http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/ Engadget Comments for How would you change the Palm Centro? http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 11:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 20th 2007 4:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/And it could lose a few pounds]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/-Slim it down
- And defiantly new OS]]>Oct 20th 2007 12:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 20th 2007 1:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 22nd 2007 4:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Dec 30th 2007 9:14PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 9:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
Part of the reason why people liked the RAZR was the name, it was cool, and the first thing people thought of was an awesome phone that runs fast is sharp and is thin. Maybe not all of them, but they certainly thought of something cool.

Centro... It sounds like a generic name.

but hardwae wise, no cheap plastic or two tone bezel. Take notes from the apple, just dont copy it.

Oh, and make different versions of software. I for one would prefer my phone to run easy-to-download games, make it MAC FRIENDLY, and have it more centered around media but still haev the smartphoen aspect.]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
Some more resolution couldn't hurt, but that's more of a major upgrade. It's too late for the color and making the screen flush, but the other two items... it's not too late yet. Then again, I understand Palm needs to focus on their new OS if they're ever going to release it.]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
"Some more resolution couldn't hurt"

Are you kidding? The screen is 320X320 and only 2" across. It has a higher resolution then most smartphones on the market and it's only $99!

Can you people be a little more picky? I'd like it to make me breakfast in the morning to but the dang thing is only $99! What do you expect?

Does it compare spec for spec with some of the newer competition...No...but it's only $99 when those devices are 3 or 4 times the price.

Would you rag on a Honda Civic for not have the same features and trim as a Lexus? I think not.]]>Oct 20th 2007 12:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
If it could make me breakfast, too -- well, that fits my definition of a killer innovative feature, but I don't see it coming any time soon.

(By the way, I love my Honda Civic. Great car.)]]>Oct 20th 2007 12:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
unlocked treo's start from a little under 400$. 99$ is subbed price, which is just the first downpayment on the phone(couldn't find a price for centro, probably 500+ anyways)..]]>Oct 21st 2007 10:04AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
Things I Like:
I ♥ EV-DO
I ♥ Palm OS (Despite it's lack of features, it never crashes and is 100% reliable, much better than WM)
I ♥ Centro form factor
I ♥ PAM
I ♥ Sprint

Things I Don't Like:
Touch-Screen is not so responsive using your finger only the stylus.
Small Keys (seriously palm is this for people or midgets?)
No Wifi

Still if you don't have a smart phone, then heres your chance to get one for only $100. Although the catch is you need to sign up for that $25 data plan ;-)

]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 8:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 9:24PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 20th 2007 2:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
I also wish to have better interaction with the Mac platform and from what I hear Vista support is even lacking.

The Palm OS is very stable and multitasking isn't really that big of a deal. It is a phone after all and as long as my call comes through while I am listening to music or reviewing my calendar I'm happy.

* Legal Disclaimer: I am not a hipster nor do I claim to be one. I just would like to have a standard headphone jack. :-)]]>Oct 20th 2007 7:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 20th 2007 5:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/

Are you kidding me?

The reason I bought a Blackberry 8300 is because it wasn't an iPhone

I was going to buy an iPhone, but it was really disappointing.]]>Oct 19th 2007 9:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/21/dear-palm-its-time-for-an-intervention/comments/6838573/]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
WiFi.

Capacitive rather than resistive touchscreen.

That's actually it.]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 10:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
Capacitive touchscreens enable a finger interface rather than a pen interface. With resistive touchscreens, you simply have to press too hard with too much area for me to really be comfortable with using a finger. They also fail the durability test. Capacitive touchscreens, on the other hand, can be built into glass, and require a bare minimum of effort to make a selection on the screen.

Pen input is not the way to go with cell phones. Somehow, Apple is the only company that has figured this out. No, HTC does not count, as they are still using resistive touchscreens and an OS which is not designed for finger input.]]>Oct 19th 2007 11:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
What if I wouldn't. It's a nice little smartphone for amazing price.

And a little reminder: sometimes it's the most boring things that change life in the most exciting ways, by enabling us to build upon them.]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 11:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/It's smaller, lighter, and MUCH faster/more responsive than my Treo 700p, but retains all the key things that make the Treo great.

I too am an Engadget junkie/gadget whore and I agree that the OS needs an enema... but, "if it ain't broke don't fix it" is true wisdom and this thing does what I need all day long. The iPhone, though gorgeous, innovative, sexy and desirable, simply does NOT do what I need (e.g., copy and paste, easily store/manage notes, have third party programs, etc.), at *this point* at least, was simply not an option (sadly, b/c I want one terribly!).

Finally, I have medium-to-big hands and I think the keyboard is actually BETTER than that of the Treo 700p--the feel is actually nicer and am I just as fast!]]>Oct 20th 2007 1:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
It's cheap, that's good. But it's ugly. The keyboard buttons are too small and there seems to be an awful lot of wasted space on the front of the device where useful buttons could go (like, a slightly scaled-up keyboard). How about a keyboard will TALLER buttons? Sure it looks out of proportion and silly, but even that makes it easier to type, especially with thumbs.

It's also way too big. Apple has really raised the bar for form factor with the iPhone and that's going to be the wave of the future. Sure, for a hundred bucks it's attractive, but I'm sick and tired of the "Treo bulge" in my pocket and the Centro, being the exact same size as the Treo (sorry, a couple of millimeters isn't smaller, it's still fat) holds no appeal.

End result is I see Palm as a company that really doesn't care anymore and it's a real shame. Innovation has stopped - which is fine since they're clearly building new and exciting things in house, but then they need to stop wasting resources on these lame duck releases until then.]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 20th 2007 12:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 11:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 9:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 7:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 8:48PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/And everytime you end a call a window pops up to tell you how long the call was. I DON'T CARE HOW LONG THE CALL WAS. you have to hit a button to make this go away or wait 5 seconds. so 5 seconds isn't long for over a week it builds up to a long time if you use your centro a lot like me. blazer is better than the browser on most phones, but safari is better on the iPhone. but Opera Mini 4 is almost approachingly comparable and i get much enjoyment from it. 3 megapixel camera OR a flash. either one would be nice. ]]>Dec 10th 2007 8:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Bigger keys, who needs a full keyboard if the keys are too small to use them?
Less weight
Higher resolution screen]]>Oct 19th 2007 7:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
The real important changes should be in the "new" business Centro. How are these spec changes:

400 mh processor
double the memory
flush screen
rubberized (feeling) back & sides
3 pixel camera with auto focus & flash
way better
Wi Fi
GPS w/Google Maps in ROM
3.5 jack for audio
micro USB connector
and of course, a New UI with simplicity of Garnet, but multitasking





]]>Oct 19th 2007 8:10PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Add to that a slider design - have a screen that's at least 160x240, if not more, that slides up to reveal a full keyboard - lots of phones have it, look it up.
Have your keyboard take up the entire width of the phone - my brand new Centro is usable, with my 5'9" man's thumbs, but just barely.
GPS - definitely! Allready add it already - what gives? You can't even get TeleNav on your phone - enough with the waiting!
The 1.3 megapixel camera is baaarely good enough - we've had 2MP cameras in phones for YEARS - consumer point-and-shoots are up to 10MP now. I'm not asking for an optical zoom or anything, but please, at least 2mp? The current camera takes entirely too long to snap a shot.
The expansion card MUST be able to be extracted from the outside, 650-style - what's this business with having to remove the battery cover AND open a door? Some of us actually like to dump content on our by now HUGE capacity memory cards. Oh yeah, add High Capacity read capability - the MicroSDs in the HD variety are up to 8GB by now - eight! Peophe used to ooh and aah when I upgraded my laptop harddrive to 4GB!
Others have said it, it bears repeating - dump the connector for a mini USB - sync AND charge. And a 3.5mm audio jack - enough already with this business of adapters. The 2.5mm worked back when alls you needed was a one-earpiece handsfree mike. I want to use the headphones that *I* like, and not have to be shelling out $30 for a chep stereo/earpiece combo.

Add an ultra-bright LED somewhere on the side, so I can use the phone as a flashlight in a pinch. You already have battery power, how hard can this be? an LED and a little button - it can be on the side or back or wherever the hell out of the way you want. You wouldn't be the first ones to do it, but score some extra points.
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile support - your hardware already supports it! Why do I need to shell out $20 for a tiny piece of software for my $99 phone, just because you couldn't put in a couple of man-months to build it in? Y'know, this is NOT a phone anymore - if I wanted a phone, I'd still have a candybar Nokia POS from six years ago. You have the potential to have a GREAT entertainment device - so achieve your potential!
Finally, you included and IM client! About bloody time. And dropped that atrocious RealPlayer.
The hardware Silence slider is a MUST to keep - don't mess with that.
Having said all that, I'll add that I *love* my new Centro - finally, finally it's getting closer to the form factor and the phone it should be. ]]>Oct 22nd 2007 9:55PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
Is the Centro perfect? Nope. Is *any* device perfect? No. Would we consumers be better off with Palm gone and buried? Again, no, not by a long shot, because then we'd be left with what...Nokia, iPhones, and Windows Mobile...only one of which has done anything remotely innovative in the past 3 years. The more phone makers, the better, so if only for competition's sake, let's applaud Palm for at least trying to bring smartphones to a new market.]]>Oct 19th 2007 8:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
Nokia has been pushing smartphones down into the mid-range, mass market for years. In fact, you could say their second ever S60 phone (the 3650) was aimed at that market.

Take a look at the Nokia 6120 classic or E51 if you want some real innovation. Cheap, small, responsive and open.

What has Palm done of any significance since the Treo 650? Added WiFi? Added GPS? Over-hauled their OS? Created a new form-factor?

You can complain about Nokia and HTC all you like, but they're light years ahead of Palm when it comes to innovation. They keep pushing with every device, adding small increments of additional functionality. It doesn't look like much from device to device, but look three years back and they've come a LONG way.]]>Oct 19th 2007 9:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/
Incremental innovation is still innovation...just ask Apple...or Motorola...or Nokia...or Microsoft. You, yourself, defend such a progression in the very last line of your comment.

And where do I "complain about HTC"? Why do you think you need to defend a company that isn't even mentioned? I think they have support groups for that kind of insecurity.]]>Oct 19th 2007 9:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 11:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 8:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/19/how-would-you-change-the-palm-centro/Oct 19th 2007 10:13PM