Palm’s new Centro comes equipped with a post, set into its bottom right corner, that accommodates a lanyard for carrying. Although the package doesn’t include one, Mobi Products and some other vendors have rushed in to fill the void. The growing array of products includes this 5.5-inch wrist lanyard.
One nice thing about it is: it comes in colors. My Centro is red, naturally, but tempted as I was with the red lanyard, I picked the black one, for contrast. Besides, from looking at the picture, I wasn’t sure the lanyard’s red would be the same as the Centro’s. The blue looked like it would go well with the black Centro, but clash with the red.
Whatever color you choose, here’s the thing about lanyards: they allow you to “wear” the Centro like a piece of jewelry. Wouldn’t it be nice if they added some bling? But maybe that’s coming eventually.
Aside from hanging the Centro on your wrist you can loop it back through itself to hang it on a book bag strap or belt loop. Retrieving it to answer a call might be less convenient, but there’s always Bluetooth headsets, if the Centro stays in close range.
The product installs quite simply. To remove it, follow these steps:
- Grow fingernails
- Remove the lanyard
Actually, my fingers are up to the task of removing the lanyard. Once I left the newspaper business, my fingernails grew back, since I had less need to bite them anymore. Even so, I find it much easier to use tweezers to help out the process, though tweezing doesn’t yield anywhere near the same satisfaction of triumph over an inanimate object. I dub this the Gordian Smirk Syndrome.
The lanyard adds nearly nothing to your load. I couldn’t weigh it on my kitchen scale, because the scale won’t discuss anything below a gram. I’ve therefore put the product’s weight at zero. Nice.
How to
The installation process is just like threading a giant sewing needle. For guidance, brush up on your readings of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, and “fetch” the thread to the needle, not the reverse. First, though, smush (technical term) the tiny loop of the lanyard as flat as possible. The flatter you can get it, the more readily it will make the turn around the lanyard post. Poke it under the little post, whose smooth pocket will help you guide the “thread” into place. Once it peeks out the other side, you should be able to grasp it with fingernail (tweezers, toothpick, whatever) and pull it through. Loop it around the rest of the lanyard and you’re ready to go totin’.
The removal process is simply the reverse, but once the lanyard’s been used for a while, you’ll definitely need tweezers, or maybe a toothpick, to get it loose. It’s like that famous knot, but if you do an Alexander on it, the lanyard will be ruined.
Some adjustability of the lanyard’s length would be a nice addition, but there isn’t any. I’d like to see, perhaps, a sliding bolo-style “grabber” of some kind, so the loop could be tightened. My neck-length lanyard, which came with a Smartphone Experts Skin Case that I’m planning to review, includes the adjuster. The case comes with two lanyards, in fact, one for neckware and another wrist-length, both white.
Protection
A lanyard offers exactly zero protection for your Centro, and maybe you’re comfortable with that. I’m not. At the very least, I’d recommend a screen protector to ward off nicks, scratches, scrapes, and marauding asteroids. A skin case protects the Centro’s beautiful finish, and neither of these adds appreciable weight or bulk. Did I mention that mine is red? Okay, covered that.
Conclusion
Your Centro does not have to take up space in your pocket, purse, or book bag, Simply wear it with a lanyard. This convenient Mobi Products wrist lanyard comes in black, red, or blue, and does the job quite nicely. Before you venture out into the cruel (to say the least) world, however, I’d recommend adding some screen protection, at the very least.
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| Pros |
Simple and attractive
Easy to attach and remove
Inexpensive
Nearly weightless
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