Palm announced yesterday that its 34 retail locations--both the eight Palm-branded stores and the 26 stores inside Airport Wireless locations will shut down by the end of the first quarter. The company said it needed to consolidate more resources behind fewer programs and focus on its core business.

Palm also announced that some Treo 600 and 650 owners are eligible for cash rebates for new Palm smartphones if they have had their phone replaced or repaired in the last two years. The rebates are part of a settlement for a class action lawsuit from 2005. Palm will also repair any 600 or 650 handset that hasn't already been fixed twice, but may be outside its warranty.

For more on Palm's rebates and closures:
- read this article from CNET