PalmAddicts

My review of the unlocked Palm Centro

This review was composed and written on my Palm Centro

Thanks to Palm for the Centro, just to give you a description of what the Centro is all about as taken from the Palm website, "life starts after five o'clock. That's why there's the Palm® Centro™ smartphone. Palm Centro gives you voice, text, email and web, all in a phone that's a lot smaller than you think. It even has a touch-screen and a full keyboard, so you can say L8R to those tricky keys on your cell phone. Carry names and numbers, shoot photos and video, and meet up with friends. Centro. Let's go."

I first saw the Centro on my recent trips back to New York. I got to spend a couple of hours playing with it in New York, it was the red Centro and loved the design of it. I was given the heads up on the Centro from Sheldon at the Morning Paper when he wrote to me telling me that he had just posted images of what seemed to be a new design for Palm. I couldn't help but think that elements if the design was similar to that of the Zire 22 and I always liked the design of Palm's entry level PDA. So when I got to play with one in NYC I excited and impressed but what surprised me the most was how small the Centro was.

If you have not seen PATV155 which sees me unboxing the Centro then check the video out here, but as I mentioned the first thing that you notice is just how small the device is. The whole device is smaller than the Treo 650 and is smaller than the Treo 680. Below are some pictures comparing the Centro to various devices

Centro compared to a Treo 680

Centro, Treo 680 and Treo 650

The Centro I have is the black version. The casing is glossy, it looks nice but is prone to finger prints but the quality of it feels good. It feels pretty robust too, when you squeeze it there are no creaks, I picked up the squeezing test from the many reviews I have read from the-gadgeteer website. The navigation and the application buttons are silver plastic coated and are big enough to press and are flat in nature. They give a response when pressed as does the navigation button in the centre whilst the select key wears the Palm logo, a nice touch. The keyboard is probably the smallest I have ever used on a mobile device which I have to admit I thought was going to be prove to be a problem, it turns out not to be. In fact this editorial is written on my Centro and whilst initially it does take a little getting used to especially if you have used a Treo 650 or a 680 then you will find after a short period of time that the Centro keyboard is a pleasure to use [well it is for me anyway :-)] The keys are illuminated especially useful for those of you who use your device during the evening or at night, you know how this works, you mat be in ned and you need to add some notes, send an email or a text message or like me you want to moblog from bed, well of course you can.

Infrared port on the Centro

It is good to see that the Centro offers an IR port to transfer information from one Palm device to another or whatever else takes your fancy whilst next to the slot houses the Micro SD card slot which is discreet. My Centro is loaded with a 2GB card which houses all my photographs and a number of tunes and You Tube video's that I have saved and use the likes of Kinoma Player, Pocket Tunes and Splash Photo to access.

The top of the Centro houses the sound mute toggle switch which is easily activated by sliding across to mute or to allow volume, which is handy for those meetings or in areas where cellphones need to be silenced.

Bottom of the Centro

Nothing new here, my Centro fits most of my connectors that I have used for the Treo 680 and Treo 650 respectively, the only peripheral I am having trouble with is the Enfora Wifi Sled which the Centro doesn't recognize but more on that in another post.

Headphones plugged into Centro using an adapter

The headset jack is 2.5mm which is a shame because I know so many people who want to use their iPod headphones and the Blackberry Curve offers a 3.5mm  jack and I can use my iPod headphones without any problems. As an alternative then you will need a adapter which when used with the Centro works fine however I would love Palm to consider putting the headphone jack at the top of the device it would make life that little bit easier however this is only a small annoyance.

 

The display on the Centro on dim mode compared to it's brightest setting. [Click each image to get the full size]

What can I say about the display apart from it being crisp and easy to read. Yes it is somewhat smaller but it is lovely to look at and I can see the screen without any problems despite it being slightly smaller and yet this does not prove to be a problem. To conserve battery I tend to have the display dimmed and even when this is the case I am able to read the display without any problems. The above image shows the display at it's brightest and what I have it set to at the dimmest level.

The camera on the back of the Centro alongside the vanity mirror

I love having a camera on my Palm device and although the camera is not the most powerful at 1.3mp it is great to have. I take pictures of everything from friends to places that I have been to and of course store them on the SD memory card. The Centro also has a Ca,corder program so I can record short brief movies which is pretty cool and I will experiment with this throughout the week and may upload the video's on PA. Pictures are clear and sufficient but it would be great if Palm could include a 2mp camera in future devices but in the meantime I am pretty happy with what is included. A vanity mirror is also included and sits next to the camera lens.

Bonus software screen on the Centro

There is also a program on the Centro called My Centro which offers some bonus software for you to take advantage of including free versions of Astraware Solitaire and Astraware Sudoku which are all fine games in themselves. I downloaded Astraware Solitaire to play on the device for those times when your either traveling or don't have anything better else to do. I also think it is a nice little bonus that Palm includes some extra software titles for you to take advantage of. I mist also point out that there is a file management program which is also offered as well as Vox Mobile. Nice touch Palm.

The support program on the Centro

There is also a comprehensive user guide on the Centro which gives you some good pointers if you get stuck or good to learn about what the Centro offers and of course you can register your Centro too.

I am going to wrap things up here but needless to say that I really like the Centro, it's compact size makes the device pocketable but it still remains functional. Although I have heard many people call this a entry level consumer device I have to say that for someone that has used Palm devices for years the Centro is refreshing change compared to former devices that I have used such as the 650 and 680. Despite a  couple of improvements which I think would be welcomed such as a more powerful camera and the headphone jack at the top of the device the Centro has all of the features that I want in a mobile device. The Centro is better than what I thought it would be helped by the design and he good battery life. It is also proving to be a talking point to and I have already had two of my friends comment that the Centro is a really nice phone which has never happened before when I have previously shown off my Treo 680 or the Treo 650. In terms of functionality well all the applications that I need are here and to enhance my Centro experience I have Chatteremail and Toccer installed. Pocket Tunes is great to listen to my music collection and Kinoma allows me to watch my You Tube video's, so everything that I want is here.

Unlike the iPhone the Centro feels robust, I wouldn't be too scared if I dropped it, as I am with the iPhone. The Centro has a nice feel in the hand and when in the pocket is discreet and light. To conclude I think the Centro is the best designed Palm smartphone to date, it has everything that I want plus some nice extras too. I am also pleased to see it unlocked and my Orange SIM card works just great with the Centro. So whilst the Centro is small and pocketable, Palm has made the design of the Centro attractive and appealing and with forthcoming colours on the horizon I think the Centro should certainly appeal.

Technical Specifications
Platform: Palm OS by ACCESS 5.4.9 ®
Display:    320x320-pixel Transflective colour screen; supports 16-bit colour (up to 65K colours)
Radio:    Quad band (850/900-1800/1900) GSM/GPRS/EDGE Class 10
Platform:    Palm OS 5.4.9
Bluetooth® Wireless Technology:     Version 1.2
Memory:    64MB available user storage
Camera:    1.3 megapixels with 2 x digital zoom and video capture
Battery :    Removable 1150mAh, lithium-ion up to 4 hours talk time, up to 300 hours standby time
Expansion:    microSD card (up to 4GB supported, sold separately)
Connector:    Multi-connector
Dimensions:    107.2 mm (L) x 53.5 mm (W) x 18.6 mm (D); 124 grams
Colors:     Black
System Requirements:    Windows® XP Windows Vista™ Mac OS X v10.2-10.4

Software included:
Bluetooth®, Calculator, Camcorder, Camera, Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Memos, Documents to Go® Professional Edition 10, Google Mobile Maps, HotSync®, My Centro, Phone, Pics and Video, PocketTunes™, Quick Tour, VersaMail® 4.0, "VoiceDial" , Voice Memo, Web (Blazer® 4.5), World Clock, Solitaire and Palm® Files.

This review was typed on my Palm Centro, and pictures were taken with either a Treo 650 or a Treo 680 or Blackberry Curve. The unlocked Palm Centro can be purchased from Palm Europe, whilst in the US the Centro tied to various networks can be purchased from Palm.com

I Never Thought I'd Write This

I've been a Palm loyalist for many years, using different PDAs, smartphones, and the new Centro. I ripped Apple for many of the drawbacks I saw with their release of the iPhone (cell provider, no 3G, no SDK) this past summer. And yet, I had to check it out, I had to "prove" that I didn't like it, want it. And I failed miserably. So let me share for a few moments my thoughts on the iPhoneTouch (hereafter the iPT for ease) and what I humbly suggest Palm do moving forward.

For starters, the sheer size and ease-of-use for the iPT is probably second to none. The touch screen scrolling, zooming, flipping through albums and the like makes you want to find reasons to use it, even if you have none. In regards to browsing, several friends have reported moving away from RSS readers to full iPT browsing, simply because it is so much fun. Easily zoom, or a quick flip to landscape mode and bam, you don't even need your glasses. Email is great, web apps are okay, and the SDK could turn it into a full blown WiFi PIM. Which begs the question: why do any of you PA readers care?

Simply put. I think that the iPT is a good thing for Palm.

If you think about it, Palm has been trying to do this for years. For all of its failures, the Life Drive was in part the same idea as the iPodTouch. Hard-drive based PIM, no phone, familiar interface. The Treo shares several features with the iPhone that we're all familiar with, yet it lacks the "wow" factor that Apple has put forward. In essense, Palm has put out products which are half of the new Apple line, but not quite, so here's what we need going forward.

1. Find the wow factor.

For many consumers, Apple itself is the wow factor of the iPT. Palm has lost that credibility over the past few years and cannot continue to coast on name and reputation. Something long overdue like WiFi isn't going to blow our socks off. Suggested  partnerships with companies like Google or Opera could be a start.

2. Memory is a must.

The iPodTouch is essentially a PDA with significant capacity (32 gbs). The iPhone doesn't have the capacity of the iPT, yet it still outperforms any Palm product with memory card. No excuse for a memory capacity of 64 mbs.

3. Better Software for the Computer

We've long discussed the problems with Garnet, but I'd like to propose a new, innovative sync/management software for computer. Better yet, tap the services of the Palm Backup software and create a web access management service similar to Plaxo that allows users to sync to Outlook, etc. via the web.

4. More Excitement, More Updates.

There are many things to love about Palm devices. There are many companies that make great, exciting software for Palm. Yet we have to come to private websites like this to find out about a lot of them. Palm updates are slow and often nothing more than a few bug fixes and a minor application update. Why not make the videos and campaigns you see on a website like Apple.com? What about an exciting, captivating Palm guy to promote these products instead of leaving it to cell phone sales people to market them?

To wrap this up.

It may sound like I'm begging Palm to copy Apple, but I'm not. Palm is (or was) an innovator and does things Apple doesn't. But as Apple has shown, Palm needs to move forward, step up and show us new products that we need to have, months before it releases. And we need to have people to tell us why we need it. And yeah, we need a new OS too, but we all knew that.

BusinessWeek says the iPhone SDK Will Be Late

[From Hans] BusinessWeek is reporting that the iPhone SDK is going to be a little late in being delivered. "There’s a week to go before Apple’s commitment to release the iPhone Software Developers Kit in February runs out of room. I’m hearing from one source that its going to be late. I’m not yet hearing any reasons why, and it’s sounding like the official release date could slide by anywhere from one to three weeks."

Time for you to hurry if you want to be entered into the MacBook Air giveaway as it ends at midnight US PT this Sunday

Time for you guys to hurry, if you guys wish to be entered into my MacBook Air throwaway as I am going to end this one at midnight US PT this forthcoming Sunday so that means get your skates on. So if you want a chance at getting your hands on it then you need to get me your user thoughts into me as soon as possible. As usual the guidelines are pretty much the same as usual and you can find them in the post at the top of the page or here.

SyncMate for those of you with a Windows Mobile device and a Apple Mac

Caught this over at JK On The Run for those of you who may have a Windows Mobile Treo, apparently there is a new sync tool for you to take advantage of and it's called SyncMate for those of you with a Mac device. "From now on, synchronizing your Mac with Pocket PC is as easy as one, two, three. Still hesitate? Sync again... Get your Mac a mate with Eltima SyncMate.

SyncMate by Eltima Software is an easy-to-use handy synchronizer that will help you keep all your private notes, docs, contacts and other files organized. Form a quick connection between your Mac and your Pocket PC. SyncMate allows you to make synchronization via USB cable with such applications as Bookmarks, Address Book, Stickies, iCal, iTunes, iPhoto and others. With SyncMate you are able to receive, read and manage your text messages, read your device status, install applications to your mobile device, synchronize time and follow all file exchanges using operation log.

With SyncMate you can:

Sync contacts: keep your contacts up-to-date with our synchronization tool. No matter where you are and what device you are using, your address book will always be with you, filled with all contact details you need.

Sync folders: your folders will always be well-organized to meet your taste, just as you like it. Keep your folders the way you like it both on your Mac and your Mobile device.

Sync bookmarks: Dozens of sites visited, tons of needed information found. Don't lose it! Save it! Bookmark it! Managing bookmarks between your computer and Pocket PC has never been easier. SyncMate at your service.

Sync iCal/ iPhoto/ iTunes: Your favorite tunes, pictures, video files - all in your pocket. Share them with friends, bring them home!

Your calendar is always in reach. What when and where - you know that, you've already synced, right?"
http://www.eltima.com/products/syncmate/

My Treo 680 Just Works

For a while, I have been considering a replacement for my Treo680. The new WM6 devices have been tempting me greatly. I had spent some time researching the available options. The thing is . . .  why do I need to change? My Treo just works. It does everything I need it to do. Now, don't get me wrong . . . it would be nice if it had a better camera. Or 3G speed capability. Or GPS. Or wifi. Wait . . . I have a BT GPS and do I really need wifi? Looking at the GSM system error log, the last crash I had was 12/20/07. However, if I remember correctly, that was my fault in trying to use an incompatible application. It may be just me, but that is pretty darn stable. Now, I have installed a custom ROM, stripped of all the extra applications that Cingular/AT&T thought I should have. That may have something to do with the stability. The battery life is also sufficient for my needs. It will last the day most of the time and I charge it every night. I've also got several accessories that I would have to replace if I went with a different device. Including my Seidio hybrid slim case that I really like. And lastly, I have hundreds of dollars invested in my PalmOS software. No way I am going to just give up that investment. Besides, I am a PalmOS guy. Not a blackberry guy, or a WM guy, or an Apple guy. I think I will be using a PalmOS device as long as there is a PalmOS. I will also be a Treo680 user until it just doesn't work anymore. Hmmm . . . or until something much better comes out.

The latest 1src Podcast is available for your listening pleasure

The latest 1src Podcast is available for your listening pleasure. "This week we discuss Palm's new Centro and their Palm TX/Z22 promotion. We'll also continue last week's discussion of mobile companions, and Astraware's new game from Big Fish Games, Westward." Make the jump to 1src.

eReader discount for the weekend

Here is your eReader discount for the weekend so if you can make use of the offer then make the jump. "Punch in this week's Promo Code ERFB19 to receive a 10% discount off any eligible book that you purchase. Offer good through February 26, 2008 on all books priced more than $3.00. This discount cannot be used with any other special offers. " eReader after the jump.

CENTRO UPDATE: Saturday Morning Thoughts

Just a quick one and a update on the Centro well I'm moblogging direct from the Centro and I have to admit that I am impressed. I have been sending a number of emails this morning using Chatteremail and of course using the keyboard which after getting used to it turns out to be a good experience. I'm typing away quite fast. Of course I'm going to make some mistakes that pretty much goes without saying but despite the fact that the keyboard is small I font have too much difficulty in typing away so impressed with that.

Can I just say about the battery life that I have read so many different stories on the battery life being good and then not so good but in my opinion I think its holding well. I've been awake for the last three or so hours and have been using the Centro for email, RSS feed checking through QuickNews from Standalone and some instant messaging through Toccer which works great with my Centro and despite what I have been doiing the battery level has not dropped its still showing 100 percent so I'm pretty pleased as I thought the battery level would have to started to fall away.

So there you go some Saturday morning thoughts. In the meantime I hope you are well and I'll give you some more Centro thoughts throughout the weekend. [mobloging from my Centro]

The bad fruit

The fruit of doing heavy multi-tasking with my Treo 750v had cost me terrible result; couple of days ago it began to work & process everything very slowly. Like there are some kind of unknown applications kept Treo busy, even opening Word Mobile took third times of usual length. I tried to go along with these issues, but when I missed an important business call while I was writing a SMS; I couldn't take it anymore. That happened because WinMob 6 couldn't showed the incoming call, while the screen was stuck at SMS editor, even when I pushed the Windows start button didn't help.

I decided to hard-reset my Treo yesterday, where as standard backup procedures I pulled out the miniSD memory out from Treo and copied it to my PC; surely after I turned it off. After the hard-reset was successful, I plug in the miniSD back inside Treo; but only to found a surprising encrypted files in it that no WinMob 6 nor WindowsXP can read them. I remember activated the encryption of memory card feature in WinMob settings, this must be what caused the encrypted files. Sad with the lost of my blogs documents that I planned to post yesterday at PalmAddict, I realise I have to let them go cause there's nothing more I can do to bring them back.

Back to the main topic: what usually you got when you pound heavy use to your Treo 750? I love doing multi-task applications on my Treo 750v, like when I wrote my blogs I always go forth and back to Pocket IE & Lexisgoo English Dictionary; to find useful infos and find out what are the meaning of those never heard words. Or late at night, I play musics with PocketTunes and chat on-line with friends on IM+.

Treo has changed the way things I usually do with my PC/laptop, but I can't change the way I do multiple tasks with it or any computerized machines/gadgets. Multi-tasking is common thing in modern OS, WinMob is capable to that, but the only barrier is the hardwares capability to cope with it. I can only hope for better specifications on Palm newest Treo; codename "Drucker".

(blogged with my Treo 750v)

Long Live Palm...in one form

or another, thanks to Styletap. Just came across this announcement on the Styetap website - Styletap for the iPhone/iPod Touch. I'm excited. I wrote Styletap a couple months ago asking if they were working on a version for the iPhone. The reply I received was that they were exploring that option. Well from the looks of this YouTube video, we're not that far off from enjoying our Palm OS software titles on Apple hardware. http://youtube.com/watch?v=YFOpaY40OjE

One important thing I want to stress is that StyleTap is under no way announcing an actual product. But by golly, I hope they do. I know there are many people out there who have jumped ship from Palm OS. I can see why but in doing so they left behind a legacy of amazing software. Until Apple's SDK makes the rounds this would be an easy answer. And to play Devil's advocate, people who experience Palm via Styletap may just be willing enough to try the real thing.

CENTRO UPDATE: A quick Centro update on battery life

Quick Centro update, well the battery life on the device is not as bad as what I feared. I have been using the device pretty much on and off since 4pm and it's now 11:55pm and I started with about 40% battery power and I would say I have about 15%. Remember that I have not performed a full battery charge yet and I have been bluetooth-ing to and fro the MacBook, I have had a data connection on such as now, as I am moblogging from my Centro. Plus I was listening to tunes and watching some You Tube clips earlier. So I am pretty impressed but of course I will fully update you as the weekend goes on after I have done a full charge which will be overnight tonight, pending on what time I get home.

StyleTap experimenting and working on Palm applications on the iPhone / iPod Touch through StyleTap

[From Bob at Styletap] Bob sent word and pointed us to this video about Palm programs running on the iPhone /iPod Touch, most certainly cool, you can checkout StyleTap at www.styletap.com. "Just thought you might be interested in this. We're not ready to announce an official StyleTap for iPhone/Touch version yet, but we have done some experimentation with it. Here's a short video of what it looks like so far: It looks promising. This experimental version can run ARMlets and because of the screen size, uses hi-res (double density) bitmaps and fonts. If Apple's security and application installation and distribution scheme isn't too restrictive, it looks like StyleTap will be able to run the same applications on the iPhone/Touch, Symbian and Windows Mobile/CE platforms. This should go a long way in helping developers deal with the mobile OS fragmentation problem."

Drugs on hand

[From Ehaab from Berkeley, CA] As a student doctor, I rely heavily on quick access to information. Mobile devices have specifically aided me in the search for pharmacological information -- what drugs interact with what drugs, and what are their potential uses and side effects. Various applications provide me with this information, but my application of choice is Epocrates software (mainly because it is free). Fortunately, the software is now available on Blackberry devices. So now I can have everything I need at all times, right there in my pocket.

The TX, a thing of beauty

[From Eric Hesse, Richland Center, WI] Sammy, Just had a 7:30am meeting a Mickey D’s. Pulled up some pertinent docs on my TX and edited on the fly. The TX may be old. It may need refreshing but it is still super functional—which is the most important thing anyway, right? Can’t wait to take it as a laptop replacement when I travel to Germany later this year.

Murray at PalmMac doesn't know which device to choose

Murray at PalmMac has difficulty in choosing which device to use, will he go for the 500v which he says " I like the smaller, as in thinner, form factor which makes it a much nicer device to carry around on a full time basis than the 750 or 680 yet the creaky squeaky nature of the keyboard and front controls are annoying"; or will he go for the Treo 680, " I like the speediness of it, Snappermail and one or two applications which unfortunately are palm only but of course there is no 3g or wifi so downloading stuff can be painful." Or will he choose another mobile device? Read in full at PalmMac.

ZLauncher

ZLauncher on offer $19.95. "ZLauncher is a powerful system management program that integrates the system supervisor, application/database manager and expansion card manager. It is more than a standard app launcher: Color Support: Full color support from monochrome to 16-bit color depth (65,536 colors). You can set any color depth supported by the handheld in ZLauncher freely. High-Resolution / High-Density Support: Full support for Sony HiRes(320 X 320) / HiRes+ (320 X 480) / Landscape(480 X 320). And ability to display High-Density icon on PRE-PalmOS5 Sony HiRes handhelds. Full support for PalmOS5 High-Density(320 X 320) display, including Palm Tungsten|T3, TapWave Zodiac(320 X 480/480 X 320). ZLauncher can display Low / High Density icons and fonts."