Sprint’s New Smartphone: The Palm Centro

Lost amidst the macro-level buzz surrounding Google’s looming entry into the cell phone world (and related discussions about how an open platform could change the industry) is the release of a new smartphone from Palm – one that introduces an alternative to the well-known Treo line.

The Palm Centro, currently the subject of a high-profile Sprint ad campaign, intends to bring the power of a smartphone to the wider consumer audience. It is, in that sense, similar to the Motorola Q or the Samsung BlackJack; the Centro, though, stays loyal to the Palm OS that so many users have developed an affinity for over the years.

The Wirefly blog team took some time to explore the Centro earlier this week, and we were impressed with its form and functionality. As a slim, stylish alternative to the business-like Treo, the Palm Centro hits the mark.

Usability: The first thing that jumps out when comparing the Centro to any Treo, is the layout of the D-pad. A large center button dominates the interface – a welcome change from the smallish “enter� button on many other smartphones. The directional input is also smooth and comfortable to use. In addition – and this may be a matter of taste – we found that the Centro’s soft, rubber keys lead to a more enjoyable keypad experience overall. This phone feels well-constructed and smartly designed.

Basic Hardware: The Centro also improves on some of the hardware we now take for granted in a top-notch cell phone. For starters, the Bluetooth capabilities seem vastly superior to previous Palm efforts. We experienced no drop-offs, or static. The 1.3 Megapixel-camera sports the same resolution, but displays pictures with more clarity and contrast, indicating a software upgrade. Finally, the crisp color display is a little smaller than you might be used to on a Palm handset, but they’ve removed the blank border around the screen; every inch of real estate is now used, and the resolution is beautiful.

Size/Form: In many ways, the physical form of the Centro may be its strongest selling point. This cell phone is very narrow for a smartphone; when we held it next to the Q and the BlackJack, the difference was notable. As a result, the Centro feels great in the hand.

The bottom line? Combining these form and function improvements with the kind of productivity Palm is known for should make the Centro a viable option in the “stylish smartphone� segment of the market. The Palm Centro is now available in Onyx Black for only $99 at Wirefly, and will soon debut in Ruby Red.