Unlocked Palm Centro Finally Available!
Palm Releases Unlocked Centro Smartphone + Announces New Google Maps with My Location + 10% Off Special Offer
Following the release of the Verizon Centro just last week and the extreme popularity of both the Sprint Centro and AT&T Centro, Palm today finally announced that this bestselling smartphone is now also available in an Unlocked Centro GSM version (for use on T-Mobile and AT&T for example) – thus allowing customers the choice of getting this smartphone from any of the nation's three largest carriers or now also without a contract.
At the same time, Palm announced that the latest version of Google Maps for mobile will now include My Location on Centro. This will be available for download starting today (Tuesday, June 24th), giving customers faster access to local maps and driving directions.
The Unlocked Palm Centro retains the smartphone's compact, modern design and is dressed in a new white color with grey accents on the keyboard(image left).
Centro offers customers more choices to stay in touch with friends, family and co-workers by using voice, text messaging, email or the web. The hugely popular Centro is Palm's smallest and lightest smartphone to date.
For its part, Google Maps for mobile with My Location makes it easier and faster for Centro customers to get mapping and direction information by taking information broadcast from mobile towers near you and approximating your current location on the map. This saves time and keystrokes for people trying to find where they are, what's around them, and how to get there.
In addition to My Location, Google Maps offers:
Comprehensive information on traffic conditions in more than 30 U.S. major metropolitan areas, and partial information in many others;
- Detailed driving directions with traffic estimates to avoid congestions;
- One-touch recall of favorite locations and routes;
- Integrated search results for business locations, including directions and contact information;
- Ability to scan and drag maps using Centro's touch screen for a PC-like experience; and
- Satellite and aerial views.
Pricing and Availability
The Unlocked Centro smartphone is available online now for only $299.00 at the Palm Store (image above).
Google Maps for mobile with My Location will be available to download free of charge for Palm Centro smartphones at http://www.google.com/gmm. Please check the site for details on the download process and carrier availability.
SPECIAL OFFER: Finally, to celebrate the launch of the Unlocked Centro we’ve created a 10% Off Coupon valid for all accessories in the Treonauts Store and Centronauts Store until midnight PST this Wednesday, June 25th. Simply enter the coupon code UNLOCKEDCENTRO during Checkout to enjoy this discount and enhance your Centro experience with some of our bestselling Centro accessories.
Centro 10% Off Specials
Seidio 2in1 Pen Centro Stylus
If you’ve ever been anywhere struggling to find a pen at hand to write something down you’ll quickly understand just how useful this dual pen/stylus for your Centro really is.
SPE Centro Screen Protector
You could risk scratching your screen accidentally or simply choose these great screen protectors for your Centro instead.
Cellet Cradle Dock
This is the slimmest and most elegant Docking + Battery Charging cradle available for your Centro and my own top choice.
Palm Air Case
My favourite and Editor’s Choice Centro case provides a slim but very robust all-round protection against scratches and drops for your smartphone. (See my review)
Centro Screen Protectors
The simplest way to ensure scratch protection for your delicate Centro touchscreen these screen protectors are the #1 bestselling accessory.
SPE Retractable S&C Cable
Probably the single best value accessory and one of the most essential items in my kit – this is one product you should never be without. (See my review)
Another great offer for Centronauts is the price drop of a spare original 1150mAh Palm Centro Battery which is now available for only $29.95 – saving you $20 (40%) off Palm’s MSRP.
This 1150mAh spare Centro battery from Palm (see my review) will provide you with an additional 3.5 hours of talk time or 240 hours of standby time – perfect for that extra juice you’ll need while on the go.
Centronauts always have the most freedom…
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Comments
Andrew,
I for one am hoping that they make the black one available unlocked (here in the US) as well. Now that Verizon has the blue, it's looking hard to find that "color that no one else has"...
It's beyond irritating that my not even 2 year old 700p is not supported with the my location feature. I doubt Palm will be my next smartphone.
Jason I totally agree, I was just trying to find out if there was a hack for the 700p for mylocation. I'm thinking of switching to another phone for my next one even though I've been VERY loyal to Palm for years. The ATT Tilt seems like a decent choice, although battery concerns might hold me back from it. Not to mention, the Window$ OS, but hey, what can you do...? Looks like that's the OS to go to.
@Jason & Dave:
I think there might be some hardware requirements that get in the way. Specifically, it might eat too much bandwidth and they're scared to release it.
On the other hand, the Facebook OS-native app for PalmOS isn't supported for the 700p, and I downloaded it and installed it anyhow. Seems to work fine.
Did either of you give the new Google Maps with my location an "unsupported" try? Might be worth it, just leave yourself a way to back out and restore the old version. I ran a beta copy of that a while back and it really, really came up with some ludicrous location search results. That was a beta, though, so it may be better now.
The My Location feature uses the API software that is on all phones, including the Treos, to find your location via cell towers. Right now the My Location only works on the Verizon and AT&T Centros with Sprint version needing an update later in the summer.
Nothering is stopping Palm from making the My Location feature work on the treos but themselves. They made the API private so no one except emergancy people to use the feature.
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