Palm today announced it will market a version of its Treo smartphone in Europe through Britain's Vodafone Group Plc. in hopes of resolving technical problems with a previous model.

Photo: Palm to Offer 3G Treo in Europe Photo 1

The latest Treo will operate on Vodafone's high-speed third generation (3G) network and be powered by Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system. The new Treo smartphone will be available first to Vodafone customers in multiple European countries, including the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy and Netherlands, before the end of the calendar year.

Today, only an estimated 2 percent of business email inboxes worldwide are accessed via mobile, according to market research firm The Radicati Group. Palm, Vodafone and Microsoft will target this large, untapped market with real-time push email using Microsoft's Messaging and Security Feature Pack available on Windows Mobile 5.0, which includes Direct Push Technology and enhanced security features.

Information on the new Treo smartphone will be shared closer to commercial availability.