Sprint launching Treo 800w on July 22?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted May 7th 2008 9:30AM
posted May 7th 2008 9:30AM
With the comforting knowledge that HTC's lovely new devices are inbound for Sprint, we admit, we're having an awful time working up excitement over the 800w at this point -- but we've got to give all these things a fair shake on the open market before we figure out who's king of the Windows Mobile hill this year. WMExperts claims that Sprint is now targeting July 22 for the grand entrance of Palm's latest Treo, a date that would still jibe with the timeline we've already seen in the wild. The potential launch date also brought with it a handful of new tidbits: Windows Mobile 6.1, integrated GPS, an illuminated keyboard that falls between the Centro's and the 700 series size wise, and it's apparently "very fast." It also seems that Sprint's version will likely be coming in Charcoal Black, a color that would fit in nicely with the carrier's trend of launching dark-ish smartphones. If the Curve is any indication, it's a color that'll suit the device well.
I'm with you, Chris, that it's a little hard to get excited about this device given some of the sexier ones coming to Sprint in the near future. Between the Instinct and both of the rumored HTC devices, it's tough to figure where this fits.
I do enjoy that it has a tactile keyboard and WiFi (two things the Instinct will not have), so in that regard, I suppose there's still something to like.
i think there is plenty of room for a device like this in the market judging from the success of the centro. form factor is a huge thing and if this has a bigger keyboard then the centro, i'm sure some of the suits will like it. a lot people hate sliders or touch screen only phones. the palm offers a nice combo. of all the phone i've ever had, my palm really has been my favorite. i've never owned a WM palm, however, so i can only speak to form factor.
the instinct and diamond are great toys/gadgets that will attract a different demographic. the raphael and 800w will likely appeal to powerusers and gadget lovers alike.