Centro vs. Treo 680
In the video, earlier in the review, I held the Centro next to the 680 and found it easily felt better. The Centro is, in nearly every way, the device that the Treo 680 should have been. It's small, accessible, cute, and inexpensive. Since they're virtually identical in function and power, a gallery of the two devices side by side tells you what you need to know much more efficiently than words
Conclusion
Let's do this conclusion in two parts:
For the non-smartphone user:
If you've been using a standard "feature phone" that does little more than make calls, take pictures, and painfully text your friends with T9 typing, you've been missing out. A Centro can do everything your current phone does and much more without making you feel like you have a brick in your pocket or that you need to read a 500 page manual just to figure the thing out.
The Centro may not have the whiz-bang of the iPhone, but it won't explode your wallet either (and the keyboard, really, is easier than the iPhone's, in my humble opinion). It may not have the power of a Windows Mobile Smartphone, but it's a heck of a lot simpler to use and often faster at the tasks you'll use it for every day. It may not be able to gobble up email -- especially corporate email -- as well as a BlackBerry but it does have a touchscreen and a much larger selection of fun and useful 3rd party applications.
In short: ditch your RAZR, get a Centro. There are more powerful smartphones out there, but few are as cheap, easy to use, and fun as this little guy.
For the Treo user:
You don't need me to tell you that the PalmOS is getting awfully outdated these days. With the Centro, you'll find virtually no improvements, though I have to say that it still does the job for me when I need it. What's worse, you can look forwards to a slowed pace of 3rd party development and likely no direct OS improvement from Palm (at least until Nova arrives).
If you're a PalmOS lover and on AT&T, the Centro is a great upgrade if your current device is starting to break down a bit. Otherwise I'd recommend sticking with what you have for another year, when Nova devices should hopefully be hitting the market. The other option is to switch platforms, though I suspect that if you've been on PalmOS for this long it means that you've surveyed the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile and decided against them. I can't blame you for that, but neither would I blame you if you decided to give them another look. The Treo 750, in particular, does a good job of keeping some of the Zen of Palm while offering the power of Windows Mobile.
Discuss our review in the forums!
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| Pros |
Great form factor
PalmOS is simple and easy
Huge library of 3rd party applications
Decent battery life
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| Cons |
PalmOS is getting awfully stale
Nearly the same as the Treo 680
No 3G data
Poor Browser
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