Hands On: Treo 755 Hands On with Sprint EVDO, Palm OS, and Google Maps
Here's the deal on the Palm Treo 755: It's a 750 generation variant, running on Palm OS and Sprint instead of Windows Mobile and AT&T/Cingular/Whatever. That means its got that Sprint EVDO we know and love …
Context & Ripple Effects
Palm is running a deliberate two-track strategy on one hardware generation: the Treo 750 line ships with Windows Mobile for AT&T/Cingular, while Sprint's variant flips back to Palm OS. That's a reversal for Sprint specifically — its previous Treo, the Treo 700wx reviewed last September, was a Windows Mobile device — so the 755 restores Palm OS to Sprint's EVDO network.
The launch got broad same-day attention: Gizmodo's hands-on ran alongside Engadget Mobile's own Treo 755p hands-on on May 9, 2007, making this a closely watched carrier-variant story rather than a routine refresh.
First-order effects
- Sprint gains an exclusive Palm OS Treo on its EVDO network, differentiating its lineup from AT&T/Cingular's Windows Mobile Treo 750 at the software level rather than the hardware level.
- The 755 ships with Google Maps integrated alongside its EVDO connectivity, handing Google a preloaded mapping client on a flagship Sprint handset and giving Sprint a bundled application to anchor its data-plan pitch.
Second-order effects
- With the same Treo hardware now split across Palm OS and Windows Mobile by carrier, purchase decisions shift toward network speed and bundled software — pressuring carriers to compete on EVDO data pricing and app bundles instead of device specs.
- Preloaded, bandwidth-hungry services like Google Maps raise usage on Sprint's flat-rate EVDO plans, strengthening the argument carriers make for unlimited-data tiers across their smartphone lines.
Third-order effects
- Palm sustaining two operating systems on one Treo generation spreads its engineering across divergent platforms, pointing toward eventual consolidation of its software strategy — though which direction that takes remains open.
- If preloaded connected apps become a standard part of carrier smartphone launches, software partners such as Google gain standing in carrier negotiations, with handsets functioning as distribution channels for web services.
The trend: Smartphone competition in 2007 is shifting from hardware generations to carrier-specific OS variants and preloaded connected services, with Palm's dual-platform Treo line and Sprint's EVDO bundle as a clear data point.