After
Sprint offered Palm's new Treo 800w online already, and some outlets started
selling Palm's latest Windows Mobile smartphone last week already, Palm, Inc.
and Sprint finally announced the Palm Treo 800w today, Sprint's newest
smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional. Designed for business users who
depend on their smartphones for high-speed productivity on the go, the Palm Treo
800w operates on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network and comes out of the box
with support for EV-DO Rev. A data speeds, WiFi for data and GPS capabilities.
The Treo 800w is Palm's most business-friendly phone yet. IT departments can
simplify infrastructure and lower costs with a direct connection to Microsoft
Exchange Server, giving users up-to-date E-Mail, contacts, calendars and access
to other productivity applications. Palm designed the Treo 800w for easy-to-use
mobility with a full QWERTY keyboard, five-way navigation and one-touch buttons
to the most-used applications, making it a smartphone people want to use.
As Sprint's first smartphone to ship immediately with EV-DO Rev. A network
support, the Treo 800w offers customers the ability to quickly browse the web
and send and receive E-Mails - even those with large attachments - at broadband
speeds. The vast majority of Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network has been upgraded
to EV-DO Rev. A technology, providing Treo 800w users blazing-fast speeds on the
nation's largest mobile broadband network (based on covered square miles). The
Sprint Mobile Broadband Network (inclusive of data roaming) reaches more than
246 million people, 16,022 cities and 1,506 airports and brings customers
instant gratification so they can work fast and on the go. With EV-DO Rev. A,
peak network download data rates increase to 3.1 Mbps and peak upload data rates
increase to 1.8 Mbps; average download speeds improve to 600 Kbps to 1.4 Mbps
and average uplink speeds increase to 350 - 500 Kbps.
Palm's WiFi hardware and software innovations make it easy to get online fast
and manage network connections and power usage. The one-touch WiFi button
provides a clean, uncluttered WiFi experience that gets Treo 800w users rapidly
connected at home, in the office or in WiFi hotspots. It includes 802.11b/g WiFi
and built-in Internet Explorer Mobile, which means faster, more secure access to
web-based data.
With integrated GPS and Palm software enhancements, the Treo 800w smartphone
offers maps, point-to-point directions and point-of-interest (POI) searches for
locations such as restaurants or stores. POI search is available directly from
the Today Screen and is integrated with contacts, giving customers one-touch
access to the places they want to go. Treo 800w also supports Sprint Navigation
for turn-by-turn directions as well as other popular third-party location-based
services applications.
Companies looking for more control, centralization and security will find the
Treo 800w an attractive choice. It connects directly with Exchange Server 2003
SP2 or 2007 and works within a company's existing Microsoft infrastructure,
eliminating costly middleware or the maintenance of additional servers. The Treo
800w extends business capabilities by providing a familiar Microsoft Windows
experience while on the go to keep employees productive. With thousands of
applications available for Windows Mobile, businesses can extend mobility beyond
E-Mail to optimize business processes whether in sales or out in field.
The Treo 800w comes fully equipped with easy-to-use professional E-Mail.
Microsoft Direct Push Technology is available out of the box and gives users
connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server fast, automatic wireless updates from
their E-Mail, calendar, contacts and tasks. Users can download E-Mail
attachments to view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel files, view PowerPoint and
PDF files, and open ZIP files.
The Treo 800w is compatible with Microsoft's System Center Mobile Device
Manager 2008, which delivers increased security and easier smartphone management
as well as access to information on the corporate network via mobile VPN. IT
professionals can confidently manage large Treo 800w deployments the same way
they would expect to manage PCs with a low-cost, reliable solution that fits
seamlessly with their existing IT infrastructures.
"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."
In addition to Palm's WiFi and GPS enhancements, Palm innovations on top of
Windows Mobile include:
- Today Screen enhancements: Call, text, E-Mail, perform a web search
and map a contact's address, all directly from the Today Screen
- Dial from the Today Screen: Enter the contact name, select the number
and dial. Add text or picture speed dials for one-touch calls to family and
friends, or use the physical or touch screen number keys to dial the number
directly
- VoicE-Mail controls: VCR-like icons, such as rewind, delete and
fast-forward, for easy navigation
- Ignore with text: ignore a call quickly by sending a text message,
such as "In a meeting" or "Can't talk right now"
- Superior phone and call management: dedicated mute, speakerphone,
conference calling icons, or dial any number in an E-Mail or webpage, all with
just one touch
- Palm ease-of-use features: hard buttons for E-Mail and calendar, a
five-way navigation button and on/off ringer switch
In addition to the valuable business-friendly features delivered through Palm
and Windows Mobile 6.1, new business applications are being created through
Sprint's newly launched Professional Developer Program and with tools such as
the Titan platform for Windows Mobile 6.1 devices. A growing community of
application developers who may previously have focused on desktop services are
now finding it easier to generate services that can perform on both the desktop
and mobile devices.
Treo 800w customers can leverage the speed of the Sprint Mobile Broadband
Network to access Sprint content, including:
- Sprint TV allowing users to watch live TV or video-on-demand with
full-motion video or catch the latest news, sports, weather, entertainment and
movie trailers on the go. Choose from more than 50 live television channels and
watch programs such as CNN mobile, FOX sports and E! Entertainment; access NFL
Network and special programming via Sprint Exclusive Entertainment.
- Sprint Navigation delivers turn-by-turn voice-guided and on-screen driving
directions, 3-D moving maps similar to an in-car navigation system or personal
navigation device, as well as local search, intelligent traffic alerts and
one-click rerouting.
- Pocket Express to retrieve customized, up-to-date web content such as
sports, weather, news, money and movie information with the push of a button.
- Sprint IM extends instant messaging to the Treo 800w with access to Yahoo!
Messenger, AOL's AIM service and MSN Messenger.
As previously reported, the Treo 800w is available today for consumers and
businesses at Sprint Stores, online at www.sprint.com or www.palm.com, and
through Sprint or Palm's B2B sales organizations. It will be available for US$
249.99 after discounts and rebates with a two-year contract.
Cheers ~ Arne
