Microsoft, Palm launch Windows Treo

Ending months of speculation, Microsoft and Palm officially launched a Treo smartphone that runs on a Windows Mobile platform instead of Palm OS. Verizon Wireless will be the first carrier to offer the device, although the companies did not disclose any future carriers. The CDMA-based Treo is powered by an Intel processor, features Outlook Mobile, Office Mobile and IE mobile. Microsoft and Palm said the handheld will hit shelves early next year.

Although the Palm OS operating system has long dominated the market for mobile devices, recent studies show that the OS is losing ground to Microsoft's Windows Mobile. According to a study by Gartner, last year was the first year more Windows-based mobile devices were sold than Palm OS handhelds.

For more on the new Windows Treo:
- take a look at this article from Red Herring