Word is trickling out from today’s Sprint tech summit in Reston, Va., that a new Palm smart phone will be coming soon.
According to a PR representative writing me on Palm’s behalf, the new device — called the Palm Centro — is aimed at a younger demographic and will be Palm’s smallest smart phone yet. It will have the Palm OS, a touch-screen, a full keyboard and an EvDO radio.
According to these eyes on the ground at the Summit, the keyboard is very, very small.
Since Sprint is first to show it, I can only assume Sprint will be the first bring it to market — probably with a window of exclusivity.
Palm has not had a particularly auspicious track record marketing to a younger audience, and the aging Treo line seems creakier by the day. The stock applications that come with the existing Treos seem particularly unsuited for this target audience. Presumably for this device, “geared towards a younger demographic” implies a stronger emphasis on media player capabilities, games, instant messaging and text. Perhaps built-in widgets for social networki sites and a better browser for a richer experience would also be a good bet.
Of course, this is all speculation at this point and Palm is not offering any more information for the time being.