We'd been hearing rumors about the Treo 800w for what seemed like ages. Between the clatter of "Zeppelin" talk, glimpses of a new model during Gates' last CES keynote, and the ever-persistent idea that a fresh new Palm phone is just around the corner, it wasn't exactly a mind-blowing surprise when the new model finally came to light (of course, Sprint selling it a day early didn't help either). Now we've had a chance to spend some quality time with the company's latest foray into the world of Windows Mobile, and we'd like to share our deepest thoughts and inner-most feelings on the device.

If you've been really eager, it's possible you already bought one of these. If you haven't, then here's your chance to see Palm's latest Windows Mobile phone from just about every angle you could possibly imagine. We've got the company's new enterprise-themed phone in-hand (and on-table), and we're currently putting it through its paces. Take a look at the gallery below for a slew of pictures, and stay tuned for a review from us coming soon.

We're not sure if you check most mobile provider's sites every ten minutes or so (like we do), but if you did, you would have noticed that the latest Palm Windows Mobile device -- the Treo 800w -- is available for purchase at Sprint's online store. The phone, which features a 320 x 320 screen, EV-DO Rev. A, WiFi, and GPS, is currently listing for $249.99 after a $250 instant savings, $100 mail-in rebate, and two-year contract. So if you've been absolutely, positively dying to get your hands on this thing -- now's your chance.

[Via Phone Scoop]

Last we knew, a 436-page Treo 800w manual popped up from deep within the confines of Sprint. Fast forward a few days, and a few diehards are already trumpeting the receipt of their precious new Palm. Yep, that handset you see above is indeed the 800w, and if you care to ask some early adopters how things are going, feel free to hit the read link and surf on over to the forums.

Very rarely does a Palm handset go fully under the radar all the way through to the official announcement (if ever?), and now that we have a user's manual, we can pretty much declare the impending Treo 800w fully, completely, and utterly scooped. This is definitely the real deal, too, coming straight off Sprint's site -- not to say anyone would go to the trouble of faking their own -- and unveils no real surprises that we can see. The usual Windows Mobile 6.1 interface with Palm customizations, conservative styling (we're being generous there), and typical array of Sprint add-ons like Sprint TV are going to make this a safe, easy choice for the well-starched suit in your life, and that's about it. Not to say we have a problem with well-starched suits; Engadget corporate policy requires that we wear them at all times, actually. [Warning: PDF link]

[Thanks, Josh]

Continuing a tradition observed by the 755p, it looks like Sprint has every intention of jumping out ahead of Verizon just a little bit on the imminent Treo 800w launch. It's no secret that Verizon will be picking it up, of course, but Sprint is flaunting in what appears to be some internal documentation that it'll be featuring the latest Palm device for a good 2-3 months ahead of time. What we don't know is whether Sprint knows this because it has signed up for a period of exclusivity, or because they've done a little... ahem, "research" on their CDMA rival and discovered that Big Red's network validation isn't as far along. The Spy vs. Spy lover in us hopes it's the latter.

Inventory paperwork coming out of Sprint suggests that the launch date for the Treo 800w has actually moved up about a week from the last rumor, pegging general availability of the latest Palm kit for July 13. That will likely beat Verizon's launch -- just as Sprint did with the Centro -- and position it for the rather unenviable task of trying to score some modicum of fanfare in the midst of Apple's July 11 iPhone 3G onslaught. It's hard to argue that these two are competing for the same target audience, but even so, it seems like there's a healthy buffer around the 11th that most carriers are going to want to avoid for launching important devices (as any Treo inevitably is, no matter how lukewarm the styling may be).

Also notable on the inventory sheet is a mention of a red BlackBerry Curve launching on the same day, giving chronic emailers an option that's just a little more playful than the titanium trim currently available. Two devices from legendary lineages renowned for the quality of their keyboards launching on the same carrier on the same day? Yeah, no complaints here.

[Via WMExperts]

Sandwiched between a pair of overdue TPS reports in our desk's inbox this morning was this little gem, a glossy Verizon presentation filled with magical, exotic wonders hailing from a place and time not too far from our own. For starters, we're guessing that the giant "ID NOT FINAL" label here means that the Samsung i770 won't look quite like this nightmarish blue slab of death by the time it's released, but even if it does, we're happy to report that it'll still be sporting the GSM radio for global service we've been hearing about all along.

We've got a bit in here about the WiFi-equipped Treo 800w landing on Verizon in the third quarter, too, a device more frequently whispered in the same sentence as Sprint as of late. It also turns out that Big Red intends to launch a Novatel USB modem later this year that supports both EV-DO Rev. A and triband HSPA, likely becoming its first data device to let customers scream at 3G speeds while abroad. Watch out for those roaming charges, though -- yikes!

Moving on, we've got details on upcoming Windows Mobile 6.1 upgrades for the XV6800 and Samsung i760, some shots and specs of the Motorola V750 and Casio G'zOne c711 for the soon-to-launch EV-DO Rev. A PTT service, and the list just keeps on going. Honestly, this whole novella is recommended reading, so go ahead and click on that there gallery to get the ball rolling, won't you?

[Thanks, HTCkid]

This little bundle of plain-vanilla familiarity is seemingly the first live picture of Palm's upcoming Treo 800w for CDMA networks, known internally as the Zeppelin -- you know, the obsolete airships that had a tendency to spontaneously combust. Specs on this one are starting to shore up, with Windows Mobile 6.1, EV-DO Rev. A, GPS, a 320 x 320 touchscreen (still novel by classic WinMo standards) and a typical Treo look and feel that doesn't diverge terribly much from Palm's tried, true, and well-worn formula. Sprint's looking solid to pick it up come late July, but with those HTCs around the corner, just how much love at the register is this thing gonna get?

[Via PHONE Magazine]

Update: Looks like this thing might also have WiFi. And some serious girth.

With the comforting knowledge that HTC's lovely new devices are inbound for Sprint, we admit, we're having an awful time working up excitement over the 800w at this point -- but we've got to give all these things a fair shake on the open market before we figure out who's king of the Windows Mobile hill this year. WMExperts claims that Sprint is now targeting July 22 for the grand entrance of Palm's latest Treo, a date that would still jibe with the timeline we've already seen in the wild. The potential launch date also brought with it a handful of new tidbits: Windows Mobile 6.1, integrated GPS, an illuminated keyboard that falls between the Centro's and the 700 series size wise, and it's apparently "very fast." It also seems that Sprint's version will likely be coming in Charcoal Black, a color that would fit in nicely with the carrier's trend of launching dark-ish smartphones. If the Curve is any indication, it's a color that'll suit the device well.

At this point the Treo 800w has been outed by Bill Gates himself, so while the suspense factor is pretty low, it's nice to know that it'll finally be getting here in July. That's the word according to this purloined Sprint roadmap, which also indicates the newest Treo will have GPS and EV-DO rev. A -- but still run WinMo 6.0, which is pretty sad, especially if that revised version of 6.1 launches at CTIA next week as expected. Oh well, at least it's a new Treo -- let's just hope they can shake some more ugly off this thing before it hits the street.

[Via PhoneArena]

For the handful of you left still getting stoked on Palm news, here's some interesting tidbits. The folks over at WMExperts have gotten some "possible" specifications of the Sprint-bound Treo 800w (or as we like to call it, the Gatesnote Palm) and are sharing them with the world. According to the sources, the new Windows Mobile 6-based Palm phone will be Centro-thin, trade the old proprietary HotSync connector for a mini-USB jack, has a dedicated hardware switch for turning WiFi on and off, will sport EV-DO Rev. A, Bluetooth 2.0, as well as 802.11g, and utilizes microSD cards in addition to its 256MB of memory. The article also says that the 2-megapixel camera takes "decent" pictures, and there is an additional 128MB of memory for "something else." More shocking (and possibly stupid) is that Palm has removed the headphone jack altogether, and users must employ some type of miniUSB contraption or go Bluetooth. Ed, if this is one of those breakthrough devices you mentioned, color us unimpressed.

[Via Treonauts]

According to some dedicated -- and, might we add, thorough -- Palm fans, it looks like we've gotten a few more bits of data about the (rumored) forthcoming Treo 800w. If you believe the data, FCC documents detailing emails between Palm and the agency reveal the code names and corresponding FCC IDs of four phones... including one we've never heard of with "co-locating WiFi and radio." Hear that? There's no current (or announced) Palm phone with WiFi, so this device, referred to as the "Zeppelin" in the .pdf could likely be the upcoming new phone that folks have been speculating on lately. The document also makes reference to a "Centro 685," which is another clue in this mystery, a variant of the Centro (690 is the official Palm "number" of the Sprint version) which might be headed out on AT&T. Only time, and Palm, will tell if this thing becomes a reality -- c'mon dudes, give us something.

[Thanks, Greg D.]

Are we staring at the new Treo 800w? We obviously know what's up with the Centro and the 500 (namely the 500v), so the only missing ID in that lineup is the 800, successor to the 700-series flagship throne. Well, if this thing is the 800w we do kind of hope Palm tosses that fish back. Rearranging the WinMo buttons and giving the phone a more industrial, geeky look does not a greater Treo make, so unless this thing is like half as thin as current-gen devices (which it won't be, Palm seems pretty dogmatic about keeping its devices thick), it'll just be more of the same.

Following a thorough run-through of Verizon's plans for the rest of the year, this broader peep into Sprint's near future than we've seen before -- if real, anyway -- means that we now pretty much know everything there is to know about the wide world of CDMA here in the States for the next few months. It's a warm, fuzzy feeling, ain't it? Anyway, let's have a look: Palm is said to come swinging in with two, the 500 on the low end with a $99 price point on October 14 and an 800w ("w" stands for Windows Mobile 6 here, friends) up top -- though the latter doesn't grace shelves until Q1 of '08. Novatel gets down with an updated version of the U720 dubbed U727 (what else?) come September 30. Sanyo meanwhile should add the S1 candybar to replace the SCP-4930 on October 14, but November 4 is allegedly when things really start to heat up. That day should bring the LG LX260, RIM BlackBerry Pearl 2, HTC Vogue, and the UTStarcom PX-00, a low-cost Rev A data card to replace the PX-500. The Motorola Q9c -- possibly with GSM international roaming -- should drop by a little later in November, while a dual-mode CDMA / GSM rendition of the Samsung BlackJack replaces the IP-830w early next year. Again, this is all unconfirmed, but it seems plausible enough. We'll throw up any corroborating info as we get it.

[Via Slashphone]