Treo gets Palm OS and fast wireless

After flirting with Windows Mobile, the cult handheld maker goes back to its native environment to link up with the EV-DO network

The Palm OS is about to get into the fast lane.

A little more than four months after Palm released the Windows Mobile-based Treo 700w on Verizon Wireless' EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimised) network, it is set to announce a Palm OS version that can connect to EV-DO, ZDNet UK's sister site CNET News.com has learned. The company on Monday will unveil the new model, expected to be called the 700p, sources say.

A Palm representative declined to comment.

Palm enthusiast sites have been buzzing about the 700p ever since Palm broke with tradition and chose Windows Mobile for its 700w smart phone released in January. At the time, Palm chief executive Ed Colligan made it clear the company planned to continue releasing versions of the Treo based on Palm OS. The 700p will be the first such update to the Treo lineup since the release of the 650 in October 2004.

EV-DO networks are available from both Verizon and Sprint in the US. They allow mobile phone users to download data at speeds between 400Kbps (kilobits per second) and 700Kbps, significantly faster than older wireless networks.

It's not clear whether Verizon or Sprint will be the initial carrier for the 700p, but Verizon was the launch partner for the 700w. It's also not clear when the devices will become available, although postings on Palm enthusiast sites point to late May.

The 700p is not expected to look all that different from the 700w, except for the operating system. Some mobile application developers have bemoaned the lack of a Palm OS-based Treo on a fast wireless network such as EV-DO and have embraced Windows for new multimedia applications.

Story URL: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/0,1000000085,39268315,00.htm