With the long-rumored Treo Pro now officially official, Palm users and analysts alike are cautiously awaiting the company's next move. The New York Times has posted a new piece entitled "Palm, Once a Leader, Seeks Path in Smartphone Jungle" that focuses primarily on Jon Rubinstein's role as company savior as well as the company's plans to ensure that the Centro is not a one-hit wonder.

While most of the information contained in the article will have a familiar ring to long-time Palm watchers, there are a few revealing tidbits offered by the NYT. First, the Treo Pro is said to have a "larger keyboard" than "current models". By "current models" it is unknown if the article is referring to the fairly ample keyboards between Palm's various older Treo models (680, 700-series, and 800w) or the diminutive Centro keyboard. The Pro is also said to have Apple-esque "jewel box" packaging, a break from Palm's standard small square cardboard box no-frills Treo packaging.

Palm Treo Pro

(Credit: Palm)

While not the best-kept secret in the technology world, what with all the leaked photos and videos, we're still aflutter over Palm's official unveiling of the Palm Treo Pro Tuesday. And why wouldn't we be? The smartphone is looking pretty sharp, both ...

Palm, Inc. has taken the wraps off its next Windows Mobile smartphone, the Treo Pro. This device will have 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, and more.

Ryhor Burakou, the developer behind the popular TouchLauncher application, has released another new iPhone inspired Palm OS utility. KeyGEx is a Treo/Centro keyguard replacement that mimics the slide to unlock gesture. It also allows you to greatly customize your lockscreen with signal info, battery, date and time displays and background wallpapers. If you're not a fan of finger sliding action you can also use the standard d-pad to unlock the device as well.

KeyGEx v1.6 for Palm OS is available as freeware. It supports the Palm Centro, Treo 650, Treo 680, Treo 700p and Treo 755p.

To regular readers the title above is somewhat of an understatement, even sometimes expected given the flurry of rumors that nearly always precede a new Palm release. Nevertheless, a number of tech sites posted seemingly official announcements of the Palm Treo Pro smartphone earlier this morning, only to quickly withdraw portions of the article citing a premature release by one of Palm's PR agencies.

In any event, new official looking press pictures of the device have been posted and even a video clip (posted after the break), which appear to have been produced by Palm's marketing department. Oddly these items remain online, while the official announcement statements were requested to be taken down. Initial images confirm that the device is essentially identical to the Treo Pro engineering prototype that have recently made the rounds online.

The first images of the Treo Pro appeared late last week, and now these have been followed by a number of pictures and details taken from a prototype.

Dmitry's PalmSDHC and PalmPowerups site appear to have been only the first in a series of new C&D letters from Palm Inc targeting software developers. In the past few weeks, two other well known Palm OS Garnet programmers have been sent letters from Palm Inc's legal arm ordering them to change the names of some of their products.

3GX Software, the developer behind of PalmRevolt was given a letter demanding that they rename their product. As such, PalmRevolt is now pRevolt.

A few days ago the new Palm Treo pro photo leaked at Palm’s site and now we got more photos from Palm Treo Pro for you. thanks to a forum from China ( treo.net.cn ). This new smartphone from Palm powered by a 400MHz processor and 256MB ROM and 128MB RAM. Our new Palm Treo pro come with a 320×320 LCD display, a Megapixel camera and 1500mAH battery. GPS feature available at this Palm pro and also supports 3G and quad-band GSM networks






































































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Following up on today's earlier report and slew of leaked images, even more Treo Pro details are emerging. With the device's core specifications confirmed, a new post by the original tipster Scottymomo has confirmed some of the device's software bundled software as well as some of the particular hardware quirks and memory specifications of the device.

As of this writing, nearly every relevant detail of the long-rumored Treo Pro/850 has been revealed aside from any discussion of its stylus, screen size, pricing, carrier availability and release date. Read on for some further details.

Another round of Treo Pro spy shots has been posted on Chinese Treo enthusiast site treo.net.cn. This time around a high quality digital camera was employed to take nearly 20 pictures of the Treo Pro from nearly all angles. They even throw in a number of comparison shots of the Pro next to the Centro and a Treo 650. In addition, the detailed shots also help to confirm a number of specs and details.

Read on for some of the full shots and spec recap or checkout the full thread at WMExperts.

A slip-up by Palm, Inc. may have given the world an advance look at this company's next smartphone, the Treo Pro.

A number of images of a new Palm Treo Pro have been dug up and posted online. Forum member scottymomo at WMExperts poked around Palm's Learning site and found a unposed flash tutorial of the unannounced new Treo.

The Treo Pro appears to be the official name of the previously leaked Treo 850. The earlier blurrycam pics match up with this new set and also fits the description of the code-named Palm Drucker, which was leaked back in January. The last set of rumors on this device pegged it as a Windows Mobile 6.1 powered Quad-band 3G GSM phone with Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, a 400 MHz processor and an approximate thickness of around ~.55 inches (14mm), a noticeable reduction from Treo's past.

Is this the Palm Treo Pro?

(Credit: Slashgear)

Heeeeyyyy, remember those sexy pictures we saw of a rumored Palm Treo 850 a while back? Well, it looks like they're resurfacing again, but this time in an internal Palm presentation that, oopsies, briefly appeared on the company's Web site. ...

Well known independent Palm OS developer Dmitry Grinberg, has received what purports to be a 'cease and desist' letter from Fenwick & West, LLP, a Bay Area law firm that represents Palm Inc.

The letter demands that Grinberg: (1) rename his website (formerly PalmPowerups.com) and (2) rename PalmSDHC in order to avoid "consumer confusion." The letter claims that because the product and website contains the word "Palm" it is "likely to give customers and potential customers the erroneous impression that your company has a relationship with Palm, or that the information and products provided on your site have been authorized for release or approved by Palm."

MobileBurn does a hands on review the Palm Treo 800w and writes, “Sprint and Palm are pushing the Treo 800w as a business device, and as such they each have created dedicated support teams to deal with Treo 800w users. ...

Palm, Inc. is reportedly placed orders with Taiwan's Compal Communications for as many as 5 million Windows Mobile smartphones. These devices will be manufactured and delivered in 2009.

Rumor: A new report in the Chinese Newspaper Commercial Times, carried by Digitimes, claims that Palm Inc. has put in a significant order for "several models of smartphones" with the Asian mobile phone ODM company Compal Communications. The report goes on to state the ODM orders could likely top five million units in 2009.

Compal has also received ODM orders for several models of smartphones from Palm with the order volumes likely to top five million units, said the paper, noting that Palm's orders will be the growth driver for Compal in 2009.

iambic has released a new version of its YourCall software for Palm OS. YourCall works as a powerful call management system and communication enhancer. It provides a number of tools to help you capture your post-call dialogue and offers useful follow-up actions you can take after calls. According to iambic this update provides compatibility to the GSM based Palm Centro models, and carries along ongoing stability and functionality refinements.

YourCall v2.21 is available now with a free trial period. It starts at $14.95 for the Standard edition, which is focused on post call activities. The Professional edition, that takes the entire call experience (before, during and after) to a higher level, is $19.95.

For anyone who may have missed last week's Best Buy sales circular chock full of Palm goodness, this week's flyer brings about a handful of new offers. While there are no Palm handheld deals this time around, the Best Buy flyer from August 11th-17th contains a fresh round of Palm Centro sales along with a few accessory offers. As always, these deals may vary in availability or price from region to region.

Palm's popular new entry-level Centro is available in both GSM EDGE (aka Treo 685 on AT&T & unlocked) and CDMA EVDO (aka Treo 690 on Sprint and Verizon) flavors. Due to the omission of the full version of Pocket Tunes Deluxe and the lesser EDGE 2.5G radio within, AT&T's GSM version of the Centro is setting a trend for lower pricing than its CDMA brethren on Sprint and Verizon.

ZDNet reviews the Palm Treo 800w and writes, “I am quite pleased to see Palm finally release a device that has integrated WiFi and GPS and think it will probably do well since there are lots of enterprise customers who like to use ...

The PalmInfocenter Software store is kicking off its largest sale event to date. Starting today and running all this week, we are offering the 25 Top-selling Palm OS applications on sale for $9.95 each.

This Mobile Heist includes some of the best selling and must have titles for Treo and Centro smartphones, each available for $9.95! That's an average discount of 42% with some as high as 67% off.

A few of the titles include: CallRec, Softick Audio Gateway, Astraware Casino, Ultimate Phone, Mundu IM and many more...

Palm's new Treo 800w is the company's most feature-packed Treo ever. So despite running Windows Mobile 6.1, the 800w certainly stands to garner a fair share of former Palm OS users looking to upgrade to a more modern, full-featured device. But one of the major criticisms most users have with jumping ship to Windows Mobile from the Palm OS (or indeed, during any kind of OS switchover) is having to re-learn formerly instinctive, intuitive commands, shortcuts, and menus.

Via their ChannelSource reseller portal, Palm is attempting to mitigate some of the potential confusion brought about by the 800w's version of WM 6.1 (since to many users, "Palm" is still analogous to Palm OS) by posting a handy getting started guide online. This quick guide, although intended for resellers of Palm devices, makes for a nice overview of the moist basic functions of wi-fi networking, GPS navigation, Today screen contact navigation, and application launching.

Recent pricing activity suggests that the most recent Palm OS-based Treo may be heading out to pasture on yet another domestic CDMA carrier. This time, the Alltel network appears to be following in the footsteps of Verizon Wireless in clearing their remaining stocks of the Treo 755p.

While several unsubstantiated online reports predated the official confirmation by a Verizon Wireless spokesperson that they were phasing out the 755p, no reports have yet circulated regarding Alltel's future plans. Despite the lack of any official announcement, it stands to reason that Palm's newest Garnet-based device, the Centro, might be headed to Alltel's CDMA network in the near future.

The Investor's Business Daily newspaper has published one of the first interviews with Jeff Hawkins since the Foleo cancellation last year. In the article the IBD asks Hawkins about his views on the current netbook market and they also go into his experience with the Foleo and some of the reasons behind its non-introduction.

It was clear Foleo had technical issues. It was a first-generation product. We'd have to launch it and then do another gen within a year. And that's a big commitment of people and dollars.

It was a strategic decision to pursue a different approach. I don't think they made a mistake. We haven't seen the outcome of that decision yet. It really was not acrimonious at all. It was just business.

Astraware has continued its pace of releasing high-quality mobile gaming titles with the introduction of Insaniquarium Deluxe.

CNET Australia reviews the Palm Centro and writes, “Depending on your view of design aesthetics, the Palm Centro is either unerringly cute or bares too much of a resemblance to a bar of soap. We fall into the former category, ...

Is Quick News all it can be? Read the rest of our brutally honest PDA review.

1src columnist Alan Grassia has posted a new piece entitled "Up In the Air" concerning the possible future plans of Palm not involving their Nova OS or their future hardware offerings. Grassia's piece makes for quite interesting reading in light of the recent MyPalm closure.

Grassia's piece begins with the suggestion that Palm may attempt to capture an Apple-sized bit of the online software market with a new Software Connection storefront, whether or not the new PocketGear management is onboard with Palm or not. With the arrival of nearly ubiquitous wireless 2.5G & 3G connectivity, as well as a more robust future version of the Palm OS, Palm may feel that the time is ripe to transition from a Hotsync-based software installations to OTA downloads and installers.

OQO has been a venerable name behind some of the best looking ultra-portable computers, however, if reports from Engadget Mobile are true, then the company has a lot of designing to do as they enter the smartphone foray. From the looks of the new phone, the styling takes a lot of cues from the Palm Centro and the latest Windows Mobile Treo 800w. The model is supposedly dubbed the OQO G900, a model descriptor that is borrowed from the Toshiba Portege G900.

With the OQO brand, I had expected a simpler model number as their handheld computing devices had simple Model 01 and Model 02 descriptors as well as refined design. And a non-flush touchscreen? How very 1990s of OQO. I am not sure if the photo seen on Engadget Mobile is actually a photo of something from the OQO labs or if its a counterfeit headed for the Asian market.

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CNET reviews the Palm Treo 800w and writes, “You see, the Palm Treo 800w is the first Palm smartphone to finally offer integrated Wi-Fi and not only that, but GPS as well. It’s also the first Sprint smartphone to ship with Windows ...

If basking in the light of new Palm device launches months ahead of chief competitor Verizon wasn't enough, Palm OS users on the Sprint network have one more reason to remain committed to their carrier of choice. A recent post on the Palm corporate blog reveals that Sprint's new adaptive web service, Sprint Web, is certified for all Palm OS smartphones offered by Sprint. Sprint Web learns from users' search histories and tailors homepage content based on the results of past search inquiries.

Curiously, neither the blog post nor the official press release make any mention of any Windows Mobile-powered Treos utilizing the Sprint Web feature, despite the recent launch of the flagship Treo 800w on Sprint last month.

Astraware and PopCap Games have announced the release of one of PopCap's flagship titles for Palm OS and Windows Mobile smartphones. Insaniquarium Deluxe offers hours of frantic aquarium fun as you feed your fish, watch them grow and protect them from alien invaders.

Insaniquarium Deluxe is billed as the craziest aquarium game ever - tend to your fish and keep them happy and they'll reward you with precious coins and jewels. Use the money you earn to buy upgrades for your tank or egg parts which hatch lots of different in-tank pets with special powers. These pets can help you feed your fish, collect coins, or even protect against the aliens that will invade your tank and wreak havoc. You can also use the money you earn to buy better weapons to see the aliens off quicker!

Play Single Player Mode. Multiple players: one device. Mutliple players: IR Beaming (Palm OS or Pocket PC) Multiple players: Bluetooth(Palm OS)

Palm's surprisingly successful Centro smartphone has received its fair share of accolades and satisfied customers but has not earned the ultimate sign of industry respect by being deemed worthy of copying by Chinese handset manufacturers…until now. Engadget's semi-regular "Keepin' it Real Fake" series showcases clone, knockoff, and copycat electronics from the Far East. Their latest report spotlights a Chinese-manufactured and designed Windows Mobile Centro clone oddly wearing US-based OQO branding.

Almost more surprising than its actual existence is the solid feature set attached to this new Palm Centro-inspired device. If the listed specifications are correct, this smartphone sports a PXA310 CPU precisely twice as fast as Palm's Centro (634mhz vs. 312mhz), a higher-resolution 2 megapixel camera (vs. the Centro's 1.3mp), GPS, Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional powering a 320x240 touchscreen, and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities. In fact, one of the few areas where the Centro manages to eke out a win in the spec category is battery capacity, with 1150mAh li-ion battery to the G900's 1080mAh battery pack.

...

June Fabrics Technology Group has updated its PdaNet software for the Palm Treo 700p/755p and Palm Centro. PDANet allows your Windows computer to go online by connecting to your smartphone via a USB cable or Bluetooth. The app works nearly instantly with no setup necessary. PdaNet goes through the unlimited data plan on your phone and does not require any extra service.

PdaNet for Treo 700p/ 755p v4.12 is available with a free trial and costs $34.00 to register.

It is also available for the Treo 650 & 680 and Windows Mobile devices.

treoware has just put out a new version of its WineManager 2008 software for Palm OS devices. WineManager is a comprehensive wine collection manager and inventory assistant. It combines a number of tasks including the ability to assist with buying wines, tracking your current cellar content, and will even help you select the proper wine from your cellar for your meal. With more than 1800 classified appellations and 200 vintage charts, WineManager is able to provide information in virtually any situation. The program can even be setup scan and recognize your bottle's barcodes for easier management via the digital camera.

WineManager 2008 v1.1.7 is available now for Palm OS from treoware. It comes with a free demo period and costs $19.95 to register. It is currently on sale for $18.45 for a limited time.

Slow-Cooked Software has released a new version of its ScrapBook application for Palm OS devices. ScrapBook is an enhanced note-taking application for Palm OS, supporting nested folders, versatile search capabilities, and encryption. It basically provides a number of useful extensions to the feature set provided by the built-in "Memos" note-taking program and notes can also be exchanged with the built in memo pad.

ScrapBook v1.15b is available now for Palm OS 3.5 and higher. It comes with a free trial period and costs $15.00 to register.

Apple won't let StyleTap offer its Palm OS emulator through the official iPhone App Store, but the company isn't giving up.

NinerPad is a new note taking, task, project tracking and sketch pad application for Palm OS devices. It allows you to create notes on your device in your own handwriting. You can create folders and groups, apply tags, search and set reminder actions for each note. The app gives you a nearly unlimited size canvas. You can also export your notes for sharing or integration with other applications.

NinerPad v1.0R1 for Palm OS is available now from Niner Productions. The trial version is essentially a free lite version of the app without nags or an expiration. Registering the full version for $11.00 unlocks additional features such as the .gif export, search and mulitple workspaces.

There is a nice review of the Palm Treo 800w over at Mobile Tech Review that you might want to read. I have loved the Palm form factor and have been excited to see and use the new 800w. There is no question in my mind that the ...

The Motley Fool web site has posted a new article by Tim Beyers to its Investing section entitled "Palm Will Burn Your Portfolio". In short, the article pulls no punches when discussing Palm's stumbles over the past several years and simply calls Palm "The worst stock in the world". After delving further into the article to reach beyond the topic of stock performance, Beyers' piece goes onto paint a dismal picture for the handheld pioneer that essentially jump-started the entire modern PDA/smartphone sector in 1996. Also found within the article is a smattering of undated Gartner marketshare numbers to back up the article's tone.

This piece really hits hard at Palm's dismay performance during four consecutive quarterly losses by virtue of being focused on outright financial (non-)performance in contrast to more forgiving, tech-related pieces bolstering Palm's future outlook based on their past successes. None of the Palm OS core strengths such as compelling ease-of-use, 3rd party app flexibility, and the Centro's value relative to competing smartphones from RIM, Apple and Microsoft licensees are touted within the article.

...

A new entry entitled "Now You Know Palm Centro" in the previously-presumed dormant "Now You Know" series of Palm instructional books has quietly just hit the market. Amazon is already selling this book for $13.59, well below its SRP of $19.99 and ahead of the official release date of August 2nd.

The book is authored by Patrick Ames and published by technology and lifestyle publisher Peachpit Press. For a printed volume, the book appears to contain quite up-to-date information given the appearance of what is an unbranded Verizon Cobalt Blue Centro on the cover. This is the first volume focusing on the new entry-level Palm Centro. Ames is the author or co-author of all previous books in the Palm Press series.

Australian PC Authority does a first look review of the Palm Centro and writes, “Palm’s new Centro is a stripped-down smartphone with a tiny QWERTY keyboard and a tiny price tag. It’sa pre-paid phone only available from Telstra, ...

Palm, Inc. today said it has sold its two-millionth Centro smartphone, confirming the $99 product’s growing momentum with traditional mobile phone users who want to move up to a phone that offers more functionality. Hmmm, OK. Quote: Recent data released by AdMob, the largest advertising network on the mobile web, further echoes the momentum of Palm’s smallest, lightest and most affordable smartphone. According to the company’s Mobile Metrics report (http://www.admob.com/s/solutions/metrics), Palm Centro leapt onto the list of mobile phones worldwide in May as the No. 8 device, and moved up in June to No. 7. AdMob cites the growth of inexpensive phones, such as Palm Centro, as a primary driver in mobile Internet usage. Our comment: “Meh...” http://www.palm.com/centro

Astraware has just released its first update for the original Bejeweled title nearly two years. The new version updates the classic gem swapping game with new graphics that add "even more sparkle and shine", to use the company's own words. The update also includes improved support for newer devices, added multilingual support (English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese), various minor improvements and a behind the scenes code overhaul.

Bejeweled v2.61 is available now for Palm OS devices and Windows Mobile. It comes with a free trial period and sells for $19.95.

Here’s the latest update in our Usability Speed Tests designed to show how easy and quick different Smartphone user interfaces can be. Today we’re looking at the HTC Touch Diamond.



Here are the results:

1. 8sec (TouchFLO ) 8 sec (Start menu)
2. 6secs (Launch Google maps)
3. 15 sec (Opera slowness)
4. 23 sec (Play Weird Al music)
5. 76 sec (Add specific new contact)
6. 48 sec (write specific email to new contact)

For more information about our Usability Speed Tests and how you can test your own phone, <url=http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=5575
>see our original post. Even if your phone turns out to perform horribly in these tasks with its user interface, please post a video response on Youtube for all to see.

Also see usability speed tests for...
Palm Treo 755p
Apple iPhone
Palm Treo 800w

Comments [6]

The Treo 800w is new Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone by Palm featuring 320×320 touch display, QWERTY keyboard, EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi 802.11b/g and GPS support.… + view full entry.

Hoping to continue the success Palm found with the Centro, the Treo 800w is one of the most full-featured smartphones on the market. Running Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the 800w features the latest in high speed communication with ...

A new CNBC article entitled "Palm Almost Ready for High Fives" has been posted under Jim Goldman's TechCheck column. In the new piece, Mr. Goldman paints a cautiously optimistic picture of Palm's future, as the company currently struggles through a grim twelve months filled with a series of layoffs, four consecutive quarterly losses, buggy products, retail store closures, and product delays. Goldman's articles goes onto shed some interesting light problems facing the embattled handheld pioneer and the imminent changes promised by CEO Ed Colligan as the company completes its transition from the PDA days of the 1990s to a smartphone-centric future.

The arrival of August brings not only the close of summer but the annual rite of the back-to-shopping season that's always a strong period for tech gear sales. Based on a leaked weekly sales flyer scan, Best Buy is kicking things into high gear the week of August 3rd-9th with a solid crop of Palm-related deals. As always, these deals may vary in availability or price from region to region.

Palm's newest remaining handhelds, the TX and Z22, both introduced in October 2005 and rapidly approaching their 3-year anniversary, are both marked down from Best Buy's usual prices. The Palm TX, still Palm's only Garnet-based product with 128MB RAM, 320x480 screen and Wi-Fi, rings in at an attractive $254.99, a $60 savings from Best Buy's strangely higher-than-MSRP usual price of $314.99. With the recent beta availability of an unofficial SDHC driver for older Palm devices such as the FAT32-enabled TX, this device's long-term viability just became quite a bit brighter. The entry-level Palm Z22 handheld gets a $10 price cut down to $89.99, a savings of ~$10 from its usual ...