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.
Call quality: One area in which the Centro doesnt compromise is call quality. Although there was a bit of background hiss on our end, voices came through more than clearly enough, and callers reported no issues on their end. The speakerphone quality was surprisingly good. Callers said they couldnt even tell we were using the speaker until we moved a few feet away from the cell phone. Even then, they had no trouble hearing us. The speaker volume isnt especially powerful, but there was very little distortion at the upper volumes.
Audio quality: The Centro doesnt come with a set of stereo earbuds, so youll have to invest in your own. The phone supports headphones with a 2.5mm plug, but it doesnt support wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones in this version. Music quality through the external speaker on the back of the unit was predictably weak, as is the case with many cell phones.
Menu/Phonebook: With each new device Palm releases, it becomes more and more obvious that the Palm OS needs an update. Theres the fact, for example, that you cant immediately dial a number or look up a contact directly from the Home screen as you can from BlackBerry or Windows Mobile devices. Instead, you have to press the Phone button for the dialing screen. Also, the Home screen is nothing more than a list of icons to all your applications and settings. With other smartphones, the main screen displays alerts for new messages, upcoming tasks or appointments, and provides one-touch access to your most-used applications. That said, it shouldnt take too long for most users to figure out how to get through the Centros menus.
The phonebook is limited only by available memory (the Centro comes with 64MB of onboard memory and you can add up to 4GB with a microSD expansion card). Each contact can hold multiple phone numbers, e-mail and Web addresses, and IM handles for AIM, MSN, Yahoo, and ICQ. You can assign pictures to contacts for caller ID, and you can associate one of 37 polyphonic ringtones with each contact.
Messaging: For those new to smartphones, the Centro provides an easy entry point. The Centro includes VersaMail and Sprint Mobile Email, both of which support POP and IMAP e-mail accounts, including AOL, Yahoo Plus, and Earthlink. We set up a Gmail account through Sprint Mobile by simply entering a username and password. You can enable scheduled connections every one, two, or four hours for both weekdays and weekends. You can also have e-mail pushed to your device to receive messages in real time, although this option will significantly cut into battery life.
As noted, the Centro also includes out-of-the-box support for AIM, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN Messenger instant messaging accounts. We liked the fact that you can easily move through all three accounts by using the left and right navigation keys.
Camera: The Centro features a 1.3-megapixel camera with a video recorder and 2x zoom. We wish there were a dedicated camera button; as it is, you have to select the camera icon from the Home screen. And your options for tweaking phone settings are limitedtheres no flash nor any way to adjust white balance, brightness, or contrast. You can take pictures in black and white or sepia, however. Pictures came out clear and sharp, although color saturation was severely lacking.
Music: Unlike higher-end Palm smartphones, the Centro includes the Deluxe version of the PocketTunes music player, so you get support for DRM-protected WMA files, letting you play songs purchased from online music stores (however, you cant play iTunes DRM music on this Palm, since it supports only unprotected AAC files). The Sprint Music Manager software handles music synchronization. The program can import Windows Media Player playlists, and you can log in to the Sprint Digital lounge directly from the player, where you can get ringtones, games, screensavers, and manage your Sprint account. Strangely, the Centro doesnt work with the Sprint Music Store. But our main quibble with the Music Manager is the cumbersome process involved in recognizing the Centro. Simply connecting the device to your PC isnt enough. You have to launch the pTunes player on the Centro to establish a connection with the Music Manager.
Bluetooth: Just as the Palm OS is behind the curve, so is the Centros Bluetooth support. The device supports Bluetooth 1.2, which means you can use wireless headsets and hands-free kits, but not wireless stereo headsets. Nonetheless, we successfully paired a Plantronics 610 Discovery headset with the Palm Centro, and we beamed contacts back and forth between a Samsung A640 cell phone without a hitch.
Look and feel: That the Centro doesnt feel like a typical smartphone is both a blessing and a curse. Its significantly smaller than Palms Treo line of smartphones, though a bit bulkier than a typical candybar-style cell phone. It comes in three colorsblack onyx, ruby red, and pink. Still, its fairly light, comfortable to hold during phone calls, and slips easily into a front pocket. But that small footprint comes at a price: a miniscule keyboard and small, flat control buttons.
On the upside, the Centro retains Palms ringer-off switch at the top of the unit, and below the volume buttons on the left spine, you can assign a program shortcut to the left side key.
The Centros touch screen is also a definite plus, especially since you can use the virtual dial pad on the screen to dial phone numbers instead of the cramped keyboard.
Keypad: One of the biggest compromises you have to make with the Centro is with its tiny keypad. It helps to have small hands and longish thumbnails to hit the correct button. Still, itll take a lot of practice and patience before youll master the art of quick thumb typing with this keypad. The keys themselves are fairly tactile, but also slippery, which is why we found it easier to use our thumbnails when typing.
Unless you use the Centro for business purposes, we recommend setting scheduled e-mail connections, as the push feature severely cuts into battery life. With push enabled, we had to recharge every day even when limiting phone calls. With the device scheduled to check e-mail every hour on weekdays and every four hours on weekends, we had to charge the battery every three days. If you make a lot of phone calls under this setting, however, youll likely need to recharge every other day.
| Operating System | |
|---|---|
| Operating System | Not Available |
| Operating System Release Number | Not Available |
| Cell Phone Design | |
|---|---|
| Phone Style | Bar |
| Phone Size | Large |
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.7 in |
| Weight (w/standard battery) | 4.2 oz |
| Keyboard Type | Physical QWERTY |
| Touchscreen | Not Available |
| Screen Size | Yes |
| Display | 320x320 |
| Mil-Spec/Rugged | Not Available |
| Push To Talk (PTT) | Not Available |
| Camera & Video Features | |
|---|---|
| Camera Resolution | 1.3 + megapixel |
| Front Camera Resolution | 1.3MP |
| Camera Flash | Yes |
| Advanced Features | |
|---|---|
| HDMI port | Not Available |
| 1080p HD Video | Not Available |
| 3D Camera/Video | Not Available |
| Wi-Fi | Not Available |
| Cell Phone Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Processor Name | Not Available |
| Processor Speed | 528 MHz |
| Onboard Memory | <64MB |
| Removable Memory Card - Type | Micro SD Card |
| Maximum Memory Card Capacity | 2GB |
| Removable Memory Accessibility | N/A |
| Photo Caller ID | Yes |
| Expandable Memory Slot | N/A |
| External Volume Control | Yes |
| Service / Support | 1 Year Warranty |
| Accessibility | |
|---|---|
| Hearing Aid Compliance | N/A |
| Digital TTY/TTD | Not Available |
| Battery Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Talk Time | Up to 210 mins |
| Standby Time | Up to 300 hrs |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) |
| Battery Milliamp (mAh) Hour | 800 |
| Connectivity | |
|---|---|
| Micro USB | Not Available |
| Web Browser | Full HTML |
| GPS Type | A-GPS |
| Bluetooth | Not Available |
| USB Port Type | Mini-USB |
| Early Termination Fee | |
|---|---|
| Early Termination Fee - Initial Amount | Not Available |
| Early Termination Fee - Monthly Declining Amount | Not Available |
Customer Rating: 4.3

by Walt -- January 28th 2011 -- Portland, OR
Had this for 1 year, and its been a good phone, mostly for phone use, not so much apps, but call quality is excellent, both outgoing/ incoming voice.
Customer Rating: 4.8

by Alexis -- May 3rd 2010 -- Beaumont, TX
Love this phone. Haven't switched to the Pixi because it feels too light and the buttons are too small. Entire Microsoft office suite including creating docs, xl, and pdf in the PALM of my hand. Haven't been convinced to change yet. In my opinion, no other good comparison.
Customer Rating: 2.3

by daria -- December 20th 2009 -- Spokane, WA
I dot like the Oalm Centro as much as I thought I would. The battery does not hold a charge for very long and the screen keeps freezing on me and it was a little hard to figure out when I got it.
Customer Rating: 5

by martha wellington -- May 22nd 2009 -- lancaster, TX
Customer Rating: 3.5

by shavona ellis -- April 26th 2009 -- fredericksburg, VA
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