Palm Treo 700p: First Impression
Posted By RichC on May 27, 2006
This is going to be a very quick Saturday morning update as the ‘honey-do list’ takes priority today. I’ve had a chance to run the battery down in the Palm Treo 700p yesterday after coming home with my new ‘toy.’ (yes I suffer from “gadget addiction”) The photo above is from the new and improved 1.2 megapixel cellphone camera and although is better than most, it does not provide the quality that I could see anyone using on a day to day basis. I can’t see anyone replacing a midline digital camera just yet, but then again that is probably not why someone purchases a cellphone anyway? (my son installed new rear lights, his birthday present to his sister, in her VW Jetta TDI; I don’t know the correct slang to ‘comment positively’ now that it’s 2006 so will rely on the ‘tried and true’ …. KEWL! )
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The 700p was activated through Sprint, one of two carriers in the US to sell the 700p. Verizon has been selling the 700w (Windows) for several months now and according to a few photos and stories I’ve spotted on the internet has a few 700p (Palm) available too. The quality of the phone sound in regular use is exceptional in comparison to other cell phones I have used and that alone should be a primary consideration when comparing models. I should take my own advice … I didn’t as I was more interested in the Palm database functions and ED-VO service. (higher speed internet connection)
The ED-VO after activation at my local Sprint store works flawlessly where I live north of Cincinnati. The footprint of covered high-speed internet area should be pretty good where I travel each week and it will be well worth paying the extra monthly premium. I used the included browser called Blazer and it seems to work well. It has a few features that helps when viewing webpages on such a small screen. (a major disadvantage on phone-sized devices). The Treo 700p shines in the screen area, as the small view 320×320 pixel screen is exceptionally bright and sharp compared to my i500, a Palm Treo 600 and older PDAs I have used. Palm OS supports this higher resolution whereas I’ve heard Windows does not; the Palm 700w has a 240×240 pixel screen.
SMS messaging (text messaging) is a highlight of the Palm, as it works very well and can be used to comfortably hold a conversation between devices including other PDA phones, computers or cellphones. I’m not a big user of SMS but I know many who use text messaging heavily.
I was able to compose emails quite easily and even attach documents and photos that I snapped with the camera. It also has video capability … but that will have to come at another time. Off to please “the boss” and get some household chores done.
Robert Heron and Patrick Norton host a web based video podcast called DL.TV that reviews technology events twice a week. I occasionally … well regularly … watch or listen to their broadcast. They host a great 40 minute program at 
Mandating biofuels: It looks like the ‘politically correct’ thing to do … even though I also see it as a good thing to do. The Louisiana legislature looks to be proposing that their state use ethanol and biodiesel as production comes online. The House Bill 685 introduced by Rep. Francis Thompson would require that 2 percent of gasoline and diesel being sold in the state be of ethanol or biodiesel. Other states such as Minnesota already have laws mandating the use of domestic renewable fuels so this looks to be a trend.
General Motors will be testing a new marketing gimmick in the states of California and Florida in hopes to boost sales of a few of their models. They will be “capping fuel prices” as $1.99 for buyers of Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban sport utility vehicles and Impala and Monte Carlo sedans; the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL SUVs; the Hummer H2 and H3 SUVs; the Cadillac SRX SUV; and the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick LaCrosse sedans. The catch is that you must subscribe to OnStar for $16.95/month, but still not a bad deal if you’re looking to buy a new GM vehicle. (read Dee-Ann Durbin Associated Press article 
Even thought this isn’t a commericial, it is a video clip and has tickled my funnybone. For those who have sent emails to let me know that you enjoy the occasional light-hearted ‘short’ video clip, here’s a good one for you. The clip is a little suspicious and almost seems set up, yet its pretty good nevertheless. 
I suspect there is too much be written about Dan Brown’s book, 
My wife and I both read the ‘work of fiction,’ The Da Vinci Code,’ by the best selling author Dan Brown a couple of years ago. We enjoyed the book and discussed it quite a bit when it was first published. We both found it an intriguing story that blended 
As movies based on books go, Ron Howard did an outstanding job of presenting the story told in Dan Brown’s novel — in the least offensive way as possible. What I’m referring to is the blasphemous way the novel deals with Christianity. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve no doubt heard about the offensive claims posed by Dan Brown against Biblical accounts. Brown’s single line preceding the novel claims “All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.” Maybe that statement leaves wiggle room from the author’s perspective as to what is surmised and what is fact … but may Christ followers find the conclusion and position that the book is based on ‘fact’ offensive.
Brown used his two primary characters, the American Harvard professor Robert Langdon (played by Tom Hanks) and Sophie Neveu (played by Audrey Tautou) to unroll his story that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and bore a child AND that the Holy Grail was not a chalice as history knows it, but the offspring of Christ … the “royal bloodline.” The novel weaves in symbols and history in a 2000 year cover up of this through secret societies that continue to this day. As a ‘fictional story’ it is intriguing, as a Christian it is also blasphemous, especially if it is being sold as “accurate” from the standpoint of history. Imagine any other religion, nationality or race being written about in this way? If their history was questioned, comments critical to the core divinity of their belief written and filmed or events questioned as true or accurate … what would the press and public say? I surmise that if this were an anti-Jewish, Islam, African American or critical of homosexuals that the book and movie would be talked about and covered differently. I know from an 
I don’t own a