Sunnyvale (CA) – The Handspring Treo is considered to have been the pioneer of the smartphone category and long before the iPhone, the Treo was the fanciest and most functional cellphone you could buy. The iPhone changed the smartphone landscape, but if you are among those who just don’t like an iPhone or Blackberry, the new Palm Treo Pro is certainly worth a look.     

Palm recently struggled to find its direction. After ill-fated concepts such as the Foleo, the company seems to be on a promising path again with its Centro entry-level phone and today’s announcement of the Treo Pro.

Based on Windows Mobile 6.1, the Pro comes in a familiar Treo form factor that splits the front cover real estate between a physical keyboard and a color screen in half. It is without doubt the sleekest Treo Palm has come up with so far and, subjectively, will not look out of place next to an iPhone or the latest Blackberries. Running a 400 MHz Qualcomm processor, the device includes a 320x320 pixel display, 3G (HSDPA) support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and a microSDHC expansion slot.

The most significant downsides compared to the iPhone are the Pro’s memory and price. There are only 100 MB available as storage space, which means that you will have to purchase extra memory cards in addition to the $549 price (subsidized pricing should be $399.) But, other than the iPhone, the Pro is unlocked, enabling buyers to use the device on a GSM network of their choice.

In direct comparison, the Treo Pro is much less a multimedia phone than the iPhone, but has a much greater focus on business applications. Not surprisingly, Palm describes the Pro as effortlessly usable smartphone for businesses that want to simplify their IT infrastructures and lower costs, and for users who want to stay on top of their professional and personal lives.

At first look, the Pro appears to be one of the most compelling smartphones based on Windows Mobile in the market today and could become an interesting alternative to Blackberrys.