Struggling device-maker Palm Inc. introduced its new Windows Mobile-based, touch-screen Treo Pro Wednesday. The business-targeted smartphone will be released in Europe and Australia, although an unlocked version will be available directly from Palm in the United States and Asia Pacific, as well as in some parts of Europe.
The Sunnyvale, California-based company called the sleek new device an “effortlessly usable smartphone for businesses that want to simplify their IT infrastructures and lower costs,” as well as for users looking for a way to manage their professional and personal lives.
Full QWERTY Keyboard, Removable Battery
The Pro features Palm shortcuts integrated with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, and offers e-mail and Wi-Fi, as well as GPS for maps, turn-by-turn directions and point-of-interest searches. In Europe, the Pro is available from Vodafone and O2, and from Telstra in Australia.
Palm President and CEO Ed Colligan said that “businesses want the control and savings that Windows Mobile affords,” in the kind of “innovative and elegant packages that keep their users happy.”
The company is promoting the ability for IT departments to maintain and secure their mobile workforce infrastructure with the Treo Pro, utilizing the integration of Palm and Windows Mobile 6.1. This includes Microsoft Direct Push technology, offering a direct connection to Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or 2007 for e-mail, contacts and calendars, as well as Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008.
The company is also emphasizing the thousands of Windows Mobile applications, and the operating system’s “familiar Windows experience” of browsing the Web with Internet Explorer Mobile; using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files; and opening PDFs or ZIP files.
In addition, the Pro offers a high-resolution color touch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, and a removable battery that can handle up to five hours of talk time.
‘Strong Set of Features’
For easy use, there is one-touch…