Palm Centro Smartphone
- Operating System: Palm OS
- Performance: Quad Band
- Design: Mobile
- Style: Candy Bar, Smartphone
- Network Type: GSM 850 GSM 900 GSM 1800 GSM 1900 GPRS GSM EDGE
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Bulky But Reliable
Pros
easy to navigate, decent applications, customizable
Cons
bulky, small keyboard, small screen
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
A little on the bulky side, this phone will last, and it's very reliable.
Making the Decision:
The Palm Centro is a great cell phone for those that are looking for a gadget that does more than simply act as a phone or a way to text. In May 2008, I went to the Sprint store with a current account that I wanted to upgrade, along with a new phone. With the Simply Everything plan, everything was everything unlimited- data, texting, photos, movies, music, minutes to gab- you name it, it was unlimited. For $99 a month plus taxes, I had everything I needed. I paid a small fee to upgrade to the account, and the Palm Centro was only $100 after a $50 rebate. On it's own, it was about $400 at the time, just for the phone itself without a new plan. I felt like $100 was a pretty good deal for a touch screen phone equipped with various applications and it's own keyboard.
Features:
I liked the idea that the phone was a touch screen. I was new to features like having access to the internet, and easier ways to text- not to mention the options to hear free radio with various channels. I wanted something basic that would support these features. I didn't want something that was so complicated to the point where I'd be lost trying to navigate the thing. The touch screen is a nice feature because I can work so much quicker on the phone. There's never a point where I don't like the touch screen. My only complaint here is that the screen has a tendency to get dirty around the edges pretty easily since it's not 100% flat from one edge of the phone to the other. At the same time, it's probably more of a protector against the phone if it's dropped because of the plastic edges around the screen. I have dropped it plenty of times, for the record, and the phone never gave me a problem. I even dropped it in water, and still- no problem. Before these incidents, a couple of keys on the keyboard would lock up, and eventually they quit working. I think this was due to dirt getting into the keys because I use it a lot at work and on the job, and cleaning my hands isn't something I can do real quickly and at all times. As for ease of use of the keyboard, I would say it works pretty well. It is small and I wouldn't recommend it to those of you that text a lot of would use the phone to type up emails often. The keyboard has worn down quickly from using it often, so it's losing the shine. There is a touch screen keyboard available, but it's not as quick for me to use as the keyboard itself. Luckily I have small hands! The screen size can be frustrating, at least once you know that there are other phones on the market with larger screens. The phone is bulky compared to other newer phones with similar features.
The camera is alright. It's not the best out there, I am sure of that. Hold your hand really still and you'll get decent photos. If you want a phone with a good camera to upload photos or videos, you may want to research more. Otherwise these are very basic- not the best quality or color, and it doesn't automatically adjust well in darker areas or at night. GoogleMaps comes in handy as far as other applications on the phone. It's a mini version of what you can find on the web- type in your destination To and From and it will give you instant directions, as well as show you the strees, and you can zoom in and out of the area. This is one of my favorite applications, though it is a map only, and not GPS capable.
The Facebook application is decent, but you can't comment on your friends photos or statuses, and you're better off using the web on the phone to interact. If you're just flipping through, then it works okay. This could definitely be improved, considering how popular Facebook has become for so many of us. I don't like that there are various applications that I never even use, and I can't hide them. It is easy to separate the apps into categories. Mine is set to what I use most.
The phone comes with a stylus, which I rarely need unless I am using the web a lot. The phone is fairly customizable. I am constantly recharging the phone, but I suppose that's expected with any phone when you constantly use it- especially using the web a lot. The internet loads pretty quickly for the most part, and the service works 99% of the time. I have never really had connection problems, though the Facebook application struggles sometimes and lags a little bit.
Overall, it is a great phone if you want something to interact with and use pretty consistently. The weakest part for me is th low camera quality, and the bulkiness of the phone. As an artist, I don't find the phone as sleek and appealing as the iPhone, for example. Also, the internet would be easier to use if the screen was larger and the keyboard was wider. I've had the phone for a year and a half, and I am ready for a new one! But, that's technology for ya.
The Palm Centro is a great cell phone for those that are looking for a gadget that does more than simply act as a phone or a way to text. In May 2008, I went to the Sprint store with a current account that I wanted to upgrade, along with a new phone. With the Simply Everything plan, everything was everything unlimited- data, texting, photos, movies, music, minutes to gab- you name it, it was unlimited. For $99 a month plus taxes, I had everything I needed. I paid a small fee to upgrade to the account, and the Palm Centro was only $100 after a $50 rebate. On it's own, it was about $400 at the time, just for the phone itself without a new plan. I felt like $100 was a pretty good deal for a touch screen phone equipped with various applications and it's own keyboard.
Features:
I liked the idea that the phone was a touch screen. I was new to features like having access to the internet, and easier ways to text- not to mention the options to hear free radio with various channels. I wanted something basic that would support these features. I didn't want something that was so complicated to the point where I'd be lost trying to navigate the thing. The touch screen is a nice feature because I can work so much quicker on the phone. There's never a point where I don't like the touch screen. My only complaint here is that the screen has a tendency to get dirty around the edges pretty easily since it's not 100% flat from one edge of the phone to the other. At the same time, it's probably more of a protector against the phone if it's dropped because of the plastic edges around the screen. I have dropped it plenty of times, for the record, and the phone never gave me a problem. I even dropped it in water, and still- no problem. Before these incidents, a couple of keys on the keyboard would lock up, and eventually they quit working. I think this was due to dirt getting into the keys because I use it a lot at work and on the job, and cleaning my hands isn't something I can do real quickly and at all times. As for ease of use of the keyboard, I would say it works pretty well. It is small and I wouldn't recommend it to those of you that text a lot of would use the phone to type up emails often. The keyboard has worn down quickly from using it often, so it's losing the shine. There is a touch screen keyboard available, but it's not as quick for me to use as the keyboard itself. Luckily I have small hands! The screen size can be frustrating, at least once you know that there are other phones on the market with larger screens. The phone is bulky compared to other newer phones with similar features.
The camera is alright. It's not the best out there, I am sure of that. Hold your hand really still and you'll get decent photos. If you want a phone with a good camera to upload photos or videos, you may want to research more. Otherwise these are very basic- not the best quality or color, and it doesn't automatically adjust well in darker areas or at night. GoogleMaps comes in handy as far as other applications on the phone. It's a mini version of what you can find on the web- type in your destination To and From and it will give you instant directions, as well as show you the strees, and you can zoom in and out of the area. This is one of my favorite applications, though it is a map only, and not GPS capable.
The Facebook application is decent, but you can't comment on your friends photos or statuses, and you're better off using the web on the phone to interact. If you're just flipping through, then it works okay. This could definitely be improved, considering how popular Facebook has become for so many of us. I don't like that there are various applications that I never even use, and I can't hide them. It is easy to separate the apps into categories. Mine is set to what I use most.
The phone comes with a stylus, which I rarely need unless I am using the web a lot. The phone is fairly customizable. I am constantly recharging the phone, but I suppose that's expected with any phone when you constantly use it- especially using the web a lot. The internet loads pretty quickly for the most part, and the service works 99% of the time. I have never really had connection problems, though the Facebook application struggles sometimes and lags a little bit.
Overall, it is a great phone if you want something to interact with and use pretty consistently. The weakest part for me is th low camera quality, and the bulkiness of the phone. As an artist, I don't find the phone as sleek and appealing as the iPhone, for example. Also, the internet would be easier to use if the screen was larger and the keyboard was wider. I've had the phone for a year and a half, and I am ready for a new one! But, that's technology for ya.
