Sprint introduced the Treo 800w Smartphone this week, a device designed for business users always on the go, offering high-speed productivity, GPS capabilities, WiFi and EV-DO Rev. support. The timing may seem a bit odd, considering the recent launch of its rival, the iPhone, but Treo is not competing with the iPhone, Sprint says.
Treo was designed to be “the most business-friendly phone yet,” with an easy to use QWERTY keyboard, five-way navigation and one-touch buttons to the most-used applications, turning it into “a smartphone people want to use,” Sprint explained.
The new Treo enables fast web and e-mail access, with the help of the EV-DO Rev. A network support, which enables peak network download data rates increase to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates increase to 1.8Mbps.
In addition to that, Treo has integrated GPS, includes 802.11b/g WiFi and built-in Internet Explorer Mobile, it connects directly with the Exchange Server 2003 or 2007 and works within a company's existing Microsoft infrastructure, extending business capabilities and optimizing business processes anyplace, anytime.
"Palm is adding a unique stamp to the Windows Mobile experience with the Treo 800w," said Stephane Maes, vice president, product marketing, Palm, Inc. "It's an easy-to-use feature-packed smartphone that will keep users happy, empowered and productive."
The new Professional Developer Program and the Titan platform for Windows Mobile 6.1 devices open Palm to new business applications, helping developers to generate services that can work on both desktops and mobile devices, the company said.
The smartphone is available in Sprint Stores or online for $249.99 after discounts and rebates with a two-year contract.
It's clearly not a competitor for the iPhone, but it is one for the Blackberry, as Palm executive Brodie Keast admitted in a Reuters interview. However, no matter how or what the competition does, there's still enough room for everyone on what still remains a very large market, he expained.
