The "x" in 700wx

As they've done in the past, Palm has released an updated version of one of their handhelds with an "x" appended to the name. The 'x' here denotes that the 700wx has radically more program memory than the 700w. Before we get to that, though, let's list out the full specifications:

• 128MB (60MB user accessible) non-volatile
• Intel® XScale™ 312MHz processor
• 240 x 240 color TFT touchscreen display
• 16-bit color displays over 65,000 colors
• CDMA2000 EvDO network—compatible with 1xRTT network
  800/1900MHz nationwide digital phone
• Bluetooth 1.2 wireless support
• Camera: 1.3 megapixels with 1280x1024 resolution
• 2.5mm headset jack is stereo headset compatible
• up to 5 hours talk time and more than 300 hours standby time from the removable battery
• Multi-connector on device
• Dimensions: 2.3" W x 4.4" H (excluding antenna) x 0.9" D
• Weight: 6.4 ounces

If you go to Palm's product page you'll note that these are the fully-accurate specs on both the Treo 700w and the Treo 700wx. What Palm doesn't list is that the 700w has 32 megs of RAM dedicated to running programs, whereas the 700wx has 64. Since WM5 uses up somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 megs of that RAM right off the bat, we're looking at a nearly 3-fold increase in program memory available to all your applications.

The difference in using the 700wx for heavy-duty tasks is simply enormous. In my first look at the 700wx I played a brief video wherein I opened nearly every pre-installed app and it still had more program memory free than the 700w has immediately after a reset.

To be fair, you can actually open every app that comes pre-installed on the 700w and still have a snappy phone. The difference comes when these applications really start to work - when you're browsing the web, editing a large document in Pocket Word, downloading emails in the background, left Pocket Informant open, have a bunch of plug-ins running in your Today screen, and heck, maybe you're running Copilot Live 6 GPS too--for kicks. On the 700w you can do any two or possibly three of those things and experience a small slow-down. On the 700wx you can do them all with nary a lag.

Real world implications of more program memory

For the average user there really isn't going to be a large difference between the two devices. They both handle email - both push and regular POP or IMAP. They both have high-speed internet access, sync up very well with Outlook, and run the same applications. As long as you periodically remember to quit some applications - or at least don't run anything too intensive, you may never notice the difference.

For the power-user, however, there's simply no comparison. I wrote earlier that I had felt that the 700w got a bad rap -- and I still feel that way. I think it's a great device with great capabilities. It's just that, for me, carrying around a 700wx is the equivalent of carrying around 2 700ws.

I'm writing so much about program memory here partially because it's the most significant new thing to the 700wx, but also because it applies to something that hasn't gotten a lot of attention when it comes to the WM5 Treo: The Zen of Palm.

Having all that extra memory means that you need to spend less time worrying about whether and how the device is working and more time just plain using it. On the PalmOS, you don't worry about quitting programs because they just quit on their own and open up quickly when you want them. On the 700wx, you don't worry about quitting programs because you know that you have enough RAM to run them all anyway.

I should mention that the extra program memory isn't a magic bullet for system stability, however. The 700wx is certainly more stable than the 700w when multitasking, but both still give me the occasional confusing freeze up a couple of times a week.

Next Page:

---