Palm, RIM to Bring BlackBerry to Treo

Palm and Research In Motion (RIM) announced on Monday details of a plan to collaborate and bring BlackBerry technology to the Treo 650 smartphone. The deal will also give Palm the capability to add the technology to its future phones as well.

In a fight to stay relevant, Palm in recent months has extended the olive branch to its competitors. In late September, it announced a new Treo based on Windows Mobile 5.0, ending a nearly half-decade old battle with Microsoft.

RIM has also become a more powerful competitor to Palm in recent years. With the PDA market collapsing in favor of "connected" devices such as smartphones, more people are turning to devices such as the BlackBerry. RIM now regularly ships more units than Palm, sales statistics indicate.

"Our news today demonstrates Palm's promise to offer flexible mobile-computing solutions with world-class, enterprise-strength partners, delivering what we're convinced is the best email experience to the broadest set of customers - all on Treo smartphones," said Ed Colligan, Palm CEO.

RIM says that Palm interoperability was a popular request among its users. "We look forward to building on our relationship with Palm," RIM chairman and co-CEO Jim Balsillie said.

The capability is expected to be made available to both new and existing Treo 650 customers through select carriers in early 2006. Pricing will be determined later, the two companies said.