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Review: Palm Centro

You might think the Palm Centro just puts lipstick on a pig-the pig being Palm’s creaky, antiquated operating system-but dang if this little smartphone doesn’t turn heads and win hearts. Available in glossy black onyx or fire-engine red, the Centro’s slim enough to slip into a pocket-something the chunky Treo never could do. But the […]
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Rating:

7/10

WIRED
The Palm OS may be old, but it's still fast, easy to use, and compatible with tons of awesome apps. All the power of a Treo with less of the bulk (and expense). Bundled software keeps you productive, connected, and entertained.
TIRED
Zero innovation: It's really just a smaller, more affordable Treo. Battery life sucks: Just 3.5 hours of talk time. Cramped keyboard not for the fat of finger. Stereo Bluetooth not supported out of the box-it requires third-party software.

You might think the Palm Centro just puts lipstick on a pig-the pig being Palm's creaky, antiquated operating system-but dang if this little smartphone doesn't turn heads and win hearts. Available in glossy black onyx or fire-engine red, the Centro's slim enough to slip into a pocket-something the chunky Treo never could do. But the real news is the price: At less than a c-note, it's cheap enough for teens and cheapskate execs alike. Palm serves up a new IM applet for the kiddos and robust Office-sync software for the suits. Push e-mail, too. Like the Treo, the Centro's a bit of a lightweight when it comes to multimedia, but it can do YouTube, Internet radio, and streaming TV. No one knows why Palm refuses to offer Wi-Fi, but with Sprint's speedy 3G network, who needs it?