Not even three years ago, the Treo 650 smart phone looked revolutionary. But its latest successor,
the Treo 755p Palm was made public two weeks ago, feels like a relic.
     The Treo's basic concept-uniting a cell-phone, handheld organizer, miniaturized(小型的) keyboard,
touch-sensitive screen, Web and e-mail access and media playback(播放器) in one device-make sense.
But while competitors have advanced, Palm has been napping on the train tracks.
     The new Treo 755p gets online no faster than last year's model. Its basic design features few changes
from the 2004 version; its dimensions(容量) almost match those of the 2003 edition. And its operating
system and software for desktop synchronization(同步器) received their last major updates in 2002.
     Over that same period of time, almost every other handheld device-Windows Mobile smart phones,
BlackBerrys, iPods and even plain old cell-phones-has seen major upgrades in capability and notable
shrinkage(缩水) in size.
     The Treo 755p (available from Sprint for $280 after a $100 mail-in rebate and with a two-year
contact) only cements Palm's status as the sick man of the smart phone business. After wasting most of
this decade on pointless reorganizations and a disastrous spin-off of its software-development group,
this company appears to have reached a state of creative bankruptcy.
     As a basic organizer, the 755p remains pleasant to use. It's like a second brain that remembers
details that might otherwise slip your mind. It can pluck(采集) useful bits of data off the Internet as
needed. It can also run thousands of useful programs, many free, that enhance(提高) its utility and
entertainment value.
     But you could say the same, basically, of its immensely popular predecessors(被取代的原先
的东西). This new model's main selling point-cellular(分格式的) internet connection that runs as fast
as most entry-level home broadband connections and can connect with a Bluetooth-equipped
computer-already debuted(首次露面的) on last year's Treo 700p.