Telstra is bringing the hugely popular Centro smartphone to Australia. Already sold in one million units, the Centro is bringing all the power of a smartphone in a small, yet somewhat stylish packing — all with the full QWERTY keyboard. It packs a camera, Bluetooth connectivity, memory expansion slot, and users can further expand Centro’s functionality by installing any of a number of available third-party Palm OS app. The device is “joining” Telstra’s Pre-Paid range and the carrier will be selling it for AU$299.
Full release follows after the jump.
PRESS RELEASE – After recently announcing the sale of its one-millionth Palm Centro, Palm, Inc. today confirmed its popular Palm Centro smartphone will be available to Telstra Pre-Paid customers in Australia beginning May 26.
“Palm Centro is the perfect choice for those thinking about stepping up to a smartphone,” said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. “The combination of keyboard, touch screen and Palm’s trademark ease of use makes Centro ideal for staying in touch.”
Centro is Palm’s smallest and lightest smartphone. Designed for individuals and traditional mobile phone users looking for a better way to manage their professional and social lives, it has a modern, stylish look that feels comfortable in the hand, and discreetly fits in a pocket or clutch. Centro helps users manage email and text messaging, keep track of their schedules, stay up-to-date on the latest news, capture and share pictures, and get online map directions all in one small phone. Its full keyboard also makes it easy to quickly type text messages and emails with complete thoughts and ideas.
Ross Fielding, executive director, Telstra Product Management, said, “As the first provider of this unique smartphone in Australia, Telstra is demonstrating its commitment to giving customers the best choice of Pre-Paid products and services.”
Tim Copper, executive director, Telstra Consumer and Marketing, said, “Pre-Paid mobile phone users now have access to a number of features not available on standard mobile handsets with the addition of the Palm Centro to the Telstra Pre-Paid range. The Palm Centro will allow customers to stay on top of email and text messages, as well as access the Internet, manage appointments, view documents or make use of a multitude of other productivity-boosting and entertaining features.”
Additional Palm Centro Features and Benefits
- Superior Phone – Centro’s touch screen and full keyboard, combined with the simplicity of Palm OS, make it easy to use, with key features such as one-touch speakerphone, conference calling, ignore a call with text messaging, and Bluetooth connectivity.
- Easy Messaging – Centro’s full keyboard makes typing complete messages fast and easy when sending text, pictures, audio and video clips. Plus, Centro keeps all conversations in a chat-style view, just like Instant Messaging, so users can see the entire conversation unfold.
- Personal and Work Email – New users to the smartphone world now have an easy mobile email solution. Personal email, such as Gmail and Yahoo!, is simple to access right out of the box.(2) And, if users have to check their work email, Microsoft Direct Push Technology gives users access to their corporate email, as well as the ability to automatically update work calendars and accept or decline meeting invites, all on the go.
- Mobile Web Browsing – Fast and easy web access. The full keyboard and touch screen provide quick access to online information. The built-in Google Maps application offers fast access to directions and local search, while the built-in BigPond link takes users directly to BigPond mobile content.
- Multimedia – Pocket Tunes on Centro lets users “sideload” songs and manage music easily. Users can also shoot pictures or videos with the built-in digital camera and share them with friends.
More information on Centro is available at www.palm.com/centro.