The Palm Foleo

Some of you may have seen late last night or early this morning information about the Palm Foleo.Now it's "officially" official. And no, the Palm Foleo is not a plane, train or portable waffle maker. It's a smartphone companion that has a large screen and full-size keyboard (which makes email and working with documents much easier), Wi-Fi, and an on/off button that actually does just that...instant on, instant off (i.e. no boot up).

More details can be found here:

http://socialnews.palm.com/release.aspx?hid=11

http://investor.palm.com/pressdetail.cfm?ReleaseID=246403

Check back for more info on the Palm Foleo during the coming weeks.

Paul Loeffler - Palm, Inc.

Comments

[tk421]

Absolutely not interested. What I need is a replacement for my TX with better web browsing, and stability. Having a cell radio on a TX would be amazing. The TX has the perfect screen size for a mobile device, which is why the iphone uses the same type of screen. Will Palm miss the boat again?

It's either new TX PDA or Treo with a TX sized screen for me, or no buy. Since I'm certainly not the only person expecting this, I'm assuming they will listen and give us what we want. Otherwise they can expectto be killed by the iphone.

[Mark Earnest]

So it is cool, no denying that. However for $499, not to mention the $500 for the treo 700p (that STILL is horribly broken, grrr) one could just get a laptop. Heck, a laptop that is significantly more powerful than this can be had for $300. I'm just not sure I see where the need is (but then, I'm not in marketing)

Either way, it is nice to see Palm innovating. Please strike a better balance between innovating and supporting your existing products though.

[bob]

Paul, We are not impressed with a smartphone add-on. We already have small, light laptops. If you want to impress us, give us a device thats small, light, and good battery life that works the way it's advertised first time every time. Try putting Linux on a treo - that would impress us all.

[Adam]

All I can say is WOW... Palm is so out of touch with reality it's really frightening. I've been waiting a year for an update to the 700p, and this is Palm's idea of innovation?!?!?

I'm sorry, but if you think you have been bashed on your other blogs, this is going to be freakin' comical...

BTW, this thing relies on a Bluetooth connection? The same one that makes my Treo reset on a regular basis?!?! R.I.P. Palm...

[Rafael Klawonn]

I always liked Palms products, and now I am also really looking forward to the new Foleo. I am still waiting for more details to follow but right now it sounds interessting. I
For people that travel a lot, or just like to work outside the office it could be a really usefull thing. It gives new opportunity to mobile working.
Still I hope it will not be too dependend of a smartphone, because I do not own one yet.

[John]

Congratulations, Palm, on having the foresight and courage to identify a market need like this and build a product around it. As evidenced by the many negative comments before the Foleo was even shown, many people just don't get it. But paper specs do not a functional product make. This instant-on, fast-typing "companion" is exactly what I've been looking for. I suspect a great many non-geek business folks will see the light clearly as well. As for the geeks amongst us, the icing on the cake is the Linux command prompt seen during the presentation. I see the Foleo line as having a bright future.

[Adam Frank]

So now Palm has released a new smartphone, an update for the treo 680, and announced the Foleo all before releasing a fix for the 700p. Why? Is this why no fix has been released yet? I guess I just do not understand why the expect us to upgrade to their new products when they are not servicing the old products consistently.

[Omar]

Indeed it is a nice object; and, aside from its childhood instability, it may work pretty well. But it's worth to buy it for 600$, when, so far, it seems it allows to do half the things you can do with a small laptop, maybe a 12.1 inches display? I am still using a PALM V, and since I bought it, I've been waiting for an another real PALM. I am starting to gear towards next WIFI-Voip capable Bluetooh cell phone.

[LTH]

what's the resolution ? memory ? what do we need to build apps for the Foleo ?

[Brian]

I have to agree with the posters above, this is not a product that even slightly interests me. I can get a laptop much cheaper (and with more power, workability, etc.) and pair it with my 700p (which is still in need of that MR so that perhaps I can use it to make calls, text, etc.) for a much better efficiency. Of course, a true All-in-One would be much better (but that isn't the road Palm is venturing down now, is it?) This product may have been totally innovative five years ago in the conceptual stage, but its time has seriously passed. Like Steve Jobs said, we want the internet in our pocket, not our backpacks...

[Greg]

Palm! Did you even bother to do some market research on if this is a product your users want? This thing is horrible! Fix the phones/pda's you currently have and give the users what they want - built in wifi on the treos, real bluetooth, etc... geez...I think it is going to be to late for Palm after this...I can't believe what a waste of company resources! RIP Palm. It was great while it lasted.

No wonder it has taken Palm a year to fix the 700p you have been farting around with this thing! Ouch!

[moofie]

Wow. What an underwhelming announcement. I've already got a laptop that's only a little bigger, a little heavier, a little bit more expensive, and VASTLY more capable.

This might have been a good answer to 3Com's Audrey four years ago, but you're going up against the iPhone now, and you've got nothing.

Oh yeah, and about the 700p MR release? You did mean the week of May 28, 2007, right?

[PacManFoo]

There would have been a better chance of me purchasing this if it had been a portable waffle maker. I have never seen a product dead in the water on it's announcement day until now. Great going Palm! First you killed off the PDA now your trying to kill off the company.

[Balentius]

Wow, Palm has reinvented the Windows CE machine... I tore apart a NEC MobilePro 880 the other day, because it had essentially the same functionality, and NO ONE around my company wanted it.

It connects to smart phones - Oh boy!!! For some strange reason, I thought that they already did that - after all, doesn't Palm provide knowledge base articles about using Bluetooth to connect your Treo to PC's and Macs?

Instant on - Now, that is about the only good selling point, that will be completely ignored - my wife's 2 year old Powerbook has that already.

Large screen and keyboard - oh, so you're going after the Blackberry users. Unfortunately, the main reason that it has become so popular is that they don't HAVE to carry around another device to respond to email - an important consideration when going through airports these days.

Personally, I own (and love) a LifeDrive, and strongly hope that you have other devices like the LifeDrive or like the old-fashioned Palm handhelds on the way, with Palm OS 2 (or whatever the official name is), and 802.11g adapters.

(and btw - every single tech person that reads "5 hour battery life" automatically cuts that in half for ordinary user usage...)

I'm sorry, but I don't see any REAL market for this device. I hope that you didn't pay good money for the customer research that might have come up with this.

Finally, why aren't they available now? With a device like this, you should have had at least 20 of them to give to journalists.

[D Canfield]

Someone on another board said, "this is either a year too early or 5 years too late." I'd agree with that sentiment and add that it's either underpowered or over-powered.

I really want to like this device, as I've wanted something similar for ages. My treo fulfills all my needs for a laptop, but is just too small to use for extended periods. Right now, the foleo is just one more gadget to drag around.

But if you could imagine a slightly more advanced Treo... running Linux, with a slightly heftier processor, wifi radio, and 8-16MB SD card, you end up with a pretty decent mobile computer. Then, if you make the folio a rather "dumb" display device (literally the programs run on the treo and display on the Foleo via X over bluetooth or whatever) and sell it for a couple hundred dollars... then you've got my money.

For added points, the screen should fold around 180 degrees so that I can use it as a notepad in meetings. At that point you'd have my ideal external interface to a smartphone.

Of course, on this board, it was suicide to post another new product announcement before the 700p MR anyway. :-(

[Ron]

The Folio isn't something I'd trade my TX for, nor would it replace my laptop.

I already have a device similar to this: A Zaurus SL-C760. It has all the features (including running Linux). As I found, the 760 fails as a PDA and fails as a laptop. And, if you check, you will see that the Zaurus pretty much failed in the marketplace too.

You'd think Palm would have researched the market for the Folio better than this.

[Ben]

Way to go on ignoring the 700p issues. Release yet another product that most likely won't work with the 700p's faulty Bluetooth stack. GG Palm.

[Robert]

Who would want one of these? This makes sense ONLY if you do not have a laptop. If I have a laptop, I am not going to buy a Foleo. If I have a laptop, I am not going to leave it at home and carry a Foleo. I would lose all of the functionality of the laptop.

I am astonished that Palm has so completely lost its way and no longer appears to understand its customers. What problem does this device solve for me? I cannot imagine that a $500 laptop class device will garner any sales to speak of.

The T|X is a great device, but buggy. Sure wish Palm would supply a fully debugged/stable follow on to the T|X. Give me a T|X II with fully stable OS that does not reset itself on a regular basis, integrate it with a cell phone with HIGH QUALITY audio, and I'll buy.

[Troy Knabe]

What a waste. This is as bad as those email devices for your tv. After putting my laptop to "Standby" it is instant on too. Why would I want a Palm type of device in a laptop size package. The whole point of a palm is that what you give up in function you make up for in the fact it will fit in your pocket. I agree with Mark, put Linux on a smartphone, increase the resolution of the screen, anything but this is just like the old Brother Word Processors that were the hybrid between a computer and a typewriter.

[Maggie]

I love the idea--I always said the only things my Treo needed to be perfect were wifi and a larger screen. This might be a little TOO big, though, and half the reason I wanted a bigger screen was for video. So I don't think I'll be an early adopter, but perhaps a second-generation version will be just the thing. It will be great for traveling!

[Michael]

I already have a small Laptop. I was hoping for an all-in-one device like the iPhone. It would be so much better if Linux was released for the actual Treo phone. Please, consider making a Treo that doesnt require a "companion" to work as a smartphone should.

[Rob]

I'm excited about the Foleo. If it came down in price a little bit I'd be really excited about it. I think it is a good middle ground between dragging an entire laptop around with you everywhere and only having your treo or other smartphone.

http://blog.thetechnonaut.com

[imnevercomingback]

Seriously, all this time energy and money was spent on this? Couldn't this have been released with at least a new Treo platform (must every Treo look like the 600 and be virtually as thick as the original? Hawkins just went from Hero to Zero with this thing. Where's the zen of Palm? Where's the ooh ahh moment with this thing? The last time there was this much hype from you guys it was the Handspring Treo 180... that was revolutionary. That was ground breaking and something to be proud of. I am sad to say it but this looks like the end for you guys. Quit drinking the koolaid and listen to the market. Design a thinner better Treo before it's too late.

[Merlyn_3D]

I was really hoping this announcement would be something revolutionary, but I feel Palm may have missed the mark. The key to this product is seamless syncing with your treo smartphone? Bugs and issues with the 700p haven't even been resolved yet and Palm's talking about syncing? Palm's hotsync still can't sync properly with OS X and you guys expect your customers to trust you on this seamless syncing? Even the windows mobile treos don't sync with OS X, and you guys should at least offer a license to "Missing Sync" for it with purchase, but Palm has done anything but proven itself when it comes to syncing properly.

I was rooting for you guys, I really was, but I was hoping for a linux based treo that would top windows mobile (and then some) with some revolutionary new form factor (something to compete with iPhone). I guess we'll have to wait and see. Best of luck, for my two cents I think this was the wrong direction to go in.

[RobAnd]

I am seeing the same future as the LifeDrive or even worst for the Foleo.
Palm please, we all are waiting for a TX with Cell radio. When will you launch the TX2?