Palm to Add BlackBerry Software to Treo 650

Palm and Research In Motion have announced plans to put RIM's BlackBerry Connect software on Palm's Treo 650 smartphones in early 2006.

Palm, Inc. and Canada’s Research In Motion have announced they’re working to put BlackBerry Connect software on palm’s Treo 650 smartphone, and hope to have the combined product available to consumers in early 2006.

“Treo 650 has earned accolades as the best fully featured smartphone available, and we’re thrilled to make it even better by answering customer requests and offering RIM’s BlackBerry email solution for businesses,” said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc.

BlackBerry’s softare offers secure email, Web browsing, and instant messaging, along with solutions which allow mobile devices to securely integrate with enterprise-class server and communications packages like Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, and Novell Groupwise. In implementing BlackBerry Connect, Palm plans to keep its own Versamail email client to provide consistency for current Palm users. Treo 650 owners will be able to install and use the BlackBerry software, but Treo 600 users will be left out. Future Treos running the Palm OS will also be able to use BlackBerry software.

BlackBerry devices have proven popular with corporate, organizational, and government users. By moving BlackBerry software to the Treo 650 smart phone, RIM hopes to increase its appeal to the mass market. Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO at RIM, noted, “We have already seen significant customer interest in this powerful combination, and we look forward to building on our relationship with Palm.”

RIM has previously worked with mobile phone maker Nokia on the Nokia 9300 smartphone, which also features BlackBerry Connect software, and should be available in the U.S. in November 2005. Palm recently announced it plans to offer the Treo 700, a Palm device running Windows Mobile, around the time the BlackBerry-enabled Treo 650 is scheduled to be available.