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Palm rolls out WM6 upgrade for Vodafone's Treo 750v
Still no love for AT&T customers just yet, but Palm's Treo 750 is slowly transforming from a Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC to a Windows Mobile 6 Professional device across the globe. Following an earlier Australian announcement, it now seems that the official upgrade is available to customers of the Vodafone variant -- the 750v, naturally -- in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Even better, the free download flips the switch on HSDPA, but careful: it's one download per customer for whatever reason, so make sure you drop it on a hard drive that's not seconds away from crashing.[Via the::unwired]
Vodafone's Treo 750v reviewed
If you put things into perspective, being the first Windows Mobile-enabled Treo to be available in Europe is hardly the greatest of accolades. But for those of us who haven't had access to such a device before the 750v's release, it's accompanied by a subtle sigh of relief. Unsurprisingly, The Unwired's review of the phone focuses primarily on the software aspects of the 750v, with the reviewer finding that Palm's customization of the WinMo 5 interface makes the device more intuitive compared to untweaked phones; a bundled threaded messaging application sweetens the deal further. The one particularly apparent area which the reviewer didn't specifically mention is the size of the device -- in comparison to the HTC Excalibur, the 750v appears positively obese. Even more telling is the comparison to the spec superior HTC Hermes (2 megapixel camera, HSDPA, 2.8 inch QVGA display, WiFi, faster processor, videoconferencing camera, etc.) which appears to share very similar dimensions. In the conclusion the reviewer stated that he would personally buy the 750v had the phone shipped with WiFi capability -- the lack of this key feature coupled with an overweight design and limited specs (including the usual crippled 240x240 resolution) severely dampens the initial positive points. As is far too typical for Palm, the 750v's excellent software implementation doesn't live up to the phone's chunky and dated hardware.
Palm picks October 12 to announce new Treo
It looks like attendees of this week's DigitalLife conference in New York City (our own Paul and Peter included) will be treated to the announcement of a brand spankin' new Treo model. Well, "new" might be a strong term here -- the 680 is probably considered the odds-on favorite to get official, and we sort of already scooped that on account of Palm's own blunder -- but nevertheless, we know a diehard Palm OS fan or two that'd like nothing more than to hear Palm confirm that the 680 is real and shipping on Cingular post haste. Of course, they've always got the Cingular version of the 750 as a backup if they decide to keep the 680 under wraps for a while longer, but if they do decide to pass that off as the "new Treo" they're unveiling, our guys on the scene will have boos and rotten vegetables at the ready.
Singapore to get Palm Treo 750v
Cingular may still be playing dumb about its next-gen Treo launch plans -- but Vodafone and their partner network in Singapore, M1, are happy to share theirs. It turns out that M1 will be launching the Windows Mobile-powered 750v in October of this year, 3G data and all, which could ultimately make it just the second launch for the stubless Treo globally (after Vodafone proper). This all depends, of course, on whether Cingular wants to get off its hindquarters and kick things into high gear; we're not holding our breath, so enjoy your 15 seconds of fame, M1.[Via the::unwired]
Vodafone's Treo 750v gets an actual launch date
Now that we know the Treo 750 is poised for a Cingular release here in the US, we're kind of over Vodafone's version of this Windows Mobile 5 smartphone, but because we've got mad love for our European audience, we'll keep covering it until they pry us kicking and screaming from our keyboards. Following numerous spy shots, reviews, and announcements regarding this device, there's pretty much nothing that we don't know about its feature set -- quad-band GSM with UMTS, 300MHz CPU, 240 x 240 pixel screen, Bluetooth 1.2, miniSD expansion, 1.3 megapixel camera, and of course, still no WiFi -- but despite all the interest, a solid release date has yet to be announced. Well, until now that is, as Vodafone has finally updated its UK site to list an October 2nd launch (why do we feel like this thing has been "launched" like ten times already?), with that same vague pricing window of "free to £127.66 ($242.90)." So, congratulations dear friends across the pond, you'll have your gadget-loving hands all over the 750v in a few short days; us Americans, meanwhile, are just preparing ourselves to go through the whole dog-and-pony show of leaks, rumors, and false starts all over again.[Thanks, Nirav M.]
Palm confirms low-end Treo, "680" device rumored
We're still not sure when Cingular is going to get that 750 hotness, but it doesn't look like us Stateside peeps will have to wait too terribly long to get some antenna-free Treo action. Palm, in a recent earnings call, confirmed that there will be more info "in the coming weeks" in regards to a new "price sensitive" Treo, due for 20 networks worldwide in a few months. Lucky for us, it looks to be that oft-rumored Lowrider phone -- at least according to the rumors currently being mongered -- with the same form-factor as the 750v, but a VGA camera and no 3G data. Happily, the unit should feature 64MB of RAM, and if it can manage to otherwise duplicate the 650's functionality -- minus the bugs -- Palm might have a nice little solution for those wannabe handheld users who don't need all the bleeding-edge features, and don't want that bleeding-edge price. [Via MobileWhack]
Treo 750v review roundup
While we in the US sit sadly, sans Treo 750v, the first round of reviews and hands-on are coming in from Europe on what may be one of the sexiest smartphones around. Everyone's got a hands-on or review of some kind, and we're sure that you're far too busy tapping out SMSes to read 'em all, so we're going to boil 'em down for you. Treonauts enjoys the lighter weight (15 percent, its says) on the new 750v, and the folks at Shiny Shiny point out that some users may actually miss the now-gone antenna as some folks used it to grip whilst retrieving the phone from a pocket or purse. Pocketinfo has a lengthy review (with some very large photos) and likes it overall, but laments the lack of WiFi and a better cam. Finally, CNET weighs in as well with its minute-long video, and digs the rubberized exterior -- something that we had to add on previously with those adhesive egrips stickers. Enjoy your new Treos, European Vodafone subscribers, because remember: here in the States, our Treos still all have stub antennas whether we like it or not.Read - Shiny ShinyRead - CNETRead - TreonautsRead - PocketinfoRead - TreoCentral
Treo 750v in the flesh
Windows Mobile had a fresh 750v kicking around in their booth, and we were more than happy to snap a few shots of it au naturale. We're told that Vodafone has an exclusive on the device at least through the holidays, meaning Cingular might not be getting the love until '07 despite the presence of triband UMTS. We also confirmed that the device is UMTS only, not HSDPA, but hey -- when it comes to triband 3G devices, beggars can't be choosers.Update: TreoCentral's been told that the 750 will be software upgradable to HSDPA; also, Vodafone's exclusivity clause applies to Europe only, leaving the door open for 2006 releases in Asia, the US or elsewhere.
Palm Treo 750v gets official
Thanks to countless leaks over the last several months, one of the most anticlimactic smartphone releases in history has finally gone official. Palm has issued all the juicy details on their UK site, and... well, it's pretty much exactly what we expected: internal antenna, quadband GSM with triband UMTS (lending itself to a Cingular release), and a superbly average 1.3-megapixel cam sitting atop Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition. The phone is still apparently in the pre-order phase, though Vodafone's site is showing a price "From Free to £127.66" (about $240) depending on contract -- not bad considering what you get, but whether similar pricing will carry over to Cingular is another question entirely.[Thanks, Wolwol and Camp]
Vodafone taking preorders for Treo 750v
The teaser shot of the keyboard on Voda's site might not be very revealing, but hey, we've got plenty of evidence lined up to know pretty much what's in store for Vodafone customers come September 12 either way. Businessfolk on the carrier's UK site are now being encouraged to preorder the device, which will be "using Vodafone's high-speed 3G network" humming along atop Windows Mobile 5.2. The remainder of the spec sheet (if accurate) is nothing we couldn't have guessed, suggesting a 1.3-megapixel cam (we've heard 2 megapixels thrown around; we'll see), Bluetooth, and that fabulous HSDPA radio, though there's no mention of WiFi -- potentially a deal breaker for some. And for the record, yes, we're figuring that if they panned up on that annoying teaser shot, there'd be no external antenna in sight.[Via Mobility Site]
