Palm launches the Centro

Palm has had a hard time of it recently. There was a much publicised open letter from respected tech blogger Engadget which was highly critical of the path the company was taking. Then there was the embarassing U-turn on the Palm Foleo smartphone 'companion' which was canned only days before its planned release.

Finally Palm has something to celebrate with the launch of their new Centro smartphone. Company shares rose 6% on the announcement.

With voice, text, IM, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities, a full-color touch screen and full keyboard, Centro brings Palm is targetting customers who want to stay connected with co-workers, friends and family. Centro will be exclusive through Sprint in the United States for 90 days and is available in onyx black or ruby red.

With Centro, Sprint customers can quickly and easily text co-workers and friends, manage email, keep track of their schedules, check stock quotes, watch videos on YouTube(TM), keep current on the latest news, capture and share pictures, browse restaurant reviews on Yelp(TM), and get directions on Google(TM) Maps--all in one small, compact phone. Centro operates on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network -- the fastest and largest national mobile broadband network - giving customers a fast and flexible experience with entertainment and resources on the go.

Centro is the smallest and lightest Palm phone to date. Centro has a modern, stylish look that feels comfortable in the hand, pocket or evening purse.

Centro was designed as a great phone, messaging, and organizational device, and is incredibly easy to use. It allows users to easily connect with friends, family and co-workers by voice, email or text. And with its full keyboard, Centro makes it easy to quickly and efficiently type text messages and respond to emails, communicating complete thoughts and ideas. Since Centro comes with the Palm OS, it offers all of the great organizer functionality that Palm is renowned for, such as a detailed and integrated Contacts list. Also, the simple and handy calendar makes it easier to manage increasingly busy lives, whether it's juggling business meetings or keeping track of school activities.

As the newest member of the Palm family, Centro is expected to attract new users to the smartphone category. According to IDC, the smartphone market is shifting to the mass market; U.S. smartphone shipments will grow from 13.8 million in 2007 to 74.4 million in 2011.

"Palm Centro has the power of a broadband smartphone at the price of a standard 12-key phone," said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc. "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."

With Centro, customers can leverage the speed of Sprint's Mobile Broadband Network - reaching more than 224 million people, 12,988 cities and 1,166 airports - to access helpful and exciting multimedia content, including the following:

* Sprint TV(SM) - Watch live TV or video-on-demand with full-motion video and vivid sound or catch the latest news, sports, weather, entertainment and movie trailers on the go. Choose from more than 50 live television channels and watch programs such as CNN mobile, FOX sports and E! Entertainment; access NFL Network and special programming via Sprint Exclusive Entertainment.

* On Demand - Set up personal preferences and get customized news, sports, movies, and weather updates all based on your zip code. Stay informed and connected regardless of where you are on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network.

* Sprint Picture Mail(SM) - Share on-the-go experiences immediately. Take full-color digital pictures and store or send directly from your Centro. Customers also can order prints of their favorite digital photos and pick them up at leading photo centers.

* Sprint Mobile eMail - Get easy, mobile access to up to three email accounts from well-known providers, such as AOL, Windows Live (includes MSN and Hotmail), Gmail, Yahoo! and more. Sprint Mobile eMail is a free download for any Sprint data subscriber.

* Sprint IM - Extend instant communication from your PC to Centro with access to Yahoo! Messenger, AOL's AIM service and MSN Messenger.

"Sprint customers can seize the day with Centro to stay on top of emails, use text or Sprint Instant Messaging for quick answers, manage appointments, view documents or to make use of a multitude of other productivity boosting and entertaining features all at SprintSpeed(TM)," said Danny Bowman, vice president of customer equipment for Sprint. "As the first provider of this unique phone, Sprint is demonstrating its commitment to giving customers the best products and service available on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, the fastest and largest national mobile broadband network."(4)

Additional Palm Centro Features and Benefits

* Superior Phone - Centro's touch screen and keyboard, combined with the simplicity of Palm OS, make it easy to use key features such as one-touch speakerphone, conference calling, ignore a call with text messaging and Bluetooth connectivity.

* Easy Text Messaging - Centro's full keyboard makes typing out complete messages fast and easy when sending text, pictures, audio and video clips. Plus, Centro keeps all your conversations in a chat-style view, just like IM, so you can see the entire conversation unfold.

* Personal and Corporate Email - New users to the smartphone category now have an easy mobile email solution using Microsoft Direct Push Technology(5) for delivery of Outlook email as well as personal email, such as Gmail, AOL and Yahoo.

* IM with AIM, MSN, or Yahoo! - Compose messages quickly and easily with a full QWERTY keyboard. Instant message your buddy list with direct access to Yahoo, Windows Live Messenger or AOL's AIM service.

* Web Browsing - Fast and easy web access on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network at fast EvDO speeds. The full keyboard and touch screen provide quick access to online information. The built-in Google Maps application offers fast access to directions, traffic updates and local search.

* Multimedia - "Sideload" songs and manage music easily with Sprint Music Manager. Centro is the first Palm phone to include PocketTunes Deluxe, a $39.99 value. Shoot pictures or video with the built-in digital camera.

More information on Centro is available at www.palm.com/centro. Centro multimedia materials are available from Business Wire (http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5502393), Palm's Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary) or Sprint's media relations website (www.sprint.com/mr).

Pricing and Availability

Expected mid-October, the Palm Centro smart device will be available in onyx black or ruby red from all Sprint sales channels, Palm stores and online at www.sprint.com and www.palm.com/centro for $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, available discounts and promotions and required service plan. Centro customers may subscribe to any of the voice calling plans available on the Sprint Nationwide PCS Network. To take advantage of data capabilities, customers can add any of the available Sprint Power Vision packs, which range from $15 to $30 per month. Customer subscribing to any Power Vision pack plan of $25 or more per month will be eligible for the $100 mail-in-rebate offer. For delivering Centro users the ultimate value, Sprint recommends the Power Vision Pro Pack for $30 month, which includes unlimited text messaging, data access, web browsing, email, Sprint Picture Mail/Video Mail, On Demand, NFL Mobile, Sprint TV and Active Sync (data and content access without a Power Vision pack is subject to casual data charges).