An avid reader shares his blog comparions of the Palm Treo 700,755, & Centro

Palm Centro Onyx Red in-depth review - At a Glance

What’s Good: Full-featured, easy to use smartphone for entry-level price; Clear, bright, high-resolution touchscreen; Compact body with rounded edges; Zippy EV-DO data with access to Sprint TV service; A-GPS works with location-based services What’s Not Good: QWERTY keys are small and cramped; Display is smallish (if still easy to read); Hardware and software design feels a bit dated; Noticeably thicker than comparable devices; No Music Store...

Palm Centro Onyx Red in-depth review - Introduction

I remember when Treos were all the rage amongst executives and Email addicts before Email addictions were trendy.  A sales exec friend of mine got married a few years back and I’ll never forget the image of her pecking madly at her Treo an hour before the ceremony as bridesmaids tended to her non-Email needs.  The Treo line really ushered in the age of QWERTY smartphones that combined robust Email and organizer features with a form...

Palm Centro Onyx Red in-depth review - Design & Features

Palm Centro is little, fat, and cute all at once.  It’s more the size of a regular phone than a business-class smartphone like Sprint’s HTC Mogul, and is available in a nicely dressed down black, a flashier red, and a soft pink, each of which is accented by a gray stripe running across the front panel of the phone.  While Centro’s 18.5mm thick profile means it bulges in a front jeans pocket, it’s small enough to easily use in one hand...

Palm Centro Onyx Red in-depth review - Usability & Performance

First off, Sprint’s Centro worked great as a phone.  Signal strength was excellent virtually everywhere I went in the San Francisco Bay Area, and calls came through loud and clear on both ends.  The speakerphone was decent for a cell (i.e. Usable in a pinch), and I appreciated the “Ignore with Text Message” feature for deflecting incoming calls I didn’t want to take.  Calls may be dialed via the touchscreen or dedicated keys on...

Palm Centro Onyx Red in-depth review - Conclusion

Treos made a big name for themselves as the original Email phone of choice.  Their combination of a usable Email and PDA client married to a solid cell phone was revolutionary in its day, and Palm’s stable, usable, and expandable smartphone platform appealed to power users and consumer Email junkies alike.  Unfortunately the once-mighty Treo got lost in the shuffle during the amazing period of mobile phone innovation that’s come upon...

Black, Red and now a Pink Palm Centro?

The image of a Pink Palm Centro that has been floating around the internet over the last couple of days appears to be authentic. The Pink version of the surprising popular Centro series should be a big hit with the ladies. No release date has been confirmed, but being Valentines Day is right around the corner an early to mid January launch would seem likely. Other than the color one should expect the pricing and specifications to remain the...