Palm (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced it has forged a new relationship with Vodafone targeted at expanding the adoption of wireless push email in Europe.

The Palm(R) Treo(TM) smartphone that will result from this collaboration will represent an industry first by operating on Vodafone’s 3G/UMTS network and delivering the hallmark Palm experience on top of the Microsoft Windows Mobile(R) operating system. The new Treo smartphone will be available first to Vodafone customers in multiple European countries, including the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and Netherlands, before the end of the calendar year.

“Partnering with Vodafone, a world-class mobile operator, is a significant step to accelerate our geographic expansion and serve more European customers,” said John Hartnett, Palm senior vice president of worldwide sales and customer relations. “This collaboration will provide a powerful tool for enterprise customers that delivers on the Palm promise of ease of use and lets mobile professionals be fully productive away from the office.”

Today, only an estimated 2 percent of business email inboxes worldwide are accessed via mobile, according to market research firm The Radicati Group. Palm, Vodafone and Microsoft will target this large, untapped market with real-time push email using Microsoft’s Messaging and Security Feature Pack available on Windows Mobile 5.0, which includes Direct Push Technology and enhanced security features.

“Vodafone’s business customers expect us to help them increase productivity and make the most of their business and personal time,” said Nick Jeffery, global director of Business Marketing, Vodafone. “The new Treo smartphone will be a market-leading device, which combined with our high-speed 3G/UMTS network and real-time push email, will make this an invaluable business tool.”

“The new Treo based on Windows Mobile will offer a unique experience for mobile business users in Europe and will be an attractive proposition for organizations considering mobile deployments. The combination of powerful and familiar software, a fantastic user experience and world-class service through one of the leading mobile network operators in the world is a winning formula for businesses and organizations in Europe,” said Suzan DelBene, corporate vice president of marketing for the Mobile and Embedded Devices Division at Microsoft.

Microsoft and Vodafone are working in a close partnership to market Windows Mobile-based business solutions. The first joint project is mobile messaging solutions with the Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system. Business customers can enjoy a direct push e-mail service so that they can get all their data synchronised directly from Outlook to their mobile terminal when on the move. The service is geared to small and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. Vodafone also offers a Managed Exchange solution for organisations that don’t have their own IT infrastructure.

In March 2006, Vodafone deployed a range of Windows Mobile 5.0-powered devices for Windows Mobile Email – and it is being continually extended. Windows Mobile Email uses Microsoft Direct Push technology to provide employees with almost real-time access to e-mails, appointment schedules, address books etc.

Vodafone and Microsoft’s mobile messaging solutions address two market segments: “Vodafone ManagedExchange” is designed for small and medium-sized businesses without their own Microsoft Exchange Server or in-depth IT expertise. These businesses can profit from the advantages of Windows Mobile Email in conjunction with the Vodafone ManagedExchange for upwards of EUR 9.70 per month. “Vodafone Windows Mobile Email” is ideal for enterprises with their own exchange infrastructure.

Vodafone ManagedExchange enables access to all e-mails, contacts, tasks and appointments via office PC, notebook or mobile terminal. Installation and administration are included in the monthly flatrate, which means that Vodafone customers don’t need to worry about any technical aspects or have to assign staff to technical support. The mobile devices have user-friendly interfaces in a format that anyone familiar with Microsoft Office will recognise. This eliminates the need for employee training.

Vodafone’s Windows Mobile Email gives employees access to Outlook data at all times via the Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. This offer comes with the Email Connect Fair Flat Tariff for a 100 MB data volume at a monthly flatrate of EUR 23.30. A roaming option can also be booked in addition to the data tariff so that users can access company data via mobile terminals when travelling in other countries. Further services and tools, such as a navigation program, are currently being discussed.

The Microsoft and Vodafone partnership will also extend to the marketing of Windows Mobile-based business solutions in the future. These services will target medium-sized businesses and large enterprises which use Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. The two companies are also planning to bring in new partners.

Alcatel (Paris: CGEP.PA and NYSE: ALA) today announced that its family of triple play applications (Alcatel 5900 Communications TV, Alcatel 5900 Amigo TV and Alcatel 5900 My Own TV) have received an award from the International Engineering Consortium (IEC). Announced at Broadband World Forum Asia 2006, being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15-18 May, Alcatel was recognized in the “Content, Entertainment, Applications, and Services” category.

These new and innovative applications are developed to run on top of the Microsoft TVВ® IPTV Edition software platform and are designed to address consumer demands for more personal content, the ability to share community content and a desire to communicate with friends or family in remote locations. All three applications are being demonstrated at Booth 1001 at the Broadband World Forum Asia 2006.

Submissions are judged by a review committee composed of industry experts from vendor companies, service providers and industry associations.

“The competition was stiff with many fine entrants,” noted IEC Content Director, Tom Costello. “The selection process was very difficult with an exceptional group of InfoVision Awards this year. We recognize InfoVision Finalists as products that provide superior service to the industry and the community.”

The finalists of the 2006 InfoVision Finalist Award were judged according six criteria, including: value of service or technology (in solving recognized technology problems, meeting network requirements, optimizing service and performance, and/or enhancing customer service), overall quality of innovation and contribution to technology advancement, originality and vision, potential contribution toward positive industry growth and service, market success/acceptance and contribution to end-user quality of experience and service efficiency.

What to expect at the Alcatel booth
Visit Alcatel at Booth 1001 during the Broadband World Forum Asia 2006, being held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15-18 May, to see demonstrations of our award-winning triple-play applications, including:

* The Alcatel 5900 Communications TV application leverages IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) technology and extends communications to the television set. Calling line ID (CLID) information is displayed on the TV, notifying users of an incoming call. Communication profile management lets consumers use the TV (in addition to the PC and the phone) to manage their communications profile (e.g., subscribe to a new service, like call forwarding). Click-to-connect lets you initiate a call from the TV by consulting the on-screen address book or call history. (The phone handles the actual call.) In a nutshell, Alcatel 5900 Communications TV transforms your TV into a communications hub.

* The Alcatel 5900 Amigo TV application allows viewers to watch TV with remote friends and family as if they were in the same room. Personalized, on-screen avatars (or emoticons) are used to represent all viewers in an “overlay” (displayed on top of the watched channel), allowing them to chat (using a group voice chat or via text chat) while watching the program together. Multimedia animations are also available, allowing viewers to express their emotions by sending winks or moving cartoons to their friends’ screens.

* The Alcatel 5900 My Own TV application provides a user-friendly way to upload multimedia content (movies and photos) to a network location (via the PC) thereby creating “their own” TV channel. A dedicated group of people (e.g., friends, family, the community or an affinity group) is then asked to subscribe to this personal channel where the content is integrated via the electronic programming guide (EPG) on their television, just like any other channel.