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The Treo 680, if you don’t remember, is a low end, antenna-less version of the popular smartphone. The strategy is to get consumers into the smartphone market as early as possible via the 680 (and Motorola Q) and then eventually get them to trade up to a Blackberry or another fully featured handset (Treo 700). We can expect the handset to be released on November 5th, but we know from past experiences - expect that to change. The pricing for the upcoming 680 is as follows:

• $424.99 with no contract


• $349.99 with a one year contract


• $249.99 with a one year contract with unlimited data (and $100 rebate)


• $274.99 with a two year contract


• $199.99 with a two year contract with unlimited data (and $100 rebate)

Read [Engadget Mobile]

I’m going to come right out and mention that the Treo 750 is not yet being officially shipped in the States, but you can have it imported - for a price.  Company CTI Miami is shipping unlocked Treo 750s overseas for your convenience.  The GSM phones will work with your T-Mobile / Cingular SIM cards and are even said to support UMTS.  So what’s the issue you ask?  The phone comes in at $765, plus shipping.  But think about it this way, won’t you look so cool walking around with a Vodafone unit in the US?

Read [CTI Miami] Via [CrunchGear]

In an effort to expand their market, Palm has decided to go for a “low end” product in their Treo lineup.  The new device, the Treo 680, still looks like your average smarphone, but does have enough features to confused the hell out of less technical users.  Yesterday, Palm took the wraps off the device and showed the phone in multiple colors for the first time.  It will launch in Graphite, Cimson, Arctic, and Copper.  The phone will launch on GSM providers in the US, and is very comparable to the Treo 650 which has been out now for years.  Expect features like a VGA camera, 64 MB RAM, GSM, GPRS/EDGE support, and Bluetooth 1.2.  No carrier, pricing or availabity have been announced, but we’d expect it to at least hit the $250 price point and launch on Cingular in time for the holidays.

Read more of our Treo 680 coverage here.

Read [Palm]

In an effort to stir up a little commotion, Palm has issued a statement that they will be releasing a new member of the Treo family this Thursday.

Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Colligan today invites media to join him for a press conference at DigitalLife on Thursday, Oct. 12, to announce a new Treo(TM) product.

The press conference will be held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Lunch will begin at 12:30 p.m. EDT, and the press conference will follow at 1 p.m. EDT.

Now the only question is which one will it be?  The Treo 680 or the 750?  My money’s on the 680.  Next stop, Cingular.

Read [Press Release] Via [Mobility Today]

Palm’s strategy since they got into the smartphone market has been to create high-end business phones, AKA their Treo line.  The company is finally seeing that smartphones are headed for mainstream and are finally making a lower-end phone - that will likely be significantly cheaper (we would hope).  The new Treo 680 will measure very similar to Palm’s new Treo 750 which was released on Vodafone in Europe this past week.  Due to a slip-up on Palm’s website, it looks like the 680 and 750 are headed for Cingular soon.  No word on pricing or availability, but this sounds like another good gift for the holiday season.

Read [Uberphones]