Palm Centro White Phone (AT&T)

Other products by Palm

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 2.4 x 0.9 inches ; 6.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B0013KMQNU
• Item model number: Centro
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,091 in Cell Phones & Service (See Bestsellers in Cell Phones & Service)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #67 in

  Cell Phones & Service > Cell Phones with Service > Smartphone & PDA

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Life starts after five o'clock. Not coincidentally, that's also when the Palm Centro smartphone comes alive. Not only does the Palm Centro handle all your favorite voice functions, but it also offers text, IM, e-mail, and web access--all in a body that's a lot smaller than you'd think. Add a 1.3-megapixel camera, 64 MB of internal memory, Bluetooth connectivity for headsets, MicroSD expansion, and a full QWERTY keyboard and you have a terrific smartphone for all your messaging and personal needs. You'll be able to get to where you're going fast with support for TeleNav GPS Navigator software (which requires an optional Bluetooth GPS receiver). And this quad-band GSM version of the Centro for AT&T also features walkie talkie-style Push to Talk (PTT) communication in addition to voice dialing and speakerphone capabilities. The integrated Palm OS 5.4.9 operating system also plays nicely with Windows XP and Vista as well as Mac OS X 10.2 and higher.

The Palm Centro's full QWERTY keyboard makes it easy to type text messages, IMs, and e-mails.

AT&T Service
This phone operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"), with availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. This third-generation, high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. The AT&T Mobile Music platform includes the ability to sideload music with Napster and eMusic with the built-in Pocket Tunes Deluxe application, listen to live radio with XM Radio Mobile, discover new songs with MusicID and more. You can also access XM Radio Mobile, which provides 25 of the best XM Radio channels, featuring commercial-free rock, hip-hop, country, jazz and more (additional monthly fee; free three-day trial included).

With a database of more than 3 million artists and titles, you can use MusicID to identify an unknown song. While holding the Centro up to a speaker, the MusicID application returns song information such as title, artist and cover art, if available. It also keeps track of previous IDs and allows users to share song information with friends via text messages (additional monthly fee; free three-day trial included).

It's also MobiTV capable, which enables you to watch live television, premium and prime-time programming, video-on-demand clips and satellite and digital music services from the top broadcast and cable television networks and major music labels (additional monthly charges are applicable).

You can take advantage of the TeleNav GPS Navigator software, the full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps. It comes as a 30-day trial version, and it can be downloaded via the TeleNav web site or via virtual pre-load icon (VPL) after activation.

You can also instantly talk across the largest Push to Talk (PTT) network coverage area in America. Push to Talk works like a walkie-talkie to talk to an individual or a group of up to 29 users. With status icons that clearly indicate the availability of friends and family, Push to Talk customers will know who is free before they call. You can purchase unlimited Push to Talk minutes with with single or family plans, or use Push to Talk on a pay-per-use basis that's charged by the minute. Design
The Palm Centro boasts a sleek glacier white housing that measures a mere 4.2 by 2.1 by 0.7 inches (HxWxD) and weighs 4.2 ounces. It's notably smaller than many competing smartphones, yet doesn't sacrifice functionality at any point along the way. Users will also love the 320 x 320 touchscreen (up to 65,000 colors), which offers a crisp resolution for photos and videos. And thanks to the full QWERTY keyboard, you can say L8R to those tricky keys on your old cell phone.

Phone and Messaging Functions
The Palm Centro smartphones offers a ton of ways to stay in touch with friends, whether calling, firing off a quick text, instant messaging, or sending an e-mail. From a phone perspective, the Palm Centro lets you dial people right from your address book, set up three-way calls from the touch of a button, or use the speakerphone to talk hands-free. The keyboard, meanwhile, makes it a breeze to type complete messages whether you're sending text, pictures, or even audio or video clips. Plus, the Centro keeps all your messages in a chat-style view, so it's easy to keep track of the conversation.

The 320 x 320 color touchscreen is crisp and vivid, making it ideal for viewing photos or watching videos.

Want to keep up with all the latest gossip when you're away from the computer? Turn to the Centro's instant messaging functions, which support all your buddy lists on AIM, MSN, and Yahoo. It also supports Good Mobile Messaging after an over-the-air (OTA) download of the software.. Similarly, the Centro lets you access your personal e-mail accounts, such as Gmail, AOL, and Yahoo. As a result, you can reply to invites and answer e-mails when you're out and about.

Web Functions
Whether you're keeping up with friends on Facebook or looking up directions to the new bistro across town, the Centro's touchscreen and keyboard make it fun to navigate around the web. The Centro includes a fast built-in web browser that lets you check out photos on Flickr quickly via AT&T's EDGE data network. The Centro is also compatible with Google Maps, making it simple to get directions or see which freeways are clear and which ones are parking lots. Google Maps shows you red, yellow, or green traffic routes in real time.

Organizer Functions
The Palm Centro includes a complete organizer for keeping track of all your daily, weekly, and monthly responsibilities. The contacts list gathers all your friends' phone numbers, addresses, and more, while the calendar keeps you from missing upcoming meetings, events, and parties. You can even enter a friend's birthday in the contacts list and will automatically show up in your calendar. As with the best organizers, the Centro also offers a to-do list that lets you check off items when they're complete. As a result, it's easy to keep track of what you did and still need to do. And should you come across a tidbit that doesn't have a logical home, simply turn to the memo function, which lets you store random information such as hot spots in Vegas or the names of movies you'd like to rent. Say goodbye to carrying around crumpled scraps of paper in your pocket or purse. Finally, it's possible to save a copy of all those names, numbers, appointments, photos, and videos on your computer thanks to the sync function.

Multimedia
Whether you want to take pictures, play videos, or listen to music, the Palm Centro has got you covered. The 1.3-megapixel digital camera (with a 2x digital zoom) lets you shoot pictures and send them to friends, store digital albums, or shoot videos. The built-in MP3 player, meanwhile, lets you take your tunes everywhere you go. With 64 MB of storage, there's plenty of room for your playlists, plus you can add up to 4 GB more with a microSD card. And thanks to Pocket Tunes Deluxe, you can play the songs you downloaded from online music stores.

Vital Statistics
The Palm Centro weighs 4.2 ounces and measures 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches. Its 1150 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of talk time, and up to 240 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Phone and Palm - Small Keyboard, March 17, 2008

By	Brian Hartman (Scotch Plains, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bought this phone a few weeks ago when I was eligible for an upgrade. I decided to get the Centro because I find myself texting sometimes and wanting to write e-mails on my phone. (I used to have a Nokia 6030, and it's a good phone, but it's got a standard cell phone number keypad.)

My favorite thing about the phone is the Palm OS. If you've got another Palm, and you don't want to spend the money on a Treo 755p, then trust me -- this should be your phone.

Most, but not all Palm apps will transfer nicely over to the Centro. This is a huge benefit if you've got a bunch of Palm apps already, like I do. Out of the box, you can put all those apps on it, and have a phone more useful than any iPhone or BlackBerry out there. And if you've got a wireless keyboard, that'll work with the Centro, too, meaning you can use it for larger e-mails and working on Word documents (Oh, did I mention that Documents to Go is included in the box? :))

So here are the main advantages:

1) QWERTY keyboard

2) Tons of apps (and lots more free apps out there, if you look).

3) Simple Palm UI. Palm has always been the master of the intuitive UI, and this is no exception.

4) Pocket Tunes Deluxe included, which means that (preferably with an unlimited data plan) you can stream music from sites like shoutcast.com.

5) Free voice dialing included (with AT&T Centro -- NOT Sprint).

Some things not to like about the phone:

1) It's got Bluetooth, but you can't voice dial from a Bluetooth headset (at least, not natively -- there might be an app fix, but I don't know of one).

2) The keyboard is designed for tween/teen fingers. If you've got larger fingers, you'll have some trouble adjusting. Adjusting is possible, though. After about 3 weeks, I can type pretty proficiently (though I still look at the keys).

3) It doesn't come with any kind of micro-SD card. I know this might not sound like much of an omission, but when you've only got 64MB to play with, you'll start feeling that pretty fast -- especially if you're moving from a device like a Palm TX, that's got more memory. on board. Get yourself a decent-sized micro-SD card as soon as you can.

If the Centro had larger keys for the keyboard and the ability to voice dial over Bluetooth, I would've given it 5 stars. But as it is, it's almost perfect!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Nice Phone, March 8, 2008

By	GeneL "Brook" (Boston MA) - See all my reviews

First, to the critical review - to insert the SIM card you should have taken the stylus out... or take phone to any store and ask for HELP.
The pros: light, good fit, cool look. Nice screen, very decent sound quality. Excellent for chat and messaging! Decent picture quality for 1.3 M. All standard PDA functions from an old industry leader - PALM.
The only drawback is actually small QWERTY buttons, but - (1) the phone is smaller than those "monsters" with big buttons, and (2) after 1 day I got used to it. Teens would be absolutely OK with that size.

Overall: perfect job for this price.
Own phone for 3 weeks.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great phone with small issues, June 13, 2008

By	Elizabeth S. (Long Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews

First off...I really love this phone. The features are great and I am not planning on returning it. But there are 2 issues that people should be aware of before they buy:
1.) You cannot voice dial with your blue tooth. You must use the phone for voice dial.
2.) Downloaded ring tones only ring once and do not repeat. This can be a problem if you do not hear the ring the first time. You have to download a particularly long ring tone if you plan on using music tones.