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Palm Treo 800W Smartphone (Sprint) | 
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| Brand: Treo
Category: CE
Buy New: $339.00
New (5) Used (1) from $199.99
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 1212
MPN: 800W
Model: 800W
UPC: 805931021120
EAN: 0805931021120
ASIN: B001DL7PL2
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | KEY FETURES: Windows Mobile 6.1, one-touch Wi-Fi, Sprint TV enabled, Speakerphone, Built-in camera, Web, email capable, Bluetooth, External display, GPS enabled, Memory card slot, Broadband speeds where available | | • | INCLUDE ACCESSORIES: Standard Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Battery, Battery Door, AC Charger with Adapter, MicroUSB Sync Cable, Stereo Headset, | | • | DIMENSIONS: 4.4" x 2.3" x 0.7" | | • | WEIGHT: 5.0 oz | | • | Up to 4.5 hrs of continuous talk time |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Palm TreoTM 800w Built for business Stay on top of the competition with 24X7 access to your customers calls, corporate email, and access to professional Microsoft tools anywhere you go. A data plan of $25 or more or a Simply EverythingSM plan must be purchased Highlights Mobile versions of Microsoft Office, Outlook and Internet Explorer Wireless Email - Corporate and Personal Key Features Sprint TV enabled Speakerphone Built-in camera Web, email capable Bluetooth External display GPS enabled Memory card slot Broadband speeds where available Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Software GPS Capable Wireless Email-Corporate & Personal Stereo Bluetooth Wireless Technology Embedded Wi-Fi Attachment Viewing and Editing 2.0 Megapixel camera/camcorder Micro SD Expansion Card Slot Sprint TV Enabled Built-in media player Easy Navigation Speakerphone Customize to suit your style Brilliant Color display Memory Data Transfer Mode (DTM) Voice Memo/Recorder Customizable picture Caller ID Phone as Modem: TTY Compatible Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) Technical Specifications Dimensions: 4.4" x 2.3" x 0.7" Weight: 5.0 oz Battery Information: 1150 mAh standard Included Accessories 1. Standard Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Battery 2. Battery Door 3. AC Charger with Adapter 4. MicroUSB Sync Cable 5. Stereo Headset
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| Customer Reviews:
 Treo 800W is powerful and fast! October 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased the 800W about two weeks ago. I am very impressed. I spent the first night diving into the new MS Mobile 6.1 operating system. I entered in my contacts and setup my multiple POP email accounts. I then started to use the device heavily over the next few days. Boy is this baby fast! The internet screams. Emails are retrieved fast! The MS OS Mobile 6.1 is a pleasure to navigate. It's fast and responsive. My last phone was the Palm Centro with Palm OS. This is noticeably faster! There is zero lag when closing applications or switching between screens. Similar to a desktop system you can have multiple applications running at the same time. You can easily switch between applications via the Task Manager screen by holding down the "OK" button for a second. You can customize your Today screen to suit your needs. You can assign any picture to a speed dial number for one-touch speed dialing. Cool! The built-in GPS is extremely fast to lock on! It is faster to lock on than two car units I have tested. The turn-by-turn voice prompts work flawlessly. The GPS voice prompts work great via the speaker phone or wired headset. Alas, they do not come through on a Bluetooth headset. The 800W does not come equipped with picture mail, however there is a 3rd party utility available for download that fills the void beautifully! Battery life, the speaker phone, and headset volume could be better but they are fine. If you're like me and have your phone on 24/7 you'll want to invest in a car charger ($10 on ebay) and you'll want to plug your phone in at the office or home when not in use. The 2MP camera is decent. The video mode is merely okay. The micro USB connector is used as the charging port, connecting to a PC, and for a wired headset. The office applications work well! The touch screen and key pad work great. Overall I give the 800W 8 out of 10 stars.
Pros:
Fast Internet, Wi-Fi, Stereo Bluetooth, GPS, Voice commands, good keyboard
Cons:
Battery life, speaker phone, headset volume
Phone Details:
Display 320x320 pixel s
Radio Qualcomm MSM6800A, EvDO Rev A
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, 802.1x (EAP-PEAP, EAP-TLS and EAP-TTLS)
GPS Built-in GPS (standalone and assisted); Sprint Navigation
Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional
Microsoft Office Mobile Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote
Microsoft Media Player (music & video)
Adobe PDF Viewer
Voice Commands with response, "Call John at home", "What are my appointments today?"
Bluetooth Wireless Version: 2.0 +, stereo audio streaming (A2DP, GAVDP, AVRCP)
Memory 256MB user memory (approximately 170MB available user memory)
Camera 2.0 megapixels, and video capture
Battery Removable 1150 mAh lithium-ion; up to 4.5 hours talk time
Expansion microSD/microSDHC cards (up to 8GB supported)
Connector MicroUSB(tm) 2.0, for charger, headset, and PC connectivity
 Powerful but Imperfect October 4, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Any given piece technology, like life itself, is often an embodiment of the choices and compromises made along the way. The 800W is a reflection of some interesting design choices made by Palm while it struggles to return to relevance in the crowded and competitive smartphone market.
Lets talk about the postives first. On paper, the specs are very respectable, reading like a wishlist of goodies Palm customers have been begging for:
We have the fast 3G EVDO Rev. A on Sprint's excellent network. Download speeds are as fast as I have seen on a smartphone, frequently peeking in the high 900Kbps in my tests. This is "3G as its meant to be."
Wireless capabilities are rounded out by 802.11 b/g WiFi, a fast GPS sensor, and an up-to-date Bluetooth stack with all the relevant profiles, including those for stereo headphones. The WiFi is easily turned on and off with a dedicated hardware switch.
The phone runs Windows Mobile 6.1 professional. This is a reasonable choice. As much longevity as Palm OS has had, it is simply not keeping up with the demands of a modern smartphone. Palm knows this, and is working on their own home-grown Linux-based OS that seems to be taking forever to see the light of day.
Windows Mobile 6.1 has good third-party software support, and fully supports the various features of the phone.
Sprint has added some nice features such as live and in-demand video streams which work very well on the device and network. The TeleNav-based turn-by-turn navigation system complements the GPS features, and works as well, if not better, than the built-in Nav in my Chrysler 300C.
Now lets look at the compromises made to bring these features to the phone:
The top three complaints seen around the web are battery life, battery life, and battery life. In my experience over the last month or so, this complaint is well founded. If you try to use it like a real smartphone -- with a mixture of internet use, email, phone calls, navigation and video/music -- the phone will NOT make it through an 8+ work-day. I have dealt with this problem by (a) consciously enabling and disabling features on the phone on an as needed bases and (b) buying a second battery that I have to swap out by 2:00PM. Neither or these steps are ideal.
In part, the sub-par battery life is a compromise made to bring the 3G, WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth radios on board. This part is understandable. Unfortunately, I do not think Palm did all it could to mitigate this weakness. The battery is too small, and I don't understand why a bigger one could not be fitted into the design. The HTC Mogul, a phone which came out a year earlier has a virtually identical form factor but includes a slide-out keyboard AND a 35% larger battery.
Speaking of physical design, I don't understand why the device is as big as it is. It is not large, but clearly seems thicker than necessary particularly given the smallish 1100mah battery. Nokia's new E series phone packs the same features in a considerably smaller form factor. While the phone feels fine in the hand, it has some obvious saddlebags.
The screen is an example of an area where design needs to be modernized. It is sunken into a bevel which adds depth to the phone, reduces usable screen area, and makes it difficult to access the sides and corners of the touchscreen with a finger. You can use the stylus, which has its own problems. This cocktail straw-like implements bends like a cooked noodle... and not one cooked Al Dente either.
Speaking of the screen, Palm has brought its Windows Mobile smartphone up to the Palm standard with 320x320 resolution as opposed to the de-facto Windows Mobile standard of 320x240. The finer resolution is welcome, but the odd aspect ratio causes trouble with many windows applications. Furthermore, the screen seems half as bright as the identical resolution screen on my wife's Palm Centro. (Apparently a sacrifice made to improve battery life?). The 800w screen is also not as sensitive as the newer devices on the market, and I am not even talking about the best-in-class iPhone.
Finally, the device design lacks in flair and quality. Many will suggest that looks and good industrial design are not important criteria in a true "business" smartphone. I disagree. If I buy a device that costs roughly $500 and I am going to carry on my person day-in and day-out, it should be attractive and well designed. Its like a watch -- any $2 plastic LCD watch can tell time, but I am not going to wear that to an important meeting. While not ugly, the 800w is too square, too thick and too dated.
The soft-touch paint and keyboard are of excellent quality. However, the directional-pad used to control the device is covered with a thin chrome paint which has already worn off in some spots revealing the cheap black plastic underneath.
In assessing the device as a whole, its not the required compromises that result in its less-than stellar rating. It is the design flaws that are not the result of compromise:
* The device does not need to be as thick as it is, other devices prove this.
* There is clearly room for a bigger battery to mitigate the demand of power-hungry components.
* Palm needs to pay more attention to style and quality details. The d-pad "chrome" and flimsy stylus are clear examples of this.
* The screen is the part of the phone the user looks at the most. I see no reason why the Palm screen was not made flush, more responsive and brighter. Get rid of the bevel, it's not needed. (Palm apparently did exactly this in the Treo Preo, a phone released very shortly after the 800w).
* While Windows Mobile is a good foundation, some time needs to be spent in customizing the front-end to make it more usable. (For example, take a cue from the "sliding windows" home screen design which debuted with Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone edition.
In summary, the device does everything I need it to as long as I am schlepping along the extra battery. However, I feel a bit like I am wearing a $2 watch.
Battery problems can be helped! September 22, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
So I have had this device for a few months now and I have to say its a love-hate relationship. The stuff that it does is pretty cool. I love that it has Wi-Fi, GPS, and is pretty slim for a Treo (I'm coming from a Treo 755p). The only thing I don't like is the battery life.
Coming from a Palm OS was a little difficult for me. I really didn't want to switch, but I felt like the stuff that I was getting from this new one far outweight switching OS's. I was right...in fact I kinda like Windows Mobile more than the Palm OS now!
They designed the 800w so that you can control everything with one hand. Besides for typing on the keypad, I think they have totally succeeded. I can pick from my favorite programs, close applications, view and dismiss notifications, access call logs, contacts, calendars, and messages, view and delete emails, etc., etc., much faster than I ever could on my 755. There are also quick ways to turn on/off bluetooth, wifi, and gps.
I love how the Today screen is TOTALLY customizable. I can decide what I want to see and where I want to see it. I can make the fonts smaller so that I can fit more on the home screen and I can change the background (without it becoming useless like on the Palm OS).
One thing that I was really impressed with was it's feel in my hand. It felt like the perfect size; Just big enough for me to feel that my fingers weren't going to keep missing keys, and small enough for it to feel compact (I think its about 3/4 of the size of the 755p...at least it feels like it). I absolutely LOVE the keypad. It is better feeling than any of the Treos I have had or used. (I've owned the 650, 700p, 755p and this one...I have used the Centro...which was my least favorite one). This one takes the cake by far. The keypad is responsive, and perfectly sized/spaced. I also love the "ok" button. One of my biggest gripes with Windows Mobile before is that you would always have to hit the 'x' button before. The "ok" button makes it really easy to close windows with one keystroke.
The thing that is most annoying is the battery life. At factory settings, the battery won't last you even one day. You really need to tweak the settings and turn off a couple of key features.
Make sure you turn off the feature that automatically detects Infrared (IrDA) devices that are nearby, also, make sure that the you switch Location Privacy to 911 only (do this by clicking on the little circle with the cross on top of it in the home screen) when you are not using GPS or Maps. Finally, make Bluetooth NOT discoverable by other devices (when you aren't pairing it). This will usually help you and make your battery last an extra 12-24 hours easily. There are also some registry hacks that you can perform, but I advise against it.
One huge problem that I have and have also heard of is that this thing will not charge using ANY third-party charger if it is completely dead. I guess the OEM charger must have a higher current output or something. Make sure NOT to drain this thing completely unless you have the OEM charger that came with the 800w nearby.
I think I would give this thing 3.5 / 5 but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Good phone for internet, but terrible battery life September 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been using the Palm Treo 800w for two weeks and have a few comments about it. Overall, I like how the phone functions, but it has some serious flaws that are so severe that I am considering returning the phone.
1. The battery life is terrible. If you are using web functions or even playing games, the battery life may be gone in 3 hours. It drained from 100% to 4% while sitting in my purse for 5 hours. If you have a long meeting, your phone may die in the middle of it.
2. There is no way to turn off the device without removing the battery. This is particularly bad because of the short battery life. You can't preserve your battery life without taking the phone apart. Also, airlines do not like electronic devices that won't shut off.
Review of Palm Treo 800w - Brief Review August 9, 2008
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
I would change my rating of this phone to a 3 or 2 - read my review to find out why.
Day 1:
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I have only had this phone for just under 24 hours. So far I have a positive opinion of it.
1. Reception:
Appears to be very good.
2. Screen resolution:
Very good. Able to read small text easily.
3. Touch screen:
Very responsive when using fingers or the stylus. I sometimes need to press firmly to click through links or push accept on-screen buttons.
4. Navigation:
Scrolling is extremely responsive.
5. Phone mode:
Very good sound quality and people report hearing me well. I did hear a little bit of static when speaking to someone, but that may have been on their end.
6. Speaker phone:
Works well. Tried having a conversation with my brother who has an iPhone and had difficulty hearing him while driving in my car. This is probably due to the background road noise and due to the iPhone's poor sound quality (he tried using the iphone as a speaker phone, hand-held, and with a headset).
7. Camera:
Have taken one picture in a poorly lit room, and it came out reasonably well. Good enough to create profile pictures and take occasional pictures.
8. Internet connection:
Very fast. Getting 800k down and 350k up.
9. Included web browser:
Very fast. Loads pages much faster than the 755p or even the iphone. This is probably due to the much faster EVDO rev-A connection and faster processor and sufficient RAM.
10. Weight:
Reasonable.
11. Build:
Feels sturdy in the hand and easy to hold.
12. Interface:
Relatively easy to scroll and move around the screen and accept/select options. Sometimes, I feel I need to use the stylus to move the page around or to select items, and this will get easier with practice.
Day 15:
==================================================
Update:
After having this phone for 2 weeks, I have the following complaints:
Battery life is pathetic. Even with screen lightly lit (3rd bar from lowest), bluetooth off, wifi off, and email synchronization off, the phone's battery life drains quickly upon use for browsing the web or checking directions, or talking on the phone.
Windows mobile was not designed for touch screens. It is hard to move pages around (you need to use the directional button), and it jumps from page to page, so if you don't read the last light of page one, when you press down, you can't see that previous line.
The buttons do not really make sense when compared to the palm version. You need to hit the green talk button to get to the home screen (or hit "ok" a bunch of times). Similarly, to add a contact, or to check call history, you need to navigate through screens, which makes it annoying, confusing, and slow to get to previous callers. When you type in a persons name, and want to "edit or view all their contact info", if you accidentally, hit the middle directional button when highlighting the person's name, it immediately begins to call them, and the windows lag prevents you from canceling the call before it goes through.
Speaker phone and regular speaker (even with the included headset) are pathetic. Unable to use speaker phone while driving as it is not loud enough and when you do turn it up it over-attenuates (blares) causing me to be unable to understand the other person. Similarly, the other person has trouble understanding me.
Voice quality when holding phone normally, is good, though not as good as my previous Sanyo 4920, and the voice quality (earpiece) definitely has static and the max volume is sometimes not enough.
Touch screen can be responsive, and I tried using Opera Mobile 9.5 Beta which sort of works like the Iphone touch interface. However, trying to select links is hard, I generally need to angle my fingernail or use the stylus and poke at the screen repetitively to get it to work.
The phone does have great bandwidth capability, I clocked it at around 1.2 MBit download and around 600 KB upload which is great.
Bottom Line
================================================
I don't recommend this phone for most users, as you will get frustrated with the interface and the battery life.
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