The new kid on the block is creating a major buzz in the wireless handheld world.

He’s got class, he’s got style. He’s got functionality that would make Archie Bunker smile.

He’s the Treo 600 handheld organizer, and his telephone functionality is sure to make you feel and look cool in any crowd.

That’s why Robert Gerrity, Alberta Director of Marketing with Rogers Wireless, is expecting a stampede of calls when word gets out about the new Treo 600 from palmOne.

The Treo 600 is the epitome of cool – and a great business resource.

It’s the epitome of cool. Arguably the most dazzling gadget the wireless world has ever served up, the Treo 600 is destined to turn a lot of heads in restaurants when the first wave of owners switch on its full-colour screen and call up all their Outlook emails.

It’s one of the first products that looks and feels like a cellphone while offering an unprecedented package of features, including Internet access, speaker-phone convenience and built-in digital camera.

“This is arguably the first true smart phone on the market,” Gerrity says. “We’ve been hearing a lot about it for the last year. It’s gotten quite a bit of publicity.

“Most of its features are out there in other devices, but no single one brings them together the way the Treo 600 does. Now you have a device with the right shape, that looks and feels right for sending email or making a phone call.”

palmOne has put all the features together that customers have hoped for in a phone of the future – such as an organizer like the Palm Pilot, with a full QWERTY keyboard designed for one-handed manipulation, as well as touch-sensitive colour screen.

Currently exclusive to Rogers Wireless in Canada, the Treo 600 has been eagerly anticipated for about a year by many of the one million Canadians who use a Palm device, and by others who’ve been waiting for the right reason to jump in.

For many, the Treo 600 will be the reason, Gerrity believes. Among the new device’s features:

* Wireless e-mail, including Exchange and Lotus, using Enhanced Wireless Desktop from Rogers Wireless

* Built-in web browser that can access virtually any site

* Palm OS organizer for business and personal scheduling, contact lists, memo pad

* Dome-shaped keys and large text for typing accuracy

* 32 megabytes of memory expandable to over 512 mb through SD slot

There’s all that, plus the Treo 600’s phone-like appearance and genuine capabilities.

“That makes it really attractive, the fact it’s a fully functional phone,” Gerrity says. “You can make calls directly from the contact list. It integrates fully with your desktop Outlook, so you can utilize the same calendar, same contacts and e-mail as you have on your Outlook. It’s fully integrated.”

The Treo 600 can run any of the 20,000 Palm OS software applications available, such as Microsoft Office document readers, MP3 playback functionality, games and more. As a wireless communicator, of course, such a sophisticated tool is only as good as its geographical range, and that’s where the big advantage of Rogers Wireless comes in.

Rogers Wireless has the largest integrated voice and data network in Canada, so you can use your Treo 600 in more places with Rogers than any other network in Canada.

Because Rogers uses GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications), its devices work in more than 120 countries. About a billion people use GSM technology, which delivers the industry-leading network, the widest selection of phones and advanced data applications, as well as fun features like games, instant messaging and picture messaging.

Some 73 per cent of the world’s digital markets use GSM, compared with only 13 per cent for rival CDMA – which offers virtually no roaming outside North America.

GSM’s dominance is important to customers buying new wireless devices, so they reap the rewards of being on the world standard network technology.

Even in North America, there are significant competitive differences.

“The customers of our leading competitor in Alberta can use voice in the United States but they can’t use the data in the United States,” Gerrity explains. “It doesn’t work. There is no data roaming for those customers in the U.S. or overseas.”

There are no such problems with Rogers and the new Treo 600. The device works beautifully all over the continent and throughout the world.

“We’ve tested it thoroughly on our network and it has excellent reception,” Gerrity says.

When customers do take it on the road, they’ll be amazed at how long the Treo 600 will work before needing a recharge. It gives six hours of talk time, and 10 days of standby.

The standard price for the Treo 600 is $599 with the purchase of a new voice and data plan. There’s no doubt this is a premium product that will mostly appeal to men and women whose work will be enhanced by a high-quality, efficient and reliable device.

“This is the kind of device that certain people will just HAVE to have because of the host of really cool and unquestionably useful features,” Gerrity predicts. “But because of the price point, you’re not going to see a lot of kids running around with it. We’re firmly targeting the business market.”

For more information, visit www.ROGERS.com, phone 1-800-IMAGINE or visit your local Alberta Rogers Wireless Dealer.