The highly rated Palm Treo 650 smart phone has won the support of another major mobile phone operator in the UK.
The Register is reporting that O2 will be offering the handset to its business customers “from next week”.
Up until now, Orange has been the sole big boy European telecom company to include the Treo 650 in their smartphone range, despite the phone’s huge popularity in America.
Rivals Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2 have preferred to only offer a selection of Windows Mobile-based devices made by HTC – including the imate JAM- as well as models from RIM’s BlackBerry range.
With Orange the sole Treo supporter up until now, rivals Vodafone, T-Mobile and O2 have preferred to offer a selection of Windows Mobile-based devices made by HTC – including the imate JAM – as well as models from RIM’s BlackBerry range.
The deal is good news for Palm who are looking to reproduce some of their TransAtlantic success in Europe, with the October 2005 opening of a R&D centre in Ireland reflecting their intent.
Helped by continuing uncertainties surrounding Research in Machines’ legal fisticuffs with NTP, shipments of both the Palm versions of the Treo smartphone have been flying off the shelves, accounting for around 75 per cent of Palm’s revenues and device shipments
Palm – who are currently celebrating the tenth anniversary of the launch of the Palm Pilot – is reported to have shifted 564,000 Treos in the last quarter (and we’re soon to join the throng after giving up on the fiddly complexities of our Windows Mobile handset).
Pricing from O2 is yet to be announced, but we reckon they’ll be knocking them out for something between £235 (~$408, ~€367) and £325 (~$581, ~€480) depending on the tariff/contract.