This looks kind of neat. God help me, but I'm attracted to gadgets like a bug to a light even when they don't necessarily make much sense for me. The Wall Street Journal:
After being bruised in the heavily competitive smart-phone market, Palm Inc. unveiled a new device that the company hopes will appeal to a broader base of cellphone buyers.
At a media gathering in New York City the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company lifted the wraps on a device dubbed the Centro. The launch was not a complete surprise, as leaked photos of the device have been circulating for weeks on the Internet. Nevertheless, the news seemed to excite investors, who bid Palm shares up more than 5% following news of the launch.
Designed as a small smartphone comparable to the popular BlackBerry Pearl, the Centro was more notable for its price tag. At $99, the company is hoping the device will attract user shopping for regular cellphones who may be put off by the $200-$300 price tags carried by most smartphone devices or the expensive iPhone -- the cheapest of which costs $400.
The Centro will launch in mid-October with Sprint Nextel as the exclusive carrier for 90 days, though Mr. Colligan would not comment on whether the device would be eventually made available to other carriers.
And awww but isn't it cute?
