Treo Pro by Palm (Unlocked), Now Available in USA

We received the following Press Release this afternoon via the Palm Canada News distribution list. However, all of these links will point you to the Treo Pro at the Palm USA online Store. The Treo Pro isn't listed at all on the Palm Canada site. In fact, the only Treo listed at the Palm Canada Store is the Treo 750. As far as the they are concerned, none of the following even exist: Treo 680, Treo 755p, Treo Centro, Treo 800 and Treo Pro! I for one am glad to see we have such a good neighbour as Palm USA is to Palm Canada.

Treo Pro by Palm, Now Available, Offers True End-to-End Enterprise Solution
Enterprise Support Programs -- Including a Two-Year Limited Warranty -- Available for Unlocked Treo Pro

SUNNYVALE, Calif., 26 Sep 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced that the unlocked Treo(TM) Pro smartphone is now available in the United States. With its unmatched blend of Palm's ease-of-use innovations, Windows Mobile 6.1, and enterprise support in a sleek new design, Treo Pro is a world phone built end-to-end for the global enterprise. It allows businesses to simplify their IT infrastructures while lowering costs and keeping their users productive and happy.
Treo Pro balances simplicity and productivity -- including email, Wi-Fi, GPS, web and UMTS/HSDPA network capabilities(1) -- to meet the needs of businesses and end users alike. Its thin design blends a flush, high-resolution color touch screen, one-touch buttons and a full QWERTY keyboard. The removable battery packs up to five hours of talk time and enough strength for the business user's needs, offering a powerful yet effortless mobile experience.
Treo Pro is unlocked, giving end users the flexibility to simply insert their existing active SIM card and immediately start using their Treo Pro anywhere there is GSM coverage, without a new contract.(2) Worldwide travelers using the Treo Pro can cut costs on international roaming charges by popping in a local country SIM card wherever they go.(3)
Because Treo Pro runs Windows Mobile 6.1, it is compatible with System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, which Microsoft launched earlier this year. Adding value to mobile enterprise solutions, Mobile Device Manager allows IT professionals to manage Windows Mobile phones similarly to how they manage PCs and laptops.
"More than 33 million Converged Mobile Devices [CMDs] will ship in the U.S. in 2012, representing a growth of 37 percent, and we expect Windows Mobile device shipments to grow by nearly 48 percent in the U.S.," said Sean Ryan, Research Analyst, with the Mobile Enterprise practice at IDC. "Businesses want tools that enable their mobile workers to be highly responsive to customers and make better decisions. Rapid innovation around capabilities, connectivity, and performance is making converged devices increasingly attractive to enterprises looking to give their mobile workers an edge."
Treo Pro Support and Service
An enterprise product deserves enterprise-caliber support. Total cost of ownership is critical to Palm's business customers, and IT hardware cycles often exceed typical 12-month consumer warranties. Palm therefore is offering a 24-month limited warranty for qualifying business customers who deploy Treo Pro within their organizations. Should their smartphone require repair, customers can feel confident that they are protected from unforeseen costs and that Palm-authorized technicians will repair it or replace it with genuine Palm parts. The 24-month limited warranty lets companies extend the life of their investment, lowering the total cost of ownership and removing the burden from IT in the second year.
There are also a variety of support programs available for business customers, designed to be scalable to customers' needs and budgets. Palm's support services help businesses plan, deploy and support their mobile workforces, whether that means simply augmenting current capabilities with specialized support services or completely outsourcing the management of mobile solutions.
"For Treo Pro, we're approaching support with our heaviest users in mind," said John Moses, vice president of Customer Relations at Palm, Inc. "These international business customers often have the highest expectations and need assistance on important setup tasks, like safely migrating valuable calendar and contact data, configuring multiple email accounts and installing productivity software. We're here to ensure that their first moments with Treo Pro and their overall support experience exemplify Palm ease of use."
More information about Palm enterprise support is available at http://www.palm.com/enterprisesupport.
Pricing and Availability
Treo Pro is now available for a suggested retail price of $549 through the Palm online store (http://www.palm.com/store). Treo Pro, along with partner-provided services and support, also is available from Palm's extensive reseller network of Internet, retail and corporate resellers, including CDW, Dell, PC Connection, PC Mall and Enterprise Mobile.
The Treo Pro smartphone comes with a power charger, microUSB cable and a stereo headset (3.5mm). Other accessories designed exclusively for Treo Pro (sold separately) include a vehicle power charger, leather side case, travel microUSB cable, cradle, extra battery, TTY audio adapter, and replacement styli.
More information about the Treo Pro smartphone is available at www.palm.com/TreoPro.

Treo Pro Supporting Customer Quotes
Ohio State University Medical Center:
"Offering Treo Pro as an unlocked device is a very good business move on Palm's part," said Wasif Malik, senior systems consultant, Student Educational Services & Mobile Solutions, Ohio State University Medical Center. "A phone is a personal statement, and people want the flexibility to use it where they want without contract requirements and pricey roaming charges. Selling unlocked phones has been a very popular business model in Europe and globally this has been the trend."
Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream:
"Palm did a really nice job getting Treo Pro to the right size," said Mike Corby, director of Business Excellence, Sales and Distribution at Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. "It's significantly thinner, yet the keyboard is still easy to use. The design is very intuitive, so there's no steep learning curve, and the screen brightness is the best I've seen -- especially outside. People who see me using it keep asking me about it -- they love the look of it."

About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. is a leading mobile products company, creating instinctive yet powerful mobile products that enable people to better manage their lives on the go. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm(R) Treo(TM) and Centro(TM) smartphones and Palm handheld computers, as well as software, services and accessories.
Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.
(1) Within wireless coverage area only. Wi-Fi within range of 802.11b/g Wi-Fi network. Some Wi-Fi hotspots require fee for usage. Email, web, and GPS require an account and data services at additional cost. GPS application not available from all carriers. Third-party software may be required. GPS coverage not available in all areas at all times. More than 860 GSM networks provide coverage in 220 regions worldwide. Within UMTS/HSDPA data coverage area only. Actual data speeds vary based on network capacity and application design. Requires data services at additional cost.
(2) Users should refer to their existing contract for any possible restrictions.
(3) Within GSM/UMTS data coverage areas only.
Palm, Treo and Centro are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.
SOURCE: Palm, Inc.

PowerSDHC Released by PalmPowerUps

PowerSDHCPowerSDHC released by Dmitry Grinberg of PalmPowerUps.com fame.

Here's part of the information posted on PalmPowerUps.com about the newly released PowerSDHC for Palm devices, which costs $20.95 USD per device (and there is a trial version available).


As you may be aware, most Palm devices that do not carry a "Treo" or "Centro" brand cannot read or write to the new SDHC cards. This leaves everyone owning such devices behind in terms of storage and costs. SD cards top out at 2GB, while SDHC cards are available at 32GB sizes already, and 16GB cards can be obtained for less than $80 USD.

Palm Inc has repeatedly refused to write an SDHC driver for their handhelds. This has long been regarded as a lost cause by most Palm owners. Luckily Palm Inc are not the only ones in power to help. PalmPowerups to the rescue! We've been hard at work creating an SDHC driver for your devices. It is very difficult and has been one of the most complex projects we've ever undertaken here. It is made harder yet since each individual device needs to be uniquely supported and programmed for.

Today we're glad to announce that for for a small set of devices the driver has entered release cycle.

There are many benefits from this driver even if you do not have an SDHC card yet. For example with this driver the card access speed will grow very noticeably, and the card access will not shut off at low battery levels. And of course, now you have support for SDHC cards.

[...snip...]

Current version supports the following devices:
  • Palm TX
  • LifeDrive
  • Tungsten T5
  • Tungsten E2
  • Zire 72
  • Zire 31
  • Tungsten C

    [...snip...]


  • This is a feature / driver that a lot of us have waited a long time for. Until a few months ago, when Dmitry Grinberg announced that he would begin development on his own SDHC driver, most of us had given up on being able to access "modern" memory modules on our beloved Palm hardware. I'll definitely be purchasing a copy myself, and I'll let you know how it works on my Palm TX.

    Astraware's Talk Like a Pirate Day Sale!

    Pick Up Some Bargain Booty with Astraware's Talk Like a Pirate Day Sale!

    The following is a press release we just received from Astraware.

    Staffordshire, UK - 18th September 2008 - Avast me hearties!!! Friday 19th September is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and the Astraware Team is celebratin' once again! ARRR!

    Arrrrr! Astraware's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!Arrrrr! Astraware's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

    To celebrate with us, get your hands on some fine booty - 6 of the best pirate/nautical/treasure games on very special offer for just 24 hours with more than 50% off each!

    Save several dubloons off the price of Tradewinds, Tradewinds 2, Hidden Expedition Titanic, Seven Seas, Bubble Babble, and Golden Skull, but don't delay - at the stroke of midnight the offer ends! Don't be a scurvy landlubber, get yourself along to http://www.astraware.com/promo/tlapd08

    A word from Captain Redbeard Tomlinson: "Yarrr, these games be great for when ye've been marooned and the rum's run out!"

    Don't forget - Friday 19th September - Yo Ho Ho!

    About Astraware
    Founded in 1994 and incorporated in 2000, Astraware Limited develops, publishes and distributes games for mobile devices. Some of Astraware's best known handheld titles include Astraware Sudoku, Zap! 2000/2016, and Astraware Solitaire. Astraware is a Microsoft(R) Certified Gold Partner, and a Palm(R) Select Developer. Mobile gaming enthusiasts have downloaded more than 55 million copies of Astraware's products, and the company has customers in more than 100 countries. Astraware is the registered trademark of Astraware Limited - the Handmark Games Studio. Visit Astraware at http://www.astraware.com. For more information about Astraware, press only: Alison Barclay, alison@astraware.com, +44 1782 667820.

    (c) 2008 Astraware Limited, a subsidiary of Handmark, Inc.; Handmark, Pocket Express, and the distinctive hand design, are registered trademarks of Handmark, Inc. and Astraware is the registered trademark of Astraware Limited in the U.S. and other territories. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Prices exclude VAT in the EU.

    FileFind 4.0 Released - Find Files On Your Memory Card Quickly

    "This program is one of the core applications I use on my Treo. Finding texts on my memory card now takes seconds rather than hours!" – Hubert Reinisch, FileFind user


    Tamoggemon Software’s FileFind is the only program that can search for files on the memory card of a Palm OS - powered device. Search criteria can consist of file names, contents, file dates, file sizes and a variety of other attributes.


    Dozens of customers have provided us with valuable feedback which paved the way to a better FileFind experience. Call awareness has made searching painless as incoming calls are no longer discarded, while a variety of folder search options allows faster searches if the exact location of a file is known.

    Folder search
    FileFind can now search for folders that bear a specific name.
    Furthermore, searches can be restricted to files in the parent folder for blazingly-fast searching.

    Call awareness
    Ever got called while searching for files? FileFind now checks in the background if a call is pending. Should a call come in while searching, the program will automatically stop the search process and allows you to take your call!

    Centro compatibility
    FileFind has been tested and works perfectly on all Centros.


    Available from MobiHand&PocketGear In an attempt to give customers more options, a full version of FileFind can now be purchased from both MobiHand and PocketGear. As an act of courtesy to the customer, Tamoggemon Software will charge the same price across all distribution channels independent of the revenue share.

    A free 30day trial of FileFind is available from http://www.palmfilefind.com. A full version of the program costs 9.95 and includes free updates for the lifetime of the product.