Ranting

Switched On: The Foleo imbroglio (Part 1)

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 22:44:58 -0400

Here is a great article from Engadget discussing the Foleo, part 1. Enjoy.

If anything, Palm's Foleo seems like it was designed to elicit instant geek cred. It's small, thin and light, and its solid state storage helps provide long battery life. It has instant-on capabilities and supports Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It even runs Linux and all for only $500. However, quite to the contrary, much of the reaction to Palm's latest mobile foray has run the gamut from confusion to scorn, with some calling the product "Folly-o" or "Fooleo."

The core problem that the Foleo seeks to address is easy to understand, but its positioning is a moving target. Here's how early adopters are becoming lost in Foleo's rationale:

Palm: Smartphones continue to gain more processing power and more memory.
Users: OK, that's fair enough.
Palm: However, they are still deficient in input and output.
Users: Well, there sure are compromises, we can agree. I drag my laptop around when I need more.
Palm: So, what we need is a whole new device with a large screen and keyboard
Users: Whoa, why not create some kind of keyboard dock with a big screen for the Treo, like all those speaker docks for the iPod?
Palm: That's clumsy. We consider this a smartphone companion.
Users: I didn't realize my smartphone was lonely.

Palm: We call it that since people are moving their lives to their smartphones.
Users: They are? The only documents I have on my smartphone are from attachments.
Palm: Right, so the first application it will tackle is e-mail.
Users: But that's probably the thing that smartphones need the least help with.
Palm: Well, there's a lot more. It also has a Wi-Fi and a suite of "lite" office applications
Users: Huh? I thought you said that it was a smartphone companion? This sounds more like its own platform.
Palm: It is a platform. It also has an Opera browser.
Users: Then what do you need the apps for? Why not just use Web mail and Google Docs and Spreadsheets?
Palm: It supports Flash, too.
Users: Oh cool, so I can watch YouTube.
Palm: Sorry, no. No video support yet.

Most Foleo naysayers tend to fall into two camps -- the pricey purists and the mobile minimalists. In a notebook market that gravitates towards 15" workhorses and 14" basic bargains, pricey purists believe in the promise of an ultralight computing platform, but would rather spend $1,500 or more for a Windows notebook with dimensions comparable to the Foleo's. Or they're willing to spend less and get something a bit heavier with a 12" screen. In any case, compatibility costs them not only money, but battery life as well.

These people may need video or other capabilities on the road that can't be provided by Foleo's modest (though not yet disclosed) processor and RAM configuration or embryonic application support. They more than see the value in having a full-sized keyboard and screen on the go. In fact, they think it's too important to leave to a device that delivers anything less than the full benefits of Windows and are willing to pay a premium for it.

This isn't so for the mobile minimalists. They are committed to the ideal of smartphone amalgamation and anything that can't be done on their phones isn't worth doing until they return to their home base. Two devices are inherently bad. They've long since abandoned their iPod for a music phone and can't wait until phones take decent enough pictures to ditch their digital cameras.

Next week's column will delve more into this group, the implications of Bluetooth dial-up networking for the Foleo, and the need for a "smartphone companion".

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Possible Release Date for the Palm Foleo Leaked?

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:02:44 -0400

Possible Release Date for the Palm Foleo Leaked

http://www.bright...

I wish it was sooner

August 22nd. That is the rumored date. I have a couple of trips coming up in the beginning of August. I was REALLY hoping this device would be launching sometime in late July, or, at the very least, launch during my trips (I will be in San Francisco for one of them) so I could pick it up in a Palm Store. Let's hope it launches sooner. It doesn't appear like Palm is doing too much to the device before launch based on the feedback I have been reading from the recent "hands on" session Palm has been hosting in regards to UI enhancements, etc.

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New Palm Foleo feature!

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:43:22 -0400

Simplicity put Palm's Pilot on the map. Is Palm's Foleo 'PC'

This video doesn't show us anything new... until the last couple of seconds. According to the reporter, you can unscrew the bottom and add another battery! Holy cow! It already gets 5 hours!

I am going to try and not get too excited. He probably meant to say you can unscrew the bottom and add more memory.

Only time will tell. I want thing to come out before my vacation the first week of August!

UPDATE: Well, it looks like I took it out of context. I think they are just jabbing at the iPhone... alas... oh well...

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New Palm Foleo footage

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 16:48:36 -0400

I am so excited for this device! It should remove the bitter taste left in my mouth from the iPhone. There is some new information/confirmations revealed in this video; give it a watch...

Palm Foleo First Look

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Not a laptop. It's a mobile companion.

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 08:12:01 -0400

That's why so many things about Foleo are so un-laptop like. It turns on instantly without booting up. You get immediate, one-button access to the email on your smartphone. You can switch between applications at the touch of a button. And there are no windows to open or close or menus to click through. Sound easy to use? It should. It's from Palm.

Keep your laptop. But take your Foleo mobile companion.

A mobile companion doesn't want to be your laptop. It's lightweight, elegant and thoughtfully designed, and made specifically for the things you do most on the go, like email and web browsing. You can view and edit Microsoft^® Word, Excel^® and PowerPoint^® documents from it. So leave your laptop docked at your desk. With Foleo, you carry only what you need. Not everything you have.

Perfect for places your laptop isn't.

Foleo is made for that two-day business trip to Boston. That conference across town. Or even that meeting down the hall. You're ready to work at a moment's notice. With up to five hours of battery life packed into such a compact and light design, you'll do big things wherever you go.

A few of the places you’ll find Foleo doing big things.

We know there are times when you simply want to do more with your smartphone. Times when you need a big screen and keyboard to work with email, attachments and the web. But, you don't need everything that's on your laptop.

On the plane
An email arrives just as you're about to board the plane. And it's a proposal that requires your immediate attention. No worries. Rather than boot up your laptop and search for a Wi-Fi connection, simply unfold Foleo and bring your email to the big screen. Using the compact yet full-sized keyboard, you respond to the terms in all the detail you need. Just in time to board. During the flight, empty the rest of your inbox with battery to spare, then send those emails when you land. Thankfully the tray table can comfortably accommodate Foleo and your caffeinated beverage.

On the road (and off)
If you're on the road a lot, you know the feeling of being caught between a rock and a hard place—between a Wi-Fi hotspot and the office network. You've got a smartphone so you're connected for email. But here comes a spreadsheet that you really should review. Rather than drive in circles looking for a café and a Wi-Fi connection, pull over and park. (Seriously.) Open up Foleo and do what you need to do.⁴ It's small enough to work in cramped spaces, but big enough to be effective.

At home
Foleo won't replace the PC or laptop in your home office. It will, however, give you the instant gratification of turning on in less than a second right at the kitchen table. Catch up on email or find what you need on the web^-like a new recipe for dinner—all in less time than it takes to boot up your laptop. Then get back to what's important, like those two little ones waiting for you to tuck them in.

Jeff Hawkins audio interview on Palm's website

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 20:37:31 -0400

Here is a short but sweet interview with Jeff Hawkins discussing the Palm Foleo. Not any new info, you will have to read here for that; but interesting none-the-less.

Palm_Podcast_002_review

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How I could have used a Foleo today 2007/06/13

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:38:35 -0400

Foleo-Treo

I have a series of three all-day meetings this week Tuesday through Thursday. These meetings are held at an off-site location due to the shear volume of people participating. I received the agenda and other documentation for the meetings a couple of days ahead of time. Since I like to be prepared, I copied the info to my 2GB SD card on my Treo 680. Tuesday came and I booted up my laptop to take some notes a couple of minutes before the meeting was to begin. I looked for the folder containing all of the documentation, but low and behold, I could not find it! Not an issue, I proceeded to connect to the wireless that is provided for us,. connect to the VPN and get the mail from my network drive.

No mater how much I tried I could not hold a signal and if I could connect with the VPN, I would get dropped before I could do anything. What to do! Fortunately my laptop has a built-in SD card reader and I was able to copy the necessary documents over. But what would have been better? Syncing my documents from the Treo 680 to the Foleo. I could have seamlessly worked on the documents from my Treo 680 and worked with a full keyboard, beautiful screen and even indulged in some web browsing on break with the Foleos built-in Wi-Fi. Here's to looking forward to the Foleo!

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How I could have used a Foleo today: 2007/06/05

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:19:10 -0400

Foleo-Treo

I had a conference call today. I could have taken my laptop to take notes, but why? My Foleo is always ready to go when I am. With "instant on/off" there is no laborious boot time and it allows me to do what I need to. What is this? I have an email? That's right, since I am always connected via my Treo 680 in my pocket, when it gets new messages, I have them synced to the Foleo; how convenient. Those notes I wrote over the conference call? No problem, they are synced with Documents to Go and when I get back to my desk the notes will be synced back to my laptop.

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Why I think the Palm Foleo is brilliant

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 20:37:39 -0400

Palm Foleo front

At first, I did not know what to think of the Palm Foleo. What is it? A mobile companion? A laptop? It certainly is not the "new" Treo or device I was hoping for. That aside, it is just what I think any mobile professional or tech person needs.

The Palm Foleo is essentially a very thin, light flashed-based, instant on/off, Linux powered "laptop". I say "laptop" because that is instantly what it will be compared to. Every one I have spoken to says, "Why would Palm do this. I carry a laptop, Treo, now this? It's too much!". These people are missing one big point: the device is an accessory meant to sync with your smartphone to make your portable life easier- it is not meant to replace your laptop. Look at it this way:

When you leave for work everyday, to you take your Treo, laptop, iPod, digital camera and video camera to work? My bet is no. You take some of these devices depending on your need. If you are doing a site visit, you might take your cameras one day. If you have a lot of driving ahead, you may take your iPod and so on. The Foleo is the same thing. You don't need it everyday, but when you do, its there. Let us look at some scenarios where it would be useful:

You have an all-day meeting tomorrow downtown. You don't feel like carrying your 6-pound laptop because all you can really do is reply to emails during the meeting- no real "work". Solution? bring your ultra light-weight Foleo (all 2.5-pounds of it), sync it with your Treo and write those emails away on a full size keyboard and beautiful 10" screen.

Or, perhaps you are sitting on your couch (like I am right now) and you want to compose a blog post. I have to wait 2 minutes for may laptop to boot, then launch all the tools I need to blog. Or, I could have my Foleo sitting on my coffee table and I boot it up (takes .5 seconds) and away I start to type up a blog post. How can I do this? The Foleo is fast and it also has Wi-Fi.

Foleo

I can do the same thing in a Starbucks or a park because not only can I connect to access points, it also uses my Treo's data connection via Bluetooth. So, literally wherever I go I have a big screen and keyboard to do what I want. Look up full screen Google Maps, compose a document or simply browse the web anywhere I want since I always have a data connection with my Treo in my pocket. Yes, of course you can do the same things with a laptop, but the fact the the foleo is very, very light and has instant on makes it very convenient.

Out of the box, there is not much software. Email, Documents to Go, PDF viewer, photos and that is about it. However, this prouct is another product line, just like a Treo and Palm is releasing SDK's at launch. I think in no time there will be plenty of applications available; there are already plenty of Linux geeks just salivating at the chance to write some mobile applications.

When all is said and done, I will be first in line to buy this very exciting new product when it launches this summer.

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Videos for the Palm Foleo

nobody@vox.com(Chadman) — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:47:15 -0400

I think this device has a lot of potential, though a lot of others do not. Here is the website.

Palm Foleo Jeff Hawkins

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