Time sure goes by fast, it’s approaching a year since I got my Verizon Treo 755p in December of 2007! As the title said, this is a long-term review of the device, so it will start off with my initial review (which I had only posted in the forum), and end with my experiences and observations during the past ten months.

Initial Review: December 23, 2007

It’s been a long wait, but it’s finally here! The Verizon Palm Treo 755p was released on December 17, 2007! Waiting half a year for this Treo certainly has been worth it! Read on for more details.

Pricing and Ordering
As of right now, the 755p is available for a full retail price of $579.99 and $449.99 with a two year contract, minus a $100 advanced device discount, and minus a $50 mail-in rebate. That brings the price down to $299.99 or less if you have a New Every Two discount. Naturally, I ordered it on the day it came out. I purchased it from telesales, and it was shipped out the next day using FedEx 2Day service.

In The Box
Included in the box are: the Treo, battery, battery cover, stylus, home charger, USB cable, headset, screen protector, and documentation. The headset, much to my surprise, is stereo and can be used to play music, and the HotSync cable has a more compact data-only connector. The screen protector is a sample of Palm’s universal screen protector, which you have to trim to the Treo’s screen size by following the pattern on the back.

Hardware
Unlike previous Treos, the 755p has a rubberized surface and an internal antenna. It does not slide off tables and desks easily, and is quite comfortable to hold. The Verizon 755p is only available in the exclusive “Azure Green” color, which is a nice dark teal-like color. Signal strength seems to be just as good as the 700p, however, there has been a moment or two that I’ve had no service. So far, there have been no dropped calls. The 755p’s battery is smaller (1600mAh) than the 700p/650’s, and battery life is a slightly shorter.

The 5-way navigator isn’t backlit anymore, however, the screen is much whiter than my 650’s. When I used my Treo for the first time in the dark, I noticed a lot of light leaking out from below the LCD. The three major spots are the spaces between the green/red buttons and the 5-way, and between the 5-way and the keyboard.

Top:
Of course, the 755p still sports the famous ringer switch! The switch is a bit flatter and slightly stiffer (it won’t move at all if I don’t use my nails, which I suppose is helpful to prevent accidental toggling). A nice feature carried over from the 700p is the vibrate pulse when it is switched to silent.

Bottom:
The 2.5mm headset jack, multi-connector, and microphone are mostly unchanged. The headset jack is quite tight, and the microphone opening is just a hole. The device slopes down at the bottom, making it seem thinner when viewed from the bottom.

Left Side:
Still the volume rocker and side button.

Right Side:
The IR port has been moved to the side (which becomes a problem for those like me who use remote control software), along with the expansion card slot. The miniSD slot has a cover, which fits snugly into the side of the device and prevents the card from falling out or being accidentally ejected.

Back:
The camera, mirror, and speaker have been repositioned so that the camera lens is lower than that of previous models. This new design looks neater, however, getting used to not placing your fingers right on top of the camera lens may take some time. My index finger naturally rests right on top of the lens! The stylus, which is plastic on the top and metal on the bottom, is not as flimsy as it seems. It clicks into position, which lets you know what it is all the way in.

Camera
Like the 700p, the 755p also has a 1.3MP camera that takes pictures in 1280×1024 resolution. The 755p has the best camera of the Treo line, however, its performance in inadequate lighting is still not very good. Pictures taken in low lighting and close-ups are a bit grainy, but it is a major improvement if you’re using a 650.

Here’s a comparison of the Treo 700p vs. Treo 755p. The pictures were taken at the same location, just half a year apart.

Software
In the ROM are the standard apps, plus Downloads, Google Maps, and Wireless Sync. The software is mostly unchanged, so I won’t go into much detail about it. Exclusive to the Verizon version of the 755p is the Treo Voice Dialing software by VoiceSignal, which is available as a free download from MyPalm.com. The 755p is much more responsive than the 700p when it comes to resource-hogging applications (such as games, music, and navigation software), and I have not noticed any of the 700p’s major problems.

Conclusion
Even though there are still places in which Palm could improve, the 755p certainly is a step in the right direction, and I am quite satisfied with upgrading my 650 to the 755p (after trying out the 700p for 30 days). The 755p would make a great upgrade for any Treo user, especially if you are using a 600, 650, or even a 700p.

Pros

• new form factor, rubberized surface
• slightly better camera
• miniSD card cover
• better voice quality, less background noise
• Treo Voice Dialing software by VoiceSignal is included for FREE

Cons

• backlight leaking in several spots, including from the translucent LCD bezel
• durability of the rubberized surface is questionable
• battery life shorter than 650/700p
• battery is a bit difficult to remove…a groove on the battery would be nice

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Ten Months Later: October 10, 2008

Two battery covers and one firmware update later, I’m happy to say that my Treo 755p is still going strong and looking like new. So yes, the pictures of the device in this section were taken in October 2008!

Hardware
Having seen newer devices such as the Centro, 800w, and Pro, I have to admit that in my opinion, the 755p’s form factor is still the best. Even though it is on the thick side, the familiar “smile” QWERTY keyboard is one of the most important aspects, and selling points, of the device. About half of this review was written on the device itself, and it was both comfortable and trouble-free. Unfortunately, the recently released Treo Pro has the Centro-styled keyboard and a glossy finish.

Now, onto the device itself. Two of the cons from my initial review had been disproven through daily use of the device. First off, the rubberized surface. I was wary of rubberized surfaces because I had used a couple IBM (now Lenovo) ThinkPads before. In fact, the battery cover that came with my device had a corner where the black plastic underneath was showing. It was probably a manufacturing defect, so I got a replacement battery cover. However, the replacement battery cover was bulging near the release button, so I went back and got another one. But since then, the rubberized surface hasn’t had any problems. The device still looks like new!

The second issue was battery life. The battery is a bit smaller than the 650/700’s, but it had a relatively similar battery life compared to my 650 and 700p – two to three days. Occasionally, I would get four or even six days.

Software
The Verizon Treo 755p was pretty stable from day one. I have tested numerous amounts of beta software on it, and the device is still very responsive and crash-free. Version 1.08 of the firmware was released in July that “improves the phone application, stability and device usability,” but I wasn’t experiencing problems before, or after, the update.

Accessories
Because Verizon released the 755p so close to the Christmas shopping season, I was able to find good deals on Palm accessories. I purchased two spare batteries, a battery charger, a USB charging cable, a pack of stylus pens, and some of Palm’s anti-glare screen protectors. I was pleased to see that the Palm cradle that I had gotten for my 650 worked with the 755p and its batteries. Because I rotate batteries, all of my batteries are still holding charge well.

The Palm anti-glare static cling screen protector is quite durable. Even after many hours of playing pool, Insaniquarium, and Bejeweled, it still looks like new. There are no scratches, worn-out spots, or peeling. I accidentally bent a corner when adjusting it, so there’s a small bubble in the lower right-hand corner. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it (or the crystal clear one) to fellow Treo users.

Conclusion
While it was unfortunate that Verizon decided to discontinue the 755p ahead of its time, it is still an excellent device in my mind. When it comes to Palm OS Treos, the 755p will still be the device of choice for business or power users on a CDMA network.

Filed under: Treo and Palm news