Camera Phone Reviews

Palm Treo 755p

First Treo Integrating Google Maps for Mobile

Also new to the Treo 755p is the integration of Google Maps(TM) service for mobile. With Google Maps built into the ROM, right out of the box, Treo 755p users can get directions; perform local searches; and view moveable/scalable maps, satellite imagery, and traffic updates while on the go.

"By integrating Google Maps for mobile into the Treo 755p, we're making it even easier for users to get directions, maps, local listings, and traffic updates for wherever life takes them," said Steve Lee, product manager for Google Inc. "We're focused on delivering the best possible mobile experience to as many users as possible, and working with innovative companies like Palm helps us do just that."

Other Treo 755p Features and Benefits

-- Ability to watch mobile video directly on the Treo 755p with Sprint TV, which features more than 50 channels of live and on-demand content, including CNN, FOX, ESPN, The Weather Channel, MTV, E! and The Cartoon Network;(3)

-- Dial-up networking via USB or Bluetooth(R) wireless technology on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network for using the Treo 755p as a modem for a laptop computer (requires an appropriate service plan);

-- Superior phone functionality, including one-touch speakerphone and conference calling, the ability to ignore a call with text messaging, and the option to use the touch-screen dial pad;

-- Support for EvDO (Rev.0) speeds, which makes streaming mobile content, such as live TV, movie clips and audio from radio stations, as well as training videos or company communications, enjoyable;

-- 128MB memory (60MB user available) and support for Mini-SD memory cards up to 4GB;

-- Voice-memo application, which can be used to create custom ring tones and add voice annotations to photos or simply record a quick memo;

-- Threaded SMS/MMS messages in a single chat view and out-of-the-box support for Yahoo!, AOL, and Gmail;

-- 1.3-megapixel digital camera and video recorder, and application to organize and share photos;

-- Support for Sprint Picture Mail;

-- Smart, fast web browsing using the award-winning Access browser;

-- Full PDF support using DataViz(R) Documents To Go(R) Version 8.0, which also offers support for native Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents;

-- User-friendly and familiar Palm OS platform, including one-touch access to key applications;

-- Color touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard for easier email, messaging and web use;

-- On-device user's guide, giving customers access to the full user's guide right from the device; and

-- Default data transfer mode, which allows users to be notified of incoming voice calls while using data services, rather than calls automatically going to voicemail.

Pricing and Availability

The Treo 755p will be available beginning mid-May from Palm stores and online at www.palm.com. It also will be available at Sprint stores and at www.sprint.com for as low as $279.99 after available discounts and promotions.

(1) Within wireless service coverage area only. Availability and coverage depends upon carrier and the geographic scope of international roaming agreements. Email, messaging and web access requires data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost. Direct Push Technology requires Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 or Exchange Server 2007 and access enabled by IT administrator.

(2) Within EvDO data wireless service coverage area only. Actual data speeds vary based on network capacity and application design. Compatible with 1xRTT network.

(3) Additional costs apply for Sprint TV.

Palm Treo 755p Reviews

PCMag reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "The 1.3-megapixel camera produced lab photos remarkably similar to the 700p's, even though they were taken a year apart. The shots seem dim and unsaturated, though bright areas are blown out. There's also a wobbly 352-by-288 video mode. You can store your images (and MP3 music for the included pTunes music player) on a MiniSD card in a slot on the side, a step down from the 700p's standard SD slot."

Brighthand reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "The camera interface is the same as what is found on the Treo 680. Simply put, you get buttons to take a picture and whether to set the zoom 1x or 2x. Nothing complicated there. Shutter speed is increased, and the default setting is that the shutter sound is not made. The Camcorder is listed as a separate application but can be accessed from the Camera application. Videos are recorded at 320-by-240-pixel (QVGA) resolution. You can save videos and images either to internal memory or to a miniSD memory card (up to 4 GB supported). Overall, both the camera and camcorder are suitable, but not groundbreaking. Both images and videos created on the 755p are easily able to be sent via email or MMS (Sprint's Picture Mail) with one click from the camera screen."

SlashGear reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "The 1.3 megapixel camera takes decent photos while the camcorder mode shoots at 352-by-288 videos at 13 frames per second. I like how you can save the length of whatever memory you have on the system or memory card. ... I’m awarding the Treo 755p 4 ½ out of 5 gears as well as SlashGear’s Editor’s Choice."

MobileBurn reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "While the Palm Treo 755p is not exactly built with multimedia in mind, it does a fairly good job at it none the less. For starters, the 1.3 megapixel camera on-board performs much better than did similar units on prior Treos. The lens showed a bit of corner distortion, but in general the images were colorful, bright, and reasonably sharp. The included pTunes music player application also does a pretty good job of turning the Treo into a portable music player. The application can run in background mode, supports playlists, and worked with all of the MP3 files that I copied over on the miniSD card. An upgraded version can be purchased that plays more formats, such as WMA."

Palm Infocenter reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "The 755p includes a 1.3 megapixel digital camera built into the rear of the device next to the speaker grill. It can take photos at a max resolution of 1280 x 1024 pixels and has 2x digital zoom. It can also record video clips with audio at a 352 x 288 resolution. The camera quality is pretty standard for a phone-cam. Outdoor scenes and good natural lighting conditions will give you the best results, while indoor and low light scenes will often yield unexpected results. While the megapixel rate is the same as the 700p, I think this model does a little better in low light indoor situations."

LaptopMag has a review of the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "Spec for spec, the Treo 755p is nearly identical to its predecessor, which is a bit disappointing considering that the 700p launched nearly a year ago. The 312-MHz XScale processor is still plenty speedy, the 2.5-inch display still plenty bright and crisp, and the 60MB of available memory still enough to store plenty of Palm OS applications. However, we would have preferred support for Sprint's faster EV-DO Rev. A network instead of EV-DO Rev. 0, which would allow for much faster upload speeds. And the lack of stereo Bluetooth in 2007 is pretty much inexcusable, although a $19.99 piece of software from Softick adds this capability. The 1.3-megapixel camera continues to capture decent photos but blurry videos."

CNET reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "Last but not least, we're glad the Treo 755p didn't follow in the Treo 680's footsteps and upgraded to a 1.3-megapixel camera rather than a VGA camera. There's a 2x zoom and video-recording capabilities, but it lacks a flash and any options for tweaking the white balance, resolution, brightness, and so forth. As a result, picture quality was subpar. Objects were defined clearly but there was a dull, grayish overtone to the images."

MobileTechReview reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "the Treo 755p’s 1.3 megapixel camera is a bit outdated. Though if you are upgrading from the Treo 650 and the Treo 700p, you will find that the camera on the Treo 755p has improved with less noise and sharper photos. Photos taken in good lighting conditions look sharp by 1.3 megapixel standards and colors look balanced. There isn’t any noticeable color cast. Indoor shots with good to medium lighting conditions also have good quality. Some indoor shots with lower lighting show loss of color, but not as much noise as the photos taken with last generation Treos. Likely the camera reduced a little too much color while trying to reduce noise (common in camera phones). Photos taken in strong sunlight show white out in light-colored areas or objects."

PDAStreet reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, " Shutterbugs hoping for a more up-to-date camera will likely be disappointed with the one built into the 755p, which is decent but the same 1.3 megapixel version found in prior models (except for the 680 which includes a lesser VGA-resolution camera). During our time with the PalmOS 755p (spent in the Tampa and Ft. Myers, FL metro areas), the phone exhibited good connection and call quality. We especially appreciate Palm's loud-and-clear speakerphone (helped by a large speaker) and the fact that you can easily switch it on and off during a call via an on-screen button."

WirelessInfo reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "The live preview on the Treo 755p take up about three quarter of the screen with the bottom quarter showing you the various controls available. We found the live preview did a good job showing you exactly what you're going to get in the final photo. It also did a good job when panning, with very little blurring or pixelation. Interestingly, we found it a better live preview than on the Palm Centro or the Treo 750."

PC Mag reviews the Palm Treo 755p (Verizon) and writes, "The 755p doesn't allow for voice dialing or stereo music over Bluetooth—two more knocks against it. Its camera is old news, too, with a 1.3-megapixel sensor and no autofocus or LED flash. The handset took middling, pixelated photos and recorded shaky video at 352-by-288-pixel resolution. The built-in Pocket Tunes plays MP3 files; Palm thoughtfully includes in the box a pair of stereo earbuds with a built-in mic, which is helpful since all Palm Treo connectors are proprietary. The miniSD slot read and wrote files to a Kingston 4GB miniSDHC card without any problems."

InfoSync reviews the Palm Treo 755p (Verizon) and writes, "If you must have a Palm OS device with a large keyboard (no Centro, then), and you can't use Sprint, the Treo 755p on Verizon Wireless is your only option. Too bad, because this phone, and the OS behind it, haven't aged well, and most other smartphones have passed it by. The list of features it lacks is incredibly long, but we'll mention HTML e-mail, GPS, a real Web browser and good multimedia features as things we especially miss. The Palm OS is still simple and quick, very easy to use, but it's looking quite old, and once you start digging into the calendar and messaging apps, you're going to wish for something much prettier."

CrunchGear reviews the Palm Treo 755p and writes, "There are quite a few built-in applications, and the Palm implementation of Google Maps is perfect. The application works well with a stylus, and many of the desktop features are included. The 1.3-Megapixel camera is adequate, and it has that nifty self portrait mirror so, so popular with slutty teens on MySpace...There’s a button on the side that can be customized to open any application, though it defaults to activating the camera...One of these days all phone manufacturers will realize that a camera without a flash is kind of silly. Here’s hoping Palm is one of them."