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The Palm 700w stands out from other Pocket PC phones. It looks like other Palm devices, even though it runs Windows Mobile 5.0. It has a built-in QWERTY-style keyboard, yet it still slides easily into your pocket.
Oh, and its screen is square.
While there have been a few Windows Mobile powered devices with square screens over the past couple years, the popularity of the Treo 700w is prompting a growing number of Windows developers to make their applications “square aware.” In addition to the standard Windows Mobile and Palm applications, there are already dozens of programs available to help, whether you’re trying to get more done – or simply looking for a diversion from work.
The Treo 700w comes factory-equipped with familiar Windows and Pocket Office applications and useful third-party programs. Here's a short list:
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| Windows Mobile 5.0 | |
| | The Treo 700w comes with Internet Explorer Mobile, Windows Media Player 10, Notes, Terminal Services client, and File Explorer. | |
| | | | | Bubble Breaker | | | As a reviewer, I felt duty-bound to try one of the applications I found in the Games folder. I consider Bubble Breaker a good way to sharpen those stylus-eye coordination skills and become comfortable holding the device. Back to work now. | |
| | Third Party Applications | | | While the included programs are a great value, your Treo 700w can do even more with the help of some software add-ons. There are dozens of applications, designed to fit on the square screen, that can help with everything from keeping track of all your account numbers to giving you driving directions.
Installation is easy. Manufacturers have recommendations as to whether their programs need to be loaded into the device’s main memory or if they can be run from a removable storage card. I used a 256 MB card, which had more than enough space for the numerous applications I tried. Here are a few of my favorites:
| | | - Pocket Informant
I'd always been perfectly happy with Outlook Mobile as is, but this program from Web Information Solutions, Inc. displays my information in new and useful ways. For example, I could display a full week of calendar events or, since I use the Outlook categorization feature, I could get a “timeline view” of a specific project. It’s also more flexible in other ways. Instead of simply “snoozing” or dismissing tasks I can’t get to right away, I can specify how long I want Pocket Informant to wait before sending me another reminder. - Pocket Express
Pocket Express, a subscription information service from Handmark, makes a tremendous amount of information available on one screen. It offers scheduled updates for sports, weather, stocks, numerous news sources, detailed maps and directions, movie listings, and more. After entering my favorite movie theaters, movie show times were only a couple of taps away. I tested the turn-by-turn directions—while stopping at stoplights—from a store to my home 12 miles away and was impressed by the succinct clarity of the instructions and the accuracy of the drive-time estimates. Being able to scroll down and see a map provided a helpful visual orientation. The download time for directions was very quick. Although I find a GPS program that talks to you, such as ALK Technologies CoPilot Live, a great help while driving; the Pocket Express Directions is a simple solution to way-finding—one that doesn't require purchasing a GPS receiver or printing out the directions you think you'll need before you leave the office and get on the road. - CodeWallet Pro 2005
Bank accounts, credit card accounts, flight numbers, frequent flyer numbers, insurance policy numbers, prescription numbers, anniversary dates, membership IDs, passwords—there are many bits of information that you might need any time you're away from your office or home base. What do you do to keep that information private, yet close at hand? "Some people file their passwords in their Contacts list, under 'passwords,' and think they're hiding them," John Psuik of Developer One Software told me. I shuddered. That's like leaving your house key under your doormat. CodeWallet uses a two-part security scheme: a password up to 32 characters long and 128-bit AES encryption to scramble the data. (You should still require a password to power-on your device.) CodeWallet allows you to make your own forms, though it also comes with easy-to-use, pre-made forms for data, Excel files or pictures. Besides the forms for recording bank accounts and charge card information, I was amused to find one for keeping track of a personal exercise plan and measuring results. Yes, that's a good thing to keep under lock and key. - NewsBreak
NewsBreak makes it easy to keep up with the latest news and weather, and changes to your favorite web sites. The RSS reader includes 30 pre-set channels and a searchable database of more than 300,000 channels. From the categories offered, I chose four channels—Gizmodo, Handango, Microsoft Security Bulletins, and the Register—and then added the RSS feed from my own company, Ambient Insight. NewsBreak, from Ilium Software has a very intuitive interface with plenty of viewing size choices and useful tools, such as Save to File and Send a Link via E-mail. As I found when Web surfing with the Treo 700w, sites take a while to load on the first visit, but load very quickly on return trips.
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| | Those are just a few of the applications that work well on the Treo 700w’s square screen. Many other Windows Mobile applications will work just fine, though you may find that some may not quite entirely fit on the screen. In some cases, the bottom of the application’s display may be cut off, leaving you with no obvious "back" function. You can still use these applications, however. I found that by tapping either the soft key or the center navigation button I could find my way. And the popularity of the Treo 700w is certain to prompt more developers to make their applications “square aware.” It's cool to be square. | |
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| About the Author | |
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Tyson Greer is CEO of Ambient Insight LLC, a research and development firm that specializes in wireless productivity products and mobile learning technology. As a mobile maven, Tyson makes a habit to keep in close touch with colleagues and customers on the latest mobile device she can get her hands on.
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