Palm Centro White Smartphone (AT&T) | 
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| Brand: Palm Category: Wireless
List Price: $399.99 Buy New: $10.38 You Save: $389.61 (97%)

Avg. Customer Rating: 20 reviews Sales Rank: 8565
Color: White Media: Wireless Phone Battery Type: Lithium Ion Display Size: 4 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0 Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: Centro UPC: 805931028792 ASIN: B0013KMQNU
Release Date: February 26, 2008 Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping Promotion: Data not available Terms and Conditions Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Features:
| • | Glacier white Palm-powered smartphone with 320 x 320 color touchscreen,full QWERTY keyboard, and 1.3-megapixel camera | | • | Quad-band connectivity for global roaming and EDGE data network compatibility for AT&T Mobile Music streaming and downloads | | • | Comprehensive organizer functions, including contacts, to-do lists, calendar; text, e-mail, and instant messaging; Web browser; Bluetooth for wireless headsets; MicroSD memory expansion | | • | Up to 3 hours of talk time, up to 300 hours (12.5 days) of standby time; measures 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches (HxWxD) | | • | Includes: Handset, A/C Charger, USB cable, Battery, User Documentation, Getting Started CD |
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| Editorial Reviews:
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.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 15 more reviews...
What it is and what it isn't December 16, 2008 Let me tell you, this isn't a phone to compete with the i-phone, or high-end smartphones. I would call this a Starter Smart-Phone and a good one at that. People want it to do everything and they want it done great. You know, not even High-end smartphones can do everything great, and they cost doubble. Palm has a lot of 3rd party applications (some are even free) that can do a lot of things other phones can't (medical, database, special timers, etc. software). This phone is small, easy to carry, easy to use, simple interface, and fast. Again if you wan't more bells and whistles you can put them in yourself, but they are a choice because the siemple interface is easier.
Today Palm does multimedia, but what is really strong in the Palm is how well it organizes everything; contacts, calendar, notes, tasks, etc.
Again if you want more you can add more, but if you really want more than the centro can offer you won't get it at this price from any brand. Want great battery, reception, sound, memory, etc. Get a $900 Smartphone, but simple things like contacts will, most likely, run slower on it.
Here is how to play your favourite song as ringtone December 16, 2008 I have owned unlocked Palm Centro for over six months now. Other people have talked about most features/issues so I don't want to repeat them, Still in a nutshell - I like this phone because I like simple Palm OS and I have owned Palm products ever since the first Palm Pilot. but the signal strength is not always good. OS is still very simple and user friendly, If you don't want fancies of iPhone, this is a nice phone. Small QUERTY keys are fine for me too. Palm customer service SUCKS BIG TIME though :-( I gave three stars for bad customer service and inferior internal antena. Other than that I am OK. Will buy it again future if the quality of antena improves.
Many people have tried programs like Ringo for playing their fav tunes as ringtones, however I found a crude but successful and free way to achieve the same. On your Centro Go to 'Sounds', tap 'New' and simply hold your Centro in front of the source playing the tune (like boombox or laptop)and record it mannually. Name the clip and then use it as ringtone. The quality is obviously not as crisp as the source but certainly good enough to play as ringtone. It doesn't require any setup or additional software to purchase and clutter your Phone. Hope this helps.
Transferring data from prior palm PDA - BEWARE December 11, 2008 I bought this phone because I have been using Palm PDA for years, and wanted to have one device not two, and have all my #'s already in my phone. Minor peeve is that despite the touch screen, you can only enter text with the (tiny) keyboard, not by writing the letters as with regular palm PDA's. Major peeve is that when I converted my databases on my PC to the software that came with the phone, the hotsync function became unreliable, and then stopped working entirely. My first set of calls to the palm smartphone support resulted in "hard reset" of my device, with data lost since my hotsync two weeks earlier. When the problem recurred a month after purchase, I spent two hours on the support line un-installing and re-installing the software on my computer, making new user names and moving the data into them, etc. At the end, still not able to hotsync. They say one of the databases is likely corrupted, and they cannot help me. They suggest I purchase "PDFIXIT", from an outside source and run it to see if it will find and fix the corrupt entry, and resolve the problem. The desktop/sync software for this phone is not ready for prime time. Buy a Blackberry.
Sorry Sac of Centro October 28, 2008 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This phone is a complete mess. It would be better to use the pony express because this thing will not work when you need it to.
1.) It powers itself off for no apparent reason, one day I watched this happen at least 15 times and I wasn't even touching it. 2.) The phone freezes all of the time, which requires that you take off the back and pull out the battery, and that eventually created space between the back cover and the phone. And this is very inconvenient when in the middle of a call! 3.) Communicating with the network is an issue when texting. Half of the time I wouldn't receive texts for hours then all of a sudden some would "transfer from my sim card." 4.) And currently I have no phone because the darn thing will not come on at all. 5.) After going through three phones in the span of two weeks all that AT&T could offer me was the Motorola Q9H, Pantech Duo, and the Blackjack 2, all of which have the EXACT same issues as the fricking Centro I already have. Apparently I could not get a Blackberry because it isn't considered a smartphone, even though AT&T's website says otherwise.
And after talking to a few other Centro owners, I discovered that these problems aren't just happening to me, the phone is a complete piece of junk.
Needless to say DO NOT BUY this sorry sac of Centro!!!
As good as it gets...for now ; ) October 26, 2008 2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I have been using my Centro for coming up on a year now.
What I wish were different: I wish it were a flip. I enjoy the way flip-phones cradle the face, and find bar phones unaccommodating, ergonomically. I wish I could use MP3 ringtones, without installing 3rd party software (such as Ringo, which may thoroughly befuddle your Centro as it did mine. Deleted promptly.) WiFi would be a delight. A dedicated GPS would be even more of a delight.
Still, there is much to appreciate, particularly in side by side comparisons with the other available offerings: The rubbery texture of the keys make them reasonably usable, despite their tininess. It will sync with my Mac. Not just everyone makes that consideration. And here is the biggest thing, which will keep me loyal to Palm regardless of how cool your iPhones and Dares with their magic screens seem, in theory-- A mother lode of software downloads! Not sure how I did without QuikBudget, Scrabble, and Ultralingua Spanish-English and French-English dictionaries (never want to be without those again.) There is not, as far as I know, another smartphone platform so useful to the geek who wants a phone customized to his/her own geekiness. Overall, this little gizmo performs wondrous feats for something I tuck in my pocket.
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