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Palm Centro

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Palm Centro
ManufacturerPalm, Inc.
Compatible networksCDMA2000 (3G), GSM
Dimensions4.22 × 2.11 × 0.73 in (107 × 54 × 18.5 mm)
Weight4.2 oz (119 g)
Operating systemPalm OS 5.4.9
CPU312 MHz Intel XScale PXA270
Memory64 MB available user storage, 128 MB available user storage (Revision II)
Removable storagemicroSD up to 4 GB (up to 16 GB with modification)
Battery1150 mAh Lithium-ion
Rear camera1.3 megapixels with 2× digital zoom
Display320×320 65k colors touchscreen
ConnectivityEVDO, 1xRTT, Bluetooth, Infrared, USB
Hearing aid compatibilityM4/T4 [1]

The Palm Centro is a smartphone marketed by Palm, Inc. beginning its release on October 14, 2007, offering the functionality of the larger Treo 755p in a smaller size.[2]

The Centro is one of the last devices to run the Palm OS operating system. The successor to Palm OS is webOS, which debuted on the Palm Pre in June 2009.[3]

Currently, the Centro still works with some carriers, but not with others. 2G GSM devices, such as the AT&T Centro, can no longer connect to the AT&T network. Verizon's and Sprint's 3G CDMA networks have also shut down in 2022, so CDMA Centro devices will only work offline.[4]

Specifications

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With a weight of 119 g, and dimensions of 4.2″ (h), 2.1″ (w) and 0.7″ (d), the Centro was the smallest-ever Palm smartphone at the time of its introduction. It includes a 1.3-megapixel digital camera with video capture capabilities, microSD card slot (officially supporting up to 8 GB microSD cards,[5] though in practice, microSD cards up to 64 GB work), touch screen navigation and a QWERTY keyboard. The phone is available with either CDMA technology supporting EVDO Rev 0 for network access, or GSM. The stock battery allows for up to 3.5 hours of continuous talk time. The phone also offers internet connection tethering to laptop or desktop computers.

An AC travel charger and a USB data cable are Included with the phone.

Palm has more recently upgraded the available memory from 64 MB to 128 MB, but the updated models were available only with Sprint.[6]

The Palm Centro also had support for (Java) MIDP 2.0, though Palm has discontinued distributing it for licensing reasons.

The product SKU on this model was PTR690HK, which is aligned with products in the Trēo family of Palm smartphones. The Verizon Wireless SKU was CENTRO690P.

Operating system

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The Centro runs Palm OS 5.4.9. Because of the backward compatibility features included in Palm OS, most applications released for older Palm devices also work with the Centro.

Carriers

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Sprint

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Sprint marketed the original Centro in red, black and pink.

In October 2008, it released the second-generation Centro in two new colors, Olive Green and Vibrant Rose. The new model has twice as much user-accessible storage as the preceding model. It also features a rubberized soft-touch coating.

AT&T

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The AT&T version is available in black, white and electric blue. It uses the GSM cellular network for connectivity and does have some differences from Sprint's CDMA version. The GSM-based device is quad-band (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and supports both GPRS and EDGE data protocols. Even though the Sprint and Verizon versions of the Centro support 3G (EV-DO), the AT&T version does not; it is a 2G-only device.[7]

PC Magazine writes: "The Centro for AT&T sacrifices the Sprint version's high-speed data access, but you get more battery life—though not quite enough. Nonetheless, the low price makes it a good first smartphone."[8]

The AT&T Centro also offers a Push-To-Talk walkie-talkie-like service not available on the CDMA device. This allows you to instantly see the availability of your contacts before calling them and make individual or group Push-To-Talk calls.[9]

Verizon

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The Verizon version of the Centro, available in dark blue only, was released on June 12, 2008 for $99 with a two-year contract and a $70 mail in rebate. This version runs on a 1xRTT/1xEV–DO (Rel. 0) 3G network.

Claro

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Claro introduced the Centro to the Brazilian market by the beginning of 2008.

Telstra

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Telstra Australia has seen the Centro offered via prepaid only.[10] Good Gear Guide writes: "The first smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard to be sold in Australia on pre-paid". The device is white; but, unlike the green number pad seen on AT&T's Centro, this version has a grey number pad.[11]

Rogers Wireless

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Rogers Wireless (Canada) announced that it would be carrying the Palm Centro as of June 10, 2008. It is available only in dark blue. For new activations on a three-year $45+ plan, the Centro initially sold for $299.99. For renewals on any three-year voice-and-data plan, it sold for $199.99.

Unlocked GSM

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On June 25, 2008, an Unlocked GSM version of the Centro was released for use on all 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM telephone networks. It is available in Glacier White with grey keyboard accents.

Bell Mobility

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As of February 2, 2009, a CDMA version of the Palm Centro in Midnight Black was released on the Bell Mobility network. The phone sold for $49.95 with a new activation on a 3-year $45+ voice and data package. This version of the Centro runs on a 1xRTT/1xEV–DO (Rel. 0) 3G network.

Popularity

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On July 29, 2008, Palm announced they have sold over two million Centros.[12] According to AdMob, as of August 2008, the Palm Centro was the second-ranked US smartphone based on internet traffic, responsible for 78% of the traffic on Palm devices;[13] it fell to fourth in February 2009, responsible for 86% of Palm traffic.[14]

Advertising

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In December 2008, Palm created a holiday advertising campaign, introducing a new version of Santa Claus, called "Claus", and complemented the TV spots with a Facebook page, viral videos and original music in download form.[15]

References

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  1. ^ "Palm Support: Hearing Aid Compatibility". Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  2. ^ "Palm Centro - The Mini Treo For The Masses - Treonauts". blog.treonauts.com. 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  3. ^ "treocentral.com >> Stories >> Commentary >> No More PalmOS Devices from Palm. No Patent Fight with Apple (yet)". treocentral.com >> Your #1 resource for the Treo Smartphone. 2016-10-05. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  4. ^ Dano, Mike (2016-07-13). "Verizon to shut down 2G CDMA 1X network by the end of 2019 | FierceWireless". fiercewireless.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  5. ^ "Centro Unlocked". kb.hpwebos.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  6. ^ "Centro Smart Device" (PDF). palm.com. May 24, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-05-24.
  7. ^ Lendino, Jaime (2008-03-06). "Palm Centro (AT&T) Review". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-03-13. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  8. ^ Lendino, Jaime (2008-03-06). "Palm Centro (AT&T) Review". PC Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  9. ^ Cha, Bonnie. "Palm Centro (AT&T) Review". Archived from the original on 2008-03-10. Retrieved 2008-03-12.
  10. ^ "Palm Centro at Telstra". Archived from the original on 2008-04-30. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  11. ^ Catanzariti, Ross. "Palm Centro: A new approach from Palm". Archived from the original on 2008-02-07. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  12. ^ "The Official Palm Blog: Over 2 million Centros sold!". blog.palm.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2008.
  13. ^ "Mobile App Monetization - Google AdMob" (PDF). admob.google.com. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008.
  14. ^ "Mobile App Monetization - Google AdMob" (PDF). admob.google.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2009.
  15. ^ "How the Palm Centro Helped Santa Claus Get His Groove Back". Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
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