What the foleo?

May 30, 2007 Author: Veronica | Filed under: toys

foleo

I already got into a little trouble with Palm this week (Palm OS is SO NOT going away! Seriously, guys!) but I can’t resist discussing the Palm Foleo that was announced at the fancy D: All Things Digital conference in San Diego today.

What the heck is this thing supposed to be all about? A tiny computer-companion to your Treo? I don’t know about your briefcase, but I had to buy a whole new purse to fit all the gadget junk I carry around and I’m sure as hell NOT planning on buying an even bigger one. That is, unless it’s Marc Jacobs and under $200.

I digress. The whole point of having a smartphone is so you can take your work away with you, on the go. That’s why they do amazing things like e-mail and web browsing. Which, incidentally, is also all the Foleo does. Oh look! I just saved you $430!

Dear gadget elves:
Please make smartphones smarter or laptops smaller. Doing both of those things would also be fine. My gadgets do not need “companions,” they’re doing just fine on their own, thank you.

Wow, I’m being mean tonight! I think I’m just bitter that I’m not at D. Rafe was there and actually saw this thing, and he loves it! Ryan, not so much.

Image credit: Palm.com

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15 Responses for "What the foleo?"

John B. May 31st, 2007 at 5:43 am 1

I don’t get it. It looks like… a laptop. That just does email. I’m confused.
Kato May 31st, 2007 at 6:45 am 2

Unless you can store this thing in Hammer Space or a Bag of Holding or something, I’m not sure I understand the point.
gojeffrey May 31st, 2007 at 7:55 am 3

I like it when you’re mean.
Mike May 31st, 2007 at 7:57 am 4

I think it’s more real than mean.
jose8am May 31st, 2007 at 2:17 pm 5

Greeeaaat Prizefight V!!!
twisty May 31st, 2007 at 4:26 pm 6

Oh noes.
Thom June 1st, 2007 at 8:14 am 7

What is the point!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It does nothing! An inch smaller than a Macbook and does 5% of what a Macbook does!! All it provides is a bigger screen and a keyboard, buy a laptop! Jezzzzzzzzzz
What is the point!!!!!!!!!!!!
FMGreen Steve June 1st, 2007 at 3:40 pm 8

Right on!
maxio June 1st, 2007 at 4:07 pm 9

I have just about every gadget under the sun. Probably because I listen to too many podcasts. This thing has got to be the dumbest gadget to date. Palm has no clue about where the trends are…, or they been asleep the past few years. Who knows. I’ll tell you that this thing does nothing that an extended portable keyboard can’t provide. And if you need a big screen to lug around, well then buy a laptop for $100 bucks more!
ThriftyTechie June 1st, 2007 at 7:49 pm 10

This is the worst idea of the year.

The exectution looks decent, though, whcih makes this a tragedy akin to the PS3. Many an engineer’s hours were wasted due to poor vision on the part of leadership.

A great landing at the wrong airport, so to speak.
Recovering technophiliac » its like a laptop... June 2nd, 2007 at 11:03 am 11

[...] So lets get to the bottom line, sure the Foleo is light and turns on at the drop of a dime, but you’re basically buying half of what a laptop can already do. I quote my tech confidant Veronica when she said: “The whole point of having a smartphone is so you can take your work away with you, on the go. That’s why they do amazing things like e-mail and web browsing. Which, incidentally, is also all the Foleo does. Oh look! I just saved you $430!” [...]
Rick C June 2nd, 2007 at 2:34 pm 12

I don’t know if yoiu have a “crankygeek” hangover (I understand that close contact with John D will do that to you) or just venting your frustration that you were not at “D” on the Foleo when you wrote this, but I would ask that you consider the early adopter market for the Foleo, its the 40 somethings like me who are starting to feel EVERY pound in the travel bag, who find that the print gets smaller every passing year and who are not nearly as interested in social networking as getting the work caught up so we can spend time with family and friends F2F. I presently use a Treo 680/TX mashup because the screen on the Nokia (a brand that I had used since 1990) was just too small and too dim for my aging eyes. I don’t like thumboards, so had never warmed to the Treos. I have to admit that the 680 has grown on me. Like fungus, but it has. I was like you initially, but over time and the consideration of the above factors and the additional interviews with Hawkins et al makes me think that Hawkins just might hit a home run again. Time will tell.
Wayne MacPhail June 6th, 2007 at 8:27 am 13

Here’s the solution Veronica. Hack a Sony E-book reader as a big screen for your cell. Done and done.
Cayde A. June 16th, 2007 at 3:42 am 14

Hey V and Crew
I think Palm mis-marketted it. It is clearly a subnotebook. I would buy it to use it as a laptop. In this day and age people have laptop as a main machine. Foleo would be a welcome addition to my backpack, while the laptop would stay at home. I have heard the rumor from some where it has X-Term.

I would think of it as a good Linux Laptop.
Cayde.
Veronica Belmont » Brakes put on the Palm Foleo September 4th, 2007 at 1:59 pm 15

[...] the Foleo, and I just wanted to throw in my $0.02 and say “Good for you, Palm!” I was vocally opposed to the device in the past (the only time I can recall ever devoting an entire post to a device I [...]