Not a bad price, and if it's not complete garbage and has actually been tested well - they may have some success with this. A throwaway EVDO phone with full keyboard on the cheap (and it looks it!)...

Looks ok, but the real question will be how well will it compete with some of the other more expensive treos? i use the treo 700p and I have owned other versions of the treo and even with the release of the 755, I still see no reason to upgrade. no if this new version can surpass my 700p then i will make the switch but if this is just another "680 with a new case then i will just stay put till palm comes out with the smartphone that i know they are capable of creating.
I am a die hard treo user and will continue to be, but just like everyone else, I want palme to continue to push the limits of the smartphone world!

From the specs and price (and appearance) it seems to be aimed at the people that seriously considered buying a low-end Zire, so it holds little interest for those of us perpetually waiting for Palm to move to the next step from the Treo they bought from Handspring 4 years ago.

That said, maybe if they sell enough of these throwaway models they'll have enough cash to feel confident in themselves to release things like a 256MB, WiFi, dual-slot, bigger screen Treo at sometime in the near future. I'm assuming they are dogpaddling with junk like this because they're bogged down getting the Linux Treos up and running. (At least I hope that's their excuse!).

Palm is not "dogpaddling with junk like..." the Centro. If people want smaller phones then why wouldn't Palm also want their business.

The Centro is likely too small for me. I am more than happy with my 650's size, even with the antenna, but I am ultra-eager for a significant feature upgrade.

Of course the teaser of temptations to come has me intrigued. My guess is we'll all be more than satisfied.

this would be great for teenages. Who wouldnt want a cool phone with mp3, games, internet the whole works. its all about coolness around friends. Now they dont need to carry the ipod anymore ;)

we need a phone that is stable bottom line palm phones are user friendly.

this sucks... Can anybody Here please say: "650 AND 680!" I call it, the GOOD PHONES!

I think the "smaller and smaller" phone movement is overrated - especially when it comes at the expense of screen readability, battery life, memory, and key usability - strengths (and former strengths) of the Treo line.

Perhaps by calling this something OTHER than a Treo (Centro?) Palm is differentiating it from a smartphone - more like a low-end Zire that runs some apps but is otherwise a pale comparison to even the Treo as it sits (and sits)... Early reports are that the buttons on this device are nearly unusable for adult hands (MUCH too tiny, and rubbery), and the screen is likewise for only those with near-ideal vision.

If they sell a few and don't bring down the company with it (by destroying the sketchy but improved reputation of the Treo for quality, and by hurting too many Treo sales) then perhaps it'll be a success for Palm.

Personally I think Palm has enough problems with cheaping out the specs in their products (rather than working to make them more robust) already. Putting their energy into a low-end Treo-ish device at this juncture when their "high-end" device sports very little improvement from the 2003 model just seems like a lost opportunity to spurt ahead at this highly competitive time...

Palm is wise to describe the product as being intended for a younger demographic. I wonder if that was their original idea when conceiving of the device, or a move to save face now that it's ready for release into a more competitive market than they expected. In either case it shows the company grasps reality.

The real question is how revolutionary the upcoming Linux devices will be. Palm won't be able to explain away weak Linux products-- those will have to have the goods. My bet is that they're sweet. There are brilliant people (such as the founders of the original Palm Pilot and Treo product lines, as well as the designers of the iPod interface) working on the task. :)

And let's be real. Although the iPhone has brought some great innovations (such as one finger navigation and a better web browsing experience), and though HTC is introducing fancy specifications into the marketplace, Palm Treo smartphones are still the most usable and desirable devices on the market-- even though we're all hungering for the next revolutionary device.

waiting for more advance improvements on treo larger phones.

I think Palm got it all wrong at the very beginning, their mistakes were pointed out by many others for a long time but for some reasons, they just don't listen.

What we want isn't a cheap Treo like this one (Zire's Treo?), but a Treo with a higher specs, forget 3G, but at least a Wi-fi phone with the capabality of using Skype for Palm (if exists!) or AD2P (listen to mp3 by bluetooth, instead of using third party Audio Gateway).

Palm is perhaps under the pressure of the carriers in US, but they have to face the truth, this is the norm for all smartphones already, except for Palm.

I think yall r underestimating palm ability to produce efficient products... if the phones that r out now r good enough for u y would palm bring out a phone that would be sub-par to current ones?

I think its a smart move why would a highschool kid need a phone that is business oriented like a treo I'm a nursing student in college and still don't use my 755p like a power user but if its coming out with sprint this is exactly what they need to compete with the iphone. and by introducing this to a younger client then once they are profecient in the palm platform only introduces a larger market for improvements. people we can all bash our treos and talk about the features we would like to see but ask urself "how many treos do u see in a day?" one or mabe two so the market isn't saturated enough thus the improvemnts we want are unwarranted thus said embrace it and welcome any new palm with open arms the more products the more R&D just think!

Still plodding along with my beloved 650, but when my nephew brought his iphone over, well I have to say I was salivating over the large screen and speed more than anything else. Call me old fashioned, but I like using the stylus (I was not one bit humble about my lightening speed w/grafitti), so I could do without the keyboard. The centro is cute, but not enlarging the screen would be a problem for me. Keep all the good stuff inside, put the action on a larger screen for "mature" eyes and make it fast. Improve the picture quality (although the 650 takes surprisingly good photos even in poor lighting) and price it around $200. I'll buy it tomorrow!