Palm re-announces Treo Pro, sets launch
updated 09:50 am EDT, Wed August 20, 2008
Palm Treo Pro Official
Palm today corrected its premature launch yesterday with a more formal introduction of the Treo Pro, including its launch information. The Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone is the first major redesign of GSM-based Treos and sports a normal headphone jack, a Wi-Fi toggle button, and a hardware ringer switch like the iPhone. It also becomes the first Treo to support tri-band HSDPA for 3G access on AT&T and similar carriers and uses true GPS for navigation.
The Treo Pro's launch starts in September, when the phone will ship through both O2 and Vodafone in Europe as well as Telstra in Australia; pricing will vary by the carrier but offers the phone for free with high-end plans and peaks at €399 for basic plans. An American launch is due in the fall and will start out with an unlocked, carrier-independent version at $549 that can be used for 3G on AT&T as well as calls and 2G data for both AT&T and T-Mobile.
Plans for a locked but discounted AT&T version haven't been announced.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 1999
Ringer Switch
It's worth noting that the Treos have always had hardware ringer switches. After using various handspring/palm phones over the last few years, it's one of my requirements for a phone (very glad my iPhone has one). Palm may have gone completely off the rails with a stagnant Palm OS and smart phones based on crappy Windows Mobile, but they have gotten some things right for a long time and the ringer switch is one of them.