Palm Treo Pro Coming to Sprint in Late January

There have now been enough leaks that there can be little doubt that Sprint plans to launch the Palm Treo Pro next month, and the latest of these even gives the release date.

The Treo Pro will reportedly replace the Treo 800w, a similar but problem-wracked Windows Mobile smartphone Sprint launched over the summer.

According to a document leaked to Engadget, this new model will be widely available on Jan. 25. It's price before subsidy will be $550, which is $50 less than the base price for the 800w. This opens the possibility that the Pro's price with subsidy might be $50 less as well, or $200.

Say Good-Bye to the Treo 800w

As mentioned earlier, the Treo Pro is apparently going to replace another Palm product in Sprint's line-up, the Treo 800w. While a new device replacing an older one isn't unusual, a Sprint launch of the Pro in January would be, as the 800w only hit the market in July.

The Pro won't be tremendously superior to the current model in features, but the 800w has been plagued by problems. Potential customers have even reported being steered away from this model by Sprint store salespeople.

Both models run Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, have a 320-by-320-pixel screen, 3G and Wi-Fi, and GPS. They also have the same general shape. The Pro is the thinner of the two, yet has a higher-capacity battery.

Despite their many similarities, the Pro and 800w are made by different companies. A CDMA version of the Pro would be made by HTC, while the 800w is made by Inventec.

A GSM version of the Treo Pro -- as opposed to the CDMA one that Sprint would offer -- has been available since this fall in Europe from Vodafone and in the U.S. as an unlocked model.

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