After a lot of whining, begging and stalking DonK, I finally managed to get my hands on a loaner Palm Treo Pro for Tech.Ed next week.

I've been using a Treo 750 as my primary device for a little over a year now, so for me this was an exciting moment... I've been thinking a lot recently about replacing the dependable old 750 with a HTC Touch Pro (I love the Diamond, but for me a keyboard is necessary as I do quite a bit of email when I'm on the road), but when I heard the recent buzz about the Treo Pro I was keen to learn more.

 
Palm Treo Pro on the left, Palm Treo 750 on the right

First impressions are that the Pro is sleeker and more modern... it is slightly smaller, quite a bit thinner (it feels great in the pocket), and weighs a little bit less.

 
The Pro is less bulky then the 750, and the keys are beautiful to type with

The screen is sharp and clear, and the buttons have a really nice "rubbery" feel.  I have big fingers, so keyboard buttons can make or break a phone for me (in fact the keys were the main reason I originally traded in a Samsung Blackjack for the Treo 750).  The keyboard is the same size, while the keys are "flatter" (i.e. they don't stick out as far) and the rubbery texture makes them a dream to use.

There are extra buttons for Email, Calendar, Wireless and camera.  Also gone are the left/right "menu" buttons - instead the Pro uses the base of the touch-screen for this.

 
Rear view - the Pro is simple and shiny

The Pro runs Windows Mobile 6.1 which is great, but I actually already had this running on my 750 (read my thoughts here).  However this device is much faster and has more memory than the 750, so things feel much snappier.

Nice additions are Wi-fi and GPS (although the installed Telstra Whereis GPS software isn't yet ready... but Telstra aren't launching the Pro for another few weeks I think which could explain that).

Battery life is great (2 days so far, with about 30% left - that's with plenty of calls, bluetooth headset in the car, and short periods of wi-fi).

It has a good quality camera, and of course I had to record some video to try it out.....

I know it's stupid.. I was at the supermarket, and I was hungry :)

I'm planning to record some videos using the Pro at Tech.Ed next week which will be going on my blog.. keep an eye out.  And of course I'll be doing a number of mobility demos, particularly at Smackdown! (*SMACK!*), so if you're there you'll get to see this device in action.

In summary - I love the Treo Pro, and unless the HTC Touch Pro blows my pants off then this is likely to be my next smartphone.  I'm just a bit sad, because I really don't want to give it back after Tech.Ed :(

</Johann>