Palm Treo Pro now available on Sprint’s website (updated)
A few days ahead of its expected launch date of January 25th and a few days behind our original scoop, the Sprint Treo Pro is now listed on Sprint’s website for a cool $249 after $200 in instant savings and a $100 mail in rebate. You’ll need to add an Everything plan, Data Premier add-on or PRO Pack add-on to be eligible for the rebate. The Treo Pro features a 320 x 320 touchscreen display, QWERTY keyboard, 2 megapixel camera, microSD expansion, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and Windows Mobile 6.1 professional. The Sprint version also includes Sprint-specific features including Sprint TV, Sprint Music store, Sprint Mobile sync and NFL Mobile Live access. If Windows Mobile is your thing and Sprint your carrier of choice, then break out that plastic and get on with some shopping. Sure it’s no Pre, but we’ve still got some time to kill before roll out.
Thanks, Ronald!
UPDATE: It looks like Sprint pulled the Treo Pro page. Did someone get a little trigger happy this morning?
UPDATE 2: Official word just came down from Sprint and the Treo Pro cameo was indeed a mistake. No firm release date was given so we’ll have to revert to the presumed date reported last month: This Sunday, January 25th.
The phone is $250 after all rebates, not $350.
So are we now looking at the least price for the Pre?
That $249 final price is _conditional_ on approved plans being chosen, as clearly expressed in the post. Where this same scenario centered around the iPhone, all the flea-bitten trolls were all over it. Ahh, yes … the transparent hypocrisy!
Here they go again.
They let you know you won’t get the rebate w/o a Pro Pack which is the equivalent the others smartphone data pack w/entertainment and nav included or the cheapest Everything data plan ($70) which is the same as thing. Help me to understand the how this is any different than the rest of the smartphone requirements
Ever heard of data-only service or if I’d prefer to use this phone as my _secondary_ phone and only need 200 minutes, especially if I discover that, as a phone, it’s not exactly spectacular?
If it’s a business machine, as its marketed and certainly defended by feverish cult-like fanbois everywhere [
] what need do I have for bells and whistles which might get looked at once/twice a month? What they _require_ is the equivalent of Cable/Satellite cos who offer ‘free’ Starz/Encore/GarbageTV that few actually bother tuning into due to its very low quality content.
Oh, and Microsoft is cutting 5,000 jobs. Shocker. Everyone is doing the job cut game these days.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/23/technology/companies/23soft.html?hp
The data only option on most carriers is $50, any smartphone pack on a true 3G network is $30. Having nav alone makes Sprint a better value just using it 4 times a month and entertainment is a plus for my commutes. I am not seeing the justification in the argument that they are gouging and overpriced as compared to what? I am just correcting the article because it makes it look like $350 is the rebate price w/those plans
Exactly, Don Louie. I was in DC for the inauguration this week and spent time rooming with my fiancee’s parents sharing a bedroom that had no TV. My fiancee and I definitely spent some time watching SprintTV — especially since canoodling would be a tad disrespectful to her family. That, and my usage of my phones for business and home lines means that the Simply Everything plan is a great deal.
Data-only on AT&T/Verizon costs $5 more/Mo than the voice plan + data plan option for smartphones. That being $35, not $50. On TMo, it’s $30 for data-only (for new smartphone customers).
You simply have different priorities you require from your phone. I have no need to have my 2.5″+ screen keep me entertained “during my commutes”, nor at virtually any other time. To force a customer to pay for services they rarely, if ever, will use, is exactly what I previously described. Without those low-value, forced ‘entertainment’ features, the cost of the plan should be expected to be lower, correct? Just because my carrier was stupid enough to sign onto some entertainment/feature pack with a content provider, it should not be a contractual obligation in order for me to use a business device. Simple, really.
But backbeat, when you sign up for a plan and buy a phone, you pick up all the features. The fact is that ultimately, you’re only paying for the features you use, for which the company can charge the same exact price as for the full buffet plan. In essence, it ends up being a savings because you’re paying less for more. This is true in every case, be it for phone service or for a television with HD features that you aren’t ever going to use or a fully-loaded laptop for $500 (versus a fully-loaded laptop with fewer features sold for $1,100 in 2003).
If you don’t use it, you ignore it. Plain and simple. If you want it, then you use it. But you are getting the full value. After all, you would likely pay just as much for a plan without the features based on the carrier’s own costs.
Anyway, since you don’t use Sprint, why do you even care? One would think you had better things to do. Obviously not.
Well, I am not going to get this phone if the Pre is coming out in the first half of the year.
While I am not on the Sprint network, I do like the fact that they have football games on it so I can listen in when I’m not by a tv.
@Sevenmack: You’ve obviously never run a company, as shown by your ill-conceived notion that you are only paying for what you use. The content providers clearly charge a carrier for their services. Those costs are either eaten or passed onto the customer. In this case with Sprint, the costs are forced onto the customer via ‘Everything’ plans of one stripe or another.
Your revisionist definition of “value’ could use some polishing also. What I have no need for, but am required to pay for nonetheless, is not valuable to me by any stretch of the definition.
Your personal dig notwithstanding … Go fuck yourself and have a pleasant day.
When you have to resort to the f-word as a rejoinder, it proves your intellect is worth nothing more than a penny — if that. And yes, I’m talking about you, backbeat.
Have a nice day.
I did some research by calling vzw and att to find that only red has a data only plan and it’s $50 and $55 while blue told me I had to get a voice plan. I would like to keep it about adding data to smartphone which is the same among the top 3. You don’t want to use entertainment which is your choice but not everybody’s, there are one offs where a person nay access it to shoot the breeze but definitely nav is good. During this post a conversation w/t mo showed they have a $40 data only plan
@Sevenmack: You’re not exempt from the concept of Cause & Effect. Ya get what ya give.
@Don Louie: I find it interesting that you [obviously] have web access, but cannot simply post a link to where these plans are located. I posted from what I know to be true, but I’ll do your homework for you since it seems to be necessary. What I think the CSRs are quoting you is for data card use, but I’ll check on that too.
I’ve never been a Palm fan but that is definitely a desirable phone. I predict it will sell very well.
How weird – the treo Pro has been pulled from Sprint’s site as of this post.
@all those data only pricing posts … I have a deaf brother who TRUELY only needs data… So I went shopping, and guess what, those DO plans that you mention for T-Mo – Not avaialalbe on the G1… AT&T – NOT AVAILABLE for the iPhone …. So B4 we compare rate plans, make sure it is truely apples to apples…. The hairy underbelly of the exceptions seems to hit every carrier.
BTW – We ended up getting him Sprint. They have a $29 data only plan for the deaf(BB Curve only) through Sprint Relay. BY FAR the best value in his situation.
Anyone Care to comment on what this device has over the TP?
^Curiously, it states that it’s not available in your area, doesn’t it?
@Pythagoras: How does it change your life beyond the multitudes of other available WinMo 6.1, even Palm’s other WinMo’s, that makes you crave it so?
Upon further review of Sprint’s smartphone rebates, it say Data Premier ($25) is allowed also so it is cheaper and more inclusive. For $5 more you can get unlimited messaging, these were the cost of Sprint’s data plan before Everything came about so there is no price increased passed along to the customer. The price quote from red was for a Centro/data only and a Touch Pro/data only, blue told me I had to get a voice plan for my Fuze and t mo was with a Dash II/data only. I don’t post link because I browse thru Opera Mini, I called red at 800 256 4646, blue at 866 662 4548 and t mo at 877 453 1304 because in the carrier brochures nothing about a data only plan is listed
backbeat, what difference does it make that Pythagoras likes it?
Thank you for contributing, Zeek, I didn’t even know about that plan. My most recent brochure says $50 for data only
AT&T: $35/Mo data-only for smartphones
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-plan-details/?q_sku=sku1160028&q_planCategory=cat310002
I simply asked Pythagoras how his critical thinking brought him to that conclusion. Simple.
Verizon @ $35/Mo data-only for smartphones
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/featurePopup?item=phoneFirst&featureType=phone&featureId=3066
Neither the AT&T/Verizon plans require a voiceplan