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Palm's has just officially announced the long-rumored Treo 755p, its replacement for the year-old Treo 700p as the company's highest-end Palm OS Garnet (now simply called Garnet) Treo.

While the 755p is a welcome addition to Palm's smartphone line-up, it is only an incremental upgrade over the previous model—still no multitasking; must wait for Palm's first Linux smartphone for that basic functionality it seems, for example.

Sprint will be the first mobile operator to deliver the new smartphone.

As with the Treo 680 and Treo 750 for GSM operators (available from AT&T in the U.S.), the 755p loses earlier model's external antenna for an internal type. It’s also got a QWERTY thumb-keyboard and a high-resolution 320 x 320 pixel resolution touch display.

The smartphone will be 3G-enabled through support for CDMA operators' EV-DO (Evolution Data Optimized network) cellular-wireless networks. This high-speed technology carries content - video, e-mail, pictures, etc. - at average rates of 400 to 700 kilobits per second.

Specifications for the 755p include a 312 MHz XScale processor, 128MB of non-volatile RAM (60 MB user available), a miniSD memory card slot for up to 4 GB of additional storage, a 1.3 megapixel camera for picture and video, a 1600mAh Li-Ion battery, and Bluetooth.

You may use the 755p as a modem for a laptop to connect to the Internet or enterprise through a wireless Bluetooth or wired USB connection.

It is available in two colors: burgundy and blue.

The 755p is Palm's first Palm OS Treo to offer built-in e-mail support for Microsoft's Direct Push technology through the device's VersaMail application.

Google Maps for directions, local searches, moveable/scalable maps, satellite imagery, and traffic updates is built right into the 755p's ROM.

Palm also bundles its unique threaded SMS/MMS application, which allows you to view messages in a single chat view. Surf the Web through the Netfront browser from ACCESS, and read/edit native Microsoft Office and PDF files through DataViz's Documents To Go Version 8.

The 755p supports Sprint TV, which features more than 50 channels of live and on-demand content, including CNN, FOX, ESPN, The Weather Channel, MTV, E! and The Cartoon Network. Of course, there's an MP3 and video player as well as Palm's standard array of enhanced PIM applications.

The 755p is due to ship by the middle of the month, likely next week, for $280 with a two-year service agreement and a $100 mail-in rebate. The smartphone's base price is $580.

We've already got a 755p on hand and will publish our comprehensive review soon.