Windows Based Treo from the Trio is on the Cards

The trio of Palm, Microsoft and Verizon are meeting up on Monday in San Francisco and might be launching the much speculated and rumoured Windows based Palm Treo.

The new Treo 700 is expected to take on Research in Motion Ltd.’s popular Blackberry devices. this will be the first Windows Mobile operating system on Palm’s Treo phone. The phone will also feature evolution data only, or EV-DO, fast wireless Net access, as well as WiFi capabilities. Notably, the phone is not expected to be available until next year, says a person familiar with the introduction.

Palm, which pioneered the handheld computing market, has been struggling for the last five years against stiff competition from deep-pocketed Microsoft and Research in Motion, Ltd.

On Thursday, Palm said its first-quarter profit fell 7% to $ 18.2 million, even though sales rose 25%. The company also said it expects to post second-quarter revenue of $ 435 million to $ 440 million, a range that falls below analysts’ consensus estimates.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, Palm Chief Executive Ed Colligan and Verizon Wireless Chief Executive Denny Strigl are expected to announce the new phone on Monday. The three companies did not offer any details about the subject of the press conference in a press release Friday.