The Treo Pro will also be available in the United States in the fall through the Palm online store as well as select Internet, retail and enterprise resellers for a suggested retail price of $549. The U.S. version is unlocked and unsubsidized, giving end users the flexibility to simply insert their existing active SIM card and immediately start using their Treo Pro without a new contract. [Note: It is also expected that AT&T will carry the new Treo Pro but nothing official yet.]Following the Treo Pro Images & Specifications that we saw on Monday, for a brief moment yesterday Palm issued an official press release announcing its absolutely gorgeous new Treo Pro smartphone along with the first official picture below of the device as well as a short demonstration video. Within minutes though all of this information was promptly removed (again)…
The press release included a short product description posted along the image and video at the TheNewsMarket.com but said little more than: "Palm has unveiled a new mobile device, the Treo Pro smartphone. The new phone features a one-touch Wi-Fi button, GPS, Windows Mobile 6.1 and a high-resolution flush color touch screen. Available video includes the Treo Pro smartphone and Palm headquarters."
Treo Pro ad
Having said this, the video of the Treo Pro in action did contain a few interesting images (screenshots below) showing this smartphone making a call and demonstrating its slickness and slimness in your hand.
Treo Pro - Screen Treo Pro - Ultraslim
Additionally, it’s clear that Palm will push the mapping and GPS navigation capabilities of the Treo Pro (rumoured to include an internal GPS receiver) with Google Maps and the bundled Telenav software.
Treo Pro - Google Maps Treo Pro - Telenav
We also get a chance to see the Treo Pro using its 2.0 megapixel camera to take a picture outdoors and finally we also get to see the latest call screen on this Windows Mobile smartphone which now includes dedicated on-screen buttons for Speaker On, Mute, Hold as well as direct access to Note, Contacts and Unlock.
Treo Pro - Camera Treo Pro - Call Screen
As I mentioned earlier, now that Palm has made the Treo Pro 100% official it’s interesting to see The New York Times today confirm that: “On Wednesday, and Ed Colligan, Palm’s chief executive, will announce the debut of a new smartphone primarily for business customers — the Treo Pro.” This smartphone will also set a new trend for Palm as the company is “scrapping the use of numbers in product names”.
UPDATE2: Here is the official very cool Treo Pro video from Palm
Additionally, thanks to the article we find out that “the Treo Pro’s packaging was modernized. It looks surprisingly (or maybe not so) like the jewel-box-size package Apple used for the iPhone”. You can see this cool new packaging pictured below as well as at minute 1:58 in the above video.
Treo Pro - New Packaging
I also liked the quote by Richard Wong, a venture capitalist at Accel Partners in Palo Alto, who said, “Just when you count them out, they do something interesting.” This was certainly true with the Centro and it looks like the same will happen with the Treo Pro!
Palm Market Share 2008
The NYTimes article also includes a rather interesting chart (above) mapping the current US market share of top smartphone manufacturers by “Smartphones In Use” where you can clearly appreciate the decline that Palm has suffered over the past two years – particularly following the introduction of Apple’s iPhone.
Finally, given the fact that the design and looks of the Treo Pro are already causing quite a stir across the web I’m naturally curious to hear how you feel about it. Please take a moment to cast your vote below and let your fellow Treonauts know if this latest Palm smartphone is hot or not.
New Palm Treo Pro
Is the Treo Pro hot or not? Treo-Pro
Super Hot
Very Hot
Hot
Not
Current Results
UPDATE3: Separately, for those who are only now finding out about this latest Treo Pro smartphone from Palm here is the lowdown…
Treo Pro Specs
Quick Facts:
* Touchscreen and full keyboard
* Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
* Outlook email with Microsoft Direct Push Technology
and HTML support
* High-speed data with UMTS/HSDPA
* High-capacity, removable battery
* Instant-on Wi-Fi button
* GPS for navigation, turn-by-turn directions, and local search
* Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile for Contacts, Calendar,
and Tasks
* Edit native Microsoft Word and Excel documents4
* Open and view PowerPoint, PDF, and ZIP files
* Use Internet Explorer Mobile to search the web fast
* Functions as a high-speed modem for your laptop
* Personal email including Hotmail, Yahoo!, and Gmail
* Chat-style view for SMS and MMS
* Windows Media Player Mobile for audio and video
* 2.0 megapixel camera with video capture
Specifications:
* Platform: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
* Processor: Qualcomm MSM7201 400MHz
* Display: 320x320 transflective color TFT touchscreen
* Radio: HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM radio
Tri-band UMTS — 850MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz
Quad-band GSM — 850/900/1800/1900
* Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x authentication
* GPS: Built-in GPS (standalone and assisted)
* Bluetooth wireless technology: Version 2.0 + Enhanced data rate (with Stereo Bluetooth capabilities)
* Memory: 256MB storage (100MB user available), 128MB RAM
* Camera: 2.0 megapixels, up to 8x digital zoom and video capture
* Battery: Removable, rechargeable 1500mAh lithium-ion battery (up to 5.0 hours talk time and up to 250 hours standby)
* Expansion: microSD cards (up to 32GB supported)
* Connector: MicroUSB 2.0 for synchronization and charging
* Audio: 3.5mm stereo headset jack
* Dimensions: 2.36” (W) x 4.49” (L) x 0.53” (D); weighs 4.69 oz
60mm (W) x 113mm (L) x 14mm (D); weighs 132 grams
To put some of the above specifications in perspective, compared to the iPhone the Treo Pro is almost exactly the same thickness (only 1.7mm difference) and weight. The major benefit though is that the Treo Pro benefits from a removable high-capacity battery (5 hours talk time is great!) and also easy memory expansion via microSD cards. The new digital camera with 8x digital zoom and video capture is also a nice plus.
Most people already agree that based on looks and specifications the Treo Pro is proving to be a real beauty!
