While we've known about that pesky Sprint Treo Pro delay for a few weeks now and that it had something to do with Sprint's certification process, up till now we had no idea exactly what was wrong.

According to PhoneNews, what is being fixed is that annoyingly low RAM that we've reported on previously and talked about in the Podcast.  In case you don't remember, the Treo Pro only has ~43 MB of free available RAM after a soft-reset, which is about 20 MB or so lower than its GSM cousin. 

HTC engineers have confirmed that the issue causing the continual delay of the Sprint Treo Pro lies in continuous ROM testing and certification to resolve a perpetual low free memory issue after many insiders discovered that the Treo Pro had ~40 MB of  free memory with no applications running, despite shipping with 256 MB of RAM.

Evidently the problem is this: The RAM on this device is on separate chips and Windows Mobile has problems recognizing this extra amount of memory – so it is physically there, just not being seen by the system. This mirrors some similar issues with HTC's Touch Pro (Verizon) and other original Touch devices, so it sounds very plausible.

At first, my initial assessment having used the device was that it wasn't too big of a deal. But with more extensive usage, I recanted on that notion: 40mb is too little for a 2009 device. Also, we should point out that the Treo Pro only has 128 MB of RAM (like the GSM version), not 256 MB. Although this begs the question: How does a device get so far in development without anyone noticing the extremely (and unusual) low amount of RAM? This isn't like some rare software bug but rather a standard and obvious device specification.  

Finally, we're getting word that some Sprint stores are getting re-stocked as we speak with new Treo Pros with the new ROM on board, so keep an eye out for those. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get my Treo Pro packed and ready to send to the HTC gods ;-)

So we managed to snag one of those hard-to-find-is-it-here-or-not Sprint Treo Pros before they were put under indefinite lock-n-key.

Care to see our full photo gallery and here some of our first thoughts on this soon-to-be Sprint messenger device? Read on…

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Update: It appears Sprint has now pulled the Treo Pro from their website completely, so our "jump the gun" remark was pretty accurate.  Who wants to bet your orders don't ship until at least Monday? Oh, Sprint.

Even though we are expecting some stores to have the Sprint Treo Pro for sales this Sunday (25th), it looks like Sprint.com has jumped the gun and begun advertising Palm's latest WM Treo this morning.  So you can hop over there now and order up.

No real suprises: $549 for the phone, -$200 for a contract and minus another $100 for a MIR, which brings it down to $249.  One caveat on that MIR: read the fine print to make sure your current plan qualifies.

We are still awaiting more confirmation on this, but it appears the Treo Pro has 96mb RAM and 512mb ROM, meaning Palm has doubled the available storage memory for programs, bringing it to about 336mb. More than enough for photos, data and program storage.  On the other hand, RAM may have taken a hit, meaning you may only have ~42mb of RAM after a soft reset. (See page 363 of the user manual --> .pdf).  We're working to confirm this last part, so take with a small grain of salt.  And yes, it's okay to pray that it's not true.

Other than that, it's running the same old Qualcomm MSM-7501a processor at 528mhz, which IS a nice bump from the 400mhz GSM version, plus a 1500mah battery for a nice 5hrs talk-time.

Thanks GrayKode!

Whew! We were getting a little worried here that the Sprint Treo Pro, that sleek n' shiny update to the Treo 800w, was getting lost in all the Palm Pre hubbub.

Luckily TreoCentral forum member elistone was kind enough to finally post some of those luscious details on this beaut. What is curious is that evidently it only has aGPS and not standalone-GPS (a contentious issue with 800w owners).  Of course WMExperts will do a comparions of both devices as soon as we get out mitts on one to verify. 

So without further ado...Sprint Treo Pro:

• Robust battery life with an 1500 mAh li-lon battery and 5 hours of continuous talk time.
• Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional Edition (OS) providing a feature rich experience (with Enterprise SCMDM options)
• 128MB program memory (DDR) and 256 non-volatile memory (175MB of user store)
• A-GPS – for navigation and turn-by-turn directions - Autonomous & Simultaneous GPS allows points of interests searching and mapping from contacts.
• Instant-on WiFi short-cut key - WPA/WPA2 certified
• 2.0 Megapixel resolution Camera for still and video shots with BPP Basic Printing Profile
• Price: $549 retail; $249 2-year contract

The Treo™ Pro by Palm® is a feature rich Windows Mobile 6.1 OS PDA which is a perfect balance of robust productivity and simplicity. Features include embedded WiFi with a dedicated short-cut key, A-GPS, EV-DO REV.A and a 2.0 mega pixel camera. This device has an updated stylish and slim form factor design. Data services run on Sprint’s Nationwide Mobile Broadband Network.

While nothing earth shattering, it should be a strong business messenger device for Sprint.  Look for it on Sunday, the 25th this month.

...well, unless you dismiss the sighting this past week at CES.

What you see to the right may be the first spy-shot of the ever elusive Sprint Treo Pro which is slated to be released in about 2 weeks time for $549 full-retail.

We keep hearing that this is a pretty basic GSM--> CDMA conversion, with not much different between the two--which is either dissapointing for some or a good thing for others.

Unfortunately still no hard facts on specs for this guy, but hopefully more will be coming forthwith.

thanks gadgetluva!

Looks like Palm has re-vamped their website recently and left a little bit of info confirming that upcoming Sprint Treo Pro.

Specifically, when you go to their site and hit "Shop" and then "Compare Details" you may notice how under the Treo Pro they have it listed as "3g" and "CDMA + EvDO".

Evidence? Or graphic error?  You be the judge.

Sure, outside of this, the January 25th launch date and the $549 price tag we know nothing of this latest Palm offering.  Certainly very odd less than 20 days to release and we don't even have a blurry cam shot yet. 

Here's hoping to this Thursday for more info?

thanks ivhs72