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]

No surprises in the mix here, but we're delighted to see that Verizon is finally getting official with four smart devices that have been rumored to be in its pipeline for ages. Of the four, only the i760 from Samsung's been priced and slated for release -- October 19 online, November 2 in stores for $350 on contract after rebates -- featuring Windows Mobile 6 Professional, QWERTY slide-out and offset numeric keypads, and a 1.3 megapixel camera. The XV6800 succeeds the tired XV6700, going up against Sprint's Mogul by offering the HTC Titan reference design in a custom Verizon skin; it shows up with a 2 megapixel cam, WiFi, and a full QWERTY keyboard. Already released on several CDMA carriers, the HTC Libra sees the light of day on Verizon as the SMT5800 bearing Windows Mobile 6 Standard and a 2 megapixel cam (we loved the Libra's GSM cousin, and we're guessing this one's great too). Finally, make some noise, Palm OS fans -- it's okay, don't be shy! Verizon finally gets down with the Treo 755p, a phone that could ultimately serve as the platform's swan song in the classic Treo form factor. As we mentioned, only the i760 has been priced and dated at this point, but we'll keep ya in the loop just as soon as we know more.

Samsung didn't seem too happy to do it, but we snagged our little selves a hands-on with ther forthcoming i760 this evening. The horizontal QWERTY slider feels pretty solid in the hands, and like HTC's new Libra, it's also got a numeric keypad on the face for ease of dialing. They wouldn't say who was going to carry it (like we didn't already know) or much else about the device, but that's why you read Engadget. Check out the gallery for some more shots of the unbranded unit.

We have an early Christmas present for you Verizon smartphone users: three new Windows Mobile Pocket PC devices leaked over on Engadget Mobile, including the oh so hotly anticipated CDMA followup to the HTC TyTn / Hermes. Check 'em out:

Verizon UTStarcom XV6800: the CDMA TyTn lives!
Verizon's Samsung i760 out-BlackJacks the BlackJack?
Verizon UTStarcom SMT5800: Libra comes stateside in green?