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.

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[Note: Pictures pending, I need to retake them]

A few months ago I bought an unlocked Samsung BlackJack II on eBay, and shortly after receiving it I was ready to dump it. In a word, it was crap. It was awfully slow, had a painfully laggy keyboard, didn’t have very good battery life and it picked up fingerprints like nothing else. It was genuinely hopeless, and after a month it made it’s way back onto eBay and out of my life forever.

I went back to my trusty N95 8GB, which had served me faithfully for several months, perfect for me in every way except one: the keyboard. It had an excellent number pad, but I despise using T9, I’m not terribly good at it. I like to have a key for every letter, that’s how I roll. I wanted a smartphone with a thumboard again, but nothing on the market suited. Windows Mobile seems to have lost the plot somewhere, Sony Ericsson’s UIQ devices are old and outdated, and the only Nokia available in a similar form-factor to the BJII was the E61i, which is too wide, ugly and old. Was is the operative word in that sentence, because the phone that I have wanted since I first read about it has been released, and I have since passed the N95 8GB onto my sister as I won’t be needing it anymore.

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I haven’t got an iPhone 3G, instead I bought an Nokia E71 (review pending) and I couldn’t be happier. I did however update my iPod Touch to the latest 2.0 firmware, and have downloaded a few apps which are pretty cool. With my Touch I get all of the benefits of the iPhone, except for the ability to surf the web and make calls while out and about. Or can I?

Some of you may have heard of Joiku, but for those who haven’t it’s a small application that you load onto a Nokia phone that instantly turns it into a mobile hotspot. That’s right, you can hookup your laptop, or in this case iPod, to your phone over WiFi, no messy Bluetooth or cable connections necessary. I downloaded it to my E71 (right on the phone), and gave it a whirl today, and I have to say it works, very very well.

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The Macrumors web site is reporting that some users of the iPhone have suddenly discovered that AT&T WIFI access via the iPhone is free in hotspots such as Barnes & Noble and Starbucks. When attempting to access WIFI, the iPhone users are presented with a special login screen to which they enter their phone number and upon validation receive free WIFI access. This access only applies to iPhone users with an AT&T account (jailbroken phones on other carriers are not able to access free WIFI without an AT&T phone number).

Link: Macrumors: AT&T Providing Free WIFI Access to iPhone Users

I went to the Australian Nokia Music Store launch last night at the Oxford Art Factory. Great venue, made more appealing by the fact that it’s walking distance from my place and there was free booze and nibblies.

Oddly, there were hardly any other tech journos there. I spotted two that I didn’t know well enough to attempt small talk with, so I secreted myself into one of the stairwells and played with my non-Nokia iPhone. My state of friendlessness would’ve had me leaving immediately after the presentation and a couple of beers if not for the promise of The Presets performing, one of my favourite electro brands.

I left the event with a nice little goody bag from Nokia containing a set of portable mobile phone speakers and a $10 voucher for the Music Store. As a bit of background, the Australian Nokia Music Store launched yesterday with 2.5 million tracks in its catalogue. Individual tracks are $1.70 each, albums start at $17, and you can stream unlimited tracks from your PC for $10 a month.

I decided to give the unlimited streaming thing a go on my Asus Eee PC (which is still running the default Xandros Linux OS), and was greeted by this window.

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The HTC Excalibur, AKA T-Mobile Dash has been announced today; Engadget already has a review. 

Photo from Engadget

Pricing will be set at $199.99 with a two-year contract, $249.99 with a one year contract, and $349 with no contract - quite reasonable!

If any of you pick one up - be sure to post your impressions.

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