Palm Treo Pro: A Comprehensive Smartphone Review

The Palm Treo Pro is a smartphone that was released in 2009, featuring a 320x480 touchscreen display and a sliding QWERTY keyboard.

This phone was designed with business users in mind, offering a range of productivity features such as a full HTML browser, email client, and Microsoft Office Mobile.

The Treo Pro also had a 3.2 megapixel camera, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Bluetooth 2.0.

Its operating system was Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, which provided a robust and secure mobile experience.

The Palm Treo Pro is a feature-packed smartphone, and its specifications are impressive.

The phone originally came out in an unlocked GSM format, but an updated release for CDMA networks brought new hardware specs, including a more powerful processor and more storage.

Here are some key specs to consider:

The Palm Treo Pro's hardware is impressive, with a 320x480 touchscreen display that's perfect for navigating the device's intuitive interface.

The device is powered by a 300 MHz Intel PXA901 processor, which provides smooth performance for multitasking and running demanding applications.

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With 128 MB of RAM and 256 MB of storage, you'll have plenty of room to store your contacts, calendar events, and other important data.

The Palm Treo Pro also features a 2-megapixel camera, which is great for snapping photos and videos on the go.

Its 1150 mAh battery provides up to 4 hours of talk time and 10 days of standby time, making it a reliable choice for those who need a phone that can keep up with their active lifestyle.

The device measures 4.4 x 2.1 x 0.8 inches and weighs just 6.3 ounces, making it easy to slip into a pocket or purse.

The Treo Pro's keyboard is actually an improvement over the Centro's, with slightly more spaced out keys that are flatter and harder to press. This makes it more usable, but not necessarily the best.

I found myself typing with my thumbnails instead of my thumbs after a week with the device, which suggests that the keyboard is not ideal for heavy typing. It's a bit smaller than I'd like, and I think it falls short of other devices like the Treo 800w, Motorola Q9h, and BlackBerry Bold.

Here's how I'd rate the keyboards of these devices, from best to worst:

Overall, the Treo Pro's keyboard is "good enough", but not particularly great.

The Treo Pro's software is a mixed bag, with some exciting new features and some notable omissions.

One of the coolest software touches on the Treo Pro is the ability to display the date, time, and a few alerts when the screen is off, without using a lot of power.

The Treo Pro also has some standard Palm innovations, such as displaying the time on the screen lock indicator and Google Search on the Today Screen.

MyTreo application is included for people new to Windows Mobile, which is a great resource for getting familiar with the operating system.

However, the Today Screen photo speed dial and the Maps application developed for the Treo 800w are strangely missing.

The Treo Pro has an improved memory management system, licensed from HTC, called Task Manager. It allows you to set the "X" button on most apps to quit the application completely instead of just minimizing it.

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The Task Manager also gives you a drop-down menu that displays your current Program Memory usage and a list of all open apps, making it easy to close all applications, close only certain applications, or switch to any open app.

The Treo Pro defaults to a mass storage mode when you first plug it in, which makes it easy to install ActiveSync directly from the device.

Here's a list of the software that's preinstalled on a standard, unlocked Treo Pro:

One notable exception to the included software is Palm's custom threaded SMS app, which is not included on the Treo Pro.

The Treo Pro's phone capabilities are decent, but not groundbreaking. Calls on the Treo Pro were clear on both ends.

The speaker on the back works well as a speakerphone, and it's loud enough to be heard even when the phone is sitting on a desk.

One notable feature is that the phone has large, touchable buttons on the in-call screen, a welcome change from the VCR-like buttons of old.

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The Treo Pro's phone call experience is a mixed bag. Calls on the Treo Pro were clear on both ends.

The in-call screen has large, touchable buttons, which is a welcome change from previous Palm devices. However, the lack of a proximity sensor to turn off the screen when it's up to your ear feels like a hassle.

The speaker on the back works well as a speakerphone, and it's loud enough to be heard even if the Treo Pro is sitting on your desk.

The Treo Pro's camera is a decent feature, but don't expect it to take stunning photos. It handles well in bright to medium light conditions.

It's not ideal for low-light situations, unfortunately. In these conditions, the camera falls short.

You can still shoot video, though, which is a nice feature. Palm's camera app also includes panoramic mode and sports-mode, which are now-standard features.

Overall, the camera does the job, but it's not a standout feature.

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The Palm Treo Pro is a powerhouse in the business world, thanks to its support for push email, contacts, calendar, notes, and tasks with Exchange, right out of the box. This is made possible by Windows Mobile 6.1, which is a major selling point for the Treo Pro.

The Treo Pro's compatibility with Microsoft's Mobile Device Manager software is also a game-changer for businesses. This software allows sysadmins to manage Windows Mobile devices with ease, just like they would manage desktops on their network. This level of control and security is a must-have for many companies.

The Treo Pro's smaller form factor and touchscreen are also major advantages in the business world. However, the BlackBerry Bold is a strong competitor, with a larger keyboard and higher resolution screen. Here's a breakdown of their respective advantages:

The Treo Pro is a powerful tool for business users, offering a range of features that make it an attractive option for companies.

One of the key advantages of the Treo Pro is its support for push email, contacts, calendar, notes, and tasks with Exchange, thanks to its Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system.

This means that business users can stay connected and organized on the go, with seamless integration with Microsoft's Exchange server.

The Treo Pro is also compatible with Microsoft's Mobile Device Manager software, which allows system administrators to manage Windows Mobile devices with ease, just like they would manage desktops on their network.

This level of control and management is a major advantage for businesses, as it makes it easier to deploy and manage mobile devices across the organization.

The Treo Pro's security features are also a major selling point, making it a reliable choice for businesses that need to protect sensitive data.

Here are the main advantages of the Treo Pro compared to the BlackBerry Bold:

Ultimately, the choice between the Treo Pro and the BlackBerry Bold will depend on the specific needs of the business, but the Treo Pro's flexibility and scalability make it a compelling option for companies looking for a powerful and secure mobile solution.

The Treo Pro is a great choice for business use because it hits all my "Must Haves" with no difficulty. Its touchscreen combined with a QWERTY keyboard underneath makes it easy to use one-handed.

The Treo Pro's powerful OS, Windows Mobile 6.1, is flexible and can be as easy to use as the PalmOS once you get your head wrapped around its metaphors for usage. This flexibility is a big plus for business users.

I'm on AT&T and I can get push Gmail without having to hassle with forwarding to an Exchange server with some software from SEVEN and Nuevasync. This is a huge time-saver for busy professionals.

The Treo Pro's good battery life means I don't have to worry about running out of power in the middle of the day. This is a major concern for business users who are always on the go.

The Treo Pro's small form factor makes it easy to carry around, which is a must-have for business users who are always on the move.

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The Palm Treo Pro is a device that's been taken apart and examined in detail, giving us a glimpse into its inner workings.

In the teardown guide, the Palm Treo Pro is fully disassembled into its individual parts.

This level of disassembly allows us to see the device's components and how they're arranged, which can be useful for repair and maintenance purposes.

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The device's design is a notable aspect of its overall experience. It feels premium in the hand with a sturdy build quality.

The 6.1-inch display is vibrant and responsive, making it a joy to use for tasks like browsing and gaming. The screen resolution is sharp, with a pixel density of 460 pixels per inch.

The device's performance is also impressive, with a fast-charging battery that can go from 0 to 50% in just 30 minutes. I was able to easily switch between multiple apps without any lag or slowdown.

The camera system is a highlight of the device, with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 16-megapixel front camera. The camera app is intuitive and easy to use, with features like portrait mode and night mode.

The device's speakers are also a pleasant surprise, with clear and loud sound quality that's perfect for watching videos or listening to music.

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In this teardown, you'll see the Palm Treo Pro fully disassembled into its individual parts.

The Palm Treo Pro is a highly customizable device.

This teardown guide will walk you through the process of taking apart the Palm Treo Pro, revealing its internal components.

You can expect to see the device's internal workings, including the circuit board, battery, and other key components.

The Palm Treo Pro's design is focused on functionality and ease of use.

This teardown will help you understand the device's internal structure and how it's put together.

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The Palm Treo Pro is a versatile device that supports CDMA EVDO networks, making it a great option for those in areas with CDMA coverage. It's available with a 2-megapixel camera and a memory card slot for expandable storage.

The Treo Pro runs on Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, which provides a solid foundation for productivity and organization. The device features a 320 x 320 pixel LCD display, perfect for navigating menus and viewing content.

For connectivity, the Palm Treo Pro has Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, which supports classic audio profiles and enables wireless communication with other devices. It also has infrared capabilities for transferring data.

The device has a 1,500 mAh removable battery, which provides up to 5 hours of talk time. This is a decent battery life, especially considering the device's capabilities.

The Palm Treo Pro supports Wi-Fi connectivity, with a version of 802.11 b,g that supports WPA, WPA2, and 801.1x security protocols. This makes it easy to connect to public hotspots or access the internet from a secure network.

The device also has a memory card slot that accepts microSD cards up to 32 GB, providing ample storage for music, photos, and other files.

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The Palm Treo Pro is a notable upgrade from its predecessors. It definitely looks better than any of its predecessors.

The design of the Palm Treo Pro is sleeker than expected, but it's not a drastic change from the Palm Centro. The casing is thinner and there are some new buttons.

The Palm Treo Pro doesn't quite live up to its potential in terms of design, as it looks a little too close to the Palm Centro for comfort.

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The Palm Treo Pro has its downsides, but one of the biggest is its operating system. Windows Mobile can be more fiddly to use than the Palm OS.

It's worth noting that the Pro's feature-packed design and high-end specs can also make it a bit of a learning curve. The device has a lot of capabilities, but that means you'll need to spend some time figuring out how to use them.

One thing to keep in mind is that the Pro's Windows Mobile operating system can be a bit of a departure from the more user-friendly Palm OS.

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