Die-hard Palm fans are slavering over the new Treo that CEO Ed Colligan, who's in New York for the DigitalLife confab, is due to announce tomorrow. What this new Treo will look like is anybody's guess. The rumors point to two different models, says Engadget: The Treo 680 - a low-end, ultracheap version of the smartphone - or else a new version of the already-released Treo 750.

Mobilewhack is putting its money on the 680, though it's disappointed with low-end features like the digital camera, which only has VGA resolution. RIM's BlackBerry Pearl, by contrast, has a 1.3-megapixel camera built in. That said, the Treo 680 could be cheap: Analysts think it will sell for $199, says EverythingTreo. That will help Palm better compete with RIM's Pearl and Nokia's new E62.

Pardon The Browser for a second while we rant: How does a slightly cheaper version of an existing phone count as a new product? Palm is expert at this sleight of hand, having rolled out versions of the Treo that run a different operating system, work on a different carrier's network, use an upgraded network technology, or just have slightly more memory. Try to distinguish the 750 from the 700. It's not easy. Sure, Palm would argue that they reached form-factor perfection with the Treo 600, but is that an excuse for not continuing to innovate?

Palm, take a lesson from Apple. Steve Jobs killed the extremely successful iPod Mini to make way for the even more successful iPod Nano. When you promise a new product, give the market something genuinely new. We're bored with the familiar candy-bar Treo. How about a slider? A flip phone? A spinner? There hasn't been a genuine surprise out of the company since Palm bought Handspring - and that's a shame.