News Article: Treo 680 Official Press Releases

As a follow-on to our article about the Treo 680 launch, here are Palm's and Cingular's official press releases.

Palm Announces Availability of Treo 680 Smartphone in Four Colors

Slim and Sleek Unlocked Smartphone Available for $399 on Palm Web Store and Retail Locations

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov 22, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- For individuals who want to stay connected with an all-in-one mobile phone that is affordable, simple and fun, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced the Palm(R) Treo(TM) 680 smartphone's preorder availability from Palm's website. The Palm online store and Palm U.S. retail stores will exclusively sell the unlocked GSM/GPRS/EDGE quad-band world phone(1) in four new colors - crimson, copper, arctic and graphite - for $399. The Treo 680 smartphone, announced on Oct. 12 (Palm Announces Treo 680 and 20 Carrier Rollout), can be preordered today and will be available at Palm U.S. retail stores after Dec. 1, just in time for the holidays.

"The unlocked Treo 680 smartphone will reach new customers and markets, exemplifying Palm's dedication to expanding both geographically and demographically," said John Hartnett, senior vice president, global markets, Palm, Inc. "The Treo 680 smartphone will attract new users in the smartphone and feature-phone markets through affordability, ease of use and style."

The Palm OS(R) based Treo 680 smartphone has an internal antenna and slim form factor, making the device smaller and sleeker than its Treo predecessors in the United States. It's also the first Treo smartphone to come in unique colors. But beyond the Treo 680's new design, customers will find the Treo 680 smartphone easy to use and packed full of features beyond its stellar phone capability, such as email, web browsing, messaging, multimedia, calendar, contacts and more.(2)

The Treo 680 and the Treo 700p smartphones are among the first mobile phones to support streaming Flash-based movies, including those found on YouTube, with the release of the new Kinoma Media Player 4EX.

For a limited time, the Treo 680 will come with a music bundle from Yahoo!, which includes a 30-day free trial to its Yahoo! Music Unlimited To Go service and Yahoo! Music For Mobile. Users have the ability to access the Yahoo! Music Unlimited music library from the phone and to send tracks remotely to a PC.(3)

Palm customers also have a wide variety of accessories to choose from on the Palm website. Here are just a few that could be paired perfectly with a customer's new Treo 680 smartphone:

-- Ultralight Wireless Headset, $129: This high-performance Bluetooth(R) technology headset weighs only 9 grams and has DSP (Digital Signal Processing) technology for clear calls. With up to three hours of battery life, increasing to nine hours with included AAA battery charger, the headset comes in a sleek metal case and includes the Treo AC Adaptor charger adaptor (AC charger not included).

-- Leather Holster Case, $29.99: Keep the new Treo 680 smartphone safe and easily accessible. With durable construction, this simple sleek holster design is a perfect Treo 680 accessory.

-- Palm Replacement Battery, $49.99; with Cradle Kit, $59.99: Treo users can extend talk time with a genuine Palm spare or replacement battery pack. It recharges in the phone or in the battery drawer of the Cradle Kit and meets all Palm and regulatory compliance requirements while having built-in overcharging protection.

-- Vehicle Power Charger (VPC), $29.99: Perfect for those days when customers forget to recharge while they're at home; they can now do it in the car on the way to work. The VPC works in all vehicles with a cigarette lighter or auxiliary power plug.

-- Antiglare Screen Protectors, $14.99: The screen is precut for a perfect fit to eliminate glare on the Treo 680, while protecting the screen from scratches, smudges and dust.

Pricing and Availability

The unlocked Treo 680 smartphone is $399 and is available for preorder today at Palm.com. It will be available in Palm U.S. retail stores after Dec. 1.

Palm U.S. Retail Store Locations

-- California
    -- Century City, West Los Angeles -- Westfield Shoppingtown
    -- Los Angeles -- The Grove
    -- San Francisco -- Westfield San Francisco Centre
    -- San Francisco -- San Francisco International Airport
    -- Stanford/Palo Alto -- Stanford Shopping Center
    -- Sunnyvale -- Palm Corporate Headquarters
    -- Santa Clara -- Westfield Shoppingtown Valley Fair Mall
-- Florida
    -- Miami International Airport
    -- Orlando International Airport
-- Georgia
    -- Atlanta International Airport - Terminal B
    -- Atlanta International Airport - Terminal T
-- Maryland
    -- Baltimore/Washington International Airport
-- Massachusetts
    -- Boston Logan International Airport Terminal A
    -- Boston Logan International Airport Terminal B
    -- Boston Logan International Airport Terminal C
-- New Jersey
    -- Newark Liberty Intl Airport Terminal A
    -- Newark Liberty Intl Airport Terminal C
-- New York
    -- John F. Kennedy International Airport
    -- La Guardia International Airport
    -- Manhattan -- Rockefeller Center
-- North Carolina
    -- Charlotte Douglas International Airport
-- Ohio
    -- Cleveland Hopkins Int'l Airport Terminal B
    -- Cleveland Hopkins Int'l Airport Terminal C
-- Pennsylvania
    -- Philadelphia International Airport Terminal B
    -- Philadelphia International Airport Terminal C
    -- Pittsburgh International Airport
-- Washington D.C.
    -- Reagan National Airport - Terminal B/C
    -- Union Station, Space 223 Street level

(1) Designed to be compatible with networks implementing GSM/GPRS/EDGE standards, but networks may not be available in all countries or within countries in which it is deployed.

(2) Within wireless service coverage area 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. Email account not included. EDGE service not available in all areas.

(3) Offer available only through Treo 680 purchases made on Palm's website or in Palm retail stores.

Cingular Wireless Offers New-Look, $199 Palm Treo 680

New Smart Device Offers Cingular Consumer and Business Customers a Slim and Sleek Device Packed Full of Functionality

ATLANTA & SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov 22, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cingular Wireless and Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today introduced the new Palm(R) Treo(TM) 680 smart device, whose brand-new look, broad range of features and economical price will appeal to both consumers and business customers -- just in time for the holidays. The Treo 680 quad-band world phone on the Palm OS(R) platform -- which is available beginning Friday, Nov. 24, for as low as $199.99(1) -- boasts Palm's hallmark ease of use to keep any user productive, all with a slim and compact feel.

Cingular business and consumer customers will be able to better balance their personal and business lives, as the all-in-one Treo 680 seamlessly combines a compact, full-featured mobile phone with so much more, all at a competitive price. Users can do even more with their phone, from accessing email and editing documents at the airport to organizing photos and music while waiting for a friend at the coffee shop.

Market research firm In-Stat estimates that 25 percent of all wireless handsets worldwide will be PDAs and smartphones by 2011, which makes the Treo 680 the ideal phone both for feature-phone upgraders and new users.

The Palm Treo 680 is easy to use and affordable because of the multiple innovations it encompasses:

-- A new internal antenna enables a sleeker design;

-- An improved phone application on the Treo 680 smart device allows users to dial faster;

-- The ability to ignore calls with a quick text message lets users tell a caller "I'm in a meeting" or "Can't talk now";

-- The large, bright color screen is perfect for viewing email, documents or spreadsheets via DataViz Documents To Go(R), and even photos and movies;

-- The highly regarded built-in QWERTY keyboard has improved buttons, making it even easier to type emails or SMS messages;

-- The messaging application displays text-messaging conversations as "threaded chats," similar to IM, so users can see their entire conversation with a particular person; and

-- The Treo 680 smart device also can be used as an MP3 player and has an integrated digital camera, camcorder and video player, with simpler organization for photos and photo slideshows.

"The Palm Treo 680 will open up the popular Palm experience to a much wider audience of Cingular customers," said Jeff Bradley, vice president, business data services, for Cingular Wireless. "This next-generation Treo comes with all of the outstanding business features that Palm devotees have come to expect plus rich entertainment capabilities, and all at a very attractive price that will appeal both to businesses and individual users."

The Palm Treo 680 operates on Cingular's nationwide(2) EDGE network(3), the largest national high-speed wireless data network in the United States with availability in more than 13,000 cities and towns, and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Treo 680 users also can take their device with them abroad to make calls on six continents and over 190 countries, with wireless data roaming in more than 115 countries(4).

EDGE's widespread coverage makes the Treo 680 an ideal platform for business customers and consumers who want an easy-to-use way to check their email, send SMS, browse the Web and more.

"Palm remains focused on introducing Treo smartphones that are user-friendly and affordable for any audience -- from single users to wide-scale business deployments," said Tara Griffin, Palm vice president and general manager. "The Treo 680 from Cingular Wireless is an excellent proof point. We have a tremendous opportunity to serve customers the world over by helping them stay more connected to important people and information, whether it's through contacts and calendar, email, messaging, documents, web browsing, photos or music. This mobile phone enhances work and leisure time."

Business Customer-focused Solution

While Palm's ease of use and affordability are beneficial for new or upgrading consumers, business users also can take advantage of the Treo 680 smart device, because of the following:

-- Flexibility: The all-in-one Treo 680 smart device is ideal for deployment across any business, small or large, and offers the security and flexibility needed by IT departments for easy integration;

-- High return on investment: Because of its attractive price and ease of use, the Treo 680 brings increased mobile productivity to help businesses realize a quick return on investment, all in a budget-friendly smart device;

-- Staying productive: Phone, web, add-on business applications and more help customers stay in touch and on top of their work; and

-- Staying connected: Customers can access such Cingular-enabled wireless email solutions as Cingular Xpress Mail, Microsoft Exchange Active Sync(5), and Good(TM) Mobile Messaging from Good Technology, as well as POP3 and IMAP accounts.

"The Palm Treo 680 smartphone is a natural and affordable choice for our business," said Robert DeLille, chief executive officer of Creative Office Environments. "With more on-device memory and the availability of intuitive applications, such as Google Maps for Mobile, on the Cingular Wireless network, our workforce can be more productive and stay in touch with customers and colleagues."

Pricing and Availability

The Treo 680 is available beginning Friday, Nov. 24, for as low as $199.99 to consumers and businesses nationwide at Cingular Wireless retail stores, www.cingular.com, select national retailers, through Cingular's B2B sales organization and at Palm.com. A variety of monthly data plans are available, including an unlimited Cingular PDA Connect plan for $44.99 per month.

The Palm Treo 680 from Cingular Wireless also supports a wide variety of third-party, Cingular Wireless certified applications, such as the TeleNav GPS Navigator(TM) solution. With TeleNav GPS Navigator, Treo 680 users now can get turn-by-turn voice and on-screen GPS directions directly on their device for use when driving or walking.(7)

For more information, please go to www.cingular.com/treo680.

(1) With two-year voice and data contract from Cingular Wireless.

(2) Not available in all areas.

(3) The Treo 680 is designed to be compatible with networks implementing GSM/GPRS/EDGE standards, but networks may not be available in all countries or within countries in which it is deployed.

(4) Access available within network coverage areas only. Availability and coverage depends upon carrier and the geographic scope of international roaming agreements.

(5) Requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 and access enabled by IT administrator.

(6) Offer available only through Treo 680 purchases made on Palm's website or in Palm retail stores.

(7) Requires separately purchased Bluetooth GPS receiver and subscription to TeleNav GPS Navigator service.

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. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm(R) Treo(TM) smartphones, Palm handheld computers, and Palm LifeDrive(TM) mobile managers, 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.

About Cingular Wireless

Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 58.7 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T; Inc. (NYSE:T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S. wireless carrier to offer Rollover(R), the wireless plan that lets customers keep their unused monthly minutes. Details of the company are available at http://www.cingular.com/.