Geek and Cheap

I have been a Blackberry user for the last 2 years and for the most part have nothing but good things to say about it. The only downside to the service is the huge extra monthly fee to use the Blackberry service. With my cell phone provider it cost me $40 extra per month for a sufficient data plan to send and receive email as well as surf the web. That is a LOT of money. So, after my contract expired I have been looking around for a cell phone and plan that would still allow me to receive email and surf the web.

I think I have found the answer. It is Palm’s newest treo-like device, the Centro.

It has everything that the Blackberry offers and I am able to get a data plan through Sprint for only $15/month. That is a big savings for me. The Centro is currently only offered through Sprint, and I am not sure what your feelings are on Sprint but if you are a current subscriber this may be a good option for you.

As far as the functionality goes, the Centro has everything that a Treo or Palm has — datebook, email, contact manager, etc.. It also handles Microsoft Office documents incredibly well with a full version of a popular product called Documents To Go. This program allows you to view Word, Powerpoint, Excel and PDF files very easily. My Blackberry didn’t do such a good job of this.

The Blackberry has become so popular mainly because of it’s ability to handle email very well. Sprint was smart and included a full version of a program which they call Sprint Mobile Email but which was actually created by a company called Seven. This program actually pushes email to your Centro just like the Blackberry. While the Blackberry “pushes” the email to your phone a bit faster than the Centro, there is really not much difference at all.

The Centro blows the Blackberry out of the water with it’s Blazer web browser.  I am able to get broadband like speeds with ease.  It is so much faster than AT&T’s EVDO network which is what Apple’s Iphone uses.  Sometimes browsing the web can be somewhat of a drag depending on your device, and the Centro makes it easy to get directions or find a restaurant’s phone number or anything else you might want to do while you are out and about.

Overall I have been extremely happy with my choice to move from the Blackberry to the Centro. I will keep you updated on my usage of the phone over the next few months.

Filed under: Technology