Palm Treo 750v Smartphone

The Treo 750 is a Windows Mobile Phone Device by Palm, characterized by its square screen display, numerous features, and quality appearance.

"Windows Mobile Device" is the replacement term for "Pocket PC". Pocket PC generally refers to non-phone devices running Windows Mobile. There aren't too many non-phone Pocket PC's anymore, as the demand for phones with Pocket PC capabilities changed the world of Pocket PC's over the past few years.

I purchased the Treo 750 over two years ago, and I am still using it today! I purchased from Cingular (now AT&T), and paid about $350 for it after rebates. The phone was priced at about $500. Crazy high priced, and I will never spend that kind of money on a phone/device again. That's why I'm making sure this one lasts! I remember seeing it advertised in a magazine, and when I went to purchase it I was pleasantly surprised at it being a little smaller in size than I had predicted.

Having never used a qwerty thumb keyboard before, this took some getting used to, but now I email on it like a pro. Speaking of which, I'm not a big "texter". Very seldomly will I text anyone, as texting came along waaay after my generation and most of the people that I communicate with are primarily emailers too.

The phone was released during the Windows Mobile 5 era, and included a free upgrade to Windows Mobile 6 upon its release. The upgrade from WM5 to WM6 went flawlessly, and I haven't missed WM5 at all. That is the final upgrade for this unit, but I see no need to get a new phone for WM6.1 or the bigger update that's scheduled for release as of this writing. By that I simply mean that after looking at what the improvements will be, I'm certain that I will continue to do just fine with WM6.

I never purchased a cradle or docking station. I use either the included charging cord to a wall outlet, or the included usb cord to my notebook pc. The phone charges completely within 1 to 2 hours. I habitually charge my Treo every single night.

Connecting to a PC via ActiveSync is a breeze. I have my Treo setup on both my Windows XP desktop and my Windows Vista notebook, and the communication between the device and each pc is perfect. Connecting to the Internet is more reliable than my home wireless connection, granted web surfing on a small screen is not something I do for more than a few minutes at a time. The unit has been an absolute life saver when I'm away from work and home, and without my notebook pc.

The touchscreen always has worked very well and has been very responsive. While it's not an iPhone (not geared toward finger touch), I've found that depending upon the application one can successfully navigate without a stylus. The combo of button controls and finger to touchscreen usually will suffice, though sometimes I prefer to use the stylus just due to my being used to one.

At first, I can remember being disappointed that many Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) games were not geared towards the square 240x240 display of the Treo. But as time went on, more and more games and apps were re-released for square screens, and now square screens actually have sites dedicated to them with many, many games and apps.

Internally, the Treo continues to run perfectly. The cosmetic appearance after two years is clearly that of a used phone, but not ridiculously so. The navigation button has lost much of its chrome-look finish around the edges which has left it a bit worn looking. The outer faceplate has also lost its luster and has a similar chipped look as the navigation button. The touchscreen has markings, as is usually the case with any used touchscreen.

I've read some of the other reviews here, and have noticed that people seem to either really love it, or really hate it! My best guess is that, in most cases, it boils down to each individual's level of patience when starting out with a new "toy". Every problem that I've read about, I've experienced as well. But there are permanent fixes for each problem. For example, when I first purchased it, the phone willingly made calls all on its own! The fix: Keyboard lock, which is easily unlockable by pressing the center key in the navigation area. Never had the problem again. Another example is that the alarm didn't wake me up. The fix: Make sure it's set correctly (can be tricky at first), make sure it's charged or charging, and make sure that the volume is up high enough. Alarm wakes me up every morning without failure.

To sum it up, I'd say that my phone has withstood moderate to heavy use as a phone and a mobile device - internet, emails, games, apps. I still use the original battery, working like a charm. The stylus has been replaced several times due to breakage and loss, but this is true with every stylus for every device. I picked up a pack of 6 on eBay for next to nothing.

While on the one hand this model is no longer current or hip (oops, the word "hip" isn't even hip anymore!), the bright side is that it's no longer several hundred dollars either. You can still find these online, brand new and unlocked. Fingers crossed, and barring all accidents, I confidently see myself getting at least two more years out of my Treo!