AT&T Centro confirmed for next week

AT&T Palm users: the Centro is definitely on starting next week. We've gotten solid confirmation that next Tuesday (that'd be the 19th, as we heard) will, in fact, be the day Palm's budget handset launches on AT&T. We expect the price should be set at $99, no final word on colors (expect white); we'll check back in next week at launch time.

[paragraph @ Feb 14th 2008 2:40PM]

If only it had atleast WinMo on it... *sigh*

Let the iPhone comments commence

*puts on fanboy repelling suit*

[itguy07 @ Feb 14th 2008 4:12PM]

Uh, no. I'll take PalmOS over the POS that is WinMo any day.

Windows sucks on the desktop and blows on the mobile.

[Tom Oliveri @ Feb 14th 2008 2:50PM]

does it play doom?

[samphex @ Feb 14th 2008 3:15PM]

yes. ever heard of a person named metaview?(his internet name)

[OziD @ Feb 14th 2008 3:16PM]

yes actually.

[Chuck @ Feb 14th 2008 3:17PM]

Of course

[Onetruebill @ Feb 14th 2008 5:41PM]

I am seeing the future.....
If you don't stop playing doom, or a least close your mouth, the readership of ENGADGET will have to draw straws to see who takes you to the prom

[Eli @ Feb 14th 2008 2:54PM]

What's the point of specifically buying a $100 smartphone when you know that you'll be paying at least $50 a month for it over the next two years anyway?

[cruci fiction @ Feb 14th 2008 3:04PM]

Because you will be paying $50 a month for two years with any phone? What is the point of your comment?

[Eli @ Feb 14th 2008 3:11PM]

My point is that a budget smartphone is not $100 instead of the regular $400; it's $1300 instead of $1600. The money that you save on the hardware doesn't save you any more on the tethered contract. Why go for the worst smartphone possible when a good midrange one (and no, not specifically the iPhone) will cost you only 25% more?

[cruci fiction @ Feb 14th 2008 3:13PM]

Its the worst smartphone possible? Just because its cheap? Give me a break, you have never even used one.

Also, why do people buy anything when they can buy something better for "only 25% more"? Why even stop there, when for just 100% more you can get something even better than that, and for 300% more you can get something better than the third thing which is way better than the first two!

Here is an idea, you can send everyone who wants to save several hundred dollars a check and they can all buy iPhones at last.

[Miguel @ Feb 14th 2008 3:14PM]

@Eli

"Why go for the worst smartphone possible when a good midrange one...will cost you only 25% more?"

Because some people don't consider it "the worst" smartphone?
Because some people want a "smartphone-lite" for texting purposes more than business organization?
Because that 25% more is $300 that I'd rather put in my bank acccount?
Because at the time I buy a new phone, I don't have an extra $300 to spend on a better one?

[Eli @ Feb 14th 2008 3:34PM]

Okay, not the worst smartphone. I apologize, that was massive exaggeration.

@Cruci Fiction:
I dont' own a smartphone, but I have certainly used them. I don't warrant their cost with a contract to justify portable email, so I still have a regular cell phone and a PocketPC. To your question of why go 25% and not 300%, it's because a quarter more than you originally though is not a lot relative to your original expectation; three times more is. I don't know why you assume that I have an iPhone or would prefer one to another smartphone, but neither assumption is true.

@Miguel:
Very good points. All I can say is that you've answered my question.

[Steffen Jobbs @ Feb 14th 2008 3:36PM]

Being thrifty is a virtue. Why pay for more of a handset than you have need for. It's been said it's not a great phone, but a decent phone.

[nxtiak @ Feb 14th 2008 3:27PM]

I want one. I will be on eBay looking for one so I can use it for T-Mobile. w00h00 GSM.

[Jnetty @ Feb 14th 2008 4:25PM]

I will probably do the same thing. Go on eBay and get one without a contract. I'm already stuck till 2009 with At&T. No more contracts for me.

[Jnetty @ Feb 14th 2008 4:29PM]

Palm sells the Sprint version for $399 without a plan. So i assume it will be the same price for the GSM model.

[kbomb1upc @ Feb 14th 2008 3:57PM]

Looks like a nice gift for the wife.

[Ryan Block @ Feb 14th 2008 4:41PM]

Game: blouses.

[kris @ Feb 14th 2008 4:34PM]

Can you buy this for 99$ if you already have a contract with AT&T - will it just start over again like the iPhone does?

Or does it mean I'm SOL and have to pay 400$ for this (in which case I could buy an iphone)

[kris @ Feb 14th 2008 4:39PM]

Also: what the hell is wrong with AT&T?

I have to pay 35$ a month for blackberry data - but on every other phone it's 20$ a month; douchebags.

[peter Newman @ Feb 14th 2008 5:04PM]

that's only on non-smarthphones ie phones that don't have email or a full-featured browser (other than the iPhone). Blackberrys and WM/Palm phones all cost more money from everybody.

[Zach @ Feb 14th 2008 5:00PM]

Crazy thing is it will probably still have more features than the iPhone (obviously not the crazy awesome browser and interface though).

[merovingian @ Feb 14th 2008 6:38PM]

No, you're very wrong. Palm and WM phones plus any other phone cost $15 for unlimited data on Sprint, Blackberrys cost $30 (BIS)/$40(BES). AT&T/Cingular, you can use their $19.99 MediaNet package (includes 200 sms) with any Palm/WM/PDA phone or iPhone, but Blackberry data ranges from $29.99 - $49.99.
Verizon (inventors of forceful consumer-rape, you know the one without any type of Vaseline) charge from $35 and up for Palm/WM phone data.
T-Mobile is the odd anomaly - their BIS plan is only $19.99.

[Xultar @ Feb 14th 2008 6:57PM]

Lookie like some remote control device for Hal-9000

[Andy @ Feb 14th 2008 7:07PM]

What...Engadget? You can dish it out but you can't take a few criticisms on your obvious bias post?

Would you like to remove this post as well?

[Andy @ Feb 14th 2008 7:12PM]

I will call myself out here. Engadget did not remove my prior post on the Palm/RIM advertising post. I over looked it. I apologize for this comment.

[David @ Feb 14th 2008 7:08PM]

OK, some of you obviously haven't used the Centro before. I convinced my girlfriend who is not a techy at all to get a Centro, she was a little hesitant, but now she LOVES it. I have had my Treo 650 for years (and it's beat to hell and runs perfectly), and I have had nowhere near the issues I've had with Windows CE/Mobile. The data plan is cheaper then a Blackberry, it's a great OS, a little outdated but simple to use. As for features, compare what you can do with the Palm OS with an iPhone. (Like the Sling media player, that software rocks) Palm will play your mp3's, movies, etc...
I'll admit, yes the iPhone looks cool, but what do you get for $400 that you dont from a Centro for $100? No fan boys please. ;)

[Mike @ Feb 14th 2008 7:41PM]

First off, you get an iPod. I have both a Centro and an iPod, and Pocket Tunes and TCPMP don't have anywhere near the versatility and ease of use of an iPod. That said, I'm now using the Centro as my main music player, because I'd rather not carry 2 gadgets.
Also, Safari on the iPhone renders web pages closer to the way they would look on a desktop than Blazer does. I'd still rather use Blazer, because I don't like all the pinching and zooming you have to do with an iPhone.
I'm delighted with my Centro (and I've been a Palm user for years), but there are good reasons someone would choose an iPhone.

[Wwhat @ Feb 15th 2008 5:14AM]

Here's what I always wondered about: why are replacement stylus so expensive, they go from 3 to like 25 bux a piece, for a tiny stick of plastic, what's the deal on that?

[Ramon @ Feb 17th 2008 4:51PM]

First to get ATT Centro? I see all the rumors but I walked into local at&t store today and bought the pearly white Centro. I asked the folks when it would be released and they said 'We have them in the back, did you want one?'. Ran out of there with it! I just sync'd all my Treo 650 stuff for the first time, BE CAREFUL! I lost all ability to turn on radio to make calls. After manuall deleting a number of the old Treo apps I was able to finally do a hard reset and then a proper sync. It's not intuitively obvious how to do so but I thnk that was a result of me not taking the defaults for installing the new version of Palm Desktop...

I love the phone, tiny keys but I LOVE this phone! I had a BlackBerry Pearl in the interim, hate the BB OS, can't ever figure out where I set something. Relief is just a Palm device away.

[Watts @ Feb 20th 2008 12:23PM]

Call me crazy, but I'm a happy Centro/Sprint customer.
It's the least expensive (yet reliable and sturdy) smartphone with the lowest data rates available.
I figure that on my 2 year contract, just counting the Centro and data plan (not phone service) will cost about $450. An iPhone plus data plan from AT+T would be about $1100. Granted, the iPhone has a killer display and other cutting edge features, but the Centro serves my needs....for less that half the price.