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Palm is slow to innovate, but when it does it usually turns out appealing designs. At first glance the Centro might not seem like an improvement over the Treo, but it is, and using it is a satisfying experience. It is Palm's latest Palm OS smartphone.

The dual-band CDMA/EV-DO Centro measures 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.7 inches and weighs 4.2 ounces. While this isn't that much smaller than a typical Treo, Centro feels much better in the hand. That's mostly because it sports more of capsule shape and a rounded form than Palm's Treo models.

Centro's touch screen measures a not-altogether tiny 2.2 inches diagonally and is hi-res at 320 x 320 pixels. The display is 16-bit, which means it supports up to 65,000 colors.

Below the screen sits a directional pad, call start and stop buttons, and dedicated buttons for reaching the home screen or calling up frequently used applications. Below that is a minute QWERTY keyboard, which is about as small as a keyboard can be while still being usable.

Tapping messages on it takes concentration: a thumb is a bit too wide for these keys; using a pointer is easier.

The rear holds the lens for the 1.3 megapixel camera, as well as a small self-portrait mirror, and the right holds offers a microSD slot (card not included) to greatly expand up Centro's meager 64MB of memory. Currently, you can pick up a 4GB card for less than $100. Expect that price to drop considerably when 8GB microSD cards start appearing next year.

Although Centro's body feels substantial enough, the included stylus is especially flimsy.

Features
Keeping in touch is simple with the Centro, as it offers easy access to e-mail (you don't need to worry about filling in mail server settings; it does that for you) and supports Microsoft Direct Push in an Exchange environment. You can also set it to look for e-mail at desired intervals.

The instant-messaging client offers AIM, MSN, and Yahoo access, while we found Web browsing to be fairly speedy over Sprint's 3G EV-DO network.

Other handy apps include Google Maps-which not only offers satellite views, but makes it easy to create driving routes-Sprint e-mail, multimedia messaging, and Sudoku.

Media apps include PocketTunes for listening to music, a video player, and SprintTV for watching streaming video (some channels are free, but most cost a fee).

DataViz Documents to Go is on board as well. It allows you review and edit Office docs from your phone, a productivity feature that the iPhone has never even heard of.

The Centro doesn't comes with a headset or case, so be prepared to buy a few accessories for your new gadget.

Performance
Call quality was great in our testing, with no dropped calls and consistently clear reception.

Getting around the Palm OS was easy as always. However, Palm is going to have to do away with the stylus input and make the operating system finger friendly in the near future if it is going to keep up with today's most popular trend for input on a smartphone.

As is, it's a pain to have to reach for the stylus for the few on-screen options that are too small to tap.

Palm rates Centro is rated for 3.5 hours of talk time. With average use, we found it lasted for about 3 days between chargings.

Summary
With its handy new shape and bargain price ($99, with commitment and discounts from Sprint), the Centro is just the thing that Palm needs to stay competitive in the fast-changing mobile phone market. It's a pleasure to use and it can do a wide variety of tasks.

If you're thinking about purchasing an iPhone, be sure you know what the Centro can do first. It performs most of the functions people want at a price that won't break your bank account.

Centro is available in red or black. Expect other carriers, such as Verizon and Alltel, to pick it up early next year when Sprint's 90 day exclusivity period ends