Handspring Readies Color Treo

On Tuesday, Handspring, the first of the Palm OS licensees, expects to unveil a color version of its Treo handheld device that combines Palm organizer applications with a full-function cellular phone.

The new 270 model will be priced at $499 with service activation, but at $699 without service. According to a Handspring spokesperson, this is a typical cell phone handset strategy wherein the service provider underwrites the cost of the hardware. The monochrome Treo is now priced at $399, after recent price cuts.

Though Handspring executives would not talk about the Treo 270 prior to next week's launch, the company's filing to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is a matter of public record, and the details on the new product are available on the FCC's Web site.

Main Change: Color

"The Treo is basically a Treo 180 that incorporates a color display," according to test results by Celltech Research Laboratories in Kelowna, British Columbia, published at the FCC site.

The report goes on to say that the only changes in the 270 are based on the fact that the display is color. All Treo modules use the same radio frequency module from the same vendor, the test report says.

While the internal components are similar, there are differences in the external dimensions, with the 270 model slightly thicker than the original 180 models introduced last fall, to accommodate the color circuitry. The 270 model also includes backlighting for both the keyboard and screen. The 180 uses only a backlit screen.

E-Mail Options

TreoMail will continue to give users access to Microsoft Exchange Server for corporate e-mail accounts, but support for Lotus Domino, the Lotus Notes server, is still not available.

The Treo line offers cellular service from both Cingular and Voicestream and can be upgraded to General Packet Radio Service via a software download as it becomes available.

Cell phone features on the Treo line include three-way calling, speakerphone, caller ID, and instant lookup.

Published reports also indicate Handspring will unveil a Treo organizer model without wireless capability. This has led to speculation that the Visor line of handheld organizers will be discontinued at some point in the future.

Handspring Product Line Manager Calin Pacurariu would not acknowledge the rumors but did say that Handspring's focus is on the Treo.