With all the talk of the Apple iPhone 3G coming out, it's easy to miss any other cell phone news. But word on the street is that Rogers is about to announce the availability of the Palm Centro 685. The popular Centro, available for a bit now on AT&T in the US, is said to be hitting Rogers in cobalt blue.

palm centro rogers wireless blue

Measuring 10.7cm x 5.4 x 1.7 and weighing 124g, the Centro boasts a fairly impressive spec sheet for the price. A 320 x 320 pixel screen, full QWERTY keyboard, quadband GSM with high-speed EDGE (but no HSDPA), Bluetooth and 64MB of RAM on board expandable to 4GB.

In ideal conditions it has 4hrs talk time and 300 standby. From a multi-media standpoint it has a small 1.3 megapixel camera that also plays video and a built-in music player via the bundled Pocket Tunes software.

On the downside, the Centro smartphone runs on it is own Palm OS operating system which has been known to present some syncing challenges and seems a little dated by today's standards.

The cost is expected to break down something like this:

$399 Month-to-Month
$399 (1 year term)
$349 (2 year term)
$299 (3 year term)

Update: This is now official. The Centro should be available at your local Rogers dealer this week.

From the Official Press Release:

Palm and Rogers Wireless Bring Centro to Canada
Palm Centro Smartphone Offers Touch Screen and Keyboard to Traditional Mobile Phone Users

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For individuals and traditional mobile phone users who want to stay connected with friends, family and co-workers, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) and Rogers Wireless today announced the Canadian launch of the popular Palm® Centro™ smartphone, available at Rogers Wireless, the country’s most reliable wireless network. The Centro is Palm’s smallest and lightest smartphone and has sold more than one million units worldwide.

“Traditional cell phone users are stepping up the Palm Centro in droves because of its cool design, full keyboard and ease of use,” said Brodie Keast, senior vice president of marketing for Palm, Inc. “More and more people need voice, text, email, web, contact and calendar capabilities all wrapped in one compact device so they can stay connected with everyone who is important to them. Centro delivers all that and more.”

Centro has a modern, stylish look that feels comfortable in the hand, and discreetly fits in a pocket or clutch. Centro helps users manage email and text messaging, keep track of their schedules, stay up-to-date on the latest news, capture and share pictures, and get maps and directions with Google™ Maps(1) -- all in one small phone.(2) Its full keyboard also makes it easy to quickly type text messages and emails with complete thoughts and ideas.

Additional Centro Features and Benefits

* Superior Phone – Centro’s touch screen and full keyboard, combined with the simplicity of Palm OS®, make it easy to use, with key features such as one-touch speakerphone, conference calling, ignore a call with text messaging and Bluetooth® connectivity.

* Easy Messaging – Centro’s full keyboard makes typing complete messages fast and easy when sending text, pictures, audio and video clips. Plus, Centro keeps all conversations in a chat-style view, just like Instant Messaging, so users can see the entire conversation unfold.

* Personal and Work Email – New users to the smartphone world now have an easy mobile email solution. Personal email, such as Gmail and Yahoo!, is simple to access right out of the box. And, if users have to check their work email, Microsoft Direct Push Technology gives users access to their corporate email, as well as the ability to automatically update work calendars and accept or decline meeting invites, all on the go.

* Web Browsing – Fast and easy web access on EDGE networks. The full keyboard and touch screen provide quick access to online information.

* Multimedia – Pocket Tunes on Centro lets users manage music, audio books and videos easily. Users can also shoot pictures or videos with the built-in digital camera and share them with friends.

* Productivity – Centro enables users to easily create, edit and view Word and Excel compatible documents, as well as view PowerPoint and PDF files. Centro also can be used as a modem for connecting a laptop to the Internet via Bluetooth, so users can stay connected anywhere within wireless coverage.

The Palm Centro from Rogers Wireless also comes with a variety of out-of-box software, including Bluetooth®, Calculator, Calendar, Camcorder, Camera, Contacts, Documents To Go® Professional Edition 10, Email (VersaMail® 4.0), HotSync®, Memos, Messaging, My Centro, Phone, Pics and Video, Pocket Tunes™, Quick Tour, Tasks, Voice Dial, Voice Memo, Web (Blazer 4.5), and World Clock.