ive had an i500 since they came out and i really like almost everything about it
it has some limitations and now mine is starting to break apart at the hinge, and i cant decide if i want to go on ebay and buy another one, or if the centro is something i could enjoy.
i hear the stylus is garbage, but how long can it be until someone else makes an after market one? and since i can download graffiti software im not too worried that it doesnt come with it.
im a little worried about the screen, i keep it in my pocket at work, usually right next to a pocket knife. when i look at the front of my i500, i cant imagine trying to use a screen that was marked up like that.
i sure would like to be able to use text messages like everyone else. and listen to music....
was anyone here an i500 user before they got the centro?
id love to hear what people are thinking about this phone.....
hey...if all goes well i'll have the centro in a few weeks, and i used to be an i500 user. i could probably fill you in after ive had it for a bit. as far as durability goes, i dont think anything tops the i500. the one benefit i see about the centro is that its small enough to get a rugged case for it and it will only then be as large as a naked treo or windows mobile phone, or there is always the belt holster. i also cant see it as being comfortable in the pocket.
why would you go with graffiti? it has a built in keyboard and unless your fingers are huge, they are pretty usable and very tactile. i actually liked it a lot better than the treos.
I went to the Sprint store in Coolidge Corner, Brookline MA yesterday to see how the Centro stacks up against the i500 ( I am on my 3rd one, ebay'ed b/c of my own rough treatment).
There was no help at the store, the phone was so tightly wound on its protective cable that I could barely try it, and the stylus was covered by the same demo contraption.
Compare this to the way one can play with an iPhone at both the Apple Store & at AT & T. Who will kill itself first, Palm or Sprint? Meanwhile, Samsung has kept up with great slim phones that have full qwerty keyboards and number pads. But with the accursed Windows OS.
I want texting, EVDO, camera etc. etc. In a SMALL FORM FACTOR. I love the reliability and simplicity of the Palm OS. It is much more likely that I will stick with my i500 until there is an iteration of the iPhone that I like than sign up for this, Sprint just made it too hard to give them money.
If I find a Centro I can actually play with and see if I can install Graffiti Anywhere, Graf 1 and see if it is as pocketable as my i500 maybe this will change.
The i550 on the Sprint network sounds like a tempting way to go as well.
try to check the phone out at besy buy, they have something they just stick on the back so you can get a better feel for the device. I also took comparison pics of my i500 and my centro, something i've been meaning to post. even I was surprised at how rediculously small the centro really is compared to the i500.
as you can see the centro is TINY. it suits me well as an i500 replacement although the lack of a covered screen is a big downside if you're used to throwing it in your pocket.
overall the centro was thinner, lighter, half the size when the i500 was open, and has better reception.
I too went to the Sprint store, couldn't tell much from their chained up Centro. The rep oopened up a box and let me fondle a new Centro. The buttons seemed small but my i500 was almost dead. I had to choose ebtween a $50 i500 replacement or $150 Centro with a $50 rebate. I decided to think about it and ordered one on line that evening for$100.
I received the Centro from UPS last night. When I activated it the rep said I was eligible for a $50 service credit! I have only paid $50 for the phone after rebate!
Unlike the i500, I was able to use my same synced programs on the Centro without installing them seperately. It moved some programs to an "PalmOS5 incompatible Apps" file. I have since installed them without problem.
I find the smalll keypad surprisingly easy to use for my large fingers. I missed graffiti at first, but I'm starting to forget about it.
Except that the stylus is truely a cheap piece of crap! This is an awesome, long overdue upgrade. I'm sorry we didn't get something more like the i550, but I'll learn to protect the screen. I'll also get used to the modern conviences of real text messaging, high-speed web browsing, and real access to email.
I just moved from the i500 to the Centro. We have two i500s that are in need of new batteries. This means the purchase of four batteries. Looked at the Centro because of the current price deal. I liked to be able to read the screen outdoors in the day time....it can be done with the Centro. I wanted something faster for the internet....it can also been done with the Centro.
Did not like the small battery......looking at alternatives.
Hate the small keys! I like to write on the screen so Jot works most of the time or I go the on screen phone keyboard. Have installed Fat Fingers and have ask them for help with the install on the Centro.
Hate the trouble it takes to remove the back cover to see the battery and have not yet been able to remove that small door for the SD card.
Just ordered the Invisible Screen Protector for the screen that needs something. Currently using static cling for protection. Not the best when using the screen as a touch pad.
At this time the good out way the bad..............memory and other features that were not on the i500.
In 30 days I will need to make that decision regarding which I will continue to use..............but it looks that there is really no turning back at this point!!
I keep thinking I should switch - but between the wonderfully small size and the grafitti, I've been holding on to the i500.
But here's another feature I'd hate to lose - I can hook my i500 to the computer and occasionally use it as a modem in a pinch. It's slow, but it works. Is this functionality still available with the Centro? My understanding was that it had been restricted with the Treos when they first came out.
So - does it work, and if so, what does it cost? Probably not part of the regular data plan?
Just trying to talk myself into staying where I am, warts & all....
The Centro and POS5 has frequent auto resets (just a pain) and also freezes (like overnight) that can be a real problem. The later never happened on my I500 and resets were a very seldom occurance.
BB, I thought the Centro was supposed to be more solid than what you describe... that's a shame... yes the i500 never (hardly ever) reset unless some 3rd party program misbehaved...
Here's hoping that someday things will swing back to the i500-like phones (flipphone with a touch screen). Already the iPhone has shifted the market significantly towards the touch screen... OTOH the Touch has been pretty good overall, great form factor, lousy but capable software...
Yeah, I too had thought so. It might be the "approved" s/w I am using, but have been told by high level techs that even "clean" phones both resets and, very distressing, locks up on their own. (Unlocking requires a soft reset=battery removal.) The problem with a lock, is that you wake up to a dead phone where you might have missed calls or alarms.
Yet the phone does work fine--I perfer the larger Treo 755P given screen size and keyboard size.
Some day my prince will flip.
Take care MB. Thanks again for the years of SMSing with the I500.
Thanks to both of you - answering both of my questions - and I'm going to try to nurse this old i500 along as long as possible!!! But it's good to know that it DOES work as a modem, so at least functionally, it should do the same thing (if it's not locked up!)
I have and love my i500 but now it just collects dust. I picked up the 700p a little over a year ago and couldn't be more pleased it has an occasional freeze but not that often. net is much quicker better OS screen is great. the centro isn't much different just a bit smaller and it uses the mini sd cards. it does so much that the i500 doesn't it's sad. If they would make an updated phone like the i500 It would sell like crazy but we've been saying this for about 3-4 years now I'm just happy the Palm OS is still around. with the iphone, the strong (for some reason) support for win mobile, and the pending release of android phones I feel the dream of a Palm flip 3g phone is just that a dream. Make the switch they let you test them for 30 days try it out if you don't like it just keep going with your i500.
BB, I thought the Centro was supposed to be more solid than what you describe... that's a shame... yes the i500 never (hardly ever) reset unless some 3rd party program misbehaved...
Here's hoping that someday things will swing back to the i500-like phones (flipphone with a touch screen). Already the iPhone has shifted the market significantly towards the touch screen... OTOH the Touch has been pretty good overall, great form factor, lousy but capable software...
Monkeyboy i downloaded and configured (but didnt try) the sprint connection manager from sprint.com that says it supports using the centro as a modem, without the use of pdanet. I'll have to confirm tonight if thats really the case, but i'm wondering if you have any experience with the sprint connection manager?
Also, BB: i've had my centro for about 2 months and i've had a total of 4 resets, most seem to occur when im using the IM program. I do have a few applications installed but they arent running most of the time. really the only one that continuously runs is treo weather. so far i'm actually very surprised that the stability of this device.
the improvements of the Centro should make it a no brainer for an upgrade. I was a pretty loyal i500 user for as long as I could hold out. reluctantly went to the 700p and less reluctantly went to a Centro. Outside of some random resets which are less frequent than what the case was with the 700p, it's been stellar.
I loved graffiti, but get over it. I was great at it, but I'm quicker with a keyboard now, and if your'e using it while multitasking (ie. driving), the keyboard is much better. The OS on the i500 is so outdated it's not even funny. More programs, a better PIM, and just current makes life so much easier. You have faster browsing, better text messsaging...or just real text messaging period. Better games, google maps, much nicer screen, internet radio streaming and nice mp3 playback.
Palm also seems to be making a strong attempt to right their ship, fix all the current products out there (680, 700p, 755p, Centro) and standardize them so people have a happy experience going into the next generation so they actually have a next generation.
I'm all for being a nostalgic clamshell purist, but cut the damn cord already and get over it. It's $100. Even if you don't like it you can reactivate your i500 and make $100 plus selling it on ebay. It's a no lose situation. But I bet you'd grow to like it.
You can even get really cheap decent holsters that don't wear out the lanyard ring and fail to work anymore at holding the phone. As much as I try crystal cases, I miss the simple holster, especially now that it's completely playthrough..
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24 hours with Centro
i500 / Centro Decsision - Modem feature?
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