AT&T Launches Palm Centro for $99

AT&T has added the Palm Centro smartphone to its lineup, offering to put email, Web access, and QWERTY messaging in consumers' hands for $99.

Almost five months after its introduction, AT&T is now offering the inexpensive Palm Centro smartphone with a full QWERTY keypad for messaging, along with email and Web browsing capabilities. The Centro initially debuted on Sprint’s wireless network; AT&T’s version sports a new glacier white look with green keypad accents, and rides on AT&T’s lower bandwidth EDGE network for data services. In about a month’s time, AT&T also plans to roll out an obsidian black version of the Centro.

“The demand for crossover devices is skyrocketing, and the Centro hits a sweet spot for many customers looking for a QWERTY device with a solid suite of messaging and multimedia features,” said AT&T VP of business mobility products Michael Woodward, in a statement.

The Centro packs a 1.3 megapixel camera and Bluetooth 1.2 wireless connectivity, supports microSD storage for media and documents, and features a 2.2-inch LCD display. Messaging fiends will appreciate that it ties into Yahoo, AIM, and Windows Live Messaging; folks looking to tap into AT&T’s media services will appreciate the ability to access AT&T Music and XM Radio (for additional fees), along with the MusicID feature to identify songs. The Centro offers email access via XPress Mail, which supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, Good Mobile Messaging, along with email services like Gmail, Windows Live, AOL, Yahoo, and others.

AT&T is offering the Centro for $99 with a two-year service agreement; unlimited email and data access is available for $30/month.