Despite being announced at around the same time as the iPhone 3G release, the Palm Treo Pro has been getting quite a bit of attention. Palm has released an update to the new Windows Mobile device, which is supposed to help with issues when connecting USB devices or with charging your battery.

In the meantime, the reviews have been coming in. Overall, the Treo Pro gains praise for its slim form factor, good looks and full features. Ah, if only it ran the new Palm OS Nova…

On to the reviews :
“I can already tell you that it’s going to be nearly impossible for me not to switch to the Treo Pro as it offers such a huge leap in performance and mobile experience…The Treo Pro smartphone highlights the single most important milestone yet in Palm’s ongoing corporate transformation and opens a completely new door to a much brighter future.” – Andrew from Treonauts

“If you’re looking for a Windows Mobile phone, I’d strongly consider the Treo Pro, as it has a good balance of design, features and performance for the user.” – Gizmodo

“Enterprise users would do well to take a good look at this shrewdly updated, professional Treo … easily my favorite Palm handset release in the past two years.” – PC Magazine

“The Treo Pro is easily Palm’s best Treo yet. It finally hits all of the feature checkmarks that users have been clamoring for and does it in a way that’s well integrated with the hardware.” – TreoCentral

“(Palm’s) most feature-complete smartphone yet, with 3G support, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a GPS receiver.” – Brighthand

Today Palm formally announced the Treo Pro. We had some leaks recently, and some false starts earlier today. Well, what is arguably the best-looking Treo smartphone so far is now out. What do you think?

The Treo Pro is a top-of-the-line Windows Mobile smartphone with impressive specifications :

Operating System : Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition
Processor : Qualcomm® MSM7201 400MHz
Display : 320×320 transflective color TFT flush touchscreen
Cellular Radio : HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM radio
– Tri-band UMTS – 850MHz, 1900MHz, 2100MHz
-Quad-band GSM – 850MHz, 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x authentication
Built-in GPS
Bluetooth version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate
Memory : 256MB (100MB user available), 128MB RAM
Camera : 2.0 megapixels with up to 8x digital zoom and video capture
Battery : Removable, rechargeable 1500mAh lithium-ion; Up to 5.0 hours talk time and up to 250 hours standby
Expansion : microSDHC cards (up to 32GB supported)
Connector : MicroUSB 2.0 for synchronization and charging
Audio : 3.5mm stereo headset jack
Dimensions Length: 4.49″, Width: 2.36″, Depth: 0.53″, Weight: 4.69 oz

Here’s an introduction video on the Treo Pro from Palm :

Looking at the Treo Pro, it’s obvious that Palm still “has it” when it comes to creating a good Windows Mobile smartphone. The Treo 750 was a great first step, with Palm providing some much-welcomed user interface enhancement for Windows Mobile. Treo Pro takes it a step further, and looks as good as an HTC Diamond.

I wonder if Palm ever considered going to Windows Mobile all the way? Old-timers and Palm purists might disagree, but focusing on one platform that Palm can do really well would benefit both the company and customers. However, then Palm would be tied to some additional costs — since Windows Mobile doesn’t come cheap.

The Treo Pro will likely sell well in the corporate markets, provided it’s priced right, of course.

The latest smartphone from Palm, the Treo 800w has a lot going for it, except of course for the unfortunate timing of its launch. Released around the same time as the Apple iPhone 3G, it did not get half the attention that most Treo smartphones normally get. There are a few reviews out for the Treo 800w — we highlight three of those reviews here.

The Treo 800w runs on Sprint’s CDMA/EVDO network. It is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1. It’s the first Windows Mobile Treo with an integrated WiFi alongside the usual Bluetooth and cellular wireless.

Engadget Mobile says that “overall the look is clunky, dated and underwhelming”. I have to agree. Compared to previous Treo smartphones, the 800w does look better, however we have to look at the competition out there : Sony Ericsson Experia X1, Nokia E71, Blackberry Bold, and of course the iPhone. Engadget’s summary : While the Treo 800w “does all of its jobs reasonably well”, this is a “fiercely middle-of-the road device — it’s not attractive, its software isn’t unique, and the phone does little to separate itself from the ever-growing pack.”

Our friends at Treocentral chime in with a video unboxing and first look.

They are fairly positive about the Treo 800w : “The Treo 800w is the best Treo ever,” and “the most productive Windows Mobile Pro device I’ve ever used”. Conclusion : it’s a great phone, albeit a year late in replacing the Treo 700wx.

Finally, Andrew of Treonauts also has very positive impressions of the Treo 800w, giving it high marks for the hardware. “I have been extremely impressed (somewhat surprisingly) with the capabilities of the Treo 800w”.

Personally, I have never been a fan of Windows Mobile devices. Now that I have an iPhone, I hardly even look at them. It’s great that Palm is continuing with a line of solid Windows Mobile smartphones until the new Nova devices come out next year — but will it be enough to sustain the company?

Andrew of Treonauts has gotten hold of a photo of a real Treo 800w. Honestly, it doesn’t look that impressive. The Treo 800w looks like a hybrid between the Centro and the Treo 500w. While it’s good that Palm is experimenting with different form factors, they haven’t really come up with a “wow” phone in a while. In the face of competition from the latest devices like the HTC Diamond, the Blackberry Bold and of course the upcoming 3G iPhone, it’s hard to see how the Treo 800w will stand out.

The Treo 800w is rumoured to have the following specifications :
- EVDO Revision A
- built-in 802.11g WiFi
- autonomous GPS
- 2 megapixel camera,
- Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR
- Windows Mobile 6.1
Come July, we’ll see how the Treo 800w performs.

The mobile OS wars will be mighty interesting this year. We have Google’s Android on the horizon, joining smartphone heavyweights Symbian, Windows Mobile, various flavours of Linux and of course Nova from Palm. With the Apple iPhone coming in at number 3 in worldwide smartphone shipments last quarter, we are in for a very competitive 2008.

The latest salvo comes in from Microsoft, who has successfully convinced Sony Ericsson to launch a new smartphone series based on Windows Mobile. The Sony Ericsson X1 is the first in the new XPERIA line. The X1 is an impressive arc slider phone that’s quite full featured :
- 3inch wide VGA (800 x 480) touchscreen display
- 3.2 megapixel camera (with photo light)
- A2DP Bluetooth
- aGPS
- WiFi
- microSD
- 400MB on board memory
- quad-band GSM/EDGE plus 900/1700/1900/2100MHz UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA

The long-awaited Windows Mobile 6 update for Treo 750 smartphones is finally here. After making its way around the world, the update is now available for US-based Treo 750 owners. With Windows Mobile 6, the Treo 750 will have “increased functionality, enhanced user interface and strengthened security and performance”. This update also includes HSDPA, which allows for faster download speeds.

You can download the update for free from the Palm support website.

Palm is also now selling the Treo 750 in unlocked form with Windows Mobile 6 preinstalled.

Are you considering the new Treo 500v smartphone from Palm? Tim Carroll of PalmInfocenter has a fairly long and comprehensive review of the new Windows Mobile device. The Treo 500v is designed as an entry-level smartphone running Windows Mobile. Like its Palm OS counterpart the Centro, it has its hits and misses.

The Treo 500v weighs about the same as the Centro, but is wider and thinner. This smartphone represents a few firsts on a Treo :
- first “widescreen” (320×240)
- first with Bluetooth 2.0
- first with 2.0 megapixel camera
- first with “Orgasm Tones” (what??!)

Tim’s final verdict is not too positive. Basically there’s nothing really unique about this Treo that makes it stand out against many other Windows Mobile smartphones. This conclusion is quite worrying. We are facing the whole of next year without a smartphone running the new Palm Linux OS. Palm will depend on Windows Mobile to drive its 2008 smartphones — if it can’t differentiate, then it won’t be able to compete in a crowded market.

While we wait for the new Treo 500v to be available outside of the UK, Palm is still launching the Treo 750 around the world. The latest two launches are in Canada (with Rogers Wireless) and in India (with Airtel).

The Treo 750 is a 3G (UMTS/HSDPA) smartphone that now runs Windows Mobile 6.

Palm Treo 750 Smartphone