Report from bizarro world: Centro, i760 best designed phones

Although "innovative" isn't exactly the word we chose to use when summing up Palm's Centro, apparently the public at large sees things a little differently -- or, so says this report, anyway. According to a buyer behavior writeup from Strategy Analytics, the Centro "attracted the most attention from nearly half of the tested US consumers who are intending to purchase a new mobile device" in Q4, and it even ranked ahead of the second-place Samsung i760 in the "appealing" department. Both of the aforementioned handsets were hailed as the top choices (saywha?) for folks "seeking a multifunction, fully integrated device," while the Nokia Prism and LG Rumor also got a few props along the way. Of course, it's always best to take these "studies" with a healthy serving of salt, but if you wanted something to debate about, you've found it.

[Via MobileWhack]

[Herman Manfred @ Dec 6th 2007 8:19PM]

"Reports" out of Strategy Analytics are tailored to the desire of their clients per words on their website.

Can we guess who commissioned that ... report?

[Will Static @ Dec 6th 2007 9:16PM]

Keep moving people... Nothing to see here!

[nikster @ Dec 7th 2007 3:39AM]

Hmmm... Motorola or Palm didn't sponsor it or only one brand would be the "winner".

So it's clearly one of the sad, sad iPhone-less carriers. Sprint or VZN. Which one has these mobiles on offer?

This reeks of desperation.

[Yankees368 @ Dec 6th 2007 8:20PM]

Is this serious? The Centro is bare bones with an ancient OS
And as for "LG Rumor also got a few props along the way" that phone is 1x only! Come on!

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Dec 7th 2007 10:17AM]

The majority of the public doesn't care about your precious iPhone or other phones that can do everything short of doin the laundry. Most people just want a nice lookin phone with a loud speaker. That being said, it's kinda hard to fathom how those two hideous phones got the "best of the best" award.

[Landon @ Dec 7th 2007 11:45AM]

Ok I'm curious....what exactly does the Centro not do that you are wanting it to you know...since it's just so bare bones and all? I mean seriously....yeah it has an old OS but that doesn't mean that it does anything less. lol I just don't get how you can say it's crap when so far I haven't seen it have a problem with doing anything. Have you even touched one and tried it out or is it because it's not the iPhone? So far my only complaint is that it doesn't play Flash online....but correct me if I'm wrong but the iPhone doesn't either right?

[Yankees368 @ Dec 7th 2007 11:48AM]

Woah woah woah. Who said that I liked the iphone. Look at you people, I bash one kinda of phone, and you both automatically think that I am an iPhone fanboy. Well, I have a Sprint Mogul, which run on WINDOWS MOBILE.

As for the centro, the buttons are horribly tiny and difficult to use (yes, I have seen it in person) And as for the LG Rumor, need I go there?

[Landon @ Dec 7th 2007 12:02PM]

That's why I said is it because it's not an iPhone, sorry if it came across the wrong way.

Actually I thought that too about the buttons; however, I have large fingers and yet very rarely miss press buttons even with as fast as I type on it.

You didn't answer me though as to what you are wanting it to do that it wouldn't. I do agree with you though that the OS is old and looks sub par though everything in it works very well.

I agree on the Rumor. :P Feels to cheap to me and seems like a plastic toy.

[Big Sam @ Dec 6th 2007 8:23PM]

Bizarro indeed. Let the masses by this crap. Leaves more of the good stuff for us.

[SteveMB @ Dec 6th 2007 8:28PM]

That's the same way that I think about girls.

[Landon @ Dec 7th 2007 11:46AM]

Curious...what exactly then is the good stuff you're referring to?

[jeffhtg @ Dec 6th 2007 8:29PM]

I just got the i760 on verizon to replace my 8600.. I love it!

[jojo @ Dec 6th 2007 8:33PM]

Only 5 devices were tested.

[Nicky-Larson @ Dec 6th 2007 8:33PM]

IS THIS SERIOUS? This is unbelievable. One Word...CRAP. common, with all the good phones out there........
Gimme a break,,,,,,,,,,,

[ethan @ Dec 6th 2007 8:34PM]

my feces makes a better phone.

[Malatesta @ Dec 6th 2007 8:37PM]

You folks who slam the Centro: try it at the store.

I'm a pretty hardcore WM users (wmexperts.com/ppcgeeks.com) and I use the Centro everyday.

Here's why it's a great phone:

- It works as a phone (WM still has issues here)
- Price is cheap; Sprint's network is solid and well priced
- Screen is fantastic (higher PPI than an iPhone)
- Speaker phone is solid
- BT works very well (amazing for Palm)
- OS is actually rock solid and very fast
- Fits in the pocket and easy to use

I've had more friends who've never owned a smartphone "convert" to a Centro than any other device do to the price of the phone, a Sero contract and the sheer attractiveness of the Centro.

Lots of people knock it, but seriously...go down to a Sprint store and give it shot. Over at TreoCentral, the consensus is nearly unanimous: it's a great release.

Palm has screwed up a lot, especially on the 700p series, but if this is the final release of Garnet (hopefully), then it's going out on a bang.

[MasterCKO @ Dec 6th 2007 8:55PM]

Well said. I actually toyed around with it the other day at a Sprint store and was surprised. Yeah, the OS looks a bit dated, but it does what it does very well (I used to be a Palm user years and years ago, so it was like a blast from the past for me). It's definitely a lot snappier than WM. It's rock-solid, Sprint's data/smartphone network is second to none, and it's small and very inexpensive. I think that Palm has a very good device for the masses and the "new to smartphones" demographic until their next-gen OS is released to the wow of the bleeding-edge-of-tech nutjobs such as myself and everyone else on Engadget.

[Malatesta @ Dec 6th 2007 9:05PM]

Indeed.

Considering the Centro does *out of the box*:

- IM
- Stream Video (Mobile YouTube, etc.)
- Plays MP3s & Streams internet radio
- Full Office Support
- Exchange Push; Gmail, Live, Yahoo Push
- Threaded SMS

All for $99 on a new contract (I hear it'll go to $0 soon), it's a heck of a deal.

It's easy to slam Palm and much of it *is* deserved, but credit is due here. It's the best value for a touch-screen smartphone--period.

I think the snarky comments from Engadget are due to their "review" which does not jive with reality, evidently.

[ricknn @ Dec 6th 2007 10:06PM]

I have the Centro and I love it. Wish I had an iPhone ( family works for Sprint so I get a killer deal ) but I am very happy with this thing.

[Constable Odo @ Dec 6th 2007 10:33PM]

Oh sweet Jeebus....

Yeh, look at me. I got a cheap-looking red smartphone and I'm proud of it and it does so much for so little money. I also got an extra $5 off when I showed them a couple of flyer coupons. It matches my retro-looking red bellbottom trousers and polyester wide-collar sportshirt to a tee.

Do they also sell the Palm Centro at Toys-R-Us? If they don't, they should. It'll fit right in with the Toddlers First Fone display.

Welcome to the Palm Centro world of almost dumpster diving.

[Lance Wexler @ Dec 6th 2007 8:40PM]

Geez people, not EVERYone's life revolves around having the biggest, bestest, most expensive gadget available tomorrow. I realize what site this is, but seriously--get a life. Consumerism should not trump a real life.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Dec 6th 2007 8:46PM]

Why can't I shake the feeling that had this report validated the purchasing decisions of the editors of this site by naming the iPhone #1, the story wouldn't have all the snarky side comments?

[Constable Odo @ Dec 6th 2007 10:42PM]

Don't even mention the Apple iPhone in the same sentence as a Palm Centro. It'll cause Steve Jobs to shave off his scraggly beard and rue the day he introduced the iPhone platform to the awestruck multitudes.

If the iPhone is the god-phone, then the Centro is surely the devil-phone.

[yoyodude64 @ Dec 6th 2007 8:53PM]

haha iphone? lol at my school there r a bunch...i go to a prep school, but im talking like u cant walk down a hallway without seeing at least one

[wickedpheonix @ Dec 6th 2007 8:58PM]

1) Applephobia
2) who are these guys?
3) what kind of biased questions are they asking?
4) Applephobia

Only 2 real reasons why I can think that the centro is more appealing than the iPhone is because its about $300 cheaper and it doesn't run on ATT's often sucky network. Other than that, bizarro is an understatement.

[KM @ Dec 6th 2007 9:41PM]

I saw a couple of ads for the Centro and thought is was nice. Then my mom got one for a present. Once I saw it in person, I hated the thing. Old ass Palm OS and the keys are tiny as hell.

So one person showed interest? Bizarro world indeed...

[Landon @ Dec 7th 2007 11:34AM]

They keys are small but I have larger fingers and still rarely hit the wrong button. And if you want to do the typical comparison to the iPhone, at least the Centro has full QWERTY right there and can be used quickly with your thumbs. Also, I don't get why everyone is hating on this phone so much? Yeah it's not the iPhone why does everyone and their mother compare everything to the freakin' iPhone? So far this phone has done everything I have wanted it to.

1. IM
2. Email (I have gmail and hotmail setup)
3. 3G support....bet I can jump to a webpage faster than your precious iPhone can
4. Office support
5. I can actually take pictures and send them instantly w/o attaching them via some email app...amazing.
6. Speakerphone is nice, most of the time ppl I am talking to don't even know I switched them over.

The list can go on. I'm not saying the iPhone is bad because I love playing around with it but that doesn't mean that this phone is crap. Given the OS is outdated but that doesn't mean it doesn't do what was intended. So far the only thing I haven't been able to do on it that I have wanted to is run Flash videos on websites. It may not be the best phone but tell me again exactly why it's a sh*tty phone? Just because it's not the iPhone doesn't mean it's crap lol.

[Darrell @ Dec 6th 2007 9:45PM]

You'll be surprised by the Centro. Sure the interface is aged, but for first time smartphone users like me its perfect. I bought one a month ago and so far my only complaint is that's there's no Wi-fi. My girl loves the phone and she has an iPhone that she's "already over having."

[insertAlias @ Dec 6th 2007 10:53PM]

You fail hard.
Your crappy spam site has banned your account due to spam....
You fail at failing.

[Paul Brown @ Dec 6th 2007 11:24PM]

I love my Centro; I upgraded from the Treo 650. My Centro is so much better than my Treo was. And it is awesome that I don't have to carry around a huge brick any more just to have the functionality I need.

[Daren @ Dec 6th 2007 11:33PM]

im loving my i760...

[Jeff @ Dec 7th 2007 12:01AM]

I wish this were true.

i freakin wish that there was ANY serious competition to the iPhone that was available on Sprint. THe closest thing might be the HTC touch, but my roomate just got one and after playing with it for about a week, it's not even in the same league. (much to my disappointment)

damnit, Apple, where is the Sprint iPhone!?! (or:) Damnit Sprint, where the hell is the iPhone killer?!?!? (certainly neither of these "best designed phones".)

you both suck.

[Rex @ Dec 7th 2007 1:24AM]

I like the i760.. but I think the person who wrote this article wanted the iPhone to be mentioned

[TheFutureHead @ Dec 7th 2007 2:36AM]

I simply love my centro. I got it a about a week after it came out. There's a multitude of apps for the Palm platform that I can install with out hacking the firmware. I too was a little woried about the keyboard but it's very usable. much easier to navigate and type than on the HTC Touch. The only WM phone that I liked was the Mogul. Palm got the price right, I wish there was wi-fi, but Sprint's EVDO network is plenty fast enough for mobile browsing. My only real gripe is I wish they would have put more internal memory into the phone. All in all I love the little bugger.

[dr_drane @ Dec 7th 2007 3:21AM]

Can the i760 run pocketpc apps like the standard (not the smartphone edition) pocket informant etc?

Because my HTC s710 smartphone can only run smartphone apps (maybe because of the lack of a touchscreen), and that bothers me as an ex pocketpc user with loads of unusable software. :-(

Thanks and greets

[Leo @ Dec 7th 2007 6:29AM]

The i760 is a Pocket PC, so yes, it can run Pocket PC apps. I'm loving mine!

[Rob Gilbert @ Dec 7th 2007 6:35AM]

Yes, the i760 is WM6Pro so it runs all PPC apps. It won't be upgradable to Rev A and it only has 64RAM but it's a fantastic phone, much better than the HTC6800/Mogul/Tilt in terms of volume and clarity, and of course the dialpad on the front.

[Poom @ Dec 7th 2007 8:01AM]

Engadget, can't you give the Centro some more love? >_>

Seriously, I can't see a reason why it cannot be one of the best selling smartphones, for such a cheap price and being quite decent...

[JayMonster @ Dec 7th 2007 9:17AM]

Sadly overlooked by the author is that this is a test of consumers. Not gadget geeks (like us here). Not high profile people with tons of money to drop on gadgets at all times just to have the latest and greatest, but your average Joe Consumer.

The thing is, people who like to text, like a freakin' keyboard... why is this so hard for the iPhone crowd to understand? Part II, people want a mobile phone that is actually... you know.... good as A PHONE!

And allow me to enlighten all those Palm bashers (this kills me because I am no Palm fan), remember when you got that first Palm Pilot? Well, that "sleek, fast loading, easy to use" software is just as new to many of these people today as it was to you then. Plus, it is still faster loading than anything that is on the iPhone or any Windows Mobile based device.

Just because the crowd doesn't follow the gadget set to what has been crowned the latest and greatest, doesn't make it any less real, or "bizarro world." It just highlights the difference between what the bleeding edge believes we "need" versus what consumers are happy with.

[Al @ Dec 7th 2007 11:58AM]

I said it before and I'll say it again, Palm used to beat up Engadget in high school and now they are getting their sweet, sweet revenge. Let me see, engadget Panned the Foleo (into non-existence) and loves the EEEPC??? The Centro is not the prettiest, but its still well ahead of the competition in terms of functionality (including the iPhone). By the way, that advantage comes from the OS' oft-maligned "maturity".

[Jack @ Dec 7th 2007 12:41PM]

From Yankees368 "Well, I have a Sprint Mogul, which run on WINDOWS MOBILE."

So you would trash a stable and fast phone (Centro) and brag about a phone that has nothing but problems since release (Mogul). I HAD a Mogul, actually two of them since within a month the first one had its USB port fail, and it had all off the typical bugs the Mogul has had, to include the bluetooth crappiness, the alarm issue, slower than molasses, etc. Now with the latest ROM, the alarm bug is fixed but they have introduced other issues, such as freeze ups in roaming mode, as example. I traded my Mogul in for the Centro, and I couldn't be happier. I've gotten used to the smaller keyboard, because Palm designed the keys to have a sort of stickiness to them, making it easier to avoid accidentally hitting the wrong key. Also one handed texting is now a breeze with this keyboard design. The screen, albeit smaller, is clear and sharp, and you can see it in direct sunlight (you won't on the Mogul). Plus, it is very comfortable to hold by its sleek design. The Centro is much more stable than my former Treo 700p, and definitely faster. Along with the built in killer programs, it is a hard deal to beat. Way to go Palm and Sprint, you've brought a good deal to the masses.

[Jon Bridenbaugh @ Dec 7th 2007 2:12PM]

I love my Centro.

[david farmer @ Dec 7th 2007 9:07PM]

I love my Centro...cheap, surfs well, has awesome speed (even tethered to my laptop), and is small enough to fit in my pocket (rare in a smart phone).

[Patriarch @ Dec 10th 2007 11:25AM]

I love my centro too. I have been through a bunch of smartphones in the past...and trust me the old outdated Palm OS is strides in front of any Windows based touch phone. Great buy, its very light, screen is bright and who can beat 119 bucks a month unlimited minutes and unlimited data with sprint. Give me something better for the price? There isnt anything out there.