 Palm Treo 700p |  Apple iPhone | |
| Display | 180 ppi | 160 ppi |
|---|---|---|
| Cellular | ||
| Wi-Fi | ||
| Text Input | ||
| Onboard Memory | ||
| Expansion Slot | (up to 8 GB) | |
| Battery | 4.5 hrs talk time 300 hrs standby | 8 hrs talk time 250 hrs standby |
| Weight | ||
| Thickness | ||
| Multi-Media Messaging (MMS) | ||
| Stylus Included | ||
| Camera | ||
| Video Capture | ||
| Screen Auto-rotation | ||
| My impressions of the two devices: | ||
| Overall UI Speed | ||
| One-Handed Use | ||
| Browser | (Blazer) | (Safari) |
| Text Entry | (No highlighting or cut/copy/paste) | |
| Third-Party Support | (Thousands of apps) | (Other than browser applets, Apple is sole provider) |
| Customizability | ||
| Fun to Use | ||
While the table doesn't say it in so many words, my impression so far is that the Treo 700p and the iPhone do nearly all the same things, but in very different ways. With its dedicated keyboard and strong text-editing functionality, the 700p is much more of a productivity-centric communication device. In contrast, the iPhone does amazing things with audio/video/photo playback, so it is more of a media/entertainment-centric device.
However, that distinction is far from absolute. The Treo can handle audio and video playback in more formats than can the iPhone, and it also has the 3G chops to stream both audio and video over its cellular connection, so it's more flexible in those regards. But, the iPhone has some productivity tricks up its sleeve, such as its ability to multitask (e.g., pull down email in the background) and the excellent Safari browser (which emulates a desktop browser's capabilities fairly closely).
The iPhone's biggest new innovation -- the multi-touch screen -- seems like it could be something incredibly powerful. The current device seems to underutilize this feature, as it's useful only in rare situations (e.g., resizing/zooming a photo). Moreover, multi-touch inherently requires two-handed use, so it's not something someone is going to make use of all the time. But, if future software enhancements can really make strong use of this feature, then we may look back on this launch as actually meriting all the hype.
So, while I have no desire to get an iPhone for my own use, I'm glad the iPhone is out. Innovation pushes all players in the market to bring us consumers their best products, so I look forward to seeing how Palm, Nokia, HTC, Motorola, and the rest respond to Apple's new phone.
Pretty much agree with your assessment: it's good that the iPhone has raised the bar in a number of UI categories, so I'm happy that it's on the market, but the lack of software expandability is a deal-killer for me personally right now.
Actually, Ed, 3rd party software is the least of my concerns, as I think Apple will soon bow to public pressure and realize that even a semi-open system is much better for them than one that's entirely closed.
I have a Treo 650 and an Archos 420 portable video player. Both are terrific devices, but it would be nice to have just one device.
I also very much like the way the iPhone can stream YouTube.
I am hoping the iPhone does well to shock Palm into taking risks again. And I will also be tracking OpenMoko.
Jerry: If you upgrade to a Treo 700p and go to http://m.youtube.com, it will stream into the embedded Kinoma video player.
Did you see this LONG comparison article?
http://www.ocia.net/articles/iphone700p/page1.shtml
Did you catch this teardown cost analysis? $220 in parts to make an iPhone. http://techdigest.tv/2007/07/how_much_to_mak.html
I didn't see that comparo piece, Bob; thanks for posting it.
A few issues with the comparison:
- Under "Text Input", note that the customizable software keyboard is vastly better than a static, tiny, non-configurable hardware keyboard. All actual reviews of the device indicate that after a few days of use, the perceived "problem" of the lack of hardware buttons is a non-issue.
- Under "Stylus included" you actually meant to bold the "No" in iPhone, since the stylus is a much-worse pointing device than the one we're all born with, right?
Other than these, it's a good comparison of several points - thanks for posting. I hope that Palm can actually innovate some changes to their platform, and that Apple continues to enhance and improve theirs, so that consumers benefit from the updates on each side.
Hi, SomeOne (thanks for using your real name, btw...it adds a lot of legitimacy).
"- Under "Text Input", note that the customizable software keyboard is vastly better than a static, tiny, non-configurable hardware keyboard. All actual reviews of the device indicate that after a few days of use, the perceived "problem" of the lack of hardware buttons is a non-issue."
It's not the configurability that I care about (when was the last time I wanted to move the keys on my keyboard around??), it's the tactile feedback. You simply cannot type on the iPhone without looking at where your fingers go. On a physical keyboard, your fingers know where they are because of the bumps, which helps speed and accuracy (the two things I care most about).
"- Under "Stylus included" you actually meant to bold the "No" in iPhone, since the stylus is a much-worse pointing device than the one we're all born with, right?"
Um, no. For some things, a finger is superior, but when you need pinpoint accuracy, the smaller tip of a stylus is better. For example, I was in the Apple store and asking about how to edit text. The salesguy picked it up and it took him four tries to position the cursor where it needed to be (in the middle of a word) using his finger. I pulled the stylus out of my phone and did it in one try. So, for some things, a stylus is better. The fact that one isn't supplied is therefore a con. The fact that it's needed only rarely isn't terribly relevant. Imagine you have two cars: one offers a spare tire/wheel in the trunk and the other doesn't. It's really rare that you would need to use the spare, but wouldn't you prefer to have one just in case? Besides, a stylus makes a great place to hide a pen (for those odd occasions where you need to write on paper). The Treo is very easy to use one-handed without the stylus (D-pad and/or touchscreen input with a finger), but I still like having a stylus for those moments when it's a better tool for the job than my finger.
Part of my office works I do it on my treo 650, I have so many ebooks stored in 8gb sd card that assist me while at work, I have the bible, dictionaries of all kinds englis, spanish, medical med+ and alot more . The question now is can the Iphone hole this much datas like the treo?. I still love my treo both I will love to try Iphone.