The Palm Centro is the latest incarnation of the Palm Treo family of phones. It is surprisingly light and fits comfortably in any pocket. Designed as a new generation smartphone, the Centro comes with advance features like EV-DO, push email, Bluetooth and comes competitively priced. Palm has been criticized in the past for not introducing new innovations in its smartphones lineup. The Centro comes in a new form and has tried to move away from its bulky figure to offer its users a more trendy experience.

The palm Centro casts a smaller shadow compared to similarly ranged smartphones. The Palma Centro was built to target the younger generation of users with its bright colors and smaller form factor. Smooth curves line the edges of the phone and a slimmer figure accentuates its new appeal. Color choices for the phone are onyx black and ruby red, a nice touch of silver hugs the phones corners giving it a younger and fresher look.

Phone speakers, silent mode switch and charge lights are located immediately above the phones display. The large display is depressed a few millimeters into the phone giving it a sleeker look. A flat navigation panel is found below the display.

Phone display comes through a 2.2 inch diagonal TFT display. Resolution comes at 65k, and the small display makes colors appear sharper. A new welcome touch is the Centro’s borderless display, a first for Palm smartphones. Menus and messages are easy to view even at sun splashed conditions. The phone’s display is bright and images are crisp and clear.

Keyboard however suffers from the phones apparent lack of real estate. The QWERTY keys may come as a surprise to PALM users which have been redesigned to a more linear layout. Space between keys have been adjusted by a few millimeters and could use a little time before getting used to.

The Centro is a digital dual band phone which connects via highspeed EVDO networks or can switch to regular network connections when out of range. Phone downloads are quite impressive with large chunks of information transferred in seconds. Call and voice quality has been significantly improved. Voices are now clearer and louder through the Centro’s headpiece. Enhanced speakerphones have also made strides in providing better communications an area where previous Palms suffered. Battery life is still disappointing with talk times rated at 3 to 4 hours before charging.

Centro’s camera is a 1.3 megapixel shooter located at the back panel of the phone. Images capture comes at a maximum of 1280 x 1024 pixels and a 2x digital zoom is provided. Camcorder functions are also present with the phone’s camera. Videos quality is standard and toggling options for video is similar to image capture.

Audio experience in the Centro comes with standard Palm designs. Front speakers are used for communication and the rear speakers function for multimedia features such as games or music tracks. A 3.5mm port is available allowing greater flexibility for aftermarket headsets.

The Palm Centro still comes with the Garnet v5.4.9 operating system which has been standard for older Palm designs. New multimedia applications and features are however bundled making the Centro a more capable platform. Phone support for office applications and business applications does not suffer from its smaller form. Office documents could be accessed with the use of the latest DataViz software. Other features include PDF viewing through Microsoft office 2007.

Business applications include push email. Support for major email services is easy and convenient with Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology. Web surfing is similar to older Palm platforms with minor introductions in the old Blazer browser. Web browser comes with the Blazer 4.5.8v which is still remarkably slow and is showing signs of aging.

Proven applications such as Palms PIM suite is still offered and comes as a welcome feature for old Palm users. PIM suite is still simple and efficient for managing contacts. It is also a great way of managing scheduling and appointments, great for business and social applications.

For old Palm users the Centro represent no major breakthroughs except for its more stylish and smaller design. All the great features that has made Palm a mainstay in the smart and business phone market has made the Centro another solid addition in their lineup. New users however would find the Centro a welcome upgrade to their standard 12 keys phones. The Centro is one of the most competitively priced smartphones in the market today. For users looking for fresh looking business phone which does not sacrifice looks over function the Palm Centro is definitely worth another look.

UPC	148
Brand	Palm
Model	Palm Centro CDMA
Battery Type	Li - Ion
Battery Capacity	1150 mAh
Battery Talk Time	3.50 hours
Standby Time	300 hours
GSM Bands	N/A
CDMA Bands	800/1900
Operating System	Palm OS
OS Version	5.4.9
Processor	N/A
Memory	N/A
Unveiled on	27 Sep 2007
Display Type	Color
Display Technology	TFT
Display Size	320 x 320 pixels
Display Colors	65 536
Display Physical Size	N/A
Display Features	Touch
Additional Display Type	N/A
Additional Display Size	N/A
Additional Display Colors	N/A
Additional Display Physical Size	N/A
Multiple SIM Cards Support	N/A
Design Form Factor	Candybar
Design of Antenna	Internal
Dimensions	4.22 x 2.11 x 0.73 (106,47 x 53,23 x 18,41 mm)
Weight	4.20 oz (118,41 g)
Global Roaming System	N/A
Accelerometer	N/A
GPS	N/A
TTY TDD Enabled	Yes
Camera and Video Camera Type	Built-in - Immobile
Camera and Video Camera Resolution	1.3 megapixels
Camera and Video Camera Video Capture	Yes
Camera and Video Camera Flash	N/A
Camera and Video Camera Features	N/A
Camera and Video Camera More	Digital zoom
Camera and Video Video Playback Protocols	N/A
Camera and Video Video Playback Features	N/A
Connectivity Data More	CDMA2000 1xRTT/1xEV-DO rev.0
Data Max Speed	N/A
Internet Browsing Protocols	N/A
Internet Browsing Features	Blazer 4.5 Browser
Infrared Port	N/A
Bluetooth Version	2.0
Bluetooth Profiles	Headset (HSP)/Handsfree (HFP)/Dial-up networking (DUN)/Object Push (OPP)/Generic Access (GAP)/Serial Port (SPP)/Serial Data Port (SDP)/Generic Audio/Video Distribution (GAVDP)/Advanced Audio Distribution (A2DP)/Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile (AVRCP)/Audio/Video Distribution Transport Protocol (AVDTP)/Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol (AVCTP)
Bluetooth Features	N/A
Wireless LAN Type	N/A
USB Type	N/A
USB Version	N/A
Proprietory	N/A
SyncML	N/A
Computer Synchronization	Yes
HeadSet Jack 2 5mm	Yes
Head Jack 3 5mm	N/A
TV Out	N/A
External Antenna	N/A
Pop Port	N/A
Full Keyboard	QWERTY
Touch Screen	Yes with stylus and handwriting recognition
Side Keys Left	Volume keys, Customizable button
Side Keys Right	N/A
Predictive Text Input Support	Yes
Predictive Text Input Type	N/A
Memory Expansion Slot Type	microSD
Memory Built in	N/A
Message Text Send Receive	Yes
Message EMS	N/A
Message MMS	Yes
Message Instant Messaging More	N/A
Message Instant Messaging Services	AIM, Yahoo!, MSN
Message E mail Protocols	IMAP/POP3/SMTP
Message E mail Features	N/A
Music AND Audio Music Player Protocols	MP3
Music AND Audio Music Player Features	N/A
Music AND Audio Radio	N/A
Music AND Audio FM Transmitter	N/A
Voice Dialing	Yes
Voice Commands	Yes
Voice Recording	Yes
Voice Speaker	Yes
Voice VoIP	N/A
Regulatory Approval SAR Head	1.35
Regulatory Approval SAR Body	0.42
Regulatory Approval SAR Measured in	1900 MHz
Polyphonic Rings Voices	N/A
Notifications Polyphonic Rings Features	MP3 ringtones
Vibration Alert	Yes
Alarm	Yes
Calendar	Yes
Calculator	Yes
TO DO	Yes
Stopwatch	N/A
Flashlight	N/A
Organizer Other	Notes
Document Viewer Support	N/A
Document Viewer Supported formats	N/A
Book Features	Capacity depends on system memory
Book Capacity	N/A
Book Multiple Numbers Per Contact	Yes
Book Picture ID	Yes
Book Ring ID	Yes
Personalization Faceplates	N/A
Personalization Profiles	Yes
Games	Yes
JAVA Profile	N/A
JAVA Configuration	N/A
Wireless LAN Support	N/A
Messaging E mail More	N/A
Software JAVA Support	N/A
Connectivity Internet Browsing Support	N/A
Connectivity Bluetooth Support	N/A
Connectivity USB More	Yes
Battery Talk time 3G	N/A
Battery Stand by time 3G	N/A
Battery Video call time	N/A
Battery Music playback	N/A
Battery Video playback	N/A
Battery Gaming	N/A
Battery GPS usage	N/A

Life starts after five o'clock. That's why there's the Palm® Centro™ smartphone. Palm Centro gives you voice, text, IM, email and web,1 all in a phone that's a lot smaller than you think. It even has a touchscreen and a full keyboard, so you can say L8R to those tricky keys on your cell phone. Carry names and numbers, shoot photos and video, and meet up with friends. Centro. Let's go. May require up to a $36 activation fee/line, credit approval & deposit. Up to $200 early termination fee/line applies. Phone Offer: Offer ends 07/31/09. While supplies last. Taxes excluded. No cash back. Requires activation at the time of purchase. Mail-in Rebate: Requires purchase by 07/31/09 & activation by 08/04/09.Line must be active 30 consecutive days. Allow 10 to 14 weeks for rebate. Other Terms: Coverage not available everywhere. The 3G Sprint Mobile Broadband reaches over 249 million people. Offers not available in all markets/retail locations or for all phones/networks. Pricing, offer terms, fees & features may vary for existing customers not eligible for upgrade. Other restrictions apply. See store or Sprint.com for details. ©2009 Sprint. Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint.