Apple iPhone, Palm Centro and Sprint Speed
I have an iPhone.
I have a Palm Centro.
I have experienced "Sprint Speed".
For the growth of the mobile Internet on cellular networks, I have been on GSM carriers; T-Mobile and AT&T. I did not know any better, EDGE was it for me. Of course, I know the other networks had faster data, but I ignored that since I was happy with my Treo flavor of the month and focused on that. I continued this trend with the iPhone. EDGE, piss slow, with Wi-Fi as my only saving grace (well, where I could use it anyway, which was pretty much at home since it seems like most places these days are all encrypted or you need to subscribe to some other service).
So I have been looking at options for a phone. I test drive a BlackBerry Pearl and though I enjoyed the form-factor, and SureType technology, the BlackBerry OS leaves... a little... no change that, a lot to be desired. So next on my hit list was the Palm Centro. Currently, the Centro is only available on Sprint, so I signed up to try out the phone. Their policy is 30 days, so I figured why not.
I know people have been leaving Sprint in droves recently (my bet is that they are ALL Nextel customers). But I have some friends that swear by Sprint, and they have Treo's, so I knew I could trust their opinions. I have had the Centro for about 4 days now and leaving the device factor out of it, I can see why Europe snubbed the iPhone with EDGE. My God, I mean, EVDO 3G is absolutely freaking amazing and Sprint does a great job of showcasing this by giving Power Vision customers (its their all-encompassing data package) full access to Sprint TV. With this service I have TV on demand and a smattering of other random TV. ABC to Comedy Central, LOST to the Colbert Report, I've got it all and for free...well... really it is just included in my data plan. Wow. Hot stuff.
Then there is the Internet and email speeds. I get my email.... like that. Yup, about as long as it took you to gaze over the ellipse, I got my mail.
OK, now to my dilemma. I am a huge Palm , Inc. fan. I am also a huge Apple, Inc. fan as well. I can't have two mobile
Now, the iPhone have a looming 3rd part SDK release at the end of February, the 26th to be exact. This has the potential to change the game, fo-sho. Fortunately, I don't have to return the Centro till March 5th; plenty of time to decide what I am going to keep.
What? Keep? Is he serious? I mean, how can these even be a debate? I love Palm OS, Garnet OS, Access OS, what ever you want to call it. I love the applications, the PIM's, are all best in class in my opinion. Teh first thing you might be asking yourself is what about giving up Safari for Blazer? Yeah, compared to Safari, Blazer sucks, but then again so does just about every other mobile browser, so at least the Centro is not alone in this. 99% of the websites I vist have a mobile site, so I don't really find it that much of an issue to browse the web. In the last 4 days using the Centro I have not come across an issue with the Blazer not allowing me to do what I want to do.
What about that bad-ass iPod in the iPhone? Yeah, it sure is sweet isn't it? It is real purdy. But here is a reality check- 1) I already have an iPod if I need it, 2 of them actually, and 2) pTunes is a great music player on Palm devices. Video? Man the video on the iPhone is gorgeous, but again I have that on my 5G iPod, but the screen is not as big. Oh, and remember, I get all of that streaming content for free on Sprint, no iTunes purchase necessary, thank you.
So there you have it. Will I keep the Centro? Will I keep the iPhone? It is a tough call. I really, really love the Centro, it is the best Treo, err... I mean Centro, errr... I mean Smartphone Palm has made and with Jon Rubenstein at Palm, their future is looking bright.
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Comments
OMG, how do we make a choice in a situation like this? Honestly,I donot know.When I saw a friend with an iPhone and he showed me how it works-Wow,I said.That is it!I must have one.But looking at my Treo680 working fine,I just can't throw it away.I still love PalmOS PDA for its simplicity.For the moment,I with hold my decision.
Another friend suggested that I keep my Treo680(since I like it so much) and buy iPod Touch.What do you think?
Thanks for the perspective! I have been procrastinating for months about choosing a smartphone. The iPhone sure is slick, but do I need to spend the money when the Centro does so much, even if it doesn't look as cool? The fact is, I don't use my mobile phone all that much, and the Palm OS has been pretty good to me over the years. Hmm.
Regarding the Iphone, yes the SDK is looming but I think this is an area where Apple really has dropped the ball. Why wasn't this in the works at MacWorld when so many reviewers were asking about? Either Apple was oblivious or just plain ignorant. Take your pick. Wired magazine wrote an article about how the Iphone was released well ahead of it's "scheduled" time and that lots of people are just paying beta testers. I think it fairly well fits thus far. (I mean seriously Steve...no copy and paste by now???!!!!) But the Iphone is reaching near maturity with each update and soon they will get it right. The SDK will help but it will be a little while before developers take full advantage of it. I think in all actuality consumers will see the near fully matured Iphone with the next release. Steve loves to give consumers just a tiny taste, make them buy, and then repeat. I can just see it now and next years MacWorld.
Steve enters stage:
"We're here to talk about an amazing phone and some new features. Ladies and Gentleman I present copy and paste. Now you can transfer words with the push of a button."
Audience looks at Steve like he needs to be checked into the nearest mental rehab facility.
For example, a couple of weeks back I was on my way back home from a business trip. I caught up on voicemail, checked my email, then text'd my wife I was getting on the plane and the cranked some Sabbath. Once comfy I switched to watching The Simpsons Movie all on one purty device. With my MacBook stored not so safely in an overhead compartment. Of course, you can do that with the Centro - but definitely not with the ease of an iPhone. It's not just the iPhone that's hooked me, it's iTunes as well.
To each his own, but I fear I'm slowly becoming an Apple Fan Boy. OMG?!
So what exactly will I gain by jumping from 680 to Centro?
(And yes, readers of my blog will know I tried out a Treo 500v last week... it's going straight back on eBay! Palm OS all the way for me)
Really, it is just a shrunken 680. The main differences are: 1100mAh battery (to be honest, it appears I get the same battery life as I did with the 1200mAh battery on the 680), Same memory- 64MB, built in IM application and I can't think of anything else. It is all about the form factor- same Palm OS you love, in a smaller package.
For me the PIM and SMS functionality is worth the price of the 680 alone. More and more I'm relying on it to pick up my personal emails while out and about. It's just so reliable. So I don't want to change for the sake of change.
But if I can get all of this wrapped in a smaller case...?
Watch this space :-)