Guardian review of the 750v
Is Ashley right? I’ve read several “rave” reviews of the 750v, but Ashley Norris of the Guardian doesn’t agree.
“For a big fan of Palm's elegant operating system, it feels odd to handle a device sporting the Palm logo that runs the Windows Mobile operating system. Yet with the 750v, Palm has kept much of the design and styling of its Treo series of PDAs and substituted its own OS for a Windows one (a sad but inevitable move) and in theory should have a winner on its hands. Alas the 750v, available for the time being exclusively from Vodafone, falls a little short of the mark. Sure, it boasts the Treo trademarks of very usable QWERTY keyboard and an intuitive stylus-based interface. It also has 3G compatibility, which enables its web browser to grab pages quickly, and sports an easy-to-use home screen. There are a variety of push email solutions available for the device too. But it loses points for the absence of Wi-Fi (an inexplicable omission), a chunky design that's a world away from the slim lines of the BlackBerry Pearl, and a rather poor quality 1.3 megapixel camera. Overall the 750v is a reasonable handset, but you would have thought that the trio (Palm, Microsoft, and Vodafone) would capable of something more exciting than this.”
In scanning this, a couple of things should tip you off why the review went south. One, note the parenthetical thought “a sad but inevitable move” regarding Palm’s decision to put Windows Mobile on the Treo. Two, the comparison to the Blackberry Pearl? Three, the next parenthetical thought “an inexplicable omission”. My own comments to this one? Palm has NEVER put wi-fi in its Treo series, including the Palm OS, so why is that an inexplicable omission? Do all Palm Treo series phones have “inexplicable omissions”? Which Blackberry has wi-fi? Are those inexplicable omissions as well? Chunky design? I may have missed other reviews but its been awhile since I’ve seen anyone accuse Palm Treo’s of having a “chunky design”. A slim-lined version and a removed antenna? I think those are very welcome changes among Treo fans. Poor quality 1.3 megapixel camera? Compared to what?
For much better reviews, read VNUNet.com’s review, or Jason Langridge's review. “In summary, the Treo 750v is one of the best Windows Smartphones we have ever used. Operation is easy and its construction is superb.”