Palm Launches Its First EDGE PDA Phone

By Joseph Palenchar On Feb 21 2005 - 8:00am

Cingular Wireless has begun offering PalmOne's first EDGE-equipped PDA phone, the Treo 650, on an exclusive basis through most of its distribution channels, including indirect retail.

The quadband worldphone receives voice calls in 170 countries and accesses data in almost 75. In the United States, it accesses data at speeds averaging up to 135Kbps through Cingular's EDGE (Enhanced Datarates for GSM Evolution) network, available in more than 8,500 cities and towns and along 30,000 miles of highways, the carrier said.

It will be available this week to consumers and businesses on Palm's Web site and at select Cingular retail locations, at a suggested retail of $549.99 without a contract and $449.99 with two-year contract. Monthly data plans include an unlimited plan for $44.99/month.

The Treo 650 incorporates improved QWERTY keyboard, e-mail, Palm OS organizer, messaging, Web access, digital camera, MP3 player, video capture and playback, user-replaceable removable battery, non-volatile memory, and Bluetooth. When deployed with enterprise e-mail solutions, the Treo 650 enables users to send and receive e-mail, meeting invitations and updates to contact directories and to-do lists on their corporate server.