UK SIM Free Palm Centro
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Introduction
I was lucky enough to be invited to the UK launch of the SIM Free Palm Centro in London on the 5th March and amid a clamor of people being the first to praise or condemn the new device, we saw a presentation, a pile of Mars Bars (making the point that this is a 'candy-bar' form factor device) and a heated 'questions and answers' session. Some people liked it for its value, others dismissed it for not having 3G or Wifi (or even GPS). Aimed at a demographic of "sub 35 year-olds", Palm claim it will appeal to both text-mad teens and business people on the go. Having been given a device to evaluate for myself, I bravely took the SIM out of my TyTN II and relegated it to the drawer for a week and have been relying entirely on the Centro to be my newest communication and organisation buddy. So has it lived up to its 'one device fits all' badge or did it leave me running arms outstretched for my dear old TyTN? Read on to find out.
Review Date: March 19, 2007
Picture Highlights
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| e Centro boasts a comprehensive collection of software, including Calculator, Calendar, Camcorder, Camera, Contacts, Documents to Go Professional Edition 10 (for creating, editing and viewing native Word and Excel compatible files and viewing native PowerPoint and PDF documents), Email (VersaMail 4.0), Google Maps for Mobile 1, HotSync, Memos, Messaging, My Centro, Phone, Pics and Video, PocketTunes, Quick Tour, Tasks, Voice Dial, Voice Memo, Web (Blazer 4.5), and World Clock. | For its size, the screen displays a nice clear image with a good low-level of reflection. Graphics, icons and text are all well defined and there is almost no border wastage. |
| width="500;" style="text-align: center;" So enough of the text and lets have a closer look at the Centro in action. In the first video I have concentrated on the hardware including the keyboard, buttons and touch-screen. This also includes a look at the battery, SIM and SD cards. | | have briefly covered the media capabilities of the Centro and one or two of the extras that this phone has over the usual Palm device. |
Overall Impression
Whilst some may say the Centro has its shortcomings, one has to remember the market at which it is aimed. This is not designed to take the teenage world by storm and it is not intended to get business men throwing thier iPAQs off the nearest bridge either. The Centro is aimed at a market of up-and-coming PDA users who are ready to shed the bonds of childish gimmick phones that play annoying ring tones or have camera templates that make your mate look like a gorilla, and step into a grown-up world where your work needn't be just tied to your desk and your phone isn't just a toy. This phone, whilst fulfilling everything they once had: camera, video, text and web allows them to see a whole new perspective of the range of what you can carry about in your pocket without being ridiculously expensive or tied into a lengthy contract. This phone may have people knocking it because it doesn't have this or that, but to them I'd say "If you want 3G, GPS and Wifi then go buy a £400 PDA."
So will this phone leave my Tytn II relegated to the drawer? Well I have to admit it was nice to use a phone that didn't need a soft reset button, a piece of hardware that appreciates the shape of my hand and where my thumb and fingers can realistically reach and an operating system that doesn't feel like its about to crash every four or five minutes. Sadly I missed things like my streaming 3G newscasts, 8GB storage, full web browser, non-proprietary sockets and widescreen movies on the train. So for me, I'm sticking with my TyTN II, but I respect what Palm's done with the Centro.
Rating
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