MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Handspring announced it will begin selling its much-lauded mobile phone/personal digital assistant Treo device throughout the nation’s retail stores. Further, the company said Cingular Wireless will also sell the device through its retail outlets, and will license the company’s popular Blazer wireless browser program.
Handspring said the Treo will be available at select Best Buys, Staples and CompUSA stores, as well as online at Amazon.com and Cingular.com.
Under its new licensing deal with Cingular, the wireless carrier will use Handspring’s Blazer browser for its My Wireless Window service. The service includes personalized access to news, messages and information alerts. The carrier will also sell the browser with its new business-focused Xpress Mail Network Edition, which gives corporate users wireless access to Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes.
Sprint PCS has also licensed Handspring’s Blazer browser.
“This marks the beginning of a broad retail rollout that will continue in the upcoming weeks,” said Greg Woock, Handspring’s vice president of North American sales.
Also on the wireless handheld front, Handspring rival Palm Inc. announced a new advertising campaign to promote its i705 wireless device.