Palm Centro Photo Gallery
PIC was on-hand today at Palm's press conference for the new Centro smartphone. The Palm Centro is the first new Palm phone design in some time and features a slimmer , more pocketable size along with broadband wireless speeds. The Centro not only sports a new look but is also targeting a younger audience with an attractive $99 debut price.
Read on for our hands on photo gallery of the Palm Centro...
Click on any image below for a larger view.
Palm CEO Ed Colligan Showing the Centro
Centro in Onyx Black and Ruby Red. The Centro's paint has a nice subtle sparkly finish.
Centro next to a Arctic Treo 680
Another shot next to the Treo 680
Upclose views of the Palm Centro
Side view: Centro on top, 680 below
Note the screen size, same amount of pixels but smaller
(I didn't realize the font sizes were set to different sizes on each device not to confuse anyone.)
A couple shots of Palm's DigitalLife Booth
You can read more about the Palm Centro here.
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Looks good in Onyx
Size
How does it feel in your hand? Is it significantly (however you define that) smaller and lighter than the 650?
I'm out of contract with Sprint in January and very sick of my 650 brick, but if this is nice and small, it might be worth it. My 650 syncs nicely with Entourage without using Missing Sync, so this could be an easy swap. Besides, Sprint has a pretty cheap data plan.
Of course, I'm sick of Sprint and would love a Blackberry Curve.
(and man, does that red Centro look like a 1970s bike seat).
<><
RE: Size
10 questions for Ryan
1. Is it so slick that it seems like it'd slide out of your hands if they were sweaty? Or is it narrow enough that you can get a solid "grip" on it even with average-sized hands?
2. What's the stylus like?
3. Did you notice any UI/launcher/PIM/core app differences? Is the "hold home button for quick launch" feature from the 755p and patched 700p still there?
4. Is VersaMail really up to version 4.0 and did you notice any major difffernces?
5. What version is Blazer? Are its improvements anything related to rendering or speed or just the lame Youtube/Kinoma integration for streaming?
6. Did Palm say or did anyone notice if the Centro battery is the same physical size/shape as the 500v's battery?
7.How does the d-pad feel? Does it seem decent enough to at least passably play games on?
8.Any lag with the unit you used?
9. Any idea yet on the question of the RAM (64mb available/ 64mb total)? Is NVFS still present? Any word on DBheap/cache sizes?
10. Are all of the various bundled apps in ROM or do some of them have to be loaded into RAM off of the included software CD?
Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P
RE: Size
>>>1. Is it so slick that it seems like it'd slide out of your hands if they were sweaty? Or is it narrow enough that you can get a solid "grip" on it even with average-sized hands?
It's fine for adult hands, in terms of grip. I didn't think it that slick. Not like, say, past iPods.
Overall it felt solid. I was impressed with the build quality. The buttons felt good too me. No rattle or movement beyond what they're supposed to do. They didn't feel cheap.
I'm not interested in it beyond seeing it and touching it, so I didn't delve into things like version numbers and such. I even forgot to pull out the stylus.
Forget those keyboard buttons, though. I have slim fingers. They were too small even for me. This is for kids.
Good luck wooing all those Sidekick owners, Palm!
RE: processor speed?
Palm III->Palm Vx->Palm m505->Palm m515->Tungsten T->Tapwave Zodiac II->Treo 700p
RE: No backlighting keyboard ?
Too bad there's no technology for a larger screen
"I believe in the atomic bomb."
Blogging at http://agabus.com">Agabus.com.
Palm V > Vx > Clie Peg T615C > T3 > Clie TH55 > T3 > Treo 650 > Treo 700p & T3!
RE: Too bad there's no technology for a larger screen
RE: Too bad there's no technology for a larger screen
I'm not an iphone fan, but doesn't it manage to have a hi-res touchscreen that's at least twice the size of the centro screen.
________________________________________
If you feel like you're under control, you're just not going fast enough.
RE: Too bad there's no technology for a larger screen
RE: Too bad there's no technology for a larger screen
:-
Pat Horne
RE: Too bad there's no technology for a larger screen
The display pixel resolution on the iPhone is the same as the 755/680, but lower than the Centro. The iPhone's advantage is the 480x320 screen instead of the 320x320 screen on the 755, 680 and Centro.
What I was saying is the better touch screen technology on the 755, 680 and Centro is one of the reasons the units are thicker.
RE: Too bad there's no technology for a larger screen
Look, I'm a 700p user. I like my cell phone a lot, but that's all it is, a cell phone with a highly interactive screen interface. But if I want to read text, watch videos or scan the internet, I won't do it on my 700p.
Truth is, Palm could make a large-screen cell phone, and looking at the iPhone, I can't see why the heck they won't.
"I believe in the atomic bomb."
Blogging at http://agabus.com">Agabus.com.
Palm V > Vx > Clie Peg T615C > T3 > Clie TH55 > T3 > Treo 650 > Treo 700p & T3!
Where's the real man's next PalmOS Smartphone?
But what's up with making the screen smaller? I guess women do want things as small and 'cute' as possible. If that's the market they want, it seems like this design could succeed. It's also good to break that $100 price point for the budget minded people.
But seriously, what about the people who have Treo's now? We've been stock on the Treo 750 PalmOS powered treo for a while now. Where's the real man's upgrade to the smartphone we already believe in?
I might have gotten a Centro if they didn't shrink the screen so much. The screen is already too small on a full sized treo. They need to do a wide screen 320x480 screen, i want bigger with a better camera. Those are the features i'm looking for in a new Treo.
RE: Where's the real man's next PalmOS Smartphone?
Other than actual number of pixels, the ancient old 650 camera is still superior in many ways to what I've seen on a 755p and 700p. Unless the Centro's camera difffers significantly from the 755p's, you'd still have a number of situations (low-light for one) where the VGA camera on the 650 would yield superior performance.
Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P
RE: Where's the real man's next PalmOS Smartphone?
Palm III->Palm Vx->Palm m505->Palm m515->Tungsten T->Tapwave Zodiac II->Treo 700p
RE: Where's the real man's next PalmOS Smartphone?
Pat Horne
More Centro size comparison pics
Photo Album: DigitalLife Expo 2007
http://tinyurl.com/yp42hg
RE: More Centro size comparison pics
Were you happy to see the Centro or was that just a banana in your LifeDrive?
-- http://mikecane.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/dl2007065.jpg
RE: More Centro size comparison pics
And yeah, it's a WriteRight. But I've run out of them at the mo.
RE: More Centro size comparison pics
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RE: More Centro size comparison pics
2 questions to Palm
1) Why again and again that orrible looking phone application? The 680's much better. I know Palm OS is great but a modern and good looking interface has its importance too. Do you believe people are proud to show to friends a new phone with such a dated interface?
2) Is that hard to desing new icons for Palm OS? Maybe, and I repeat, maybe it is only me in the world that is still satisfied with Palm Os as it is but please, update it! Not the core, not the coding, just the looking...there are thousands of designers able to draw better icons than those of Palm...
Really, is it only me that consider STYLE an important factor of the act of purchasing goods?
Sorry for my english and thank you for reading.
RE: 2 questions to Palm
As for icons and other UI elements, eh...
mobileministrymagazine.com
antoinerjwright.com
YUCK!
Jesus Christ that is the most 'teenage' looking phone I've ever seen.
RE: YUCK!
[said opinion derived from watching numerous teenyboppers at places like Hershey Park and malls text messaging like mad using a nonQWERTY flipphone and, not surprisingly, closing them after each brief session with...you know...an obviously-satisfying "Ker-PLACK!"...]
[Btw - I was/am IMPRESSED with the speed with which said teenyboppers could send text messages with those phones]
RE: YUCK!
I don't know how interested Jesus is in this, but Palm is bettin' the farm that you are right.
** Btw - I was/am IMPRESSED with the speed with which said teenyboppers could send text messages with those phones **
Yessir. And this is what scares me about the Centro attempt. Palm is trying to bring "old folks" tech into the kids world. I know a heavy duty texting teen with the Verizon texting phone (T9 & QWERTY keyboards), who says that he can actually text faster with the T9 than the QWERTY. Personally, I don't think teens are that interested in QWERTY or Palm OS. They want a cool way to hang out with friends 24x7.
Palm is having a horrible time competing in the market it understands. Slowly losing relevance in a sector once dominated does not exude confidence that they will do much in a crowded sector with tech giants that they have never marketed to. The Centro does have some props and I think it sells decent, but it's pretty much a yawner in the marketplace IMHO.
Pat Horne
RE: YUCK!
I dunno. I am an "old folk" as you say and a long time Treo user who has also been tired of the same ol' same ol T600 derivatives out of Palm... I like this thing. It has the features I like,(I admit I don't need wifi, or multitasking in my phone) and its a bit shorter, thinner, and less wide than Treo's. I really like the Blackberry Pearl, but no full qwerty, this has one and will fit easier into my pockets.
Also a great thing that cannot be overlooked is the price. At $99, its an easy sell. Not designed to be the end all be all of smartphones it is a cheap alternative.
RE: YUCK!
== "...[The Centro] has been reviewed to death, but we’d like
== to point out that the keyboard is absolutely terrible. It feels
== like it was designed for 6 year olds (which might not be so
== off base, given the youth-centric appearence of Palm’s expo booth)..."
-- http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2007/09/29/digital-lifes-mobile-handsets/
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Wow, that screen is really small
This thing better sells as well as the original Zire....
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