Designed for individuals and traditional mobile phone users looking for
a better way to manage their professional and social lives, Palm, Inc and Sprint day introduced the smallest Palm/phone so far, Palm®
Centro™ smart device, at $99.99 (with a two-year contract.)
It has voice, text, IM, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities, a
full-color touch screen and full keyboard, Centro brings Palm simplicity
and organization to customers who want to stay connected with
co-workers, friends and family. It offers broadband power at a standard phone price.
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™, keep current
on the latest news, capture and share pictures, browse restaurant
reviews on Yelp™, and get directions on Google™
Maps—all in one small, compact phone.(2)
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.
<p>
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Fresh Design for New Customers</span>
</p>
<p>
With a fun, new compact design, 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.
</p>
<p>
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<span id="bwanpa10">®</span>,
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<span id="bwanpa11">’</span>s juggling business meetings or
keeping track of school activities.
</p>
<p>
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.<sup id="bwanpa57">(3)</sup>
</p>
<p>
<span id="bwanpa12">“</span>Palm Centro has the power of a broadband
smartphone at the price of a standard 12-key phone,<span id="bwanpa13">”</span>
said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc. <span id="bwanpa14">“</span>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<span id="bwanpa15">’</span>re
thinking about stepping up to a smartphone, the Palm Centro should be
your choice.<span id="bwanpa16">”</span>
</p>
<p>
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Exclusive Sprint Content and Services</span>
</p>
<p>
With Centro, customers can leverage the speed of Sprint<span id="bwanpa17">’</span>s
Mobile Broadband Network <span id="bwanpa18">-</span> reaching more than
224 million people, 12,988 cities and 1,166 airports <span id="bwanpa19">-</span>
to access helpful and exciting multimedia content, including the
following:
</p>
<ul><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Sprint TV</span><sup id="bwanpa58">SM</sup>
<span id="bwanpa20">-</span> 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.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">On Demand</span> <span id="bwanpa21">-</span>
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.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Sprint Picture Mail</span><sup id="bwanpa59">SM</sup>
<span id="bwanpa22">-</span> 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.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Sprint Mobile eMail</span> <span id="bwanpa23">-</span>
Get easy, mobile access to up to three email accounts from well-known
providers, such as AOL<span id="bwanpa24">®</span>, Windows Live
(includes MSN<span id="bwanpa25">®</span> and Hotmail), Gmail, Yahoo!<span id="bwanpa26">®</span>
and more. Sprint Mobile eMail is a free download for any Sprint data
subscriber.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Sprint IM</span> <span id="bwanpa27">-</span>
Extend instant communication from your PC to Centro with access to
Yahoo! Messenger, AOL<span id="bwanpa28">’</span>s AIM<span id="bwanpa29">®</span>
service and MSN Messenger.
</li></ul>
<p>
<span id="bwanpa30">“</span>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<span id="bwanpa31">™</span>,<span id="bwanpa32">”</span>
said Danny Bowman, vice president of customer equipment for Sprint. <span id="bwanpa33">“</span>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.<span id="bwanpa34">”</span><sup id="bwanpa60">(4)</sup>
</p>
<p>
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Additional Palm Centro Features and
Benefits</span>
</p>
<ul><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Superior Phone</span> <span id="bwanpa35">-</span>
Centro<span id="bwanpa36">’</span>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<span id="bwanpa37">®</span>
connectivity.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Easy Text Messaging</span> <span id="bwanpa38">-</span>
Centro<span id="bwanpa39">’</span>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.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Personal and Corporate Email</span> <span id="bwanpa40">-</span>
New users to the smartphone category now have an easy mobile email
solution using Microsoft Direct Push Technology<sup id="bwanpa61">(5)</sup>
for delivery of Outlook email as well as personal email, such as
Gmail, AOL and Yahoo.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">IM with AIM, MSN, or Yahoo!</span> <span id="bwanpa41">-</span>
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<span id="bwanpa42">’</span>s AIM service.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Web Browsing</span> <span id="bwanpa43">-</span>
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.
</li><li class="bwlistitemmarginbottom">
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Multimedia</span> <span id="bwanpa44">-</span>
<span id="bwanpa45">“</span>Sideload<span id="bwanpa46">”</span> 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.
</li></ul>
<p>
More information on Centro is available at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.palm.com/centro" shape="rect">www.palm.com/centro</a>.
Centro multimedia materials are available from Business Wire (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5502393" shape="rect">http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5502393</a>),
Palm<span id="bwanpa47">’</span>s Multimedia Library (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary" shape="rect">www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary</a>)
or Sprint<span id="bwanpa48">’</span>s media relations website (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.sprint.com/mr" shape="rect">www.sprint.com/mr</a>).
</p>
<p>
<span class="bwunderlinestyle">Pricing and Availability</span>
</p>
<p>
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 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sprint.com/" shape="rect">www.sprint.com</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://www.palm.com/centro" shape="rect">www.palm.com/centro</a>
for $99.99 with a two-year service agreement, available discounts and
promotions<sup id="bwanpa62">(1)</sup> 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).
</p>
<p>
Customers can sign up to be notified of availability of Centro from
Sprint at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sprint.com/Centro" shape="rect">www.sprint.com/Centro</a>
or be among the first to pre-order from Palm at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.palm.com/centro" shape="rect">www.palm.com/centro</a>.
</p></p>