Palm will next month make available an unlocked version of its Treo 500 smartphone following the end of carrier's Vodafone's time offering the handset on an exclusive basis.

Palm didn't state what the 500's specs will be, so we assume they'll match those of the Vodafone model, the 500v - reviewed here. That means a 320 x 240, 65,536-colour display; tri-band GSM/GPRS connectivity and 3G; Bluetooth 2.0 with Extended Data Rate (EDR) technology; 256MB of Flash memory, of which 150MB is available to the user; and a Micro SD expansion slot.

Palm's Treo 500v: soon minus the 'v'

The 500 will run Windows Mobile 6.

Palm said the Treo 500 will go on sale across Europe in January 2008. It did not disclose pricing. The 500v currently retails for £299.

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