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Palm Centro drops to $70 on contract with AT&T
Remember how we told you to expect some totally edge-of-your-seat, riveting price news in regard to Palm's Centro? Yeah, how's about $30 off? Presumably in conjunction with the iPhone 3G launch, AT&T has hacked the Palm Centro down to $70 after rebates (from $100) with a two-year agreement. There's no telling if the new price will sashay on over to those CDMA carriers or not, but we've got our fingers crossed real tight.[Via Electronista]
Palm Centro, now in "electric blue" for AT&T
Sorry, we'd make a comment on the appearance of AT&T's newest Centro shade, but we're still blinded from that white with green buttons stunt they pulled at launch. Sounds like Palm expects this pleasantly bright blue version to be available starting Friday in AT&T retail locations -- and they're also promising some news on a price cut in time for the school year. Stay tuned.
Palm announces Q4 earnings -- it's not as bad as you think
Palm continued to flaunt its almost inexplicable boost in health in an earnings call yesterday. According to reports, honcho Ed Colligan boasted of a 29 percent gain in smartphone sales year-over-year, largely in part to the stellar performance of the company's budget-priced (with contract) Centro. In light of the recent negative outlook from investors, retail store closings, a constantly delayed OS update, and fierce competition, it's a pretty impressive feat to not only stay afloat, but manage some small victories. Now if they can just deliver on those OS and device promises we keep hearing about, they may stay in this game yet.[Via Palm Infocenter]
Palm launches unlocked Centro, gets Google Maps "My Location"
We've seen the Centro in its Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon (to name a few) iterations, but global roamers and free agents of all sorts will be delighted to know that Palm's increasingly popular little smartphone is now available in a delicious unlocked GSM flavor. The device sports all the same specs as AT&T's model, but clocks in with a $299 price tag and plain gray numberpad instead of the telco version's shocking lime green variation. Alongside the carrier-free phone, Centros will also be nabbing a version of Google Maps with its "My Location" feature (long absent from GMaps on Palm phones). Current AT&T and Verizon customers as well as new unlocked owners will be able to download the app tomorrow, with a software update for Sprint later this Summer. Finally, you'll all know where you are.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Palm Centro makes its Canadian debut with Rogers
It still hasn't quite made the rounds of US carriers, but it looks like that hasn't stopped the Palm Centro from hopping across the border to make its Canadian debut on Rogers. If that's the moment you've somehow been waiting for, and you're an existing Rogers customer, you get your hands on one now for $199 with a three-year plan and minimum $45 monthly service fee, while new customers will have to fork over $299 and jump through the same contract hoops. Of course, there is also that other little phone that's making its long-awaited Canadian debut on Rogers next month, but we're guessing that anyone planning to go that route has already pretty firmly made up their mind.
Palm Centro for Verizon unboxing and hands-on
Not much to see here folks, save for a new paint job and a few minor software changes. Still, for those of you on Verizon, this could be just what the doctor ordered. Unless the doctor has a fake degree from a made-up country -- then his orders might not be so good. Regardless, you should feel free to feast your eyes on this cobalt blue number from the folks at Palm in the gallery below!%Gallery-25007%
Palm Centro for Verizon unboxing and hands-on at Engadget Mobile
If you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for a new Palm phone on Verizon -- today your dreams come true. Truck on over to Engadget Mobile and see thrilling shots of the new Centro in unboxing and hands-on action. You won't be disappointed, unless you don't like the Palm Centro. Then you will be disappointed.
Palm Centro heads to Verizon, in stores tomorrow for $99
Come on, T-Mobile, all we need is you to get on board now and that'll make a perfect Yahtzee! for Palm with its surprise hit, the Centro. Thanks to Verizon's expected announcement today, the top three US carriers now carry the diminutive Garnet device, which Palm actually says is "off to the strongest start of any smartphone in Palm's history" -- quite a statement, considering the Treo line's rich tradition. The Centro is also the first Palm phone to be eligible for the big V's "unlimited" E-mail and Web for Smartphone plan, which runs you a thrifty $29.99. After the full, delicious menu of rebates and discounts have been applied, Verizon's version will run the same $99 on contract that the boys and girls on Sprint and AT&T pay, and we can look for it to be available through all retail channels starting tomorrow.Update: Palm also has a brand new Facebook app launching with this phone (which will be available for the AT&T and Sprint models as well).
Emergency travel charger plays nice with Palm's Multi-Connector
Oh sure, there's a plethora of portable USB chargers out there to keep most every cellphone around juiced up for one last call, but those handling a Palm handset with the polarizing Multi-Connector have long been shut out cold -- until now. Tech Center Labs has just come to the rescue with its Tiny Emergency FuelCell, which holds a single AA and enables power to be passed along to Centros and any other Palm / Treo device with the proprietary connector. Best of all, the pocket-friendly device is just $9.95 (or $10.95 with a bundled battery). Not a bad way to spend a Hamilton if you're a Palm lover.[Via Palm InfoCenter]
Verizon's Palm Centro: June 13 for $199.99?
We hope beyond hope that there's a typo here or some sort of magical bonus discount that'll be applied at the cash register, because documents coming out of Verizon at this point seem to indicate that Centro buyers will be paying a whopping $269.99 before $70 mail-in rebate when the device supposedly hits all retail channels next Friday, June 13. Sprint's version was just a single Benjamin many months ago, so we really don't see how Verizon can justify this kind of coin. Unless there's like a $100 bill in the battery compartment of every phone, we guess.[Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Verizon's Palm Centro spotted in Circuit City
Well, not quite -- turns out it's just a dummy -- but it's got to be getting close now that Circuit City locations are taking delivery. We're not so keen on the metallic finish here, maybe we'll end up warming up to it; either that, or by the time it's released our collective attentions will be squarely diverted to the Treo 800w. You know, one of the two. Follow the break for another shot![Thanks, Grant]
Palm claims larger share of smartphone market, has Centro to thank
What's this? Some joyous news on the Palm front? No need to Windex your spectacles -- the aforementioned handset maker has indeed managed to up its share of the smartphone market from 7.9% in the fourth quarter to 13.4% today, largely thanks to the popularity of its Centro. In general, analysts seemed quite pleased by the gains, noting that it (along with RIM) were able to take advantage of the 7.5% skid experienced by Apple during the same period. Despite the recent gains, Palm's market share is still down from 23% in Q1 a year ago, but considering the sweeping slump in cellphone sales of late, we'd say this should still go down as a victory -- however minor -- for the firm.[Via Palm InfoCenter]
Palm Centro goes prepaid in Australia
Smartphones are a disappointingly rare occurrence in prepaid stables in some corners of the world, but at least Telstra's doing its part. The Australian carrier has launched Palm's Centro obligation-free for $299 AUD (about $286), giving Aussies a solid option for taking a trip down Garnet lane without shelling out any more monthly cash than they need to. Interestingly, the Telstra model sports a white shell but eschews AT&T's funky green buttons for a more conservative gray set -- and honestly, now that we've had some time to get used to 'em, we sort of miss the green. Are we crazy?[Via Palm Infocenter]
Verizon's Palm Centro in the flesh!
It's not often that a single handset unites all four US national carriers (assuming the T-Mobile thing ends up going down), so we have to give Palm some credit here -- it's an honorable feat. And with the Centro being a surprise break-out success for Palm (a much needed one, may we add), there's no reason to think they won't be able to push a few units on Verizon, too. The first color to launch on Big Red (but probably not the last) will be the very same blue that we've previously seen launch in Mexico. How does everyone feel about it? Check out the gallery for the full host of press imagery!%Gallery-21039%
Blue Palm Centro in the mix, but not in the US
Seems a little bizarre that AT&T would choose to launch white and lime over this more conservative choice -- but they did, and our Mexican friends get to reap the benefits. The blue variant of the GSM Centro is available via Telcel and Movistar -- exclusivity's apparently not an issue here -- and offers specs that are otherwise unchanged from its international cousins. Eh, on second thought, we think we like the white better anyway.[Via IntoMobile and Palm Infocenter]
Palm Centro hits the magical one million mark
Palm's miniscule and wallet-friendly Centro has managed to reach one million units sold since its launch last September. It got its legs working as Sprint and AT&T's gateway smartphone at that fantastic $99 pricepoint, and now it's making a bid for world domination in major markets in Europe and Asia. The one million sales have it nipping at the heels of recent superstar smartphones, the two million plus HTC Touch and the four million plus iPhone, not bad company in the least.
Verizon Hub headlines carrier's 2008 initiatives, devices
We've gotten the inside track on a few dates on Verizon's radar for the next few months, and it looks like the boys and girls in red are prepping an interesting mix of exclusive and Sprint catch-ups to keep customers fat and happy. As handsets go, the Motorola Q9c is planned for April along with the TouchFLO-powered XV6900, LG enV2, and the CDMA rendition of the BlackBerry Curve (so much for exclusivity clauses on this one, it seems), while the Samsung Glyde is currently slated for late April or early May. Centro fans will be happy to hear that the diminutive Garnet phone will finally hit Verizon following Sprint and AT&T launches in the tail end of May or the beginning of June, followed shortly by the Nokia 6205, which apparently isn't either the 2505 or 7205 unless one of those flips have been renumbered.As technology goes, Verizon looks to launch EV-DO Rev. A-based push-to-talk services -- Sprint folks will know this as Qualcomm's QChat -- toward the end of May. We've also caught wind of something called "Verizon Hub," which we're told will go head-to-head with T-Mobile's HotSpot@Home service. It's not known whether this'll be a WiFi setup (a la HotSpot@Home) or adopt Sprint's CDMA femtocell strategy, but seeing how Verizon and Sprint seem to be endlessly engaged in a game of cat and mouse, we wouldn't be surprised to see 'em go with femtocells. We don't have a date on Hub just yet, but it's targeting the second half of the year at the earliest.Update: Commenters are noting that Verizon's do-all FiOS phone bares the "Verizon Hub" name, though it doesn't go head-to-head with HotSpot@Home -- and the Hub we're referring to is showing up on Verizon Wireless roadmaps. Weird. We'll keep a close eye on this one.
Black Centros in AT&T stores
Great news: the more business-friendly alternative to the white / green wild child is filtering into an AT&T store near you. Turns out that pre-production units were seen sporting both metallic and solid black paint jobs, but the final units are solid -- probably the best option, considering that this one will likely see time on a corporate boardroom table or two. Can't have those sparklies reflecting in the fluorescent lights, now can we?[Thanks, BrainsOnTheMonitor]
AT&T release dates through May (hint: no Vu)
We've just received a fresh round of release dates on AT&T, and if we had to pick a single word to describe the theme here, it'd be "colors." Shades upon shades of phones -- both new and old -- will see a release on AT&T in the next couple of months, starting with the Sony Ericsson Z750a, the first 3G Sony Ericsson to be released by a carrier in the States (but not in North America -- that honor belongs to Rogers); it'll hit in your choice of gray, pink, or purple in early April. The now-ancient UTStarcom 5700 finally sees release toward the end of April more than a year after we first saw it in the FCC's business, giving a lower-end choice to the Windows Mobile faithful. Finally, May should bring about the LG CU720 Shine in black, following its initial offerings of silver and red.Oh, and it looks like the Motorola Z9 and the black Centro should be widely available pretty much any minute now -- stay tuned. Strangely missing from the list is the Vu, though that doesn't necessarily mean it won't be released by the end of May, it merely means that AT&T's not sure yet. Surprise, surprise.[Thanks, Kal]
Palm's GSM Centro tested for FCC a long, long time ago
We don't mean to harp here, because we understand how long it can take to get a phone through a government bureaucracy like the FCC -- not to mention that little issue of Sprint exclusivity -- but we were just a little shocked to see that the Centro 685 (the technical full name for the GSM Centro) was tested a hot minute ago. How long ago, exactly? Well, as early as May of last year, according to the test report documentation, though the label shows a first revision of December 11 of frickin' 2006. Ah well, nothing to get too worked up about; at least it's available now, right? Also notable is that someone in either Palm or the testing firm slipped up and made references to the Treo 800w in the label document, so yeah, we can pretty much gather that it's stone cold real at this point (as if there was any doubt).
