Palm are gunning for mainstream awareness with a $25m marketing campaign and the opening of a retail store at New York's Rockefeller Center. Over a period of six months, they're aiming to highlight the Treo smartphone line as well as demonstrate just how the Treo 680 could make their lives better.

Staking its money on the mobile web being the next killer application, Palm is aiming to show users other than early-adopters how a smartphone can "enrich their lives".  Deals with so-called "passion brands" such as Amazon, Fandango, Google, The Onion, Orbitz and Yahoo! will see print advertising feature both their content and the Treo line, under the tagline "Not just a cell phone.  A Treo."

Palm have also created a number of larger-than-life Treo kiosks, with a range of content being controlled via SMS.  These will be featured in major US cities, as will street teams of demonstrators who will approach passers-by and offer to help them check their eBay account, book tickets to a show or get information on the weather or news, all on a Treo handheld.

Visitors to NYC can now stop by the Rockefeller Palm store and spend time playing with smartphones on each of the major networks.  Accessories ranging from Bluetooth headsets to leather cases will also be available, as will Palm's line of PDAs.  Anyond buying a Treo from the store, between December 11th and 17th, will in fact get a free Palm Z22 handheld.  This new store joins Palm's existing bricks-and-mortar retail in the city, stores at John F. Kennedy Airport and La Guardia Airport, and makes the total number in the US 30.

A new microsite has gone live, www.onTreo.com , featuring information from the campaign and giving real-world examples of potential uses.