The Chicago based Centro has just raised a whopping $22.5 million (rounded up) in equity only funding from FTV Capital in order to expand its sales force and bolster its digital media buying software Transis. Listed on the SEC form are Centro CEO Shawn Riegsecker and FTV Capital Partner Eric Byunn who will be joining the board as director.
Centro is a digital media and technology services company founded in 2001, serving over 350 ad agencies world wide . The company’s recently launched platform Transis automates and centralizes the media buying and selling process across 10,000 national and local sites. Transis has already been adopted by more than 50 top ad agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Boelter + Lincoln and Burrell Communications Group. → Read More
Just in time for the holiday spending blitz, the Palm Centro is going to be available in two new colors! I know, it’s so exciting. Almost as much as new Apple notebooks. Anyway, these Sprint-branded Centro’s are going to retail for the same price as the current Onyx version $79 through January 10th with a two-year contract and comes with twice the RAM as the original - 128 MB – when they launch on October 19, 2008. → Read More
Didn’t get an iPhone today? Run back to the AT&T to store to get your sore legs a Palm Centro for $70. Why? So you have something to jam up Steve Jobs’ rear when you see him. → Read More
Do any of the CG readers have a mobile phone that isn’t black? I’ve never really concerned myself with the color of my mobile phone, but I hope to snag a white iPhone 3G this Friday just to keep my elitist façade intact. Heh. Anyway, Palm is obviously banking on the success of the Centro because they’ve just announced a new color for the AT&T lineup that already has a white and black model. I’m not sure I’d call this new shade electric blue since it looks more baby blue, but I’m certainly not doing the marketing for Palm, now am I? Look for it this Friday at AT&T retail stores along with some back to school promotion that couldn’t possibly make it any cheaper than it already is, but it sounds like it. → Read More
Not the most exciting of news, but it’s still good to hear: Palm is doing all right. They’ve sold nearly a million units this quarter, doubtless driven by the tiny, cheap, but feature-rich and popular Centro. Revenue was a healthy $300 million, though smartphones are becoming such a huge market that that number should probably be bigger. Still, with stiff competition from Blackberry and Apple, selling a million is no joke. Keep it up, Palm, but see if you can’t up the cool factor on the Treos a little bit. → Read More
By now you’re all familiar with the Palm Centro, so I’ll save all of you from having to read through a list of specs again. Today, Palm announced that an unlocked GSM version of the dainty smartphone is available on the Palm site for $299. Available for free beginning tomorrow for Palm Centro owners is Google Maps for mobile with My Location, which basically approximates your location on the map when you fire it up. Full release after the jump. → Read More
The Palm Centro for Verizon is finally here. It’s coming in at the $99 price that many first-time smartphone buyers look for, but it doesn’t skimp on features, though it’s not as rich as its AT&T and Sprint cousins. But it has Sudoku! The Centro The Centro is Palm’s new low-end device, replacing the “p” series of Treo smartphones. Running Palm OS 5.4.9 Garnet, it’s compatible with thousands of add-on applications, but comes with enough built-in to be useful out of the box. → Read More
There it is! The Palm Centro for Verizon is available now for $99 after a MIR. What a pain in the ass. → Read More
If it’s in the WSJ then it must be true! Was there any doubt that Verizon would try and sell the Centro for more than $99? They’d be shooting themselves in the foot if they did. → Read More
It was inevitable that Verizon would be getting the Palm Centro, but we just didn’t know when and now we do. The Centro is said to be launching on VZW this coming friday. Pricing is set at $269.99 with a 2-year contract. Wait. What? Even with the $70 MIR that’s $100 more than Sprint or AT&T. However, Verizon does have the Advanced Device Credit that slings back $100 for those subscribing to the Unlimited Data Plan, which would bring the cost of the device down to $100. If you’ve been waiting for this to hit Verizon, I’d keep my fingers crossed that this is the case. → Read More
Don’t look for Palm OS 2.0 to come to your Centro any time soon. Sure, Palm’s sold millions of the small smartphones, but it also has a perpetual license for the current Palm OS and will likely continue to use it for the consumer handsets. Palm OS 2, as it’s unofficially called, will be geared towards a “prosumer” model of smartphone, something with more features than the Centro but not business specific, as the Windows Mobile Treos are. No word on the name for the new device, but we’re guessing a form factor somewhere around a Blackberry Curve with a touch screen, and we’ll likely see one before the end of the year. → Read More
That Centro smartphone from Palm? The one now in Obsidian Black? The one I told you about this weekend that you could pick up for a measly $39 on sale at Best Buy? They just sold a million of them. That’s one million people in America walking around with the small yet powerful devices for AT&T or Sprint. I’ve been a fan of the Centro since it was leaked. I said it was the perfect gateway device, as it retains a phone-like form factor while granting smartphone functionality. And it’s easy for first timers to use. I love being right all the time. → Read More
Like the depths of my soul, the Palm Centro from AT&T now comes in obsidian black. While this won’t change the fact that this is a Palm Centro, it’s nice to know that you can now get a Centro in black or white (aka glacier) for $99.99. → Read More
I love me some Palm Centro, I think it’s the perfect first-time smartphone. Best Buy is having a killer deal on the AT&T flavor this weekend, offering the phone for $40 for new AT&T customers or $80 for existing ones. That’s hot. Go forth and upgrade, AT&T users, and rejoice! → Read More
[photopress:centro.jpg,full,center] The Palm Centro for AT&T is one of the better smartphones on the market today for first-time buyers, or so-called “casual smartphone users”. Its low price, familiar form factor and full QWERTY keyboard with touchscreen make it ideal for those who aren’t into navigating through messy menus — though it’s not for everyone. The Centro The Centro is Palm’s follow-up to the highly successful Treo 600 series of smartphones. Running the Palm OS, it’s an object-oriented interface with simple click-what-you-want icons that are familiar to any computer user. → Read More
[photopress:CIMG3713.jpg,full,center] It’s here, and it’s cute, and it works, and it’s rad. I’ve always been a fan of the Treo line from Palm, so I was stoked to open this guy up today. It’s very much like the Sprint Centro that I reviewed a few months ago. It fits nicely in the pocket, and is a good weight. Not heavy, but with enough to know it’s there. More after the jump, with many pics! → Read More
Speaking of HD DVD, Palm’s Centro just dropped today on AT&T. It’s a sexy white Centro with a rough touchpad that is still running Palm OS. We saw this bugger back at CES and both Doug and I wished Palm had released something a little more “modern.” Bonus: In this video we also learn that Dave Ciccone’s fingers are bigger than the standard fingers. AT&T Palm Centro [MobilityToday] → Read More
