Wireless service provider Sprint ( News - Alert) and mobile phone manufacturer Palm on Thursday unveiled a new smartphone, the Palm Centro. The device comes equipped with Web, voice, IM, text, calendar and contacts capabilities, plus a 1.3 megapixel camera with 2x digital zoom and video capture, color screen and full keyboard. It goes on sale in October for $99.99 with a two-year service contract.
 Palm and Sprint designed the Centro to meet the needs of ‘traditional’ mobile phone users looking for a way to more efficiently manager their social and professional lives. When it goes on sale next month, the new phone will be available exclusively from Sprint for the first 90 days. It comes in two colors: black and red.
Using the Centro, Sprint customers will be able to send and receive text messages and e-mails, keep track of appointments, watch YouTube ( News - Alert) videos, read news reports and stock quotes, take and share digital photos, find restaurant reviews through Yelp (an online site featuring reviews written by users) and find their way with Google ( News - Alert) Maps. The device runs Palm OS and has 64MB internal storage (expandable to 4GB using microSD card).
Centro will use Sprint’s Mobile Broadband Network, which the company claims is the largest and fastest mobile broadband network in the U.S. (it’s available in 12,988 cities and at 1,166 airports).
IDC ( News - Alert) recently reported that smartphones are being adopted by the mass market, with shipments expected to grow from 13.8 million this year to 74.4 million by 2011. Sprint and Palm expect that Centro will attract new customers who have not previously used a smartphone. The device’s relatively low price should help.
“Palm Centro has the power of a broadband smartphone at the price of a standard 12-key phone,” said Ed Colligan, president and CEO at Palm, in a statement. “People looking to have all their contacts and calendar at the touch of a button, plus YouTube streaming videos and the Internet can now get it in a small, cool design with the trademark Palm ease of use. If you're thinking about stepping up to a smartphone, the Palm Centro should be your choice.”
To learn even more about mobile phones and services, check TMCnet’s White Paper Library, which provides a selection of in-depth information on relevant topics affecting the IP communications industry. The library offers white papers, case studies and other documents free to registered users.
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