Centro Site .com

So what is the difference between the Centro and its larger siblings, the 700p and 755? In a nutshell: it's smaller. I can't find a single thing my 700p can do that the Centro can't. And did I mention it's cute?

Size Does Matter

I originally bought a Treo 270 because I couldn't see a thing on the screen of any cell phone I'd used. I figured that nice big screen would be just the ticket for my weak old eyes, and I was sure this would be the very reason the Centro was not for anyone…of a certain age. But the screen isn't really that much smaller at 2.2" (diagonal) as opposed to the 700/755's 2.4" (diagonal). All the icons and text still show up crisp and clear. Watching movies with TCPMP on the Centro is as awesome an experience as watching on the 700p.

Of course, you may not be able to carry around as many movies or as much music on your Centro as on your 650, 700, or 680 as it uses the micro sd expansion cards, and they only come up to 4GB at present. But to be clear, 4GB is a tremendous amount of data.

I'm not a big fan of micro SD cards. I find them barely big enough to hold without tweezers, and getting one inside a Centro is tricky! On the other hand, once you put your micro SD card into the slot, you'll never lose it. You have to remove the battery cover to open the little door covering the card slot. On another highly positive note, Mobile Stream's Card Reader works great with the Centro, so there's really no need to remove the card once it's in there.

One thing that sets all Palm devices apart is Palm's awesome design for its physical keyboards. I have handed the Centro to a few friends with large hands, and while they were initially skeptical of the Centro's small keyboard, they all agreed that typing on the keys was easy. As for me, the tiny nearly flat keys makes typing an even better experience than on any previous Palm smartphone model. I can hold the device in one hand and type with my thumb nail effortlessly. One handed operation of my 700p is sometimes a stretch (quite literally), but my thumb reaches across the entire keyboard of the Centro quite comfortably. Awesome!

Performance

Part of Palm's new design includes internal antennas to keep devices small and rounded. This does not affect reception at all. The signal is strong, and reception is execellent. And on a related note, the volume on the Centro blows away anything you've seen from Palm to date. Not even the hardest of hearing will have any complaints with this baby.

I was able to successfully pair and use every Bluetooth device I own with the Centro. It's a shame A2DP wasn't built into it, but SAG works well. There is a slightly newer version of Bluetooth on the Centro: v 3.3A, which fixes some of the common issues found on its predecessors.

The camera is the same 1.3 megapixel found in previous models. It takes sharp photos that are adequate for most people. I've included a sample here.

I'm hoping our friends at Seidio will come out with a replacement battery for the Centro ASAP. The 1150 mAh battery isn't going to be sufficient for the power user. The spec sheet says 3.5 hours talk time, and that's about right. After having the device on all day (with Bluetooth and IM on), talking for 90 minutes left me with 56% battery. For me this is a very acceptable trad eoff for the small form factor. I am rarely away from charging sources for long, and if I'm going to be gone long, there are spare batteries and Medis Power Packs.

Included Apps

Palm likes to tell us what applications are necessary, and always includes some on the ROM which we cannot remove or update. Included on the Centro's ROM: Documents to Go version 10, PocketTunes 4, Sudoku, GoogleMaps, IM, Sprint Mail (in addition to Versamail which just won't go away), and the trial for Nuance voice (my comments on it can be found in my 755 review). There are also bonus applications, mostly trials, available on the installation CD.

Conclusion

I want one.

As usual, it's a shame that the good prices are being offered only to entice new cellular service plan customers.

Pros

• New Access powered logo!
• Smaller, slimmer form factor with internal antenna
• Choice of ruby red or onyx black
• Everything you find in the larger Palm os Treos
• Awesome volume
• Uses the same chargers (cradles, cables) as the 650/700p/755
• Beautiful
• $99 after rebates for new Sprint customers

Cons

• Micro SD cards are so small they are hard to handle
• Versamail
• Small battery
• No A2DP
• $399 for existing customers
• Your friends may get jealous!

Related Links

Compare the Centro to other Treo smartphones

AT&T Centro Speculation