Palm Centro review

Palm Centro Review

Reviewed by: Andrew Lim

Reviewed on: 20 March 2008

Other apps include the Blazer browser, which is perfectly fine. We would have preferred to install Opera Mini, which you can't do as the Centro doesn't come with Java as standard, meaning that it won't initially support Java apps or games. We think it should've come preinstalled.

One of our favourite features about the Centro is the Palm OS, which is straightforward and easy to understand

That said, there are a variety of apps that are specially designed for the Palm OS, which you can download instead of Java ones. Google's Mobile Maps comes preinstalled and we also tried a Garmin mobile sat-nav app, which worked well and allowed us to connect the Centro to a GPS receiver and use it as a sat-nav, which is useful.

What really lets the Centro down is the lack of Wi-Fi or 3G, which makes everything run slowly and cuts out a lot of potential functions, such as VoIP.

Performance
No muffling or distortion was apparent in audio quality during during calls or while using the loudspeaker. There were no surprises with the audio quality from the MP3 player either. We used a pair of Sennheiser CX 300s, which are great if you can only access a 2.5mm headphone jack.

Unsurprisingly, pictures from the 1.3-megapixel come out blurry and don't show up well in low light. Video is of an equally low quality. We really think Palm needs to up its game in the camera department if it's positioning itself as a consumer brand. The ability to take good pictures with a mobile is increasingly becoming a must-have feature.

Battery life is quoted at 4 hours talk time and 300 hours on standby. We found that it lasted for over two days before needing to be recharged.

Conclusion
While the Centro has had great success in the States, we just don't think it can compete with the plethora of smaller camera and music phones on offer in the UK that offer email functionality too. It's a nice device if you're a Palm veteran looking for a smaller phone or if you want a simple email phone, but in terms of its consumer features, we still think that Palm has a way to go before the Centro will attract young consumers in the UK.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday