| Palm unlocks a Treo |
Aug. 20, 2008
 Palm has announced a new Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone that will be available only in unlocked, unsubsidized form in the U.S. The Treo Pro includes quad-band GSM connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a two-megapixel camera, according to the company.
(Click here for a larger view of Palm's Treo Pro)
Unusually, while the Treo Pro will be offered by carriers 02 and Vodafone in Europe, and Telstra in Australia, it will be initially available in the U.S. only in unlocked, unsubsidized form, according to Palm. The device's quad-band (850/900/1800/1900MHz) GSM capabilities make it compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile networks, and the device is capable of operating in HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access) data mode, too.
Palm's Treo 800w
(Click image for more information) |
The Treo Pro also sports revamped styling, weighing just 4.7 ounces, and sporting a case that's now just 0.53 inches thick. Under the new duds, however, the device is surprisingly similar to the Treo 800w (right) announced by Palm last month.
Among few important differences, the Treo 800w is a dual-band CDMA device, and has a slightly smaller battery (1150mAH instead of the Treo Pro's 1500mAh). Also, while we are picking the nits, the Treo 800w has a proprietary audio interface wired into its MicroUSB I/O port. In contrast, the Treo Pro sports a standard 3.5mm headset jack.
Like the Treo 800w, the Treo Pro has a 320 x 320 touchscreen display of unspecified size, a QWERTY keyboard, and a two-megapixel camera. And similarly, it has a Qualcomm chipset (in this case, the 400MHz MSM7201) that provides an ARM-compatible applications processor, WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS capabilities.
The Treo Pro comes with 128MB of RAM and 256MB of storage. Memory may be expanded by up to 32GB using a microSDHC-compatible slot, according to the company.
The Treo Pro has more hardware buttons than most phones
(Click to enlarge)
The phone has a hardware button that turns on its WiFi circuitry and triggers the search for an 802.11b/g access point. As shown above, other buttons include volume controls, a customizable button on the side of the phone, a five-way navigation controller, and dedicated shortcuts to the Windows Mobile calendar and email inbox.
While Palm was historically one of the first vendors to attempt any sort of Windows Mobile customization, the Treo Pro sports the standard Windows Mobile 6.1 user interface. However, Palm has added a plug-in to the standard Today screen that is said to allow searching the web without launching another application. The Treo Pro also has a light that flashes to announce when new voicemail has been received, according to the company.
Features and specifications listed by Palm for the Treo Pro include:- Processor -- Qualcomm MSM7201 chipset clocked at 400MHz; includes ARM-compatible application processor, GPS, and cellular radios
- Memory -- 128MB RAM, 256 flash
- Display -- 320 x 320 touchscreen display (size not specified)
- Camera -- 2 megapixel
- Wireless:
- WAN -- tri-band UMTS (850MHz, 1900MHz, and 2100MHz), and quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz)
- WLAN -- 802.11b/g
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- Other I/O:
- MicroUSB port
- 3.5mm stereo headset jack
- Expansion -- microSD slot
- Battery type/life:
- 1500 mAh lithium-ion
- 5 hours talk time
- 250 hours standby
- Dimensions -- 4.49 x 2.36 x 0.53 inches
- Weight -- 4.7 ounces
The Treo Pro will be available in September from O2, Vodafone, and Telstra, according to Palm. In the U.S., it will be sold "in the fall" directly from the Palm online store for $549, the company adds.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
news feed
