The folks at Palm announced their new Treo smart phone today. The new Treo 700 will carry the Mobile Windows OS by Microsoft and will be distributed through Verizon initially through their wireless broadband.
“We’ve long believed that the future of personal computing is mobile computing, and our collaboration with Microsoft is a historic step in delivering that vision to a larger market,” said Ed Colligan, president and CEO of Palm Inc. “We’re confident customers will see a differentiated smartphone that delivers our world-class usability on Microsoft’s flexible and robust Windows Mobile operating system. We collaborated with Verizon Wireless first because of its high-speed wireless network and growing footprint of Broadband Access cities.”
“This is a landmark alliance that will help businesses remain on the cutting edge of competitiveness,” said Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect at Microsoft. “Demand for accessing information on mobile devices is soaring, and businesses want a low-cost, scalable solution. We’re excited to team with Palm and Verizon Wireless to deliver a winning Windows Mobile solution that connects professionals to their critical information while on the go.”
Full details on the product haven’t been released yet and won’t be until the product launch in the first part of next year. Some features demoed include a “declining a cal” feature with SMS by offering up messages saying things like “in a meeting” or “talking to the boss” instead of ignoring the call; rewind, delete, fast forward through emails with on-screen icons; contact someone quickly from the Today Screen and choose between home, office or mobile numbers, or select email or SMS. With only two letters entered, a customer can find a record from among thousands of contacts.
“The new Treo smartphone running Windows Mobile will highlight the speed and power of our BroadbandAccess service,” said Denny Strigl, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless. “The Treo will deliver fast downloading of email and attachments as well as quick access to critical-business information, providing businesses with a great return on investment. Our strong relationships with Microsoft and Palm continue to provide real value for our customers.”
John Stith is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
