My wife has the Centro, I have the iPhone. There's definitly some nice aspects of the centro such as the ability to shoot video, and the ability to add third party apps, but the browser (blazer) is downright terrible when compared to the iPhone's safari. The keyboard is nice if you have small hands, but with my big old mitts it's pretty worthless.

Another thing many people might not know
-Unlimited data + 200 sms for iPhone = $20
-Unlimited data +200 sms for Centro = $35
(on ATT obviously)

LOVE my centro... still the same old phone though.. nothing new here.

overly thick piece of crap.

Palm is as bad as Motorola.

Note to Palm/M . . . Please either innovate or stop spamming me. Please make a phone I want to buy.

Oh, and M, fix your sync software. It feels like rednecks wrote it in 1994.

to the previous poster.. I too have very fat thumbs yet the keyboard is awesome for me.. i even use it to play video games

I ordered my Centro on the first day that Sprint offered them and I have to say that 6 months later, I still love the little fella. It's got all the power of the bigger palms like the 755p in a much more convenient form factor with a slightly better pixel density to the screen. What's not to love?

the new razr

I've been using a Palm of one form or another for years: that big bulky first thing, 505(?), T/X. I sync these with a PIM called Time and Chaos at home and work. Everything I know is in that program. So when I needed a cell phone, it seemed like a natural jump. It works great for me. It's a little fat, but otherwise, great size. I carried all the software forward; some didn't work, but most did.

ppc6800 FTW

it is quite oK. However, I haven't used it yet with an internet connection. I am still trying to get it to sync properly with my OS 10.4.11 Powerbook 12". I made the (probable) error of reinstalling the Palm Software via CD. I should have kept the old one, it's amazing how the Palm software for the Mac is getting worse with every new Palm machine I buy (Palm III, Palm III+, TRG Pro, Tungsten T3 and hagenuk S200 were the predecessors), although Apple might also have a hand in that. Now, the bloody thing is always overwritten by the info from my Computer, when 'syncing' (and no, I did not set the conduits to 'overwrite', just at first sync). And I can only see the contacts from my SIM in the Contacts app, but this might be related to the syncing problems somehow. I am just right now installing the pre-Palm-CD install version of my OS on the boot partition. Lemme see where that takes me.
The keyboard is just occupying the room a bigger screen should have taken up. Pretty useless. And a pain in the arse that you have to install Graffiti Anywhere since even Graffiti is not included with the beast. Sigh. Loved my hagenuk S200 more, but it died:'( At least the screen is better on the Centro. And storage is nicer, now I don't have to reset the thing if I want to run Navigator after having looked up stuff in a few of my two bazillion Ectaco dictionaries. Palm themselves say, it supports a max. of 4 gigs on microSD, but nexave.de says, it takes also 8 gig SanDisk cards, which I intend to verify as soon as I have dealt with my current problems.

awesome phone, bought it when it was just released. Alot of people complain about the OS, but its not bad at all. In fact, because it is a phone, it fits perfectly with my requirements (fuck flashy bullshit, I want intuitive func)

Its greatest asset is what many people like to say detracts from the phone, and thats its OS. Anything that runs on the Treo's, runs on the Centro. I use little-john palm-os emu for my SNES and NES needs (yes, it runs chrono trigger smoothly, Megan Man X, not so much, and all NES titles run perfectly). Another key plus is USBModem and PDAnet, two programs which allow you to use your phone as a tethered modem, at vision data prices (15 bucks "unlimited" vs. 50 bucks unlimited).

The inclusion of the office apps is great (I use the spreadsheet program on the daily from shopping lists, to meeting notes). The camera is decent (1280x1024 res) and the camcorder is good too (320x240 30fps).

Yeah, Blazer is crap in comparison to everything else, but its somewhat acceptable. Opera Mini is a failed attempt in my opinion though.

So, its a phone + organizer + office tool + browser + tv + camera + camcorder + emu + mobile modem for $100 bucks. Lets face it, the bang is far greater than the buck.

@schrosa: So... Do you own the Centro?

no. Blackberry for now. Probably an iphone later on.

my BB is impossibly thin compared to a centro.

The iPhone is just a toy right now, you can't really get anything done with it besides flash it around to your friends. Big whoop.

I have a 755p and it can do everything I want and more. As for my sync software I use The Missing Sync for Palm. Blazer could be a lot better, I agree.

I looked into the Centro as a replacement for my Treo 650, and I wasn't too impressed. Keyboard is much smaller than the Treo, screen doesn't look as good, and the overall build quality feels kindof cheap compared to the Treo.

Functionality is there, though, so it makes a good smartphone for those just getting into the market.

I guess it does go to show you get what you pay for.....I'm waiting for the Treo 800p to come out, if it ever does.

had my centro for about 6 months and i'm quite satisfied. most of my colleagues have iphones and while they're pretty, I think the centro has the following advantages over them:

REAL qwerty keyboard
expandable/swappable memory
an open platform with tons of useful (mostly) free programs
not letting AT&T put a leash on your balls for 2 years

the only things i don't love about it are:

occasional pauses/slowdowns without apparent reason
the rare unexpected restart
the H key has become less responsive than the other keys, and the spacebar has become over sensitive and inserts too many spaces sometimes

I would probably buy it again if given the choice. It also helps that I have a Sprint SERO plan that gives me unlimited data/sms and 500 minutes + unlim N/W for $30 a month.

My mom has a treo from sprint. the reception sucks, but palm is so familiar, its hard to use anything else.

the one thing the centro has that i want is the IM software. AIm on the phone, not the browser, is the best addition.

also, blazer sucks. palm: please make a real browser.

I have this phone for over 6 months(Sprint).
This is a perfect phone, and it is for audience, who want a smart phone, but also a regular phone for everyday use.

-> Removing & Inserting the MicroSD, need the backflip to be opened.
-> Camera is only 1.3 MP, comeon palm, u can do better than this.
-> The phone needs a full browser, and blazer is only for mobile websites.
-> Palm OS is all old style, it needs to add new graphics to it.
-> Palm needs to encourage third party developers & forums to add new cool ideas.

Overall, no regrets buying this for 100 bucks.

I have been delighted with the Centro. I agree that it is NOT revolutionary in any way, but it is, without hesitation, the finest mobile device I have ever owned. The Treo 600p was great and the 700p was really great but far from perfect; the Centro keeps everything good and gets rid of tons of the bad: the bulky form factor of the original Treo, the slowness and sluggishness of the 700p in particular and the awful antenna and makes for a delicious little package.

I lust for the iPhone but there are just too many things missing right now: no copy/paste function, a crappy memo/notes system and no search function. These will likely come and, as we all know, if Palm does not innovate its days will be numbered. For now, however, I'm like a happy Baggins in Bag End with my Centro!

Why's 1,000,000/6months a milestone for a $100 phone? iPhone cleared a few million by six months at 5 times the cost, or even more if you bring the $40 example up.

@bpatten: buy your wife an iPhone already!

@yogibimbi: I my experience, its better to let iSync handle palm devices. Otherwise palm conduit and syncservices will fight to the death, and your data becomes collateral damage.

It's a fine phone. Feels a little cheap and I'm not fond of the keyboard. My wife doesn't have a problem with hers; but then her hands are half the size of mine.

It's speedy and stable; the finest Palm OS phone out there, no doubt. Not to mention a veritable ton of programs are available for it.

I never really cared for Palm OS (Windows Mobile for me) but the little guy has grown on me.

Sprint SERO plan makes this a real winner.

Best PalmOS phone there is, I love mine. Can't beat the price.

The Centro is the first smartphone that has ever tempted me in the slightest. It looks like the perfect combination of features and price for someone like me. And I've used Palm OS for years so I'd already know how to work it when I got it.

As soon as Verizon starts offering it I'll sign up.

I've been using a Palm PDA for years, and the Centro is kick-frickin' ass -- I upgraded from my 700p to a Centro as soon as I possibly could. One of my best friends has never even been tempted by a smartphone, and she's counting the days until her Centro arrives after having played with mine a bit. I absolutely love the form factor (although typing on the little keyboard did take some time to get), and it's more stable than any previous Treo by a long shot. On top of that, it's so much cheaper than any of its predecessors. Yeah, I think Palm did a very very good job with this phone, finally making their very customizable, very accessible, very ergonomic smartphone lineup readily accessible for everyone.

Palm:
Proving P.T. Barnum right EVERY DAY.

I love my centro, I have big fingers but i can type much faster than I ever could with previous phones (which didn't have full keyboards.) Blazer sucks sometimes, always switching between wide and optimized, can't wait for the new browser. My brother also has one and he loves it.

Freakin' Alltel has every other Palm phone and not this one, waaahhhh!

Can someone please explain me why all the examples of phone calls or text messaging in smart phones are about people scheduling a SUSHI lunch??

***ACTUAL CENTRO OWNER***
The phone is awesome, and YES it will continue to sell like crazy. Best Palm yet.

I just goy one and haven't decided whether to keep it or return it and get a blackberry. i love the touchscreen, which i understand the bb lacks. yes, blazer is aweful, and i soooo wish it was 3g. i have skinny fingers, so the keyboard is no prob for me. one thing i've noticed is that when making a call, i'd say about 30% fail on the first attempt, but that may just be the network (at&t). unfortunately al other carriers ( ireally wanted an ocean) wanted a big fat deposit from my bad credit having ass. overall i am liking it though, upgraded from a razor, so go figure.

I have had a Sprint Centro (AT&T still sux) since November and love it. It only took 2 days to get used to the smaller keyboard. Never had a problem except one game profile the got corrupt. Blazer could use an update.

3G service rocks on Sprint. I can download a 8MB MP3 file in less then 1 minute in most cases.

Have had it since November on Sprint. Main complaint is can't get the Opera Mini Browser to run on it, even with the IBM Java download

Actual Centro owner here. After one month, couldn't be happier.

Mark/Space's Missing Sync for Palm OS is an indispensable sync app for me...highly recommended even at the fairly steep price.

[www.markspace.com]

If they updated their OS, they're have a superstar. I have steered my female non-techie friends to the pink Centro with Sprint's SERO and they seem to love it. They gotten a lot of things right with this phone though.

@tvmitch: MarkSpace was the missing piece for my iMac and my Treo 650 - highly recommended. I just lost my Blackjack, debating between Centro and iPhone now. Blazer browser is that bad, huh?