We see a lot of new hardware and software that often leaves us scratching our head what the purpose and market opportunity of that new product could be. Palm set high expectations with a new mobile device that was announced to describe a new mobile category – and Foleo left us speechless. Palm can’t be serious about this one.

 

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Palm unveils Foleo (10 images) ...

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Jeff Hawkins is without doubt one of the smartest guys in Silicon Valley. It is largely because of his vision that the PDA category was created in the second half of the 1990s; he brought us the first the first tablet-PC like device in the late 1980s; he was the first one to commercialize a smartphone in the form factor we are used to today and he continues to help Palm define a direction in a market that gets more competitive every day.

When Palm told us yesterday that Jeff Hawkins was about to announce a new mobile device in a category we weren’t aware of until today, of course we made sure that we wouldn’t miss the webcast presentation. And since Hawkins turns 50 on June 1, we expected something big. Kinda like a birthday present that he would give to himself. And boy, what a present that was. We believe that there is a good chance that he won’t forget this one anytime soon.

 

This new product, called Foleo, turns out to be something that looks like a small laptop computer, but it doesn’t act like one. In fact, its functionality is much closer to that of a smartphone, but you can’t use it to make calls. So what is it?

It is an extension to the smartphone, a device that enables Palm to pitch to you two $500 products instead of only one. Hawkins said that Foleo is light, it feels good in your hand and it has a large keyboard and 10” screen that come in handy when you want to view those pictures, PDF or Powerpoint attachments and write emails that are longer than just ten words – which admittedly is a painful task on today’s smartphones.
   
So there really is an interesting thought in this and it has some unique features, such as the instant on/off, but $500 for a large screen and keyboard for your cellphone? For a device that can’t do anything by itself (well, ok, you can browse the web and send/receive emails, if there’s a Wi-Fi connection close by), and a device that you would have to bring along on your business trips in addition to your cellphone, your laptop and your iPod?

I somewhat have the feeling that Palm will need a small miracle to turn the Foleo into commercial success. But let’s just imagine for a moment that this category does succeed: What else could follow? Apple could create a video iPod companion. A $300 portable, DVD-player-like device without the capability to play DVDs, but to stream videos from the iPod via Wi-Fi (I still hope that we will see this feature in iPods this year) or from a Compact Flash card. Would you buy such a product? I am not so sure.

 

Hawkins believes that there is a substantial market opportunity for Foleo, as - according to a market survey - 24.2 million people use their smartphones to send and receive emails. But realistically, not all of those users have Palm OS and Windows Mobile devices. There are many users who have Blackberrys, Symbian-based phones and the future will bring lots of people using iPhones – all of which will not be supported by the first version of the Foleo. Take all of those people out of the equation and then subtract from that all those people who have Treos and Windows PDA phones and do not need notebooks during their business trips. Suddenly that market does not look quite as big anymore.

The software side is another problem area for the Foleo. Beyond email and web browsing, there isn’t really anything the device can do. And even web browsing is somewhat limited, as the device isn’t strong enough to play YouTube videos, we were told. Some other applications are there as well, but according to Hawkins, software such as an image viewer was thrown in because the application apparently was created more or less by accident by someone on the side and not necessarily with the Foleo in mind. Foleo could benefit from unique applications, but it is exactly this area that appears to have no direction. The hopes are on a developer community that Palm hopes will grow around Foleo. Will that be enough? Gee guys, why doesn’t Foleo have a VoIP application built in to make Wi-Fi calls?

The good thing about the device is that we don’t know too much about its specifications yet and Palm has time to revise the product. For $500, a large keyboard and a large screen are not enough. Even a processor that can handle video playback, reasonable flash storage, GPS capability and battery life of more five hours would make Foleo look like a risky business proposition.

But then, we all may be wrong and Hawkins will be able to once again turn his vision into a successful product. We just aren’t convinced yet.


What do you think? Would you buy the Foleo? How would you use it? Let us know and write a comment in the form below.

 

 

This product, for me, would determine Palm's future...

May 30, 2007 23:32     

This product, for me, would determine Palm's future, after a string of delays and lacklustre products. This is the nail in the coffin. Palm is finished.
Scott Kapoor report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

I would...

May 30, 2007 23:34     

I would never buy something like this, its just one more electronic that I don't need, like things like the iphone that combine an MP3 player and a Phone...I already have a MP3 player, and a cellphone, why spend another $600 to get them...both...again? Same goes for Folio, I have a Smartphone, and I have a Laptop, My laptop has wireless, and a big keyboard, plus it can browse the internet, my Smartphone is a smaller more limited version of my laptop, why would I spend another $500 for a Larger MORE limited version of my Smartphone?

Souljacked report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Too cost;ly

May 30, 2007 23:37     

Well, there are a lot of people who may need it... but for $500, it is not really worth it... maybe if it was say about $99 or so, i would not mind tryin it... i am sure hawkins will bring out some changes in it with some time.. it is best to just wait and watch i guess...
Rajshekhar Murthy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Remember the IBM WorkPad Z50?

May 30, 2007 23:38     

I do, because I bought one when it was being discontinued. Very much like the Foleo, albeit without the wireless option and based on Windows CE. Don't get me wrong -- I still use the Z50 on occasion, but it's nowhere near my primary device for contact management, etc. Palm must believe it can successfully target a niche market, but without powerful dedicated applications, it'll be an uphill climb.

Brendan M. Burns report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Tweener

May 30, 2007 23:44     

If it can do Goole Apps for Education I will buy hundreds of them for students...think of this as a potential Web 2/Web 3 device, just the right specs for grades 4-8. Between a laptop and a handheld - a tweener!
Ed FitzGerald report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

What do I think?

May 30, 2007 23:48     

You captured everything I thought about the Foleo. I use a Treo and it is a horrible product. I always thought of Palm as a being a innovative company, always ahead of the game and that the masses would eventually catch up. But boy...What the F#$% were they thinking....
venkat report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

I can already do way MORE with my Windows Mobile (H...

May 31, 2007 00:17     

I can already do way MORE with my Windows Mobile (HTC) phone/pocket PC, which cost considerably less. If I really need a large keyboard & screen, it probably means I need to use full-size software, in which case I might as well just open up my laptop and be done with it.
James Davis report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

So very, very weak

May 31, 2007 00:27     

Let's see, for $500 I can buy a device that has no real purpose except to extend the functionality of my cell phone (a device I generally see as a necessary evil as it is). Hmm... No, I think not.
Onkman report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

FOLEO? Potentially Useless

May 31, 2007 00:36     

The foleo is a nice idea, but it does nothing but make your smartphone bigger.. Who wants to have a larger screen if that is all it does.. no video capability? Not in todays world.. I like Palm and have purchased many of their products. But I just do not see this one being a good venture without many many fixes from the current design. Wi-Fi is a standard, five hour battery life, what good is that at my desk at work... keyboard? I could type with my thumbs without paying $500... not worth it palm....try again...

Mossiprose report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Rubbish

May 31, 2007 00:40     

Truly disappointing product. Palm could've knocked this out of the park with a market killer, but they came up with this. I own a Nokia E61 myself - integrated WiFi, QWERTY keyboard, GPRS / EDGE / UTMS, etc, ability to open / edit most MS-Office formats - and this is a product that was launched almost a year ago. To compete with the iPhone, the upcoming Nokia N95, the existing Treo 680 / 700 and the new range of Blackberrys - $500 is a lot of dollar for a product that is best "described" as a companion / add-on

P.C. report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Toshiba had the Libretto. Nobody bought it.

May 31, 2007 00:45     

And probably for the same reasons. When I want a portable device, I want to be able to put it somewhere, like in a pocket, on my belt, or (in the case of my Abacus PalmOS watch) on a wristband. When I don't care about portability, I use a fullsized notebook. Where does this fit?
Rich Steiner report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Foleo -- A sinking ship

May 31, 2007 03:28     

Personally, I would say that if the device is released by Palm as it has been described in this article, without a serious overhaul and a huge amount of additional functionality, interface-ability and interactivity added to it, it's going to wind up being an even bigger and faster flop than Sony's ill-starred PSP.
Wentil report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Palm finally lost the plot

May 31, 2007 05:25     

People would have to be crazy to buy the Foleo. It's like dragging a laptop around that doesn't do anything useful. My daughter has a Fujitsu 10½" widescreen ultraportable notebook that is the same size as the Foleo, but it's a real computer, not some toy. If you are going to cart around something of that size, get the Fujitsu or Asus tiny notebook. I use a HP 6828 PDA-phone and it probably does EVERYTHING that the Foleo and an accompanying smartphone can do, but it fits into my shirt pocket. I run three businesses from that PDA-phone and it syncs to my desktop when I'm in my office. How good is that? Why would a Blackberry or O2A Atom user change over to a Foleo? They'd have to be crazy. Palm has finally lost the plot. I used a Palm Professional when US Robotics owned the company and it was fantastic for its day. But the Palm OS was killed by the Windows-based PDAs and Palm has never recovered. The Foleo might be the final nail in Palm's coffin.

Ziggy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

.

May 31, 2007 07:12     

Only if you could dial with it and it had bluetooth, so you could leave it in your pocket until needed
JOmama report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Useful for work

May 31, 2007 07:32     

The device is obviously for business where you do not need more than writing and answering email and browsing the net (blackberry?). The downside is it cannot make phone calls but the up side is that it's fast and easy to write your mails and to just check something small on the net. The above mentioned two positives (read keyboard and big screen/internet) makes the device more efficient and in a way fixes what a smart phone lacks. If it's light and has good practical battery time I'd say we have a winner. Of course I'm still talking about business.

Anosh report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

I'm A Business Owner of 2 Companies

May 31, 2007 08:49     

Someone mentioned that this is for business use. No way. I run 2 companies and wouldn't consider such a device for myself or any of my employees. I don't know any professional that would consider such a product unless they got it free at a convention show. Years ago I bought one of those Motorola StarTac cellphones - they were about $400-$600 when they first came out because they were tiny. Motorola sold an attachable electronic organizer with a bigger screen. I bought it because it attached directly to my cellphone. If I had to carry it as a 2nd device, I would have never considered it. To think this guy makes big bucks to come up with 1 cent ideas.

WizeHead report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

"Fooleo"

May 31, 2007 09:32     

I'm pretty sure that you can do everything that this device promise to do, with the laptop/notebook/sub-notebook you already have, and better. Why spend the money and carry the extra gadget?
Alejandro report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Great 2nd Web browser for homes (at $99)

May 31, 2007 09:38     

I think this thing is GREAT... if it was $99 - $150 and was marketted as a spare, portable, web browsing machine for homes with existing WIFI. But no one in their right mind would pay $500 - $600 for this underpowered laptop. Really.. how much could it cost for some chinese firm to put out a simple, light laptop just for wifi web browsing, but include a cheap say 20GB hd (keep the flash so it is still instant on). Or at the current price point, add a pc card slot and an evdo modem and that 20GB hd or a second SD slot. (so you can browse anywhere and save your data better).

lschiedel report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

It has potential

May 31, 2007 09:55     

I think it has potential. It is a deffinitely a niche market item. Since it has wifi, it would be great for internet cafes and other similar places.
BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

engineer

May 31, 2007 11:37     

How is this possible? Hawking is brilliant, his book "on intelligence" is remarkable, why is he behind something so seemingly pointless?!
mike report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

foleo

May 31, 2007 11:54     

If the Foleo sells for about $40 it would be somewhat interesting, otherwise its not much different than an old HP Jorenada that ran windows ce several years back. Otherwise this may be el foldeo for palm if that is the best they can come up with.
Mark Ross report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

I disagree

May 31, 2007 14:03     

I strongly disagree from the author's opinion. Here in the Brazil, I and my colleagues we are sufficiently livened up with this notice, for two reasons: 1, Palm recognized the necessity of the business man whom it needs a portable (but not tiny) device to have access emails, to navigate the web, to edit documents, to use spread sheets, to make presentations, etc. An user of this type does not need: weight, battery charger in the folder, to compete with the colleagues how much the best hardware has its notebook, etc. 2. The Palm did not die! It is more a changing focus. At a time when the market it invented (handhelds market) is not going well, it's always good to know that a good ideas company still keeps breath for new products. I agree to other commentaries that the product focus to a niche (as well as the one of handhelds, there at Pilot's time), and agree to the affirmation that this product is not so innovative. It is only supplying the market needs.

Fabricio Somalia report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Palm needs to make up its mind

May 31, 2007 14:28     

We already carry enough gear. If anything, I'd like to reduce my volume and weight. How about Folio becoming a full-fledged, supersized smartphone -- a Treo with a larger screen and keyboard and a Bluetooth headset? I might go for that ...
JoeM report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Director of New Media

May 31, 2007 15:42     

When the iPhone debuts and you see what it really contains this device will simply look sad in comparison. We are considering buying iphones for all salespeople...I've seen it...It's that good.
pr report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

CTO

May 31, 2007 17:44     

Why not buy a new cheapo laptop at Walmart for $550 instead.
Richard report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Call it the Foolio

May 31, 2007 17:50     

Why would any person in the world buy this? a $500 phone thats not a phone? Or a $500 laptop thats not a laptop? After Hawkins sells one to his mother and grandmother, i bet they don't sell 5. Not 500 or 5000, 5. Palm pull the plug on this immediately before you make your investors cry. Oh wait they already are.
Dice report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Only if it's cheaper

May 31, 2007 18:52     

I think they're on to something here. The dream of the "Network is the Computer" is getting close and Folio meets that market head on. BUT, Internet bandwidths are still too slow and the Folio is too expensive. If they can get it below $200, then maybe they'd have something. But at $500 it's completely niche.
trans report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Finally...

May 31, 2007 19:32     

I'm a student who already has a powerful desktop computer and is not intended to buy a cheap laptop even though I'd need one. So this device seems pretty much perfect for me. I don't need gigabytes of storage or GPU capable of playing games not to even mention DVD drive. All I need is a device small enough, capable of simple writing/taking notes, viewing pdf documents and browsing some internet when I'm on the move. For 500$ (let's hope it's less in €) this looks really tempting. Next thing to come to my mind are Sony's small laptops, but those cost over 2000€. For 500€ you could get an extremely stripped laptop, but quality of those is extremely poor and battery life is closer to an hour than two, so whenever it's used PSU must be with you. This Palm device looks like a high quality device, has a real battery life of five hours, good screen, good keyboard, it is extremely small, does not need cords, has a memory card slots (several gigs of storage for music and temporarily for movies), it has Linux which most students are familiar with. This is exactly what I need.

fool(io) report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Palm Foleo - no call it Palm phobia

May 31, 2007 19:55     

A company that made handhelds and introduced palm computing is going in the reverse. Trying to make a bigger screen that only talks to its own phones. Palm has it wrong, instead of having a device to compete with iPhone they are building a non-functional laptop
TK report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

I'm interested

May 31, 2007 20:08     

I have to disagree with most of you. I've been looking for a full-screen, long-battery ultraportable web and email client for some time now. The closest thing so far has been the Dell V51 pocket pc (the one with a 640x480 screen). The only reason I haven't gotten that is because it doesn't come with a full keyboard. This is guesswork without the specs, but I suspect the Foleo comes with a color, 1024x768 screen, supporting everything the latest palm pilots do - basically email, web-browsing (active-X is uncertain), and office to go. And the battery won't expire in a measly 2 or 3 hours the way full laptops seem to go. Exactly what I've been looking for.

JetterB report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

I'm a long time Palm fan, but recently, reluctantly...

May 31, 2007 20:17     

I'm a long time Palm fan, but recently, reluctantly, gave up my pda for an iPod. When I heard Palm's coming out with a new device, I really felt bad that I might have wasted money and would miss the next big thing... then I saw the foleo. Thanks palm, I thick I made the right choice with the iPod
AC report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Wouldn't it be better....

May 31, 2007 20:51     

For the folks who needs to check their email on a constant basis aren't they big shots who already own a pricey laptop? I am guessing they carrying a laptop and a Treo/Blackbery everyday. So is Palm hoping us to carry Laptop Foleo Treo? Wouldn't it make more sense if they came up with a special Bluetooth USB module that plugs in the laptop instead?
DeadManInc report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

If this requires connection to a smart phone, I'd w...

May 31, 2007 21:02     

If this requires connection to a smart phone, I'd want some way to attach the phone to the Foleo so at least I don't have 2 items to hold while riding the train, etc.
JT report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

No Market

May 31, 2007 21:23     

I'm typing this on a iBook G4 I bought two years ago. It has a 12" screen, weighs 5lbs, 60Gb HD, WiFi, 6 hours of battery life and costed about $1000. Its a 'real' computer and I use it for almost everything (except gaming). I dont see how this new Palm product is anything but a horribly crippled laptop. Anyone who might pay $500 for a crippled laptop will probably spend the extra $500-$1000 to get a small or ultra portable laptop that does everything and more (and it will do it faster and better).

Jason report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

$100 laptop for the developed countries

May 31, 2007 21:43     

Anyone heard about the $100 laptop designed for the 3rd world countries? They got similar specs (10" screen, runs on Linux, AMD embedded processor, WIFI) and sold for $100. Price tag of such product for the developed countries: $500
Kelvin report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Mr

May 31, 2007 22:32     

This must be an unbelievable joke. No way on Earth, this is going to be a commerial success. Besides that, there ARE already similar products with much more features, available !
Marc Jacobs report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Wow

May 31, 2007 22:50     

This is a piece of junk built for anyone that likes to spend money for no real purpose.
Wonderwill report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

A joke !

May 31, 2007 22:50     

What a joke this is ! No way on Earth this is going to be a success. There ARE already similar products, with much more features, available right now !!!
Marc Jacobs report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Nokia E90

May 31, 2007 23:17     

Remember Nokia E90? When he was thinking of this Foleo in a nobody island, i bet, he may have forgotten that there is such a phone called Nokia 9300/9500, and that its sucessors is the E90, and that the E90 had just been released in the market. Pointless... ...
killerliz report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

And the software?

Jun 01, 2007 00:34     

Can I play DopeWars on it? I think that's all I did with my last palm. Heck, my 910T was only $10 and has GPS, email, bluetooth mp3 player, and the ability to watch porn on the go. ;)
spanko report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Palm lost me after my Tungten T3

Jun 01, 2007 00:35     

Palm always did make small devices with great performance like the T3. I am 48 Y old and hate these small Treo screen's (all smartphone got those) I have now a Ericsson T880i (very small and thin) in combo with a Dell AximX51v for Navigation, email, sms, outlook, internet. I need a bigger screen but something that fits me pocket. The Axim is to big. What I need is a max gb thin Pda (preferable Palm) big screen. It needs good communication with me small celphone. When the foleo brings that I am his first Buyer. PALM make me happy again like my 6 former palm devices.

Bob report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

So it's practically useless without a SmartPhone?

Jun 01, 2007 00:38     

I would have expected a UMPC with Treo capabilities, like a tiny laptop that could hook up to a mobile phone carrier for data if Wi-Fi isn't available. You know, something that could work as a stand-alone product as well as it could be a complimentary product to a smart phone. That would be revolutionary. I couldn't justify buying what is essentially a larger keyboard and screen for a smart phone, especially if it costs as much as the phone itself and only has a crappy 5 hour battery at best.

Mike report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Why not just buy an ultra-portable ?

Jun 01, 2007 02:22     

At 10", you could take it up a notch and buy an old Thinkpad X series 12" from eBay with stronger hardware, Windows and all, and at a stinking price (say $100?)
Xmas report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Missing the point

Jun 01, 2007 06:28     

Forget thumb typing, forget smaller limits on a smart phone. Think larger. A smart phone on steroids. Although I have done it, posting and editing files using a HTC Wizard is cumbersome at best. Although $500 is way too much, a seemless connection to my phone would be great. Large screen, larger keyboard, now longer emails, edits, and posts would be practicle.
Michael report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Typical Palm - unrealised potential...

Jun 01, 2007 06:49     

This is typical Palm I think. I have a Palm T3 and love it but its full potential is still unrealised. It has bluetooth and I have a bluetooth adapter in my computer but there's no way (without buying more software) to surf the net with it via my computer. The included photo viewer doesn't work well, the included video viewer is useless (3rd party software works well for these). I can't put more than a 1GB SD card in it. All these things could be easily fixed with software upgrades from Palm but they seem to bring out half-finished products and then move on. Same story with this - if it was a fully functional PDA it could be really good on its own (even without a smartphone - many don't need email on the go). Tacking on a photo viewer because someone happened to have one lying around??? For gods sake Palm. This thing should have a harddrive and be able to play full screen digital videos. Then it would be great. People would buy it for their kids to watch videos in the car or for a family member who is bored in hospital. Not just business people. Palm devices have had MP3 & video capability long before the ipod was released but they were always an afterthought for Palm. What a shame.

Benjamin report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

You guys are missing the point...

Jun 01, 2007 08:34     

This would be the IT thing for people on the move. When they go to conferences the don't have to wait to power an OS to type of the review and send it via email or save it back to the smart phone. Being light and compact makes it easier for people to carry into those invitationals where people type as the speaker is giving his lecture. The bluetooth internet will allow you to access the web (on a 10" screen) where you can get wireless signal. This is not for the average consumer folks. This is for the bloggers, press, etc, who need to be updated quickly. Sure it would be useless if you already have something like HTC products (which are great by the way) but I think they are trying to take it a step further by making it easier for you to integrate all your information with another device. I won't be buying this because as neat as the features are, I have no such use for a device that costs $500, I rather just buy a tmobile wing of someshort to type messages to my friends via instant messengers.

lifeparticlescom report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

What is that? (not good!)

Jun 01, 2007 08:43     

So it's convenient, and relatively well priced (compared to a laptop). However, available software alone will make it necessary to carry a laptop (which can be as small as the Foleo) anyway. So if a laptop connects virtually the same way and offers more functionality, why would I carry another device around? Convenience of the larger (than smartphone) screen is easily offset by having to deal with another device (keep it charged, updated and sync data). Not even mentioning the added bulk. I hope I am wrong since Palm has not shown much innovation for almost three years now other than the venerable Treo line (which looses its sparkle a bit and evolves in too small steps to call it innovation). I used to love Palm, but with my LifeDrive I have learned to hate them and to this day I have not seen anything to ease my pain. (Start with firmware updates to address all known issues, or even just a Desktop application that works with Windows Vista for existing devices!) Palm is on a dangerous route by introducing superfluous devices while neglecting their core competency and current users. Seriously, if you're a power user, you already carry a UMPC or ultralight laptop around and the Foleo would not appeal to me. On the other hand, for personal use it's too limited. (Mostly thinking about lack of suitable software.)

Thomas report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Not sure I get it but may have an executive niche

Jun 01, 2007 09:19     

I don't see buying one of these myself but, then, I don't use a smartphone. I'm guessing the target market for these are the busy executives who have been handed a smartphone so they can always be on the corporate leash but hate the small interface. I've tried writing e-mails on my Palm Tungsten T3 and earlier models and have found it to be a needlessly frustrating and time-consuming experience. Were I to receive e-mails push, like a bleakberry user, I'd want to respond but to avoid the frustration, I'd probably wait until I am sitting at a keyboard. For the group that feels like I do about sending e-mails on your small device, I can see how the Foleo would look attractive. It all comes down to whether this is "portable enough" for the executive user. They've already accepted the other limitations of a smartphone and the Foleo only adds capability. The price tag, though high for personal use, is nothing if it means your company executives will actually use the smartphones they've been given.

heulenwolf report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Good bye palm

Jun 01, 2007 10:08     

this is definetelly Palm's end. This is a laptop without many functionalities. As someone mentioned above, there are several as tiny as this one. Look at what Apple is doing with iPhone? They put everything you need in a single and small device! This Foleo don't even fits in my pocket. Geez... Engineers sometimes can't think outside the box...
Max report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Not new

Jun 01, 2007 11:49     

There's stuff like the Foleo for years. Check out NEC MobilePro 900c.
pug ster report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Palm Sucks

Jun 01, 2007 12:17     

ooooooohh. lookie lookie. . palm re-discovered the umpc.
turdburgler report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

No Brainer

Jun 01, 2007 12:44     

UMPC is dead, so are devices that place itself between a PDA and 11" full feature notebook computer. As much as I like to see Palm stay alive, but Hawkin is no Steve Job.
DAVID report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

More details needed

Jun 01, 2007 14:00     

More details are needed to really determine if it will succeed. Perhaps they are taking feedback to how to develope future versions(?). For surfing the web and doing e-mail at hotspots, it would make an excellent device. Small enough and portable enough to easily carry around. It would be more attractive if it had a lower price.
BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Much cheaper than an ultraportable

Jun 01, 2007 15:41     

I think its not so bad. Something light to edit my documents confortably would be nice, and ultraportables are overpowered and ultraoverpriced. An used ultraportable around 500 $ is likely to be too old to last for more than 1 year, too little for such money. I think it's going to find a niche. Not a killer product, anyway.
drfelip report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Maybe

Jun 02, 2007 02:57     

Honestly i know dozens of people that use their computers for nothing more than email. Blackberrys are nice but too big for a phone. Too small for email reading. i see this being a good vertical product. Imagine everybody in your workgroup having one. For my job it would be great since we work differnt places every week with a roatating cast of leads and techs. Also it would be good if you want your employees to have email but no be on the damn internet all day. Think of VOIP phones. They dont makes sense if you are pitching the concept of them but every new office we have installed pcs in has them. (Its idiotic how the pc connects THRU the VOIP phone ! Additional point of failure!)

Calaveras report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Am I missing somthing about HUGE cost savings?

Jun 03, 2007 06:27     

Am I missing something about the huge cost savings of the Foleo? I am not talking about the difference between a 2-pound laptop that sells for about $2,000 vs. $500 for the Folio. What I am talking about is Verizon charges me an additional $15 per month to use my Treo as a high speed modem, so if I want to bring my laptop on short trips, I have to pay $180 per year more for my Treo using a laptop. And if I just want to use my laptop at most hotels, I have to pay $10 per day to hook up to their high-speed connection. Isn't that a huge annual cost savings for the Folio for folks that just want to check email and surf the web occasionally on short trips? Am I missing something?

Greg report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Not Missing Something

Jun 04, 2007 15:28     

I think you are not missing something but got what they might be intending the device to be used for. I still would like to see a lower price; would help sell it.
BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Linux saves

Jun 10, 2007 22:16     

Well you don't count that Foleo has linux. And Palm is going publish the OS used in foleo. It means that you can use a ton of aplications for low-end computers in your foleo. Laptops will be a lot cheaper with linux (Vista cost 300 bucks or something like that) and foleo will be a complete failure. And don't forget that almost any laptop with vista is like a foleo but without sincronyzation with your treo of instant boot. Bon't forget the Nokia E90 listed before. But e90 only uses 2gb of memory so it will be useless sometimes. Conclution: I'm not happy with anyone. ¿Why they still think in keyoard?. Better a touchscreen like the iphone . Inagine a Foleo or a laptop with double touchscreen. Great for taking notes, replaces tablet pc, great for video, grear for reading, great for traveling. Laptop with wireless earphones and mic with voip and maybe 3gsm... no more ipod, no more cellphone ... I'll buy that

Wine report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Foleo into UMPC?

Aug 23, 2007 12:25     

I think they should upgrade the Foleo into a UMPC. It would make it more usefull to a wider clientale. http://www.umpc.com
TomLeeM/BigWarpGuy report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Call it the Palm Pendejadas

Aug 23, 2007 12:58     

Call it the Palm Pendejadas
Call it the Palm Pendejadas report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0