Palm signs deal with RIM

By Steve Malone

Posted on 18 Oct 2005 at 10:30

Palm has signed a deal with Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the popular Blackberry mobile email device, to bring the BlackBerry Connect service to Palm's Treo 650 smartphone.

The announcement is another development for Palm as it changes its strategy away from its traditional Palm OS roots towards one based on best-of-breed from third parties. In September the company announced that it would be developing a Treo running Windows.

The Treo 650 will be the first of a number of new smartphones with RIM technology built in. The current models already have Bluetooth wireless technology, a high-resolution screen, non-volatile memory and a backlit QWERTY keyboard. In short, everything a modern mobile communications device needs - except BlackBerry.

The new RIM-enabled models will offer push-based email using BlackBerry Connect in conjunction with Palm's VersaMail email client. It will also support wireless calendar synchronisation and remote address lookup of corporate email directory.

Crucially for a device that is looking to find a home in the hearts of corporate America BlackBerry Connect supports Microsoft Exchange and IBM Lotus Domino. It also offers triple DES encryption and IT policy enforcement and commands.

Palm and RIM say they expect the Blackberry enabled Treo to appear in the United States and around the world starting in early 2006.