Today, Palm released a new low cost smart phone aimed at non-business consumers. The new Centro smartphone, is based from Palm’s popular treo, but offers slightly slimmer design and comes in red and black.

Photo Courtesy of Palm.

It will offer consumers good internet browsing, text messaging, and easy to integrate email from sources like outlook, Gmail, and Yahoo. There is no Wi-Fi, but it does run on Sprint’s mobile broadband network.

Other applications on the phone include Google maps, AIM, and Yahoo messenger. The phone will be available on Sprint for $99 with a two year commitment sometime mid-October.

So, Apple and AT&T have the iphone, sprint has made progress with both the mogul and now new Centro smartphone, and Verizon has ???

I refer back to an earlier post about Apple and Verizon where Verizon’s chief operations officer mentions their commitment to working with an undisclosed vendor to come out with a cutting edge phone later this summer. Where is this phone? The iphone has been out, Sprint has beat Verizon to the punch with its version of the XV6800, and now Sprint gets the new Centro Smartphone for 90-days with no competition. If this is Verizon’s brilliant plan to win over customers, then they need some corporate re-structuring.

Come on Verizon, be adventurous and use you large R&D departments to truly give the US a leap in the wireless industry. It will come sooner than later from someone. You can be the first to change or you can do nothing and lose you valuable status as the largest carrier. Give us what we want that is already present in other parts of the world. Unlocked phones, true wi-fi, internet and data speeds that can actually be useful, and lastly some new cutting edge phones. I expect this from the nation’s largest carrier. If it can’t be delivered, then step down.

What are you thoughts?