Centro Reviews from My Colleagues

In addition to my review listed below, business colleagues have been using the phone now for 3 weeks. These are people who are on the road alot, relying on the phone for critical messages and calls, and people who like the bells and whistles more than I do. I've heard these quotes (all anecdotal -- nothing here is scientific):

"I love the new messenger functionality"
"The phone fits way better in my pocket than the Treo"
"This keyboard is so small, I can only type one-word responses with it"
"I thought the battery would be a little stronger"
"I love the way the phone looks"
"The rounded edges make it feel even smaller than it is"

Centro vs. Treo 700 vs. Treo 755: Side-by-side comparison and review

I wanted to compare and review the three popular Palm smartphones, Treo 755, Treo 700, and now the Centro, side by side to allow readers to draw their own conclusions on where the Centro stands. If you are a Sprint customer, these three smartphones are being actively marketed to you. If you are Verizon, you can compare the 700 with the 750 (Verizon's version of the 755).

Size: This is a no-brainer. While the Palm 755 made a significant improvement over the 700 by removing the stub antenna, both are bulky in the hand and the pocket. The Centro, while only about 5% shorter than 7% narrower across than the 755, cuts of nearly 15% of the thickness of the unit. While that may not sound like alot, it is very noticeable in both your hand and pocket. Advantage: Centro

Weight: The numbers speak for themselves: Centro - 4.2 oz, Treo 755 - 5.6 oz., Treo 700 - 6.4 oz. The Centro is the lightest of the three in a big way. Advantage: Centro

Business Features (Email/Calendar): As far as the technical appearance, specs, and performance of things like email and calendars, these phones really are interchangable. The function is nearly identical. I'll have the advantage here to teh 755, however, because of the larger keyboard. While I don't find the Centro's small keyboard problematic like some, I would probably write more thorough emails on a more comfortable keyboard. Advantage: Treo 750/755

Screen: Resolution is identical on the Centro to the Treo 700 and Treo 755. The screens on the Treo's are slightly larger, however. While I really don't notice the size difference and never find myself longing for more screen space on the Centro, some users might. Advantage: Treo 755

Camera: Great quality at over 1 megapixel, but I don't see any kind of change from previous models. I'm also not one to use my camera phone alot, and never for pictures that really matter: No advantage

Phone Sound Quality: Voice quality, both in and outbound, has been good on my Centro as well as the Treo's. No problems in that department. Reception has been good on all three phones, although I may notice another reception bar in problem spots with the Centro. However, I find the speaker on the Centro to be more "tinny" than the others, so I'll give the advantage to the Treo 755.

Keyboard: The small keyboard on the Centro has the world of internet reviewers complaining. But frankly, most internet reviewers are WAY too picky about their tech gadgets. The QWERTY keyboard is fully functional even for someone with chubby fingers like me. I'd like it to be a tad larger, but nice sticky texture of the keys keeps my fingers from slipping off. Still, the larger board on the Treo is easier to use -- in my opinion, the Treo keyboards are the best in the business if you are a heavy emailer from your handheld. Advantage: Treo 700 and 755

Internal Performance: I've had issues with all of my Palm products freezing periodically. However, as long as you get the Palm OS instead of windows (Windows is not an option on the Centro), you'll find the speed just fine. The Centro claims to have an extra 4MB of memory, and it is slightly noticeable to me in some situations. Just don't try to do other functions while your Centro is retrieving wireless email -- it will freeze. Still, for doing one function at a time, it feels slightly faster. Advantage: Centro

Toys: All three phones have built in games, toys, lots of ringer options, etc. I'm not a gadget freak and don't really use ptunes or the texting. However, rumor is that the Centro adapated some of the latest and greatest thinking into their Centro has it is targeted at proficient personal users in addition to business people like me. Very slight advantage: Centro

Battery Life: In my book, this is a terribly underrated aspect of phones. Say you are on a business trip and can plug your phone in once daily in a hotel room. Running out of battery can be a deal killer. Ironically, the oldest model gets the edge on this one. The 4.5 hrs of talk time on the Treo 700 trumps the 4.2 hrs on the 755 and the 3.5 hrs on the Centro. Frankly, this has been my only disappointment on the Centro. Advantage: Treo 700

Overall Comparison: The size and weight improvement on the Centro more than outweighs the losses for the average business user, namely the smaller keyboard and the shorter battery life. This is a nice phone, one that feels much better in your hand or pocket, and one that you will instantly become a fan of. Unless you do tons of long emails from your phone, or absolutely have to have a battery that doesn't require a nightly charge, the Centro is a great addition to the Palm family. Especially when you consider that a Sprint user can get a Centro for $100 after all discounts, it becomes a no-brainer. Overall Advantage: Palm Centro.

Welcome to the Treo vs. Palm compare page

Many Sprint users have noticed that Palm recently came out with a smaller smartphone, the Centro. The Centro is intended to compete with some of Blackberry's smaller phones, such as the Blackjack and Curve. Until now, Palm's only Smartphones have been the Treo's, which are extremely capable but bulky units.

This is a review of the Centro, and a comparison to the Treo 700 and 755. By reading this review, you might find yourself in a better position to decide between the three smartphones, which are all in current production by Sprint (and the 700 and 755 are offered by Verizon).

I should add that this is written from the perspective of a moderate business user. I'm not at all hardcore techie, but I do rely on my smartphone for important calls as well as email, scheduling, and other basic tasks. I need a phone that is reliable, has decent battery life, and provides an interface that I don't need to study the instructions to understand. I'm a simple person.

Next:

A review of the Palm Centro