[From Seth] Palm is relying on the Centro to buoy the company until 2009 according to a
Reuters interview. "Palm Inc is counting on solid sales and expanded distribution of its entry-level Centro smartphone to buoy the company until it debuts long awaited redesigned models in 2009, a senior executive said on Wednesday.
Sales of the Centro, introduced late last year with Sprint Nextel Corp, have so far exceeded expectations, striking a chord with female and young shoppers who are buying their first smartphone, according to Brodie Keast, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Palm.
But he admits that strength in the tiny $99 phone, which this week was made available to AT&T Inc customers, contrasts with the lackluster performance of other products from Palm, the pioneering maker of handheld computers and touch-screen Treo phones.
"We are definitely growing that (Centro) business. What makes it hard to see is that we still have a legacy handheld (computer business) ... but it's in decline," Keast told Reuters in an interview"
Reuters for the full interview.
