Palm's Treo 700P

Please the fans and hush the skeptics: That's Palm's challenge with the latest Palm OS-based version of its Treo PDA, the 700P. Though Palm has had great success with its OS, the introduction of the Treo 700W, which runs Microsoft's Windows Mobile platform, has clouded Palm OS's future. For this reason, the 700P--the upgrade to the popular Treo 650--has only met the first half of its goal.

The fans will be happy with the 700P's improved EV-DO, Bluetooth, Dial-Up Networking and multimedia features. But enterprises considering large-scale deployments will have to consider the extra expense and complexity of third-party VPN support, as well as technical limitations pertaining to multitasking and protected memory that Windows Mobile has long since addressed.

The BasicsWe acquired the Palm Treo 700P from Sprint; Verizon Wireless couldn't provide a review unit to meet our deadline. The Treo 700P has essentially the same form factor as the Treo 700W. In fact, besides slightly different button layouts, the devices appear identical. The 700W and 700P share many technical specs as well, including processor (Intel XScale 312 MHz) and memory (128 MB total, 60 MB user accessible). The 700P's screen, however, has a higher resolution: 320x320, compared with the 700W's 240x240. Both units support EV-DO (Evolution-Data Only), which marks the major upgrade from the older Treo 650. The 700P has some similarities to its predecessor, as well; they're both based on a slightly improved version of Palm OS Garnet.

Palm has been known to emphasize simplicity in its UI design and, from a usability standpoint, the Palm OS's streamlined interface is superior to Windows Mobile for one-handed operation. Users familiar with the Treo 650 and other Palm PDA devices will be pleased that the interface is basically unchanged. There are some updates, including better multimedia support and upgraded Bluetooth support. Support for DUN (dial-up networking), which lets a Bluetooth-enabled PC use the 700P as a data modem, is included, and there have been some reliability improvements as well. During our testing of the Blutooth headsets and DUN features, we experienced no disconnects. Setting up Bluetooth DUN was far easier on the 700P than it ever was on a 650, which was notorious for its Bluetooth problems.

No Windows

Although Palm is bringing its OS closer to parity with Windows Mobile, it's still missing some important elements for business users. On the security side, there's no out-of-the-box VPN support. Although Windows Mobile's solution doesn't support every VPN implementation --only the commonly used IPsec/ L2TP and PPTP protocols--at least there's an out-of-the-box solution available. Third-party solutions for the Treo 700P cost $30 to $80 per seat, a substantial price increase if VPN access is key to the enterprise.

Palm still has support from a large developer community, including such heavyweights as Good Technology, iAnywhere (Sybase) and IBM. The OS still has the largest library of apps. Despite its developer support, however, it is losing mindshare in the enterprise. From a purely technical standpoint, the Palm OS's inability to handle protected memory and multitasking limits its appeal as a platform for developing complex mobile applications, especially when Windows Mobile and Symbian have those capabilities. Although the Palm OS will no doubt be around for the foreseeable future, it's unclear whether the next Treo's OS will be Cobalt (the next-generation Palm OS), or if Palm will drop that OS for the new Advanced Linux Platform, made by Access (Palm OS's developer). In light of this uncertainty and the technical superiority of alternatives, organizations wanting to deploy mobile enterprise solutions--beyond e-mail and PIM--should at least consider the Symbian or Windows Mobile platforms.

Finally, as with many smartphones, Palm's lack of Wi-Fi support is confusing. There's no integrated Wi-Fi support, nor can you use a Wi-Fi module in the Treo 700P's Secure Digital I/O (SDIO) slot. Other Palm PDAs, such as the Palm TX, included this capability.

Although EV-DO provides a fine connection medium, it has limitations. First, EV-DO cannot support simultaneous voice and data sessions, so if you want to talk while using the phone as a modem or pulling down new e-mail, you're out of luck. Second, many buildings have lousy cell coverage. It makes sense to have Wi-Fi connectivity for in-building coverage and EV-DO support for road use.

Will any of this be a problem for the average road warrior using a smartphone for communications and PIM? No. Will it pose a problem for enterprises trying to deploy mobile vertical apps? Probably.

PerformanceAll told, the Treo's data performance was comparable to that of other EV-DO devices, such as the Kyocera KR1 router, which we tested in November 2005. Our data throughput test included a Treo 700P connected to an IBM ThinkPad T40, over a USB connection and a Bluetooth DUN connection. We measured data performance by conducting FTP transfers from a server located at Syracuse University to a laptop moved to various locations in the Washington area. Data transfer rates ranged from 200 Kbps to 700 Kbps, depending on network coverage and the connection used.

Web page load times were on par with previous EV-DO testing for media-rich sites, as well. AOL.com loaded in 17 seconds and ESPN.com in 19 seconds. These times may seem slow for some users--especially compared with DSL, which loaded AOL and ESPN in 6 and 7 seconds, respectively during the Kyocera tests--but note that they include loading every element on the page.

We also tested roaming by listening to a 160-Kbps MP3 stream on the 24-mile drive from Dulles, Va., to Arlington, Va. We experienced no noticeable drops in connection. Next, we used the same stream and a VPN connection on the ThinkPad laptop to test how well EV-DO data sessions reacted to incoming voice calls. Although the phone rang and properly displayed information about incoming cellular calls during a data session, the data session was disconnected once the cellular call was established. In the case of most brief calls, the data session was re-established as soon as the voice call was terminated. However, if the connection timed out (as was the case with longer calls), the data connection had to be re-initiated.

Palm's VersaMail works fine as an e-mail client for just a few users. Although Palm's ActiveSync supports VersaMail clients connecting to Exchange servers, businesses may find a true push e-mail solution from companies such as Good, RIM, Seven or Visto may be better choices. First, using VersaMail alone requires manual configuration--a huge headache for admins configuring dozens or hundreds of units. Second, the solution constantly checks the server to sync the e-mail box and calendar--a battery drain. Finally, Microsoft may have the edge over Palm in this area, as Service Pack 2 for Exchange offers push e-mail support to Windows Mobile 5 clients (with Pocket Outlook) out of the box.

Cellular call quality with the Treo 700P was on par with devices from RIM, Samsung and others. The only serious shortcoming in call quality came with the speaker phone, which sounded tinny and had inadequate volume output to work as a true speaker phone, especially when compared to basic feature phones from both LG and Sanyo.Sean Ginevan is a technology associate with the Center for Emerging Network Technologies at Syracuse University. Write to him at [email protected].