The Centro is the smallest mobile device Palm has every introduced. Available in red, black, and pink, the Centro features a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, touchscreen, expandable memory card slot (MicroSD up to 4GB), Palm OS 5.4.9, and an Intel XScale processor 312MHz.
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 access (yet)
Bottom Line: Get Centro in your hands. If you like the way it feels and if the buttons aren’t too small for you, you might have found yourself the best value currently going in a full-featured smartphone built for consumers. Palm OS is not slick, but it works well and Sprint’s fast EV-DO data network and excellent music store add value to the device. But the cramped buttons and small screen will be deal-breakers for some.
Specs:
Make/Model: Palm Centro (690)
Network: CDMA
Data: EV-DO
Carrier: Sprint (Locked); GSM version available from AT&T
Size: 107 x 54 x 18.5 mm
Weight: 119 g
Form Factor: Candybar
Display: 2.25” Color LCD, 320 x 320 resolution, 65,000 Colors
Memory: 64 MB built-in, microSD card slot
Notable Features: Palm OS Smartphone Platform; POP3, IMAP, and MS Exchange Email support (including MS Direct push); IM support for multiple procotols; Web browser; Sprint TV and Power Vision compatibility including laptop tethering; ocketTunes Deluxe music player software including Internet Radio support; Sirius Satellite Radio support
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 access (yet)
Bottom Line: Get Centro...
IntroductionI 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 factor small enough to slip into a...
Design & FeaturesPalm 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 - provided you don’t need...
Usability & PerformanceFirst 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 the QWERTY layout,...
ConclusionTreos 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 us in the last two or three...
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 same. We will keep you posted as more information...
By: Darryl G on Sunday, June 22, 2008 From: Atlanta, GA (United States) Experience: 1 Weeks
Pros: It is small, I like the styling, it is very easy to useCons: keyboard is too small, USB teather will not connect properly for downloads. batter life is very short, the veiwing screen is too smallSummary: I have had it a week but do not plan to keep it, I have been using a Palm 750, I am switching to a Blackberry Curve
By: kay paggi on Thursday, May 22, 2008 From: dallas, TX (United States) Experience: 14 Days
Pros: touch screen, automatic key guardCons: email is slow, limited categories for contacts, no search function, tiny keypad prevents dialing while drivingSummary: The main page for phone says it all: it shows two young girls using the phone. Good to play with, not great for business use.
While I'm not 100% sure on the whole "Pocket Quicken", I can safely point you towards the HTC Mogul.
It may not be a real name-brand phone company, but from hands-on experience (I have a
It looks like Noah answered your question :)
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Dear Patty:
Thanks for writing. Yours is a good, and often-asked question. The nice thing about choice is that there's an option for
What was Palm thinking! They are trying to pass the Centro off as a new phone when it is clearly a rehashed treo 600!
IMO it has to be one of the ugliest phones to be offered by Sprint in a while -
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