Treo by Palm Centro

Palm as always tried to come up with the latest and the greatest, but with the Centro they have managed to hit a real home run. As the smallest handheld device that the company has ever produced, the Treo by Palm Centro is available in sturdy red or black shells, and provides a lot of power in a very small body. Along with a good quality camera, the Centro also makes very good use of a touchscreen for navigation, handy Bluetooth capability, and an expandable memory card slot that will handle up to 4GB. The basic system uses the Palm OS 5.4.9, while the included Intel Xscale processor hums along at 312MHz.

While the active talk time on the Centro is not the best in the business, the three and a half hour capacity will work well in most situations. On the up side, the lithium ion battery will hold a charge for over twelve days when the phone is on standby.

Pros

• The ability to make good use of messaging software will please a lot of people
• A sleeker design will also fit into pockets much easier than previous models
• The rounded edges of the frame make it much less likely to snag on clothing or pocket linings

Cons

• A smaller body also means a smaller keyboard, which turns off some consumers
• More battery power for the talk time would make the phone more user-friendly
• No world roaming will limit business usability of the product

Final Word

The Treo by Palm Centro may have a few drawbacks, but it will certainly work out well for longtime Palm fans, and maybe attract a few new adherents as well.