Palm Treo 680 hits the streets but only running Palm OS

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Palm has launched its second smartphone in as many months by making its Treo 680 device available to users from today.

But unlike its predecessor, the Treo 750v, which was launched last month, Palm's latest offering will only run the Palm OS initially.

A spokesperson for the mobile device giant was unable to comment on whether a Microsoft Windows Mobile version will be launched in the future.

The Treo 680 features enhanced email and messaging capabilities, faster dialing and navigation options, large colour screen and full QWERTY keyboard, making it easier to create and edit documents using Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint or Adobe PDFs.

An in-built Blazer 4.5 browser offers alternative viewing modes for pages optimised for mobile browsing in addition to a faster web experience thanks to smart caching rules.

The quad-band phone comes with 64 MB of storage with the option of adding a further 2 GB through the use of expansion cards.

In addition, built-in dial-up networking capabilities mean that the device can be used to connect to a Bluetooth-enabled laptop.

Users can also ignore phone calls and bounce back a text message to callers informing them they are unavailable.

Primarily targeted at a consumer audience, the new device costs £299. But its array of applications and functionality also make it prime fodder for business users.

As such, Palm looks set to capitalise on users' growing appetite for converged devices and eat into some of the market dominance currently enjoyed by Research in Motion (RIM) with its BlackBerry device.

"The Treo 680 smartphone adds a new dimension to the smartphone market," said Roy Bedlow, Palm's vice president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

"The device provides a broader demographic access to advanced functionality on the move. Anyone who wants to stay connected to important people and information - contacts and calendar, email, messaging, documents, the internet, photos and music - on the go will find this excellent mobile phone enhances work and leisure time."

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