Verizon Wireless and Palm today announced that the Palm Centro smartphone will be available online beginning June 13. Dressed in a crisp cobalt blue, the Centro provides customers with the perfect tool to manage the busiest of lifestyles with voice, text messaging, e-mail and the Web. Centro’s built-in Google Maps application delivers quick, reliable directions and lets users perform local searches and view moveable/scalable maps, satellite imagery and traffic updates. Customers can also map a contact’s address directly from the contact application simply by selecting the “maps” button.

Customers using the stylish Centro will get access to VersaMail 4.0 with built-in Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support for Microsoft Direct Push Technology to deliver e-mail and calendar updates from a home or office PC using Outlook directly to their handsets. Centro users also have the option of using Wireless Sync, Verizon Wireless’ proprietary e-mail solution, for quick and easy access to personal or corporate e-mail, contacts, calendar and tasks from their home or office PC. Wireless Sync supports POP3 or IMAP e-mail accounts and it supports Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Notes and IBM Lotus Domino.

The Palm Centro also includes the following features and capabilities:

• Media player with Pocket Tunes Deluxe (PlaysForSure-compatible)
• Bluetooth v. 1.2 with support for hands-free car kits and headset profiles
• 64 MB available user storage and microSD memory card slot with support up to 4 GB
• Palm OS 5.4.9, including one-touch access to key applications
• 2.1″ (l) x 4.2″ (w) x 0.7″ (d)
• 4.2 ounces with battery
• 320 x 320 pixel color touch-screen and full QWERTY keyboard for easier e-mail, messaging and Web use

The Palm Centro smartphone will be available for $99.99 after a $70 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. Customers may want to pair their Centro voice plan with Verizon Wireless’ E-mail and Web for Smartphone service for $29.99.