The Treo 700w   The Treo 650 Get this Phone Now for the Best Price on the Internet!

The inevitable has just happened. Did you ever imagine that one day a Treo product would run a Microsoft OS? It does now; the new Treo 700w smartphone runs on the Microsoft Windows Mobile platform. This strange-but-true event gives an opportunity to compare the Treo 700w with its older sibling the Treo 650, which runs on a Palm OS.

To begin with, both the 700w and the 650 use an Intel XScale processor running at 312MHz. No advantage to either product here. The 700w sporting 128MB of onboard memory trumps the 650 which comes with just 32. Oddly, the 700w has a 240 x 240 16-bit color TFT touchscreen display whereas the 650 has a 320 x 320 16-bit color TFT touchscreen. Differences in screen size and weight are hardly noticeable. On the camera front, the 700w with 1.3 megapixels and 1280x1024 resolution scores over the 650, which comes with a boring VGA and 640x480 (0.3 megapixels) resolution. As you would expect, the 700w feels quicker than the 650.

Where the Treo 700w does outrun the 650 by miles is in wireless connectivity. The 700w supports Verizon's EvDO BroadbandAccess service. With a download rate ranging from 400 to 700 kbps, the 700w will browse the Internet like it's on steroids. The 650 is completely beaten in this area. The max that the 650 can do is on Cingular's EDGE service, which typically performs like very good dial-up.

Coming to the software, it's a shootout between the Microsoft Windows Mobile OS and the Palm OS on the usability front. Both platforms have their quirks. If you're used to the Palm OS, it should take some time to get comfortable with to the Windows UI. It's akin to owning a Nokia mobile phone for years and then switching to one from say Sony Ericsson or Motorola.

Verdict:
If you own a 650 at the moment, you would probably want to wait and see if Treo comes out with an upgrade, unless you want top-notch Internet connectivity and don't wind re-learning the UI. If you're looking to buy a new one, then the 700w is the top gun at the moment.

Product website:
Treo 700w
Treo 650