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(More customer reviews)What soooo many reviewers (professional and amateur) seem to fail to realize or even note is that EVERY phone has a compromise if you want something in return. If you want a smaller phone, then there is 100% chance that the battery will be smaller and not last as long as a bigger phone using the same technology with a bigger battery. If you want a smaller phone AND qwerty keyboard, you are going to get a cramped keyboard. No way around that fact. Let's face it, no one who is serious about having an actual PHONE is going to put up with those huge and bulky HTC slide out phones in their pockets. And the hip holster people are just not living in the same world as most people. First, they are bulky as all get out. Second, you need two hands to use the keyboard....which is still small. If you want a comfy keyboard, buy a laptop. But you can't carry around a bulky phone and call yourself serious about having a PDA phone. The only phones on the market right now that meet an acceptable size requirement (and have a keyboard) are the Dash, BB Curve, BB 8800, BB Pearl, Q, BlackJack, and the Centro. I have used them ALL. They all have downsides.
As for the Centro, the may downside is this: The Palm OS does not allow multi-tasking. That is it, folks! You don't need Wi-fi on your phone. What is the point if you are paying for a data plan anyway? The only thing that is cool about wi-fi is T-mobile's BB 8320 that can make calls for free (well, $9 more a month for home service) over wi-fi. Now, THAT is a reason to need/want wi-fi!
The Palm OS, as out-dated as it may seem, still kicks the snot out of BB and Windows. It is far more intuitive. Hey, folks, the Windows smartphone OS is not much different than it was 5 years ago either..even with the recent version 6 that came out this year. Until Windows 6, you couldn't even edit a document or write a note or cut and paste on most phones. So, why bash Palm OS when it has had that functionality for years?? Bash Palm because it still does those things? The Palm is an OS that requires that the device has touch screen. Is that a bad thing?
The Centro phone beats the 755p and the 680 and the 690 for one reason: It is smaller. I mean, this phone feels great in your hand. The only other phones that feel this good are the Dash and the maybe the BB Pearl (and the none-qwerty keyboard on the Pearl is deal-killer for most people). The BB Curve has a nice rubbery backside, like the Dash. If the Centro had that rubbery plastic back and sides, it would be much better.
Everyone keeps referring to this phone as a "first time" or "entry level" pda. That is silly. It is no more "first time" or entry level than a 755p. The Centro does EVERYTHING any other Palm OS phone does and it is smaller to boot. And I happen to think smaller is a plus not a minus. Everything is still very usable. Sure, the keyboard is cramped. But, I'll take that compromise to get a smaller overall footprint. The iPhone may be thin, but it is still too large to put in your front pocket and sit down with. The Centro, the Dash, Curve, and Pearl can do that very well.
Email: Everyone raves about the BB's email. What is so great about it? Sprint's Email and T-mobile's email (and others, I'm sure) can do the whole "push" thing just as well as BB. And, with BB (depending on your provider) you are going to pay another $40 per month for that push service, compared to $15 for the exact same thing using this Centro with Sprint.
Camera: OK, a 1.3meg camera was silly. Why, in October 2007, come out with a 1.3meg camera on ANY phone. Centro losses points here for sure. BB's Curve is a 2.0 and takes great phones consider it is a camera phone AND it has a flash. Love that flash! And it is a true flash, not this poser-flash stuff you see on the HTC products. But BBs have no video. That is very lame of BB because camcorder stuff gets used a lot by folks with camera-phones. Where would YouTube be without at least a cheap camcorder? Centro should have a 2.0 or 3.0 meg camera AND a flash. Now that would make it even more appealing to folks. And no way would it drive up the cost that very much.
BTW: I have owned a Dash (liked the phone, horrible volume interface--deal killer, and silly HTC mini-USB headphone thing), HTC 8525 (too big), BB Curve (hated BB interface and horrible web surfing--web surfing was a deal-killer), some older Palm phones, and now I own the Centro.
Bottom-line is the Centro feels like a great phone and has a slightly updated format. I would really like multi-tasking (BB's do this well), but if you absolutely need this then you should just get a laptop. The Web surfing is as good as it gets (other the iPhone), especially with Opera Mini loaded. When you factor all the pros and cons of the OTHER phones out there, you realize that the Centro is the best Palm phone around to date. And if you don't mind not have multi-tasking, then Palm is still the best OS out there.
BTW 2: Palm is finally going to get rid of its proprietary connectors and just go with the mini-USB connector. This is a great move. Too bad the Centro does not have that. But the Treo 500v does.
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Palm Centro Phone, Onyx Black (Sprint)Life starts after five o'clock. Not coincidentally, that's also when the Palm Centro smartphone comes alive. Not only does the Palm Centro handle all your favorite voice functions, but it also offers text, IM, e-mail, and web access, all in a body that's a lot smaller than you'd think. Add in such features as a 1.3-megapixel camera, 64 MB of internal memory, Bluetooth 1.2 support, a microSD expansion slot, and a full QWERTY keyboard and you have a terrific smartphone for all your messaging and personal needs. In short, there's no better way to stay in touch.
Design The Palm Centro boasts a sleek black housing that measures a mere 2.11 by 4.22 by 0.73 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 4.2 ounces. It's notably smaller than many competing smartphones, yet doesn't sacrifice functionality at any point along the way. Users will also love the 320 x 320 touchscreen (up to 65,000 colors), which offers a crisp resolution for photos and videos. And thanks to the full QWERTY keyboard, you can say L8R to those tricky keys on your old cell phone.
Phone and Messaging Functions The Palm Centro smartphones offers a ton of ways to stay in touch with friends, whether you're calling Brian, firing off a quick text to Jen, instant messaging Chris, or shooting an e-mail to Kat. From a phone perspective, the Palm Centro lets you dial people right from your address book, set up three-way calls from the touch of a button, or use the speakerphone to talk hands-free. The keyboard, meanwhile, makes it a breeze to type complete messages whether you're sending text, pictures, or even audio or video clips. Plus, the Centro keeps all your messages in a chat-style view, so it's easy to keep track of the conversation.
Want to keep up with all the latest gossip when you're away from the computer? Turn to the Centro's instant messaging functions, which support all your buddy lists on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and others. Similarly, the Centro lets you access your personal e-mail accounts, such as Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo. As a result, you can reply to invites and answer e-mails when you're out and about.
Web Functions Whether you're keeping up with friends on MySpace or looking up directions to the new bistro across town, the Centro's touchscreen and keyboard make it fun to navigate around the web. The Centro includes a fast built-in web browser that lets you check out photos on Flickr or watch videos on YouTube, with broadband-like speeds on the EV-DO network that are guaranteed to impress. No more waiting around for your favorite sites to load. The Centro is also compatible with Google Maps, making it simple to get directions or see which freeways are clear and which ones are parking lots. Google Maps shows you red, yellow, or green traffic routes in real time.
Organizer Functions The Palm Centro includes a complete organizer for keeping track of all your daily, weekly, and monthly responsibilities. The contacts list gathers all your friends' phone numbers, addresses, and more, while the calendar keeps you from missing upcoming meetings, events, and parties. You can even enter a friend's birthday in the contacts list and will automatically show up in your calendar. As with the best organizers, the Centro also offers a to-do list that lets you check off items when they're complete. As a result, it's easy to keep track of what you did and still need to do. And should you come across a tidbit that doesn't have a logical home, simply turn to the memo function, which lets you store random information such as hot spots in Vegas or the names of movies you'd like to rent. Say goodbye to carrying around crumpled scraps of paper in your pocket or purse. Finally, it's possible to save a copy of all those names, numbers, appointments, photos, and videos on your computer thanks to the sync function.
Multimedia Whether you want to take pictures, play videos, or listen to music, the Palm Centro has got you covered. The 1.3-megapixel digital camera (with a 2x digital zoom) lets you shoot pictures and send them to friends, store digital albums, or shoot videos. The built-in MP3 player, meanwhile, lets you take your tunes everywhere you go. With 64 MB of storage, there's plenty of room for your playlists, plus you can add up to 4 GB more with a microSD card. And thanks to Pocket Tunes Deluxe, you can play the songs you downloaded from places like Rhapsody or Yahoo. As a bonus, the Centro supports a ton of fun stuff from Sprint, including the ability to watch such TV channels as CNN Mobile, Fox Sports, the Weather Channel, the Disney Channel, and E! Entertainment. There's never a dull moment with the Palm Centro around.
Other phone details include a removable lithium-ion battery that offers 3.5 hours of talk time and up to 300 hours of standby time; a Palm OS 5.4.9 platform; and support for Windows XP and Vista and Mac OS X 10.2 and higher.
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