Palm hopes IT departments will find a new darling in its Palm Treo Pro smartphone, which will run at EvDO Rev. A 3G speeds on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network. The Palm Treo Pro smartphone also features Microsoft Internet Explorer Mobile 6.1, GPS and Wi-Fi connectivity. With the new Treo Pro release, Palm is looking to gain some momentum in the enterprise smartphone market over the likes of BlackBerry maker RIM.
Palm's
Treo Pro smartphone will be available March 15 on the Sprint Mobile Broadband
Network, which offers Evolution Data Optimized Rev. A 3G speeds. The Treo Pro
has been available unlocked, and hence available to various markets and
operators, since August 2008.
With this announcement, Palm is looking to gain some momentum in the
enterprise
smartphone market against the likes of
RIM's
BlackBerry lineup.
The
Palm Treo Pro was designed with the enterprise professional's full life in mind,
which means a mix of enterprise and lifestyle features, as well as "the
reliability and manageability IT departments require," according to a
March 4 statement from
Palm
announcing the availability.
The Treo Pro supports
Microsoft
Direct Push Technology for instant e-mail, contacts and calendar information.
It's also compatible with the Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager
2008, which boosts security and offers easier device management and access to
corporate networks, Palm said.
The Treo Pro is the first Palm product with Microsoft's Internet Explorer
Mobile 6.1, which offers the option of an optimized mobile or desktoplike
Internet browsing experience. It also features a one-touch button for quickly
connecting to Wi-Fi, a QWERTY keyboard and integrated Sprint Navigation GPS.
During the inevitable downtime between connecting flights, Treo Pro users
have access to exclusive Sprint content such as Sprint TV, Sprint Music and
Pocket Express, a service for quick links to information such as sports,
weather and news, Palm said.
"The combination of Sprint Mobile Broadband with EvDO Rev. A technology
and Windows Mobile 6.1 on a Palm smartphone creates a mobile solution that
meets the needs of today's mobile professionals," Kevin Packingham, a
senior vice president for Sprint, said in a statement.
"For years, Sprint, Microsoft and Palm have worked together to provide
businesses large and small with an affordable mobile experience that is second
to none, and Treo Pro continues that collaborative tradition," Packingham
said.
The Palm Treo Pro will retail in Sprint stores for $199.99 with a two-year
subscriber agreement. That price is contingent on a $100 instant rebate and a
$100 mail-in rebate, with a Sprint Everything plan with data or a data add-on
for $30 per month or higher. Additionally, it will be available in Palm stores
and through Palm business-to-business sales on March 16.
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