I read quite a bit about this phone before I used it. Quite often they refer to it as an entry level smart phone, which means it is still probably better than a regular cell phone. Despite the misnomer that the Centro is lacking in features, that does not seem to be the case at all. I have the AT&T version, which is the same as any other, which has all the organizer functions of any Palm. For those of you not used to a Palm, those functions include calendar, address book, memos, and to do lists. All those functions have the ability to mark a record as private, and to synchronize with your computer, by either USB or Bluetooth. The Centro has a full keyboard and touch screen input as well. The Centro also has infrared beaming capability, which is useful in sending information from one device to another to send your songs to your friends for free, kind of neat.
The Centro has the functionality to do word type documents, has Google Maps, and a music player. A nice feature is if you have someone’s address in contacts, you can map it from the contact and get driving directions to or from another location. You can also open e-mail from contacts, or, from e-mail, choose a contact address. The functions are very functional and useful.
I looked at Blackberries, Palm, and Iphones before deciding on what to get. I didn’t like the Blackberry Pearl because it does not have a complete keyboard. I was interested in the Curve, but it is a little larger than the Centro and heftier. I chose the Palm because I had used the operating system for many years, so it was familiar and an easy transition. I also like the size of the Centro and that it is relatively cheap.
As a phone, the clarity is the greatest of any cell I have had so far, so can’t complain there. The size is small enough to easily carry in a shirt pocket, not some huge brick like phone. I really like the full keyboard for typing, even though the letters are not for fat fingered people. There is also a touch screen keyboard if you are into that kind of cool stuff. The camera is decent at 1.3 mega pixels, but obviously not up the Samsung Memoir with 8 megapixels etc. I also like the documents to go function which includes Word, EXCEL, PowerPoint and a pdf reader. E-mail and web functions work pretty well. E-mail and web packages are getting more expensive, but are usually about $25 to $30 per month depending on the carrier. I also like that I don’t have to use the internet (or pay for it) if I don’t want to unlike some other phones.
The Palm operating system is excellent. It really should have sold better than it has. Unfortunately, this may be the last device to use this OS. But with over 2 million Centros sold, it should be around for a while. The phone itself is easy to hold and use and has both a keyboard and a touch screen. I think it is a bit slick for the full keyboard, but you can get tops that help you to hold it better to type. Like the Iphone, there are literally thousands if applications available. For entertainment, I’ve added Spider, Free Cell and Scrabble. I also have a dictionary at my fingertips. Memory is pretty sparse, with only 128MB of storage to begin with, although it will accommodate a 4 gig micro SD card for music, photos and videos.
Battery life, like any smartphone needs to be improved. If you use voice and data, you will have to charge the phone every day. The only good battery I have ever witnessed is on the blackberry, but even it is not spectacular. So, get a spare backup if you are a heavy user.
In summary, I find the Centro does everything it claims to, and it does them well in a inexpensive and functional package. It is usually available for under $100 with a two year contract. I got mine a bit cheaper because I know someone that worked for AT&T and wanted to get rid of it cheap and without a contract. Although I know some earlier Palm smart phones had issues (that is why T-Mobile no longer carries them), I’ve had my Centro for quite a while now and have had a good experience with it. It is not as nice as my G1, but a lot cheaper!
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