“Could the Palm Centro spell salvation for the struggling smartphone innovator that has fallen on tough times? Or is it a doomed effort to hang on in an increasingly competitive market? Palm designed the Centro to attract buyers who are younger and less affluent than its traditional Treo customers, and the new phone will probably succeed in buying Palm some time. But it may not be enough to reverse the company’s flagging fortunes,” Stephen H. Wildstrom reports for BusinessWeek.
“The Centro is essentially a shrunken version of the Treo 755p, with a scrunched keyboard, a slightly smaller screen, and a battery yielding about 13% less talk time. Among these compromises, the only one that worries me is the keyboard, which seems to be designed for hobbits,” Wildstrom reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Tiny mechanical keyboards, how quaint! Using an iPhone next to a Treo in an airport the other day was like flying a spaceship over a lame horse pulling a buggy with a broken wheel.
Wildstrom continues, “There is a big downside, one the Centro shares with its Treo siblings. The Palm OS software, which was revolutionary in its day, has been upgraded over the years with the tech equivalent of rubber bands and chewing gum. The program, which actually predates smartphones, has now gone five years without a major overhaul. Simply put, it is no longer up to the job.”
“The Web browser is barely usable, and every online Palm forum is filled with complaints from owners whose Treos crash or lock up frequently,” Wildstrom reports. “…For all its faults, Palm still offers the simplest and most intuitive user interface and the best integration between PDA and phone functions of any smartphone. That includes Apple’s iPhone, which has a great Web browser but lacks a simple way to look up contacts.”
MacDailyNews Take: Grabs iPhone. Presses “phone,” then “contacts,” scrolls to contact or clicks letter from side alphabet menu to jump directly to contacts whose last name begins with said letter. That seems quite logical, simple, and intuitive to us. Certainly easy enough to not start pining for some old dino mobile OS/company.
Wildstrom continues, “I’ve carried a Palm of one sort or another since the original Pilot in 1996, and I would be greatly saddened by the death of this icon. But the Centro may not be enough of an advance to prevent that.”
Full article here.
Stephen, you’ve carried a Palm for too long. Since June 29th 2007, in fact. Don’t be sad about Palm’s death; that’s what happens when companies sit around, rest on their decaying laurels, and do basically nothing for years. Now, remember to click “contacts” and use the iPhone’s side alphabet menu and we’re sure you’ll forget all about Palm as quickly as we have.
MDN, I don’t care what you say. Typing on a real, tactile keyboard will ALWAYS be better than typing on the virtual keyboard on the iPhone. I love my iPhone, no doubt, but typing on it is not nearly as nice as using something with a little feedback.
” . . . but typing on it is not nearly as nice as using something with a little feedback.”
I prefer a lot of feedback. I need a device that will also criticize my writing style, diet and choice in clothes.
Pogue liked it, but those are some mighty small “tactiles”.
Dextro….it’s called a ‘wife’.
Mr. Wildstrom’s email.
techandyou@businessweek.com
@John Williams
Great score for Star Wars and Superman, by the way.
Anyway, I’ll take the iPhone keyboard any day. I have tried using those “keyboards” on other “smart” phones and the iPhone is much better for me, and I have large hands (size 13 ring).
I love Apple. But after playing with a centro a couple days ago, I’m sold. I’m trading in my Treo 650 for a centro 2marrow. There’s nothing like tuning into NFL Network LIVE and watching…..all within seconds. And I can use the bluetooth to move files around, not just a headset. The high speed Sprint network rivals wifi. If the iPhone unlocked its bluetooth, had high speed wireless w/o relying on wifi, and was on Sprint, then I would buy one.
“Dextro….it’s called a ‘wife’.”
<edit> I need a device that will also criticize my writing style, diet and choice in clothes that won’t try to smother me to death with a pillow at 3 am. </edit>
@ Dextro & TT… be thankful I wasn’t drinking coffee, or you guys would owe me a new monitor. LMAO!
@Jeff
I have larger hands (size 15 ring) and all phone keyboards suck for me. I’d like to see someone make a fold-up, portable keyboard that you dock you iPhone to… that would be awesome for heavier-duty typing.
I’ve used a Treo and I was not impressed. I doubt that the Centro would do anything for me, either. Palm’s inability to make a cellphone and a PDA work together has been legendary, but sad to say, they’ve beaten the stuffings out of any WinCE (ouch) offering.
Dextro
it’s called a ‘Mother-n-Law’
MW:same, as in ‘thing’
“…or all its faults, Palm still offers the simplest and most intuitive user interface and the best integration between PDA and phone functions of any smartphone. That includes Apple’s iPhone…”
You’ve gotta be a real Palm fan to convince yourself of this nonsense.
And I’ve got to disagree with you, John – with error correction, I can type much faster on an iPhone than I can on a Treo. Maybe it’s because I’m such a poor typist…
MDN, I don’t care what you say. Feeding, washing, and boarding a horse to pull a wagon will ALWAYS be better than flying a spaceship. I love my spaceship, no doubt, but flying above a rutted road at Mach 10 is not nearly the same as bumping along on it in a buggy whilst smelling the occasional horse fart.
” . . . and all phone keyboards suck for me.”
That is one hell of a talented keyboard. Is the chrome paint wearing off?
He is right about the contacts. Yes, I know it’s easy to scroll and easy to click on a letter. But what happens when I remember the name of the contact but they are under a business who’s name I don’t remember – or vice versa? I need a search feature to search for all contact information containing the name ‘Jeff’, for example.
“I need a search feature to search for all contact information containing the name ‘Jeff’, for example.”
Great idea. I think you may have to just put a spotlight on the problem.
The iPhone is great and all, but I still prefer a real keyboard or keypad.
Overall, I much prefer the iPhone over a Treo, however, it was much easier to dial a contact on the Treo (you hit a letter and it shows all the possible matches, you hit a 2nd letter and narrows the field further. you could start to spell first names, last names or someone’s initials. very fast – very useful).
The Centro seems to have a lot of buzz. I am surprised that a $99 (final price (post rebates, etc.) is such a big deal when there are numerous other smart phones for $149-$199. Over 2 years, the $4-$8 a month difference is a very small price to pay to get the right phone.
If the Centro sells well, I don’t think it will be taking any market share away from the iPhone.
RE Nick Holla –
Didn’t you just post pretty much the same post in a different thread yesterday? Marketing much?
Dextroamphetamine:
Maybe you’d like my girlfriend… ;^)
I’ve been using a Palm OS device of one sort or another since 1997. I HATE the Treos, especially those nasty little keyboards. My hands are probably average sized and it’s a real pain… figuratively AND literally… to use those things. You can’t even use grafitti with them!
I’ve been waiting for a device that would let me retire my last Palm… the TX, which is a pretty nice thing, actually. The iPhone will be it. But I’m waiting for version 2. By that time my phone and Palm TX will both be dead, I hope.
What would you call a Treo optimized for police detectives?…..
Come on, you work for NFL Network LIVE doncha?
I have a Motorola Q that I use for work since they pay for it, and an iPhone because I wanted one. It is SO much easier to type faster on the iPhone, once I got used to it, than the Q, simply because the “keys” are so much bigger on the iPhone and I don’t have to push down on any buttons on the iPhone. When I type on my Q, it is such a chore to have to push each button.
“What would you call a Treo optimized for police detectives?…..”
A Dirty Harry Palm?
Typing on the iPhone is a GREAT experience compared to Treos. Not only are the keys bigger and you don’t have to push them in, but:
* The feedback “letter bubble” tells you which key you hit, and if it’s the wrong one, you can just slide your finger to the right key. Works like a charm for me. I bet a lot of the complainers haven’t figured this out.
Pity Palm, they are unable to write original software as they seem to be still using the Newtons software! albeit stitched with ugly extra coding that is most likely M$ compatible, is it any wonder it operates the way it does!!!
No, a Palm for Dicks….
(but Dirty Harry makes sense)
Well, I’m with the group that LMAO with Dextro. But really, I have to say I’m locked into a couple of very fast, very easy Palm apps that have been a boon to my work/life. I’ve tried the iPhone equivalent and it’s just not ready for prime time.
Aren’t any of you in the medical field? We’ve all used these Palms for AGES and they are a way of life. They are the kind of devices with an OS with ease of use that should be the bait that gets people into Apple. Once upon a time, Palm and Apple had a nice synergy going. I just don’t get, MDN, what the Palm-hating does for Mac users. They are different niches and for now, different devices.
Yeah, lots of folks equate Palm with the Treo, but that is a mistake since the Treos are really lousy phones. On the plain, old simple PDA, you can read books, do the math you need to do for work, look up drugs, etc. etc. Pop in and out different SD cards. Quit being such haters. Live and let live; and think of what Apple and Palm could do together…
I had a Palm Pilot. It was nice for a couple of weeks, and then it crashed.
I lost all of my data, as well as my desire to do anything further with the Palm Pilot.
It’s been sitting somewhere on a dusty shelf, ever since.
If I would have actually purchased it, I would have returned it for a refund. As the case is though, I won it, so that wasn’t an option. I considered eBaying it, but never got around to it.
I owned the the treo 650 for three years, I never replaced it, Why? Palm never upgraded their sh*t. They come up with new models but they are very greedy with the features. same camera pixels, same crappy video (audio is garbled) same laggy browser that constatly crashes) Same laggy jerky music player. Crashes every single day. I almost stabbed the screen once with it’s stylus. DONT BUY A TREO.
I now owned an Iphone, Its the best phone I have ever used. Although it lacks a little feature, with it’s aggressive firmware update that will change. Next year is even better Steve Jobs opened up the iphone to third pary developers (SDK), that means by next year you will see hundreds of programs, think word, excel support maybe even adobe photoshop mini hahah. So long treo crap.
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