Sprint Picks Up Palm Treo ProSprint Picks Up Palm Treo Pro

In a post on its Web site Thursday, Sprint accidentally let the world know that it would be soon offering Palm's Treo Pro, a Windows Mobile smartphone aimed at the mobile professional.

The post has since been removed, but it said the Treo Pro would be priced at $249.99 after rebates with a two-year contract. The Treo Pro has been available as an unlocked GSM smartphone for a few months, but the third-largest U.S. mobile operator will bring it over to its CDMA and EV-DO networks.

"Sprint inadvertently posted information on Sprint.com regarding an upcoming product, Palm Treo Pro, this morning. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," a Sprint spokesperson said in an e-mail. "Sprint looks forward to welcoming this exciting, new device into our portfolio as soon as it has been approved through our customary testing process. We will share details on the correct availability date as soon as the standard testing of both the device and its interaction with our network has concluded."

The handset has a 2.5-inch touch screen, as well as a physical QWERTY keyboard. Palm has also included quick-launch buttons to activate Wi-Fi, e-mail, profiles, and other features. With 3G, GPS, and Bluetooth, the Treo Pro is packed with options to keep the mobile professional connected. The smartphone also has a 2-megapixel camera and multimedia capabilities, and it can view multiple Microsoft Office documents.

But the Treo Pro could have trouble gaining traction, as its potential buyers may choose to wait for the recently announced Palm Pre smartphone. The Pre also sports a touch screen and a physical keyboard, but it's powered by webOS and has an intuitive user interface. Additionally, the Pre will be a Sprint exclusive when it's launched in the first half of the year, and it will benefit from the carrier's marketing muscle.