Palm Centro Review

Designed for the home CEO or young executive, the Center introduces a whole new form factor at a whole new price. Billed at $99.99, the new Palm Centro costs less than $100, as you’ll see advertised on various marketing channels. This price depends on the signing of a 2-year contract and a $25 backup data plan. Compared to Verizon and AT&T, Sprint’s data price is still relatively cheap compared to the competition.

pocket center

The Centro may not be as slim as other smartphones like the Moto Q, but it’s definitely smaller. The Center is fully pocketable and your best friend could be the front pocket of your favorite jeans. It also feels light and this can be partly attributed to the smaller battery and plastic casing. Remnants of the Treo smartphone include the ringer switch on the top of the phone that allows you to easily switch the ringer to vibrate mode and vice versa. The buttons on the front of the Center have the familiar Power/End Call and Answer Call buttons. Located in the middle of the device are buttons for phone, calendar, email/messaging, and home (apps). The 5-way navigator is a departure from previous designs. The border that allows 4-way selection appears to be a little too thin, but I had no trouble navigating as it’s actually raised from the middle button.

The good

QWERTY keyboard, Palm OS easy to use, small, touch screen.

The bad

No 3.5mm headphone jack, no Wi-Fi, no 3G, no Bluetooth 2.0, no Java, and no flash for the 1.3 megapixel camera

Verdict

The Palm Centro is not a modern smartphone for the “youth” market as promised.