The CDMA (Sprint) version of the Palm Treo Pro has been unlocked for a while now, meaning you can load custom ROMs and, especially, Windows Mobile 6.5.

Uber-hacker cmnoex has released a version of her hardSPL tool for the GSM version of the phone. A slight word of warning, however, from cmonex herself:

OK right now I don't have time for the final tests (am still without a device) but I suppose it works. let me know if it does.

Grab the unlocker at ppcgeeks. Any brave souls out there willing to give it a go? Let us know (and let cmonex know) in the comments. (And don't forget to donate to your favorite chef!)

Not to stir up too much attention, but the unlocker (Hard SPL) for the CDMA Touch Pro 2 is expected to drop sometime this coming week.

Like the GSM version, this will allow users to flash the much coveted custom ROMs onto their phones.  The 'CDMA Rhodium Elite Team' has been hard at work cracking this latest HTC device and evidently it hasn't been an easy job, so give them some thanks when it drops.

What is even better news is the expectation that a separate SIM unlocker will be released at or near the same time as the Hard SPL.  The will allow the CDMA Touch Pro 2 to reportedly work on any U.S. GSM network (e.g. AT&T and T-Mobile) as well as for flashing of different radio firmwares.

The Sprint Touch Pro 2 is already SIM unlocked for oversea GSM carriers (unlike the Verizon and Telus versions), but all CDMA devices are barred from U.S. GSM networks, making this accomplishment, if accurate, truly astonishing.

The Hard SPL (for custom ROMs) will of course be free but the SIM unlocker is reportedly going to cost a license of €14 (~$21), which we suppose is fair for such a bonus feature.

We'll keep you posted as soon as either are released!

To wrap up the Microsoft NYC Open House this week, we got to play with some of the latest and greatest Windows phones featuring Windows Mobile 6.5.  It was all the usual suspects if you will: AT&T Touch Pro 2 (aka Tilt 2), Pure; Verizon Imagio. (Toshiba TG01, Sprint Intrepid & the LG GM750 were covered elsewhere).

All in all we came away very impressed. All the manufacturers present have really stepped up their game and we think customers win out in the end with this years crop of WM6.5 phones.

Read on for some great photos and our thoughts on these three devices.

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We'd seen rumors that two of HTC's soon-to-be-released phones, the Touch Pro 2 and Snap, could well be sporting CDMA and GSM radios for some worldwide fun, and now we've got some official evidence to go with it.

Engadget spied a document in FCC testing of the Touch Pro 2 (aka Rhodium) that states there are in fact two radios on board, and that the GSM side "has been disabled by firmware and is SIM locked for all US operators."

So what's that mean? It's a world phone all right, but don't expect to be rocking dual CDMA/GSM in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Another item of note here is that there are two FCC IDs, the Rhodium 400 and the Rhodium 500, which very likely means versions for Sprint (which we just saw) and Verizon (which we don't expect to see anytime soon - see VZW Touch Diamond). Stay tuned.

Back in February the WiFi Alliance outed a future Samsung Windows Mobile phone, the GT-i8000, which was sporting Windows Mobile 6.1. And that's about all that was known about it.

And we don't know too much more today, except that it's GSM-bound. The Unwired spied the above shot at the Global Certification Forum, which shows the radio frequencies it'll support. OK, that's not entirely true. As you can see, it'll have HSDPA, MMS and video telephony. Fairly standard stuff these days, huh?

Gentlemen, start your speculating engines.

If you just got your tax return back, here's a quick way to blow it — and by blow it we mean buy one of the three phones we officially know will be running Windows Mobile 6.5 later this year.

An unlocked HTC Touch Pro 2 is up for auction on eBay. WMPowerUser spied it when it had a "But it now" price of $899, but it looks like it's been relisted and will now see how high the price will go by 11 p.m. EST March 27.

At the time of this writing, the top bid was $475. But before you throw your bid in the ring, do note that while this is an unlocked GSM phone, it only has the 3G radio bands used outside the U.S. So, no AT&T love for this guy. Otherwise, if everything is as advertised, it should work just fine.

So, how much would you pay to be the first on your block with a Touch Pro 2?

Update: And ... the auction's been called off. Can't say that's too surprising.

Speaking of pre-orders, you can now drop $699.99 on Best Buy for your very own unlocked HTC Touch Diamond. [via]

And it looks like you shouldn't have to wait too long for delivery. A quick click on the "Estimate arrival time" link gives an estimated date of Sept. 29 - Oct. 4.

More good news: U.S. 3G bands are confirmed, with 850/900/1800/1900 MHz supported. Sorry, T-Mobile customers. That 1700 MHz band is turning out to be a real pain, isn't it?

This should be an interesting exercise. The GSM Touch ($499) and Touch Dual ($549) also are available unlocked at Best Buy, but there's definitely a psychological difference between $550 and $700. Does "unlocked" status mean that much (or anything?) to most U.S. smartphone consumers?

And with that other keyboardless GSM phone on AT&T, and Sprint reportedly launching the Diamond next week at $300 or less, just what kind of demand will Best Buy ultimately see? And will AT&T bother picking it up? (Our guess is no. Probably not enough room in that stable for two keyboardless phones of that caliber.)

Anyhoo, if the GSM Diamond's your thing, head on over to Best Buy's Web site and throw down your cash.

So though ol' Moto seems to be having problems, Dieter and I are at least pretty big fans of the Q9 series and leave it to Verizon to be readying the mother of all Q9s (hmm..perhaps Q9 Alpha?).

Get this: world phone version with Wifi.

BGR managed to not only scoop the details but take 6 million high quality photos of the darn thing, which has got to irk Verizon just a wee bit.

As Lord Vader would say, the specs are "...most impressive" (too dorky?)

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• EV-DO Rev. A
• Quad-band EDGE (!)
• Fingerprint scanner (!)
• 2 megapixel camera with flash
• Stereo speakers
• 320×240 resolution screen
• Wi-Fi
• 1500mAh battery

Anyone think maybe Sprint pulled their Q9 not because of "supply problems" but perhaps they too will get this monster of a device?

If so, sign me up. Plus they'd probably allow you to actually use the GPS...

And isn't it Napoleon? Silly Moto.

Check out the rest of BGR's extensive photo gallery.

Update from Dieter:

One more thing, actually. Check out his gallery for images of a custom UI on top of what we assume is Windows Mobile 6.1. It looks like they've improved a bit on the standard Sliding Panels UI -- adding in a nice lefthand icon bar and an integrated RSS reader, stocks, weather, and more.

Yeah. Want.

Looks like a little company named HKC (sounds familiar) is upping the anti when it comes to designing new Windows Mobile devices. I just caught wind that they are launching new Windows Mobile Pro handsets that work on the trusty GSM as well as the beloved CDMA. That would be the W1000, which covers GSM on 900 / 1800 / 1900 as well as CDMA. Note: that means no US GSM support. Or sales, likely.

They even whipped up what they claim is the first dual-SIM GSM handset. To me it sounds like a good investment if you’re tired of lugging around that work phone along with the personal one.

Some key features will include:

• Two mega pixel macro-enabled camera
• A micro SD memory card slot for adding up to 4GB storage space.
• WorldCard Mobile software to manage business cards
• 2.8 inch screen

I think this will be great for the overseas traveler. I can’t tell you how many times I read about sprint users who want to bash their heads against the wall when it comes to traveling out of the country. What about the guys (like me) that carry around two phones because customers need someone to call but want to keep a private line. Now it looks like you can have your cake and eat it too…good old sim card cake.

Not that we'll see this device in the U.S. officially anytime soon but here are some of the first live shots of the Nokia-esque Asus M930i, an interesting entry into the competitive WM6 Standard world. The features on the device aren't too shabby and while the design is certainly...interesting. Well, at least Asus is trying something different from the likes of HTC and Palm.

Check out the specs, a first opinion and some comparison shots (Treo 680 + iPod Touch) after the jump...

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