“Here’s a surprise… Although the latest “official” Palm Centro image a week ago was clearly branded for Sprint – thus leading us to believe that this latest Palm smartphone would be launched first in the US – a new promotional page appearing on Palm’s European website for “the latest cool phone from Palm” seems to suggest that the Centro will actually make its debut in Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom as early as Wednesday, September 12…Although there is no mention on this website of the name Centro (or Treo for that matter) the only Palm smartphone that we have come across that fits the five blue outlines can only be the Palm Centro Additionally, a trusted source tells me that Palm has been working “very closely” with AOL, Yahoo and Google among others to ensure that many of their online offerings are seamlessly integrated on the Palm Centro – something which was already evident from the screenshot on the official image (here on the right) where AOL’s AIM and Yahoo’s Messenger are both prominently displayed. I can only hope that other partners might include companies such as Real and their Rhapsody service for example to make the Palm Centro not only a complete communication solution (phone, email, messaging) targeted at the youth market but also a great multimedia device with integrated movies, music and photos.Leaving aside the fact that (for now at least) I don’t think that I will personally be in the market for a Palm Centro since what I really want is a new high-end Treo smartphone there is nonetheless no doubt that the more I discover about the Centro the more I like it. I actually think that with the right marketing push Palm may have a winner on its hands with this new entry-level smartphone – one that may win the hearts and wallets of the millions of people who will be more than happy to get a Palm Centro for $99 instead of a $499 or $599 iPhone.” via blog.treonauts.com
Bell Canada Launches HTC 5800 Smartphone
“Bell wasn’t going to let Telus go it alone in the HTC sweepstakes. Today they announced the HTC 5800. The 5800 smartphone features a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and is essentially the same phone as the S720 Libra announced earlier this month by the other big Canadian CDMA carrier, Telus. Both phones operate on Windows Mobile 6.0, feature stereo Bluetooth and a 2.0 megapixel shooter. The biggest difference appears to be the front housing and a slight difference in weight. Oh yeh, and Bell beats Telus on price by $50 without contract, $449.95 vs. $499.99 with Telus. Official Press ReleaseBell today announced the availability of the lightweight but feature-loaded HTC 5800 smartphone. Like the more powerful HTC 6800 also offered by Bell, the HTC 5800 operates on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6, offering clients mobile access to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook Mobile applications.“The enhanced capabilities of the HTC 5800 and HTC 6800 allow clients to access a range of business and productivity applications, without compromising on multimedia functionality or style,” said Adel Bazerghi, Vice President of Products for Bell Mobility.Operating on the Bell high speed wireless network, the HTC 5800 and HTC 6800 provide the fastest mobile data download speeds and mobile Internet access available in Canada. Both feature lightweight sliding QWERTY keyboards that store discreetly, as well as Bluetooth(R) wireless technology for use with wireless stereo headphones or hands-free car kits.The HTC 5800 also features:- Slim design – 103.5 mm x 51 mm x 19 mm, weighing only 138g- Traditional numeric keypad and sliding QWERTY keyboardfor easy typing- 2.0 megapixel camera and video- Full-colour, high-resolution screen- 128 MB ROM, 64 MB RAM with expandable MicroSD(TM) memory card slot- MP3 playerFor more information on HTC products and Bell’s full line of mobile data services, please visit www.businessonthego.ca.” via cellphones.ca