Rumor: Treo 800w exclusive Sprint launch, sorry Verizon

The July 13th launch of the Treo 800w on Sprint (previous ETA was July 22) is looking like it might end up being an exclusive Sprint launch with a 60 to 90 day window.  Although the exclusive launch has not been confirmed, PhoneArena has reported that the received documents that indicate an exclusive window does exist and that Verizon Wireless might actually be the 3rd US carrier to launch the Treo 800w.  According to the information, the validity of the exclusive launch is in question and it might simply be delays within ‘Big Red’ that prevent Verizon customers from riding in on the Treo 800w train.

With a $249.99 price tag after 2 year contract and the usual $100 in mail in rebates it will be an interesting launch for Palm with the heavy competition from the BlackBerry Bold and iPhone 3G this July.  Without many major design improvements and the big additions to the Treo 800w being WM 6.1, EVDO Rev A, GPS and Wifi we are not sure how many people are willing to remain loyal to Palm when Sprint is expecting the launch of the both the HTC Touch Diamond and Raphael this year.  Certainly the die-hard Palm fanboys will be all over the Treo 800w, but we are really more interested in the leaked shots of the Treo 850 and the slim form factor that might help Palm redefine their lineup.

[Via: Phone Arena]