There are rumors that Rogers will pick up the Palm Treo Pro in Canada, with a release coming on September 17th. Rogers has been picking up steam of late releasing the iPhone 3G and just last week the BlackBerry Bold . When Palm introduced the Treo Pro last week, they confirmed availability through European carriers O2 and Vodafone, with unlocked versions being available in the US. No word yet on pricing, but Rogers has had a history of being heavy handed with their plans.
As we predicted this morning, a flurry of Treo Pro reviews hit the wire this afternoon. Here's a breakdown of what's being said about Palm's latest Treo.
"In terms of design, performance and non-OS features, this is the best hardware Palm has ever made." Gizmodo found the battery impressive offering "days of moderate usage between charges".
"If you're looking for a Windows Mobile phone, I'd strongly consider the Treo Pro, as it has a good balance of design, features and performance for the user."
Crunchgear finds the Treo Pro "the best in Windows Mobile", but cautioned that the hefty price tag could deter adoption. "The Treo for you if you are a business professional forced to use Windows Mobile and you travel quite a bit and hardware price is no object."
The screen on the Treo Pro is flush, but evidently it's the digitizer which is flush and the screen is still recessed. Antoine Wright of Brighthand found "this arrangement can be disorienting some times." Wright found the Treo Pro to offer the best call quality of any phones he has used. He concludes that while the Treo Pro is "a fairly solid device", it lacks "the specialness that makes Palm devices is missing here and it feels more like a re-brand than a true Palm product."
WMExperts Dieter Bohn takes issue with the Centro inspired keyboard on the Treo Pro saying, "It pains me to say it, though, the Treo Pro's keyboard is the least 'Pro' part of the device", rating it behind the Treo 800w , Motorola Q 9h and BlackBerry Bold . Bohn also found the Treo 800w to outpace the Treo Pro in every day use speed comparisons. Despite the drawbacks, he concludes, "The Treo Pro is easily Palm's best Treo yet. It finally hits all of the feature checkmarks that users have been clamoring for and does it in a way that's well-integrated with the hardware."
Palm has yet to provide a release date for the Treo Pro, but it's expected to be priced at $550 unlocked.
When a host of sites received the Treo Pro last week, the various outlets were limited to unboxing ceremonies. It's expected that a flurry of Treo Pro reviews will hit this week, with Wired getting the jump on the festitivities
The reviewer starts of by referencing the Treo 800w as "upcoming", a phone that's been available through Sprint for weeks. The reviewer took issue with the screen of the Treo Pro and found a lack of precision when using the touch screen. On the plus side, Wired found battery life to be excellent and the styling of the device to be "trim, light and pocketable".
Dumas went on to call the casing of the Treo Pro "slippery" and "retains more fingerprints than the NSA."
Several technology blogs received the Treo Pro over the past few days and for the most part the consensus appears to be overwhelmingly positive. Engadget Mobile was first to receive their Treo Pro and have put together an extensive gallery .
Dave from Mobility Today says the Treo Pro is, "A new leader in the enterprise stands up tall."
"Palm puts a lot of thought into the little pieces of every Treo they product, but none more so than the Treo Pro ", says Dieter Bohn of WMExperts . Bohn, who has perfected the art of unboxing, takes you on a virtual tour inside the Apple-esque packing of the Pro.
Andrew over at Treonauts says, "The Treo Pro looks a bit like a high-tech polished black pebble – a Zen of tranquility on the outside but one that also happens to be bursting with energy inside (thanks to a fast processor, 3G data, WiFi, GPS and a whole lot more)."
There appears to be an embargo date on full reviews, as most sources point to next week for complete reviews. Everything Treo has yet to receive the Treo Pro, but expect a comprehensive review as soon as a review unit is made available.
There are rumors that Rogers will pick up the Palm Treo Pro in Canada, with a release coming on September 17th. Rogers has been picking up steam of late releasing the 