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Like most other smartphones, the palmOne Treo 600 integrates a digital camera. For many businesses, however, this is an unacceptable security risk. With that in mind, Sprint is now offering a non-camera version of its CDMA version of the Treo 600.

By delivering a version of the Treo 600 without a camera, palmOne and Sprint hope the smartphone, which has been very successful in the United States, will attract more business customers. Sprint will continue to offer the camera version of the Treo 600 for consumers and businesses that aren't concerned with that feature. The camera-less version sells for $600, the same as the Treo with a camera.

"Camera phones can bring a great advantage to many industries, especially real estate and insurance, but some companies have credible concerns about the devices being used to copy sensitive information." said Phil Bowman, VP of Integrated Solutions, Sprint Business Solutions. "This additional version of the Treo 600 gives mobile professionals a way to utilize the high-speed data capabilities of the enhanced Sprint Nationwide PCS Network and remain productive without worry of violating any company restrictions when they are visiting clients or back in their own offices."

Other than the lack of a camera, the new version of the Treo 600 is the same as the one with a camera. It features a QWERTY thumb keyboard, a 144MHz processor, 32 MB of memory (24 MB available for end user storage), built-in speakerphone, customizable buttons and a five-way navigation button. The device measures 4.41 x 2.26 x .87 inches and weighs a little over 6 ounces.

According to market research firm Canalys, the most significant growth in the handheld market during the first quarter took place in the smartphone sector, which grew by 115%. In North America, palmOne is the leading smartphone vendor because of the Treo 600 with a 37% share, ahead of Nokia (25%), Motorola (16%) and Samsung (15%). palmOne and the Treo 600, on the other hand, take up very little of the smartphone market in the rest of the world.