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

[Spinteews]

The majority of these comments are quite negative... will Palm finally listen??? i doubt it...

Gonna be intersting to see a blog response to this...

Give us a better Treo... BETTER YET give us the MR Fix...

HAHA, Palm... MR Fix will be the week of May 28th... they sure did MILK it... hopefully it gets here tomorrow...

[Seriously]

Seriously, this is the long awaited product... This is the reason why PALM has not been able to support it's users for the last YEAR? This thing won't even work with the Treo 700P in it's current state.

Wheres the 700P MR?

[AJ0230]

This ones gonna be a bit harsh but...

It bothers me that Palm/Hawkins is calling this a 3rd part of their business. If it was a stand alone product than sure its a 3rd but it requires a smartphone or PDA, so therefore its truely a pheriphial.

Pheriphials in my mind do not warrent being called a new sector.

[Count Buggula]

Sorry webedc, but there is absolutely nothing new about this concept and Palm is being laughed at by the entire digital world for thinking it is. A thin client is not a new idea, and "not-a-laptop" laptop-like devices have been tried before by dozens of companies and never caught on. The idea of having a larger screen and keyboard for email/etc isn't new either. Around '99-2002 a folding keyboard/screen that hooked up to your cellphone for data access was all the rage in Japan and I saw several examples in th US as well. They all died quietly when that functionality was integrated into smartphones. All this does is takes that old, tried and failed idea, pairs it with bluetooth and underwhelming hardware specs, and calls it "Revolutionary." I'm embarrassed for them, because obviously they don't realize they should be.

[tkny]

i'm not sure why most of these people are here or why they bother to post anything. treo 700p users, sorry but the 755 is not for you. it's for a 650 or even a 600 upgrader. you are supposed to incrementally upgrade with an incremental upgade. laptop lovers, the foleo is not for you. it's for gamers, engineers and vista users who want a super nice, super fast desktop 40% of the time a treo 40% of the time and a foleo 20% of the time. you've got my vote palm and i can't wait to use it in class.

[Rob Mitchell]

I really like the Foleo idea, however if I am going for the bigger screen and keyboard and no laptop, I sure want my Palm PIM apps... no datebook, no to-do, no memo, no contacts, no pocket tunes...no reason to get a Foleo. It is one of the reasons I have a Treo. Unfortunatly with age the larger screen really would help with those larger notes, memos and to do lists. These are basics which no one should have to wait for third party apps. Please do it right. I believe if you provide a strong foundation, the developers will fill in the blank spaces. Again, I think the base ideas works, the devil is in the details.

[Darren Ehlers]

Why in God's name would I want this? A dumb laptop. If I'm going to bother with a laptop, I want a real one.

Bad, bad move Palm.

[David Beers]

After some initial confusion and disappointment, I'm warming up to this thing. Definitely feeling like I need to get one in my hands to judge its usefulness for myself.

You guys should have called this what it is--a fresh, simpler take on the personal computer--instead of a "companion" for your mobile phone. I know a lot of users who will go for that concept, whereas "mobile companion" limits your marketing message to people with compatible smartphones. My wife (who dislikes my Treo) is 100% on board the Foleo train. She has been looking in vain for a small, light, *simple* computer for years. And once I got honest with myself about what I really need for business travel I realized that this would be inexpensive relief for my aching shoulders.

I really encourage you guys to get basic PIM apps in there (license from a 3rd party if you have to) before you bring this to market. Even more important: be diligent in your efforts to cultivate your developer community. If you can see your way to getting broader access to the SDK before the product launch I think this product will get traction much quicker. My company has corporate clients that would be all over this thing if I could develop the software they need for it.

[galland101]

Did Jeff Hawkins do any market research before he wasted so much time on his Foleo project? There is no way I would spend $600 on a device that is an almost-laptop. If Palm wants to survive, it must give your customers what they want, not what Jeff Hawkins thinks we want.

-Give us the Treo 700p update.
-Give us the Linux OS for the Palms and Treos.
-Give us better customer service.

Palm should see the Foleo for what it is, a failure. It should stop pouring money into this project and concentrate on what works: Treos and PDAs. Sorry Jeff, but I don't think anybody shares your enthusiasm for this product.

[ALZ]

I can´t comment about the Foleo. It is not for me. I just want to know where is the palm IPhone killer? Our so awaited TX with cellfone.
Why palm, after so many years that the Treos exists there is no Treo with big screen? Give us at least one Treo with 320x480 screen (TX size). Querty keyboards are not the key feature for all users. Palm you need give us another choice. This is not only my opinion. I have heard many many users waiting for such cool device from palm.

[Garman]

Just so we are clear. Is this it for the year? Is our choice when it comes to Apple & Palm the Foleo or the iphone? Is there anything else you would like to say or add that has not said or added already? We have seen the evidence. Are we free to render a decision or will there be more evidence to consider? I feel the choice is pretty clear and I would ask you honestly if you were given the choice which would you choose? Honestly. The iphone or the Foleo?

[Lou]

Sad state of affairs indeed. I remember a time when the phone company QWEST was truly horrible in customer service and i know. They've really turned their customer service around 1000%. I would use this as a model for Palm.

This product seems pretty good for the corporate executive front but like Sony.. I think Palm has lost touch with its customer base. I refer to Sony also because.. well PS3.. :) The most hyped the most fail.

I thought this was comical:

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/05/30/ap3770761.html

Sorry to more bash but heres my point:

This product seems nice but I don't need it.. What I need is a working phone. I dont think this product will take off. If it does take off its because someone has found a way to alter it.

Good luck palm

[acjif98]

Not sure about the yet to be released full features and specs at this point. I just don't know. Is it really for e-mail and web browsing only?
I think it has some potential as a notebook replacement but you have to add audio/video capability plus ALL PIM data, calendar, tasks, outlook sync, palm desktop on and on. Can it replace a notebook? We'll see. I can't carry this, a notebook and a cell phone.
I can BT tether to a similar size notebook or Samsung Q1, OQO, UMPC etc. and those utilize Vista/XP Tablet with full functionality/touchscreen or digitizer and they are much smaller. Plus you can get instant on with those devices utilizing Flash drives. The new low end Q1 is now selling for only $799!
This is really a tough sell unless you find a way to utilize Palm 3rd party apps like PTunes on this Linux platform.
Good Luck - I'll be watching and I'll definitely check it out but this release leaves me a little surprised.
Is it really just for looking at e-mails and attachments on a bigger screen and web browsing? I'll watch the video again to make sure.
Thanks

[Jeff Howard]

After reading hundreds of posts, stories, reviews, rants on this, I'm starting to see a trend:

#1 - A Treo with a bigger screen, and slide-out or on screen keyboard.

#2 - A Palm TX with more memory, and a cell stack.

This can't come as a surprise to anyone at Palm... These requests have littered all the popular forums far before anyone hear about the Foleo. This is exactly what the competition is selling, and sales are doing well. With that said, I feel that the Foleo has it's place in the market, however it can not take the place of the device configurations listed above.

Loyal Palm users feel that the existing Palm lines (TX, Treo, LD) have stagnated, and hedged on Palm fixing all the shortcomings in this new "mystery" device. On one side of the coin, people are correct in that Palm has done minimal innovations much within their current lines. The Treo is still using the same form-factor (sans the antenna-nub) developed over two years ago, and the Palm TX just recently hit it's two-year anniversary. These are both great devices, but compared to the competition, Palm is definitely due for a new device with some *wow* factor.

On the other side of the coin, I'm not going to argue functionality and price-point as I really feel that Palm will adjust these values as we get closer to the actual release (although you do get a slap on the hand for having such a truncated feature-set on such a major release). Let's assume that once it's complete, the device will be a good "companion" to the Treo. I think what people are really asking for, are updates to the existing lines IN ADDITION to the expansion into this new "3rd product line".

So for those of you who want a Treo that's more like the iPhone, or to the TX users who are tired of carry a phone and their PDA, don't take your fustrations out on the Foleo. Given time, additional software, and scales of economy (i.e. lower price), it may become a great business-class device.

And to Palm, please listen to your loyal customers, and don't be afraid to make changes to your existing product lines. While standardizing the Treo platform is great for scales of economy in production, don't let that mentality over ride your ability to innovate. The Foleo is a great innovation into a 3rd product line, but give people some sign that you're still actively developing your 1st and 2nd product lines which they have been so loyal too over the years.

[Hengeem]

Paul, seriously I dont know what you do at Plm bt if you can please tell whever setsprices r Palm stuff to offer the Foleo at 199.99 if you buy ne wTreo at the same time. Maybe have this deal a Palm exclusive.

A few conference calls ago (sept 06?) Palm stated they would sacrifice Treo profits for more market share of the smartphone market. Pam needs to think this way w/the Foleo. It may work out-it may up Treo AND Foleo sales at the same time.

But 500 bucks with what we know now is not gna do it.

[Mike]

Isn't this just a reinvention / redesign of Psion's series 7 from way back?

I'm interested to know how Palm conducts its marketing and if you guys actually take notice of it.

I've been waiting years for palm to put out a device that was something I've wanted to own since my last palm, which was a m505. But my money has always gone on other better products, which have always beaten palm on inovation, cost or damn right funkyness.

Get with it palm this is the iPod generation!

[Edward Doan]

I'm shocked no one has noticed this ... Ryan K at PIC really scooped the crucial CPU details with that screenshot
http://www.palminfocenter.com/ss.asp...-live-13-L.jpg

... the Linux kernel is 2.4.21-rmk1-pxa1-intc2 which is built for the Intel PXA27x XScale processors ... possibly the same 312 MHz PXA272 that the Treo 7xx family uses! There's plenty of software that's just a recompile away from being usable on this device. I think when Jeff Hawkins talks about video not working on the Foleo yet, it's because there really aren't any OPEN SOURCE codecs for Linux that Palm can legally distribute (yet). Sure, you can install VLC or Totem to watch videos, but what about WMV support? H.264? This thing doesn't play MP3s either because Palm likely hasn't licensed the codec ... NormSoft and Real likely licensed MP3 from Thompson and Fraunhofer, so they're on okay legal ground.

This is all so clear now ... Hawkins is a genius ... the Foleo is a mobile e-mail companion, just like the Pilot was just an organizer. With any of the thousands of PalmOS software installed, the Pilot could be anything you wanted it to be. The story is just beginning for the Foleo!

[BaalthazaaR]

When people were asking for a bigger screen, they were referring to a screen size relative to a Treo. We want something that has the screen size of a TX / clie ux50 / clie nz90.

I was expecting something along the lines of the OQO or the Raon Digital Vega / Everun. But I guess I'd have to see one up close before I can form an opinion about it.

[Kristopher Wilson]

Jeff Hawkins now joins the company of brilant people like Dean Kamen. Wnen the Dana was first being created, I saw teriffic potential to completely head off the growing laptop market... but this is way too little functionality and way too late. Unfortunately this product is more Seguway and less iPod - not a bad concept, but way too bulky and way too late. A Palm based notebook that could sync with your PC would have made more sense 5 years ago. This makes no sense now or into the future - even if it does integrate with iPhone.

Palm - Get back to your core - the things that made you successful. Cutting edge design that Felt good in the hand, did the things people needed them to do, did them simply, intutively, and effectively. Your customer base has been cryin out for you to put it all together. Here is your formula for re-emerging: Ready?

Think lifedrive form factor (thinner is good) without reliance on sluggish hd. Keep SD and go to higher performance versions of the SD spec. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - it's really about time, don'tcha think? You can keep your pretty Qvga screen. Just put the phone app in it and the necessarry wireless for (insert phone carrier here). Give me 5+ hours or real world battery life when constantly playing music on the thing, and a replacable battery. Also the ability to keep applications and data together on SD (including locating any preference files or license keys or whatever on the same SD that go with the applications). I don't want a thumbboard - you've got treos for that and i'm faster with graphiti (make that graphiti 1, please).

When i need to do data entry and manipulation, forget the folio... just give me a nice external foldable keyboard I can use with the device in landscape mode that collapses down to something roughly the same size as the device itself - bluetooth, fine, make it rechargable.

YOU JUST NEED TO POLISH WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE - NO INVENTING REQUIRED. this is an easy lay-up - stop looking only for trick dunks and 3-point jumpers... get back to basics.

KW

[Phil Lembo]

As a sysadmin I've been looking for something like this for years to carry around instead of a bulky laptop. If it's battery life is decent under normal operation and can run a terminal, I'm sold. I tried using PDA's over the years, but found a good pocket calendar did the job just as well. Besides, PDA and cell phone screens are way too small even for web browsing. This, on the other hand, is something I could use to do some REAL work. Thanks for stepping up and taking a chance with a great idea.

[Raph]

Something with a large screen, full-size keyboard and can "sync" with my Treo. Uh ... I have already one ! It's my PC.

Hey Palm ! I think you want that Microsoft gets all the PDA market.

[mike macon]

I'm with Jeff. Palm user since the Pilot 1000, currently use a TX and love it, but would LOVE an update to the OS...

The Foleo is... well, it's... well... ahhhhhhhh... Hmmmmmmmmm...

[Robert Hurdman]

Is this the forum for personal abuse against people at Palm Inc.? If so, I would like to join the fun.
I would like to introduce you to a new idea (you brain-dead morons) called "market survey." It helps you get an idea of what people (with money who buy things) want to buy.
I will never buy a cell phone (smart or dumb) because when I'm away from work, I don't want to work. What I want is something to store and play my music and TV shows and maybe some of my documents like my contacts and my recipes. And I want it to fit in my pocket. My Tungsten C would work...if it had a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack. But alas, Palm hasn't gotten anything right since the Handspring I owned 7 years ago.
For now, I'm happy with my iPod. Best of luck to you all at Palm because I expect job-hunting will start soon.

[Joe]

LOL you've got to be kidding me! Plam management is soooooo out of touch. IF this was $100, it MIGHT sell. What's the point to it? IF it had a sylus/touch pad capability & an ability to store downloaded data via a USB then it MIGHT be something.

As it is, the ONLY thing the Foleo is good for is to confirm that Palm is going down the toilet & out of business.

Shame, this company once had vision & was a leader. It's now just a joke.

Honestly, I was hoping the first TV reports I heard about this were wrong...they werent.

Here's my last big hint. Notice how the ">>" function on the "experience Foleo" doesnt work.... Palm cant even get the web demo right!

Sad, very sad.

[Mark Bergman]

The Folio probably has a market, but I see this as a misstep for Palm. Show me an updated Treo running Palm OS or Linux with all the functionality of my 650P plus WiFi and a keyboard that equals or betters that on the Crackberry and you'll have a winner. In the meantime, I'd just be glad to see an upgrade running Palm OS and GSM and marketed by AT&T.