Handspring has made available the Treo 270 communicator with GSM/GPRS network compatibility for Rogers AT&T Wireless in Canada. The Treo 270 is a color Palm OS smartphone with applications such as e-mail and Internet access.

"Rogers AT&T Wireless is pleased to provide its customers with a new, enhanced version of the Treo communicator including a full color display screen and GSM/GPRS capabilities," said Mansell Nelson, Vice President and General Manager, Interactive Mobile Services, Rogers AT&T Wireless. "With all the features and services of the Treo 180, the Treo 270 enables customers with "always on" wireless access to the Internet, e-mail, two-way text messaging and wireless phone capabilities, and operates on the company's industry-leading integrated, digital wireless voice and data network."

According to the companies, with a Treo 270, Rogers AT&T Wireless customers can also take advantage of Handspring's Treo Mail solution, a wireless e-mail service. Handspring recently introduced a new version of Treo Mail, which features transparent synchronization with desktop e-mail, optimization for high-speed data networks including GPRS, direct access to URLs, e-mail addresses and phone numbers within an e-mail, and support for Lotus Notes, Microsoft Outlook/Exchange and/or POP3 e-mail accounts.

Also new to the Treo 270 is an enhanced version of the GPRS software upgrade. The new GPRS software upgrade provides a number of additional features for Treo 270 and Treo 180 customers from Rogers AT&T Wireless. According to the companies, these features include:

-- Improved speed when searching and dialing contacts from the Contacts list
-- A new mute button in the phone application
-- Automatic set-up for wireless data through the installation -- no need for manual configurations or an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
-- Enhanced navigation between voice and data functions. For example, if you are in the middle of a data session and you receive a voice call, the Treo 270 will give you the option to answer the call or send it to voicemail. If you answer the voice call, it will put the data call on hold and resume downloading once you have completed the voice call.
-- Immediate access to the speakerphone -- you no longer wait for the call to connect to see the speakerphone button
-- New keyboard hints in the phone application to help the user take advantage of the keyboard
-- Hyperlink support in the SMS application -- email addresses, phone numbers and web URLs in the messages are now actionable with the rocker switch or the stylus

The Treo 270 from Rogers AT&T Wireless costs $699.00 CDN on a two-year price plan and is available for purchase across Canada through Rogers AT&T Wireless