Alltel Wireless now offers Treo Pro smartphone by Palm

Wiliam | Reporter
Date: 03/20/2009

Palm, Inc. and Alltel Wireless announced that the Treo Pro smartphone is available today at Alltel Wireless retail stores and online at alltel.com. Treo Pro is a sleek, full-function smartphone that offers business users the ease of use and robust features they demand while providing the reliability and manageability IT departments require. With Wi-Fi, GPS and Windows Mobile 6.1, Treo Pro helps busy professionals stay connected on the go so they can structure their lives around their priorities without sacrificing work productivity.

Treo Pro is loaded with support for EV-DO Rev. A data speeds, Wi-Fi for data, and GPS capabilities. Users can browse the web and send and receive emails at quick, mobile wireless broadband speeds. Treo Pro is the first Palm phone available with Internet Explorer Mobile 6, with options for either a mobile-optimized or desktop-like browsing experience. Its thin design blends a flush, high-resolution color touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard with a removable battery that packs up to five hours of talk time and enough strength for the business user's needs, offering a powerful yet effortless mobile experience.

"Businesses want the control and savings that Windows affords, in an innovative and elegant package that keeps their users happy. Treo Pro balances both," said John Traynor, vice president, business products, Palm, Inc.

With integrated GPS, Treo Pro offers turn-by-turn directions, maps and point-of-interest searches for locations such as restaurants or stores. Palm's Wi-Fi hardware and software innovations on Treo Pro make it easy to get online fast and manage network connections and power usage. The one-touch Wi-Fi button provides a clean, uncluttered Wi-Fi experience that gets Treo Pro users rapidly connected at home, in the office or in Wi-Fi hotspots.

"Treo Pro strengthens our aggressive business product portfolio by letting customers easily stay connected and experience Alltel's broadband network," said Angela Rittgers, director of product management for Alltel Wireless. "Businesses will benefit from Treo Pro's advanced functionality and well-designed user interface."

The Palm Experience on Windows Mobile 6.1

Treo Pro supports Microsoft Direct Push Technology for up-to-date email, contacts and calendars. With the deployment of Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008, Treo Pro delivers increased security, easier smartphone management, and access to information on the corporate network. IT professionals can confidently manage large Treo Pro deployments similar to how they manage PCs.

Treo Pro is the first Palm phone with Internet Explorer Mobile 6, bringing users a new, full-featured, high-quality Flash supported browsing experience. Users can choose to browse in a mobile-optimized mode or in a desktop browser mode. Microsoft brings the mobile web-browsing experience on par with what end users and developers have come to expect from their desktops - the ability to easily view web pages and multimedia on the web and best-in-class capability to complete transactions, from banking to checking in for a flight. Treo Pro helps optimize business processes by mobilizing users with several Palm specific enhancements to the Windows platform, including:

• Ringer switch - Silences the device immediately.
• Clock and date screen saver - Lets users know at a glance - without turning on the device - what date and time it is and whether they've missed a call or have a new SMS/MMS message.
• New voicemail indicator - The center button flashes to let users know that a voicemail is waiting.
• Dedicated email and calendar buttons - Fast one-button access.

Lower Costs, Increased Productivity

With Treo Pro, businesses can take advantage of a tightly integrated Palm and Windows solution for their mobile work forces, including:

• Microsoft Direct Push Technology -- Connection to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 SP2 or 2007 gives users up-to-date email, contacts and calendars.
• Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008 -- With the deployment of Mobile Device Manager, the Treo Pro can deliver increased security, easier smartphone management, and access to information on the corporate network. IT professionals can confidently manage large Treo Pro deployments.
• Applications for Windows Phones -- Businesses can extend mobility beyond email to optimize business processes.
• Integrated GPS -- Users can access maps, turn-by-turn directions and point-of-interest (POI) searches.
• Support and training -- Palm's ease-of-use innovations make Treo Pro so easy to use, businesses can spend less on training and support for their users.
• Familiar Windows experience -- Users can browse the web with built-in Internet Explorer Mobile; open, view, and edit Word and Excel compatible files; review PowerPoint presentations and PDF files; and open ZIP files remotely.

Alltel Wireless continues to be an industry-leader, providing choice and flexibility with its exclusive "My Circle" feature, giving customers unlimited, free calling to and from any five, 10 or 20 numbers on any network, including a combination of home phone, office or wireless numbers located anywhere in the U.S. Alltel Wireless was also the first to offer Anytime Plan Changes, giving customers the flexibility to change their calling plans at any time, without extending their contract.