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Palm, Airtel and Microsoft Collaborate to Launch First Windows Mobile Treo Smartphone in India



Award-winning Treo 750 Smartphone Redefines Windows Mobile Through World-class Palm Experience, Delivers Smart Technology That Is Easy To Use

NEW DELHI, India, Sept. 25, 2007 -- Palm Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM), a leader in mobile computing, has announced the availability of the Palm® Treo™ 750 smartphone in India, marking Palm's commitment to furthering its momentum in the fast-growing Indian smartphone market. It is the first Treo smartphone to be introduced on Airtel's extensive network and also the first Windows Mobile® based Treo smartphone to be launched in India.

The Treo 750 combines Palm's one-of-a-kind user experience with a multifeatured mobile phone with email, messaging, web browsing and organization software all in a new compact design. The new smartphone is capable of 3G for fast data access.(1) It comes with Microsoft's Direct Push Technology for Windows Mobile.(2) An update to the new Windows Mobile® 6 Professional operating system will be made available later for Palm Treo 750 smartphone customers in India.

"Over 5 million Treo smartphones today are being used by companies and individuals around the world, and continuing to expand the Treo footprint is a key focus for Palm," said Sharon Ee, head of Business, South Asia, for Palm, Inc. "India is an important market for Palm, and Treo smartphones are well poised to meet the growing demand by Indian consumers who want a compelling mobile-computing experience."

"Our alliance with Palm to introduce the stylish and power-packed Treo 750 smartphone underlines our commitment to innovation. We are very excited at the opportunity to bring to our Airtel users a best-in-class product that delivers a rich experience that makes it an essential mobility, productivity, and business tool. This phone will be available exclusively on Airtel for a period of time," said Sanjay Gupta, chief marketing officer, Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel.

The Treo 750 comes bundled with a month of free unlimited data usage that allows customers to experience superior email, Internet browsing and Internet search experience apart from a variety of other data services from Airtel Live! The Treo also comes with a free Palm Wireless Keyboard with Bluetooth® wireless technology, making it even easier for road warriors who want a faster way to compose longer messages, reports and even spreadsheets. The compact wireless keyboard gives all the benefits of true touch typing, accentuating the Treo 750's superior ease of use and functionality.

Palm Experience on Windows Mobile

The Treo smartphone on Windows Mobile 5.0 provides a unique productivity and multimedia experience to mobile professionals who are often away from their PCs. Delivering a suite of software enhancements developed by Palm for the Windows Mobile environment, the Treo 750 provides ease of use, simplicity, and fast access to information. Features include the following:
  • Today Screen enhancements, which offer the ability to "dial by name" with a few keystrokes on the keyboard, perform a web search directly from the Today Screen and perform one-touch dialing with personalized photo speed dials. The "dial by photo" feature makes it fast and easy to contact pre-programmed phone book entries;
  • Ability to manage a call directly from the Today Screen and stay on top of voicemail with on-screen, VCR-like icons, such as rewind, delete and fast-forward controls for easy navigation;
  • Ability to ignore a call and quickly compose a text message, such as "In a meeting" or "Can't talk"; and
  • Dedicated messaging application for SMS/MMS that is organized in a "chat thread" so users can reference prior messages and use emoticons for a personal touch.
"It's a great opportunity for us to work with Palm and Airtel to launch the first Windows Mobile enabled Treo smartphone in India. The powerful value proposition of work and play that Windows Mobile offers, together with the unique design and user experience that is represented by the Treo 750, is sure to deliver a winning solution that connects professionals to their business-critical information while on the go," said Sumeet Gugnani, director, Mobile Business Communication (MCB), Microsoft India. "The Windows Mobile platform has seen tremendous success with users in India, one that will be further accelerated with the launch of the Treo 750 smartphone in the country."

Benefits of Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition

The Windows Mobile based Treo smartphones from Palm provide customers with a compelling combination of powerful software, an award-winning form factor, and the ease of use long associated with the Palm experience. Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition provides many user benefits:
  • Touch screen: Makes surfing websites, gathering data and navigating forms and applications easier;
  • Copy and paste: Additional functionality provides added productivity;
  • Built-in viewers and editors: Ability to view and edit Microsoft Word and Excel® files and "roundtrip" those edits back to original files on the user's desktop, and view PowerPoint® presentations and PDF files;
  • Breadth of applications: Thousands of commercial applications available for Windows Mobile; and
  • Multimedia Management: Ability to save images and sounds from a website.
Additional Treo 750 Features and Benefits
  • Powerful Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 with Palm enhancements;
  • Integrated SMS/MMS with chat view and dedicated inbox;
  • Mobile access to multiple business and personal email accounts;
  • 3G/UMTS/HSDPA network-capable for faster data access;
  • 1.3-megapixel digital camera that also captures video;
  • Windows Media® Player 10 Mobile for music and video;
  • Built-in Bluetooth wireless technology enhanced to support Bluetooth enabled stereo headsets;
  • Mini-SD expansion slot; and
  • 240x240 transflective (TFT) touch screen.
Pricing, Availability and Customer Support

The Treo 750 is available now for Rs. 26,990 and for a limited time comes bundled with a month of free unlimited data usage and the Palm Wireless Keyboard with Bluetooth wireless technology (worth Rs. 5,800 -- while stocks last). The Treo 750 will be distributed through Brightstar Telecom India Pvt Ltd., the national distributor for the product, and will be available at Airtel retail stores in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Pune and Chandigarh. Customers will enjoy the high levels of service support and warranty from Palm, with technical support via telephone and email support. Ten Service Centres in key cities will provide an "on-the-spot" swap service should there be any customer issues experienced. Customers also can look forward to the latest product enhancements, upgrades and software releases for the Treo 750.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information from anywhere. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm® Treo™ smartphones and Palm handheld computers, as well as software, services and accessories.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm Retail Stores and Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com/in.

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(1) Designed to be compatible with networks implementing GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA standards, but networks may not be available in all countries or within countries in which it is deployed including India. Actual data speeds vary based on network capacity and application design. Within wireless service coverage areas only. Availability and coverage depends upon carrier and the geographic scope of international roaming agreements. Email, messaging and web access requires data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost. VPN may also be required.

(2) Requires Exchange Server 2003 with Service Pack 2 or Exchange Server 2007 and access enabled by IT administrator.

Broadcast Video and Other Palm Materials

Broadcast video and other materials are available online from Palm's Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary). Press can register at the site, which is hosted by The NewsMarket (www.TheNewsMarket.com), a web-based news and video archive, to browse and preview an extensive content library and order footage directly from their desktops. Registration and ordering on the site is free.



Palm and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.




Palm, Palm OS, and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned or licensed to Palm, Inc. Microsoft and Windows Mobile are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.