Palm has announced its long-awaited Windows-based Treo handset for the European market, promoting its ease of use as its chief differentiator from rivals. The new model supports Microsoft's push email feature out-of-the box and is expected to appeal more to business buyers than earlier Treos running Palm OS.
The Palm Treo 750v will be available from early October through Vodafone and will cost up to £150 depending on tariff, with mobile email priced from £10 per month. Vodafone said it had chosen the tariffs to be "affordable and predictable " for customers.
Like the Treo 700w, which Palm launched in the US a year ago, the Treo 750v runs Windows Mobile 5.0. However, the new device is designed to work with European 3G networks and also includes Microsoft's Messaging and Security Feature Pack (MSFP) update that enables handsets to get push email from Microsoft Exchange 2003 servers.
Palm said that mobile email remains a largely untapped market, with fewer than three percent of business inboxes accessed by mobile devices.
"There's a need for a device that serves both business and personal needs," said Palm senior vice-president John Hartnett. He added that the new Treo is a complete out-of-the-box system for push email, which customers are demanding.
Company chief executive Ed Colligan said that a lot of work had gone into adapting Windows Mobile to make it easier to use on the Treo.
Customisations include changes to the “Today” home screen to give speedy access to functions. Users can quickly find and call a contact by starting to key in their name or phone number, for example. A web search tool also features on the Today screen.
When a call comes in, the Treo lets the user cancel the call and automatically send a text message response to say they are busy and will call back. The Treo also threads all text messages into a chat view that looks like instant messaging.
"We tried to think of what customers do - think about fingers not buttons, pockets, and usage patterns, how people will instinctively use the product. This is the differentiation we bring to the marketplace," Colligan said.
The Treo 750v is HSDPA-ready, but this high-speed extension to 3G wireless is not currently enabled in the handset. Vodafone said it expected to offer this capability to Treo users before the end of the year.
