Palm Treo Pro on Sprint, Verizon?
As of now its only a rumor but it looks like the Palm Treo Pro will be headed to Sprint on or around January 11th of 2009. Its basically the best Palm phone ever created although we’re not sure QUITE how much that says for it… Palm fans would say that means an awful lot.
And if Sprint gets the Palm Treo Pro, we can only speculate that a CDMA Verizon version would follow closely behind. The more carriers this gets on the better… for Palm, Palm fans and the carriers that acquire it.
[Via BGR]
New Palm OS: ALP 3.0
This is big, big news folks. While the mobile industry seemingly zooms right past PALM, their faithful followers have been wondering when their increasingly clunky mobile OS would finally receive an update. And now it will with the advent of Access Linux Platform 3.0, or ALP 3.0 for short.
Access purchased PalmSource and this operating system is the successor to Garnet OS (formerly Palm OS). Yes, yes… its all kind of confusing. But his new platform not only supports native Linux but also Legacy Garnet OS and Java Apps. Not to mention, ALP 3.0 is compliant with LiMo Foundation’s standards.
See those nice, beautiful screen shots above? Courtesy of a new advanced UI that is said to feature highly detailed visuals, smooth transitions and animations. In explaining the direction the company took:
“The openness and flexibility of Linux are driving innovation in mobile phones and Internet-enabled devices,” said Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of ACCESS. “With the introduction of ACCESS Linux Platform mini and the enhanced capabilities of our LiMo-compliant ACCESS Linux Platform v3.0, we can offer our customers a complete range of solutions extending from feature phones through low-end smartphones, to high-end smartphones and Internet devices that will further enable the next generation of mobile Internet use.”
You heard them mention ACCESS Linux Platform (ALP) Mini? That’s the kiddie version of ALP that will be available on feature phones and mainstream consumer phones that aren’t considered “smart” devices. ALP mini is available now while the full ALP 3.0 OS is yet to be released.
We’ll be following this one pretty closely.
[Via PalmInfoCenter, MobileCrunch]
Treo Pro: AT&T in December?
Palm has announced that their Treo Pro WILL be available on a US Carrier sometime in the near future and all signs are pointing to AT&T in December or soon after. The phone is currently being sold unlocked, but the benefits of carrier subsidy will bode well for consumers AND Palm sales figures.
The US Carrier announcement was made in Palm’s Quarterly Conference Call and they excused themselves in advance for a poor November, citing an “extended carrier verification processes”. That would lead us to believe in a December launch and since T-Mobile and Palm aren’t exactly cozy, AT&T seems like the natural fit.
Keep your eyes and ears open and we’ll keep you posted!
[Via WMExperts]
Pre-Orders for Palm Treo Pro Begin!
The unlocked 3G beauty - Palm’s Treo Pro - is now taking pre-orders on the companies US based website. It’ll set you back $549 which is the hardship that unsubsidized, unlocked phones must face. Nonetheless, it looks sweet enough for a decent amount of folks to swallow up:
It appears to be shipping in 2-3 weeks and the only current color option is Obsidian Black. We’ve got a forum set up for all the folks who want to get, or do get, a Treo Pro so make sure to visit: http://mobileroar.com/forum/palm-treo-pro/
[Via Palm]
Palm Treo Pro Pics & Vids!
The Palm Treo Pro came roaring into the picture only a few days ago with rumors galore. Now hands on videos and official press shots are starting to flow and its a matter of days/hours before Palm makes an official announcement. Here are two great press pics:
The hands on video…
And the full gallery for your perousal:
[Via Treo8]
Palm Treo Pro… (formerly the 850w)
Much to the delight of Palm fans, we all know that there is a Palm Treo 850 coming out sooner rather than later. Call them rumors or whatever you’d like… but enough has been leaked that we were pretty darn sure. Now, we’re pretty darn positive.
We’re not sure when the last time we’ve been excited for Palm news is but rumor on the street is that the Palm Treo 850 will be called the Treo Pro and when coupled with some sexy, high resolution photos, we think Palm is looking up for once:
The Palm Treo Pro is a GSM phone running Windows Mobile and its got both WiFi and GPS on board. Somebody snooping around found a promotional flash site on Palm’s website for the phone which has since been taken down. But, here are a few screen caps to hold you over (click thumbnail to enlarge:
A 3.5mm headphone jack - nice! This thing looks like it could give the BlackBerry Bold a run for the money and if Palm appears to think the same… according to recent news reports they have put in an order for MILLIONS of new unnamed smartphones to be manufactured in upcoming months… estimates have been from 2 to 5 million. WOW.
We’ve got every reason to believe these rumors are true, especially after a TON more pictures of surfaced. We’ll end with another pic thats pretty hot:
[Sources: Engadget, WMExperts, SlashPhone, TreoCentral]
Treo 800w Reviewed, Impressively Average
Well the results are in and the Treo 800w - Palms newest and most featured-filled device yet- appears to be resoundingly average all around.
So far, several sites have given their review of the device including Mobility Today, Engadget and Palm InfoCenter. In general, all agree that it is nice to see a new Treo with a competitive feature set and improved specs, but the reviews all find a fair number of issues with the device to drag it down a little.
The good news:
+ Great keyboard
+ Improved screen (320×320, instead of 240×240)
+ Easy to use WiFi on/off button
+ Palm’s great software enhancements (threaded messaging, today screen dialer etc.) add a lot of value
+ Nice grippy rubberized finish
+ Speedy 3G over a great network (Spring EVDO Rev-A)
+ Camera better than megapixel count would suggest
The bad news:
- Processor not much better than Treos of past, leading to UI hickups
- Flimsy and cheap stylus (in contrast to the Treo 750’s, which is metal and great to use)
- Screen still not great given competition
- Bad controls and horrible softkey buttons
- Tired design, still thick
- GPS takes a long time to lock on
- Touch screen still buried deep into the device, making finger touching downright annoying
Overall, the 800w received restrained recommendations from all three reviewers. “Despite its periodic performance bottlenecks and lack of attention to multimedia, the Treo 800w easily bests most other Windows Mobile powered devices in overall usability” Palm InfoCenter concluded.
Engadget took a harsher tone saying “At the end of the day, Palm has made 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.”
Mobility Today thought the device needed more work, giving it a “three out of five stars.”
If you would like to read the reviews, catch them below:
Mobility Today Video Review
Engadget Mobile Review
Palm InfoCenter Review
If you’re a diehard Treo fan or have found enough to love in this device, its available from Sprint for $249.99 on a 2-year contract.
Verizon’s Palm Centro in Circuit City
It’s just the store model dummy with none of the guts inside, but it certainly is a promising sign for folks wanting the Palm Centro pronto.
It doesn’t look bad… but in comparison to the 234522 other smartish phones coming out? Well, we’ll let you decide:
[Via EngadgetMobile]