Microsoft and Palm have announced plans to co-develop a new smartphone.
This collaboration of Microsoft, Verizon and Palm plans to target a future environment where every professional is expected to have a phone that connects up to their email. The ActiveSync features of Windows Mobile 5.0 allow phone-Outlook synchronization and, when used with Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2, push email along the same lines of systems offered by Research in Motion and Intellisync.
The product and service will, however, not be available until very early next year, meaning the triumvirate misses the Christmas season so important to consumer sales. The companies said this is because it is still being certified against the Verizon network. While the alliance explained that the service would run on Verizon’s EVDO network, other details, such as branding and specs of the device, as well as pricing, were not announced.
Verizon looks like it has negotiated at least six months of exclusivity before the new Treo devices, currently known just as Windows for Treo, are offered via other providers. Palm CEO Ed Colligan explained that Windows-based Palm Treo devices for GPRS and UMTS networks were planned, but not until the second half of next year.
When Microsoft launched Windows Mobile 5.0 earlier this summer, it said its focus on developers and the fact that millions are already familiar with the Windows interface would be the keys to the software’s eventual dominance. And Mr Colligan was right on-message on both those counts yesterday. He talked up Palm’s plan to differentiate through applications and said there are millions of customers around the world who’d love to use that Windows experience.
By offering the ability to integrate with Office, Microsoft, Palm and Verizon will target Microsoft-heavy enterprises with the new devices. The deal also clearly positions Microsoft and Palm much better against RIM, which sells the very successful BlackBerry devices, software and services. RIM, however, is reportedly set to unveil some significant architectural changes of its own in the coming weeks.
