Rumor: Gaggle of Treos on the way

Thinking about a new Treo? Looks like you could soon have your choice of several different models, from high-end Windows and Palm OS models to entry-level smart phones. Treo fan sites and analysts this week are buzzing about possible devices such as one code-named Hollywood and a Palm OS-version of the new 700w Treo.

Caris and Company analyst Susan Kalla has written a few research notes predicting that Palm will soon release the Treo 700p, which is expected to be pretty much the same device as the 700w Windows Mobile Treo, but with the Palm OS. Kalla expects Verizon, who was Palm's launch partner for the 700w, to likewise release the 700p on its EV-DO network.

At some point thereafter, Palm appears ready to blow by the 750 name and head straight to the 800p, if a post this week on TreoCentral.com's forums is to be believed. The poster claims to have knowledge of the 800p, which is supposedly the same as the "Hollywood" Treos outlined by Engadget last November. The 800p is expected to drop the external antenna found on the Treo 650 and 700w and borrow the thin-is-in design principles seen in some of Motorola's new products.

According to the poster (caution: consider the source), it will also feature a 3.2 megapixel camera, a detail that raised red flags from other posters and Treo followers around the Web. The new Treo 700w only uses a 1.3 megapixel camera, and it would be quite a leap to a 3.2 megapixel camera.

Treos are one of the more expensive options for phone shoppers, but a new device called "Lowrider" might change that, according to several posts. Details about Lowrider are even sketchier than the other devices listed above, but it is described as a low-cost, entry-level device.