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Creative Field Marketing Uses Palm Devices to Streamline Field Sales Results Processing and Increase Productivity



CFM Uses Palm Smartphones and Handhelds to Conduct Mobile Auditing and Deliver Real-time Market Information to Clients

SYDNEY, Australia, Jan. 24, 2006 – Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced that leading Australian marketing and communications agency, Creative Field Marketing (CFM), has chosen Palm® Treo™ 650 smartphones and wirelessly enabled Palm handhelds to conduct mobile auditing and deliver real-time market information to clients.

Using Palm mobile devices, CFM has streamlined the processing of field sales results, increased productivity during in-store audits and enhanced its clients' understanding of the market.

Robert Elliot, general manager of CFM, explains, "Palm smartphones and handhelds have become our clients' eyes and ears in the field. CFM has up to 1,000 field staff working on a large number of client-specific programs. A portable, simple and highly reliable method of recording and communicating data among staff and clients is crucial to our business."

More companies are taking advantage of Palm's expanding product portfolio and business solutions to better serve the growing mobile needs of small, large and global businesses. CFM's field sales and marketing team use Palm devices when they visit retail outlets around Australia to conduct audits of how their clients are represented in-store. The devices are equipped with a special software solution developed by CFM and Sync International that allows CFM to tailor data capture for each client.

Elliot continues, "CFM staff needed a small, lightweight device that had the robustness to be reliable on the road and, in some cases where customer's requested it, was photo-capable. We found Palm devices to be the most developed smartphones and handhelds available, so they were the obvious choice."

Using the Palm smartphones and handhelds, information about stock levels and how CFM's clients' products are displayed on shelves vs. competitors is recorded and fed back to clients in real time. Staff equipped with a Treo smartphone can take digital pictures of how clients and competitors are presented. This gives CFM's clients accurate data for decision-making and a greater knowledge of how they are being positioned in the market by retailers.

"The Treo smartphone's digital camera technology lets us produce highly illustrative reports on channel actions that include images of in-store displays. This gives our clients a high degree of insight into retail activity and gives us a strong competitive edge," said Elliot.

Lesley McKnight, marketing manager, Australia and New Zealand for Palm, said, "Retail is an aggressive market. Companies need to know immediately what is happening in the field. Using Palm devices, CFM's mobile solution enables it to maintain a competitive advantage in a growing market."


About Creative Field Marketing
Since its inception in 1989, Creative Field Marketing (CFM) has defined the field marketing industry within Australia and has also extended its services into New Zealand. It has established itself as a market leader by working in partnership with its clients to tailor breakthrough field marketing solutions.


About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm® handheld computers, Palm Treo™ smartphones, Palm LifeDrive™ mobile managers, as well as software, services and accessories.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world.

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.


Palm, Treo and LifeDrive are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.




Palm, Palm OS, and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned or licensed to Palm, Inc. Microsoft and Windows Mobile are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.