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A Treo’ing We Go

I never thought it would happen.

Seriously.

The idea of me using a Treo?

If you’d have asked me even 3 months ago, I’d have said “Never happen.”

Well…it’s happened.

No, this is not a PalmOS powered Treo. I can safely say that won’t ever be happening.

But I’m now rocking a Windows Mobile 5 powered Treo 750 as my primary mobile device. Which means the Cingular (now at&t) 8125 that had been my stalwart companion for the last couple of years has been sent down to the minor leagues.

Oh sure, the 8125 still be around. As long as the sliding wonder will power up, it still has value as a test unit. Not to mention waiting on-deck as an emergency backup.

But the more I use the Treo 750, the more I like it. Here are the top things I like better about the 750:

Pocket-sized means I can actually carry it in my pocket and not look like I’m sporting a monstrous tumor on my upper thigh anymore. Whenever I carried the 8125 around, I felt like I was carrying an anvil around on my hip.

Thumb keyboard means I can start typing immediately. Sure, I’m sacrificing some key size over the 8125 slider, but the next benefit also helps make up for that. 

One-handed use means I can use this thing without having to commit both hands to it, a necessity with the 8125 in keyboard mode. That means that there’s little to no stylus work either, which is one less thing to juggle.

External vibration mode switch lets me instantly set the Treo to silent, without a bunch of fumbling around inside the OS. That helps keep me from being one of the so-called IT Pro nitwits who not only fail to set their phone to silent, but who also have the unmitigated gall to actually take a call during a conference session.

Voice Command included means I can rock WM voice-recognition style, without having to pony up more money or sacrifice operating RAM. Since WM6 includes Voice Command as well, it’s a perfect time to be polishing up my vocal stylings

In fact, the release of WM5 on the Treo feels an awful lot like WM6. But since WM6 is really more like WM5.5, that’s not surprising.

Sure, the screen on the 750 could be a bit larger. 240 x 240 fixed is a big step down from 240 x 320 with the ability to auto-orient on the 8125. But I can live with that.

There’s really only one thing I absolutely loathe about the 750.

That would be the cabling monstrosity that is required if you want to sync & charge the unit simultaneously. Not only are both cables proprietary, but they don’t even fit together right when they are both plugged in. They crowd one another in a boneheaded way. Plus, I always feel like I’m about to break the “bunny ears” off the sync cable every time I remove it.

Ironically tho, I’ve talked to tons of folks with dead 8125s which bit the dust when the mini-USB connector at the bottom broke from all the plugging & unplugging. So maybe the Treo 750’s cabling isn’t so bad after all.

If I could wave my magic wand, I’d also change the accent color on the 750’s case to black. But that’s just me. That whole blue color scheme screams 2005 to me.

But since this beauty is due for a free update to WM6 in the next month or 2, I’m good to go.

In fact, I’m digging the 750 so much, it’s caused me to rethink my mobile utility belt. Stay tuned to see which apps make the cut & which don’t. You might be shocked at the outcome!

|| posted by chris under hardware, migration, mobility, tech hand, thumbs up, utility belt || comments (4) || ||