio as well as video files that can go toe to toe with Microsoft's own Windows Mobile Media Player. The ability to play WMV, WMA, MP3, AVI (DivX and XviD support would be nice), MPG is feasible with 3rd party applications such as the new version of Kinoma or the free CorePlayer, but it would have been nice to have that included out of the box.
On Demand is an included applet with Sprint that gets up-to-date info such as news, stock, weather, and sports. There are sections where it seems to be free, while others are paid services.
The included Google Maps is an excellent application for map and directions. While you can download this for free yourself, having Google Maps out of the box is a pleasant surprise. Quite frankly, it's about time this was considered a standard app! The service streams data from your data service, looking up addresses, downloading maps and satellite photos. With Sprint's Power Vision, the data downloads are fast enough to keep Google Maps feel alive and relatively peppy compared to the same app on my old Treo 650. Google Maps was pretty responsive on my old Vision smartphone, so I was amazed at how much faster it was on a Power Vision smartphone. This is no substitute for GPS (Sprint offers a navigation service), but the Centro does not support Sprint's Navigation (GPS hardware not included?), so Google Maps is a great alternative.
For those who like games, Sudoku and Solitaire game is included! The Solitaire game includes many different types of Solitaire games in one attractive package. While it isn't included out of the box like Sudoku, it is a free download from Sprint (use the My Centro icon). Also included in the free apps download is a program called Filez, which allows you to browse your micro SD card. The full version of Zap2010, sadly, is no longer included.
The few that didn't change includes the Blazer browser, which is sorely dated. Flash, Java, and multimedia rich web pages are going to be trouble for the Blazer browser. we definitely need a good replacement browser. Opera offers a browser for the Palm platform, but I was never able to get it to work for me.
The voice recorder also didn't change from the Treo 755. However, it was sorely missing from the Treo 650, so I am glad to have this app on the Centro. Recordings sound very clear and the microphone picks up sounds pretty far. It's great for lectures. Unfortunately, it does not save in a standard format like WAV or MP3.
With the extra apps along with the improved current apps, there really is no way the Treo 755 is going to trump the Centro in function.
Camera
The camera function seem to be much more responsive compared to the Treo 650. The 1.3 megapixel camera is a significant upgrade to the 640x480 resolution of my old 650. While the Treo 755 also sports the same 1.3 megapixel rating, the processing algorithm of the Centro seem to do a better job of producing warmer pictures.
The Treo 755 seem to have a bluish hue while the Centro seem to have a more natural warmer look to it. My old Treo 650 didn't have a blue hue to my photos, but it was much grainer due to the lower resolution.
The Centro also seem to do better at low light than the 755 and the 650. It produced less noise than both Treos.
Video is pretty smooth, and like the Treos, sound capture is very good. The 352 x 288 resolution is as expected for video capture.
Ergonomics
The size of the Centro isn't much smaller than the Treo 755, but it sure feels like it. When holding it to your ear, it feels like a normal candy bar phone. The rounded edges make the thickness of the phone feel non-existent, even though it is still pretty thick. I have the black (Palm calls it Onyx) version of the Centro, and I can see some reflective bits in the finish. It is very glossy and attracts a lot of finger prints and smears. However, even with the smooth surface, it's sticky enough to keep from slipping out of your hands.
The included stylus is now made of cheap flexible plastic. This is one place where the Centro feels cheaper than any of the Treos. Fortunately, the stylus rarely gets used due to the excellent software design and the directional buttons. What I hope for is the aftermarket (or Palm) to produce something more sturdier to replace the stylus. Something that is made of metal would be nice.
The other noticeable corner cut was the battery door. It is hard to remove and reinsert. Once in place, it creaks when pressure is put on it (like if you were typing). It is annoying to hear and feel the creaking while punching out a text message or email.
The keypad, in my opinion, is much improved over the Treo 650 as well as the 755. Although smaller, it's just as easy to type (if not easier for me). The keypad is no longer made of hard dome-shaped plastic. Instead they are more squared off (still rounded), and the buttons are made of very soft plastic. It's the kind of plastic that feels like gel. It is smooth when rubbed against, but is tacky enough to keep your finger in place when you put pressure on it. It's even easier if you have a bit of nail on your finger. The buttons actually feel more solid than the previous Treos, and the tactile feel is responsive and solid.
The usual 4 app buttons are now flush with the unit. I actually like this as it allows for a more simplistic look. They do provide good feedback when pressed, and even in the dark, you will know where the buttons are. That came to a surprise to me, since I was afraid that being flush with the body, I would hit the wrong buttons in the dark.
The directional pad and center button is my favorite change. The directional keys are in that round raised rim. This allows for your finger to slide up, left, down, or right. The center key is a huge pad insterad of a dinky button of previous Treos. This felt better than having a plastic nub constantly by your finger as you scroll up and down reading emails and web pages.
The side buttons were carried over from the previous Treo, and didn't change in feel. The IR is now moved to the right side of the Centro, along with the microSD slot. Even though it looks like you can remove and insert the microSD card from the side, you actually have to remove the battery cover to gain access to the microSD slot.
Battery Life
The battery cover is hard to remove and even harder to put back on. The battery is very slim, and is much smaller than the Treo 650 and 755. While the 650 comes with a 1800mAH battery, the 755 comes with a 1600mAH battery. The new Centro battery is a much lower capacity 1150mAH battery. Even so, Palm's rated the Centro to have 3.5 talk hours. This is not that much lower than the 755's which have a 4 hour talk time. While I was able to verify the talk time, the standby time seems much shorter than my old Treo 650. At the end of the day, my Treo 650 would still have 90% of it's battery life. With the Centro, it died before the day was over on the first day. I think the radio was still on, so I turned off Bluetooth as well as make sure my IM and email apps were set to not go online. After this was done, I was able to get 80% battery life left at the end of my normal day. This means the lower battery capacity isn't a bad thing, but it does have a noticeably shorter life span.
Also a lesson to be learned - if you keep your IM and email app on all day, you're phone is practically on talk time, and the battery will be drained as if you were on the phone.
One thing to note as well - there is no reset button! This means you will now have to remove the battery to reset the Centro. The reset button was rendered irrelevant ever since Treos had removable batteries.
AN UPDATE: After another week of use, it seems that battery life has improved! Even with leaving the IR beam on and Bluetooth off (my usual configuration with my old Treo 650), I was able to get around 90% battery life left at the end of the day! Even leaving it untethered for a full 24 hours, the battery life left was 75%! Looks like the battery needs to be worked out a bit to full capacity.
One more thing I've noticed - the included sync cable finally can charge the Centro via USB! FINALLY, I won't need a seperate AC adapter at work if I leave it plugged in the USB port! I still wish that the connector was a standard mini-USB connector like the Zires.
Conclusion
If you were looking for a Palm-based smartphone, you'll have no reason to go to the Treo 755 except for the larger form factor, keyboard, and screen. Other than that, they are the same, with the edge going to the Centro because of the smaller size, better apps, and cheaper price.
If you already have a Treo 600 or 650, it's a no brainer that you should upgrade. The upgrade to the faster Power Vision (EvDO radio) is worth the price of the phone alone if you use the data service plan at all. If you own the Treo 700p or the 755, there really isn't much of a difference to warrant the purchase of the Centro unless you think the $99 (discounted) is worth the smaller size.
All in all, the Centro is a great unit in the Palm smartphone line up, even though Palm doesn't want it to be considered in the Treo line of phones. It's actually even better than the more expensive Treo 755.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199
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nad_masters
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Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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If you mind is in the gutter, where are your hands?
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