Windows Mobile 6 + HSDPA for Palm Treo... it's OFFICIAL!

[Guest Paul (MVP)]

This hot off the press from Palm themselves at the CTIA Wireless event in Orlando!

Palm Announces Update to Windows Mobile 6 Coming for Treo 750 Smartphone

AT&T Customers Also Gain Access to Faster Speeds with HSDPA Capability

ORLANDO, Fla., CTIA Wireless Show, March 27, 2007 -- Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced that an update to the Windows Mobile 6 Professional operating system will be available for Treo™ 750 smartphone customers around the world. The Treo 750 is available from carriers in the United States, Europe and Asia and remains a key part of Palm's international expansion strategy to make Treo smartphones available to more customers. For AT&T customers, the update also will facilitate High-speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) capability – allowing faster data-download speeds on 3G/UMTS/HSDPA networks.

"Palm continues to work closely with Microsoft to maximize the benefits of Windows Mobile and to deliver the best mobile experience to Treo customers," said Joe Fabris, director of wireless solutions at Palm, Inc. "Our hallmark Palm experience combined with the benefits of Windows Mobile 6 on the Treo 750 will continue to deliver a great productivity tool for businesses across the country and around the world."

The Treo 750 is a five-band world phone that combines a great phone with email, messaging, web browsing and organization software.(2) Because the Treo 750 is based on GSM radio technology that is widely available around the world, it is a natural fit for multinational businesses or employees who travel internationally. The flexibility of the Treo 750 combined with Windows Mobile 6 will help the Treo 750 continue to build on its momentum in the business market.

Windows Mobile 6 paired with Exchange Server 2007 will deliver email enhancements such as HTML-formatted email messages, the ability to set an out-of-office message remotely, and live links to Microsoft SharePoint documents. Also, the Treo's color touch screen makes line-of-business applications easier than ever and allows users to take full advantage of new mobile versions of Microsoft Office Outlook, Office Word, Office Excel and Office PowerPoint. Microsoft's Direct Push Technology continues to be available out of the box, giving Exchange users fast, automatic wireless updates of their email, calendar items, contacts and tasks without additional third-party software or fees.

"Windows Mobile delivers to the small screen a rich and familiar experience that meets people's work and life needs while on the go—all with a single device," said Chris Hill, group product manager, Microsoft Corp. "We are excited to work closely with Palm to offer a Windows Mobile 6 update to existing Treo 750 users so that they can take advantage of new and enhanced productivity and advanced communication capabilities."

Palm's Windows Mobile update for the Treo 750 will be available later this year. More information on the Palm Treo 750 smartphone is available at http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo750.

So it's officially coming now, rather than someone at MS accidentally leaking the news out! :D

Even better? We have it on very good authority (i.e. from Palm directly) that it's going to be FREE! E-TEN et-al, take note ;)

P

[Guest tsutton]

Any news from T-Mobile for upgrading to WM6 on all of their WM5 devices?

[Guest]

Thats great news for AT&T customers.

Even though the statement says "...an update to the Windows Mobile 6 Professional operating system will be available for Treo™ 750 smartphone customers around the world."

I highly doubt it if Vodafone (UK) will offer us this upgrade... ;)

It would be amazing if they did! Anyone knows for sure?

[Guest bennish]

Thats great news for AT&T customers.

Even though the statement says "...an update to the Windows Mobile 6 Professional operating system will be available for Treo™ 750 smartphone customers around the world."

I highly doubt it if Vodafone (UK) will offer us this upgrade... ;)

It would be amazing if they did! Anyone knows for sure?

i got the impression it was from palm itself, not from a provider? is that right or am i getting muddled up?

edit - oh wait i see, i think it's hsdpa upgrade for at&t, and a wm6 across the board regardless of provider. yeah?

Edited March 27, 2007 by bennish

[Guest]

i got the impression it was from palm itself, not from a provider? is that right or am i getting muddled up?

edit - oh wait i see, i think it's hsdpa upgrade for at&t, and a wm6 across the board regardless of provider. yeah?

Well on the Treo forum here there was a post about Win Mobile 6 upgrade for the 750 when the news was out a month or so ago and i asked there as well and someone said he asked them and they said no. When i saw this i got my hopes up again. If its going to be released directly by Palm maybe there's a slim chance us Voda UK people can get it too.

The way the OS is now there's not anything Vodafone specific from what i cal tell apart from the internet and mms settings which are embedded (right word?) in the OS. So there's not really any reason we couldnt use a "generic" upgrade. Is there?

Thoughts?

[Guest bennish]

The way the OS is now there's not anything Vodafone specific from what i cal tell apart from the internet and mms settings which are embedded (right word?) in the OS. So there's not really any reason we couldnt use a "generic" upgrade. Is there?

Thoughts?

that's always been the way eten and other companies have done it, i think?

mine's an unlocked voda uk too

[Guest stripeycat]

I keep phoning Palm (not vodafone any longer, they're pretty useless) and asking, but this is the first concrete evidence anyone's had. Hope Palm UK pony up with some details of a release date before the actual launch, i want to upgrade this bad boy before i trade it up for me N95. ;)