Palm's Treo Pro spotted in Sprint attire?

by Darren Murph posted Jan 11th 2009 at 11:08AM

Our handy dandy leak sheet was already proven correct once with the introduction of the pink Instinct, so we're beginning to feel good about a Sprint-branded Treo Pro making landfall sometime this month. A curious in the wild shot over at WMExperts shows off what clearly looks to be that very handset, though we'd never put it past a mischievous Photoshopper to spit something out in a cutesy grab for attention. Whatever the case, the exterior looks about as normal as ever, and seriously, is any Sprint customer in their right mind looking to pick this up over the forthcoming Pre? Signs point to "no."

[Thanks, malatesta]

Filed under: Handsets, Palm, Windows Mobile, EV-DO, CDMA

Tags: leak, palm, sprint, spy shot, SpyShot, treo, treo pro, TreoPro, windows mobile, WindowsMobile

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

cf292007 @ Jan 11th 2009 11:54AM

hell no

Neutral

ShogunMaster @ Jan 11th 2009 8:23PM

I think the reason why the Treo Pro will sell over the Pre is because the Pre will likely be delayed until 2010 anyway. Palm has been working on this for about 5 years and even though they finally have some prototypes at CES doesn't mean it's coming out next month. They said they are aiming for mid-year (last I heard) but I'll bet the Pre won't hit before Christmas.

Availability alone is what the Treo Pro has for it. And the Pre is probably going to be superceded by the next best thing before it even comes to market (I hope not; it looks sweet) like the Xperia was.

Neutral

backbeat @ Jan 11th 2009 12:14PM

Is it Retro-Day at CES? Talk about major bricks and abacus-inspired sophistication! Poor Palm/Sprint. ;)

Neutral

TheGasMan @ Jan 11th 2009 12:56PM

"the exterior looks about as normal as ever"
WTF? You guys were going ga-ga over the Treo Pro's design like two months ago, but suddenly you've decided to throw it under the bus because now it's not the Pre. The Pro is a far more business-centric device, which is why it's running Windows Mobile, and will be a device of choice by businesses far into the future because it *isn't* running WebOS. You guys make no sense sometimes.

Low Ranked

Shugg @ Jan 11th 2009 1:00PM

failure,.no buzz no record breaking sales no innovation ,.should be called the palm dee dee deee ,,boring

Neutral

celz @ Jan 11th 2009 5:00PM

lmao u guys no nothing about product development and marketing.. Dear sprint every new phone u make should fit my target demographic because IM in it...

Highly Ranked

backbeat @ Jan 11th 2009 5:56PM

Like to try that again? This time, in English?

Neutral

plh2034 @ Jan 11th 2009 1:25PM

@ Gasman
You are clueless, no one will buy this.
If you want business you get a blackberry or touch pro.
If you want a palm you wait for the Pre.
This thing is late to the showroom floor and will sell under 2000 units.

Neutral

Brian @ Jan 11th 2009 1:32PM

I'm sure Sprint and Palm have a great relationship, now. I don't think we're going to see Palm holding back from Sprint for a long time. :)

Does anyone know who made WebOS? Was it made by PalmSource or Palm?

Highly Ranked

Colonel Kernel @ Jan 11th 2009 9:30PM

The Pro still has some things going for it over the Pre.

For thos whare are significantly invested in WM software and either demand removable storage or larger capacities then the Pro is at least equal. Beyond that, the Pro should be available in just a few weeks while the Pre could be more than five months away.

If Palm offers a WebOS Pro through whichever carrier then, I'll agree, we can pity the failed promise of the WM Pro.

Highly Ranked

Colonel Kernel @ Jan 11th 2009 9:36PM

Palm made WebOS.

PalmSource, now Access, made their own mobile OS, called Access Linux Platform. As far as I've heard, their biggest score is a device only released in Russia.

Neutral

Roger Alford @ Jan 11th 2009 1:59PM

is any Sprint customer in their right mind looking to pick this up over the forthcoming Pre? Signs point to "no."...

You all are idiots.... signs point to "YES" - especially when this will beat the Palm 800 that Sprint has, AS WELL as be a cheaper pricing point for not only consumers but businesses then the PRE will be. DERR!!!!

In an economy like this, Im surprised you all still have money in your pockets to afford First Release technology and pay for the issues that come from owning such. I mean, really think about it.... the PRO isnt that bad, and its a step up, and a cost point lower then a PRE is looking to be.

Neutral

surly @ Jan 11th 2009 1:55PM

IT departments scared of trying out the new webOS will force users to buy this if they want a Palm.

but i think the new webOS should be able to handle most/all enterprise needs. I mean, the Garnet OS had activesync and could handle exchange pretty well.

Neutral

backbeat @ Jan 11th 2009 2:05PM

No self-respecting IT depts deploy Palms in numbers that ultimately matter where marketshare is concerned. The webOS is an airtight No-Go from a security perspective.

Neutral

Startrek @ Jan 11th 2009 1:56PM

I can only feel sorry for business users buying the Pre.
I'd hate having to flick, scroll, wave and gesture as if having a seziure just to view mail status, todays/future appointments and tasks.
The power of Windows Mobile lays in one button press giving you "at a glance" overview over your entire worklife.
All this UI bling bling and simplification is setting parts of mobile innovation 10 years back, so from a business point of view I'd go for the Palm Pro anyday.
I hope Microsoft don't forget the importance of the todayscreen in WM7.

Neutral

chris cao @ Jan 11th 2009 3:45PM

my friend has this phone I was playing with it, and it is indeed Sprint branded. I would've taken pics but it has serial markings on the front and back so i didn't want to get him in trouble. you can actually see the markings in the picture in the upper right hand corner of the handset

Neutral

James @ Jan 11th 2009 5:52PM

Some people probably still prefer the front-facing keyboard available at all times, as opposed to the Treo Pre's portrait keyboard that is hidden. *shrugs*

--James

Neutral

ananimus3 @ Jan 11th 2009 6:23PM

Wasn't the Treo Pro supposed to also have an international radio, or am I mistaken? I think that'd keep it hot in the eyes of the suits while the US-only Pre will be a huge hit for personal/small business use.

Neutral

SoCoolCurt (PSN: KillaKornbread - XBL: SoCoolCurt) @ Jan 11th 2009 7:29PM

that's possible. im a WinMo user now and im just a college student. it organizes my life like nothing else but i wish it was a little more slick. so im getting pretty excited about the Pre since it seems to be an answer to my prayers. i guess there could be a market for this if it uses international radio signals that the Pre doesn't. it also uses WinMo still, which would be great for larger businesses that wouldnt want to change to a new mobile OS. the Pro also has a more "board room" look to it compared to the Pre, which appears to be aimed at young adults (students mostly). the only thing that doesnt quite make sense now to me about this thing, is what are they going to do with the 800w which is almost sure to be cannibalized by this since it only just came out last year?

Neutral

Colonel Kernel @ Jan 11th 2009 9:43PM

Treo Pro replaces the Treo 800w.
- http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/12/14/sprints-treo-pro-coming-in-january-along-with-a-pink-instinct/

That the 800w was barely out of diapers when the Pro was announced was a definite curiosity. Guess we now have our answer.

Neutral

Patrick Horne @ Jan 12th 2009 11:50AM

** That the 800w was barely out of diapers when the Pro was announced was a definite curiosity. Guess we now have our answer. **

I think the answer to this strange occurrence may be the Rubensteinization that occurred at Palm last year. :-) 800 was old school and Pro is the new.

Neutral