Palm Treo Pro review

The Treo Pro is a plain, businesslike smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, rounded edges and a glossy black case.

Unlike the previous Centro model, it uses the new Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. The keyboard has small keys that match the colour of the case, except for the number keys and the Option key, which are white.

Like other Windows Mobile handsets, the Pro comes with Office Mobile, which has editors for Word, Excel and OneNote files, and viewers for PowerPoint and PDF files. Outlook supports IMAP, POP and Exchange push email (if your company's Exchange servers have wireless access). Windows Live gives you access to Live search and Messenger, which is a cheap alternative to texting if you have an unlimited data plan and your contacts also use it. The SMS interface groups texts you've sent and received based on the person you've corresponded with, which is useful.

The touch-screen interface is a time-saver, but you will have to extract the stylus for greater control. Those with larger fingers may have to use their fingernails to type accurately. There are four large short-cut buttons and a navigation wheel. The short-cut buttons can be customised and used in conjunction with the Option key to provide further short cuts.

The screen is large enough to display most applications comfortably, although the mobile version of Internet Explorer is awkward to use. It squashes pages to fit into the width, and navigation is best done with the stylus rather than trying to press links with your finger.

The 320x320 resolution is fine for watching short videos, but anything with a widescreen aspect ratio will be significantly letterboxed. The Treo Pro supports most common audio and video file formats, and the built-in Windows Media Player can scan your device to add all your files to its library. The integrated 2.0-megapixel camera has some nice features including video and panoramic mode, but image quality is poor.

It's good to see a built-in GPS receiver, but a mere 14-day trial of the Webraska software is included. An 802.11b/g radio provides WiFi connectivity.

We found a few bugs in the software and some design flaws that are hard to ignore. When using certain applications, for example, the Mute switch made the phone vibrate continuously. The default Today menu includes a Google search option that appears to be highlighted, but this is merely its standard colour - no menu item is highlighted by default. In addition, Windows Mobile isn't as fast as the PalmOS found on the Centro.

Although the Treo Pro has more features than the Centro, it isn't as responsive and will cost you much more. It certainly doesn't match up to the award-winning Nokia E71, but once the bugs are ironed out it will be an attractive alternative.

Author: Barry de la Rosa