Today I received a device that could really be a make-or-break product for a company that has been stagnate for quite some time. The Palm Treo Pro really needs to be successful for Palm, as their current line-up leaves a lot to be desired.

First off I’ll start with the packaging. Like the box the HTC Touch Diamond comes in, the Treo Pro packaging has a corner lopped off. Why? No idea. It is quite nicely presented though, with the device on display as soon as you take the top off.

Included in the sales package is the Treo Pro, a microUSB cable (seems to becoming popular), USB AC adaptor, stereo earphones (3.5mm, woohoo!) and a few manuals and guides. Like HTC, Palm has cheaped out by including a USB AC Adaptor that you plug the USB cable into. With a miniUSB cable that’s not so bad, they are everywhere and can extras can easily be purchased, but the microUSB isn’t overly common yet, so many buyers will find themselves swapping the cable between their computer and AC adaptor. If you find yourself needing an extra one, the microUSB cables that you get for the latest Nokia’s will do the trick.

Continue Reading

Engadget’s outgoing Editor Ryan Block (today’s his last day) follows up on last year’s intervention letter to Palm. He scores Palm’s progress toward improving the company in light of the one year they’ve had to implement changes. What comes across is that Ryan believes the (long delayed and now hardly ever talked about) next-gen Linux based OS is a critical unique selling point and should have been seen by now. I’m skeptical Palm can make a decent rate of return pushing Centros below cost and Treo’s that run on Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. Engadget’s followup is a nice summary which also mentions the biggest Palm eye-opener of the last week — the Treo Pro launched in the USA with NO CARRRIER support. PS When was the last time Jeff Hawkins was seen in public?

Engadget Cares: The state of Palm - checking in a year later