{"id":1366,"date":"2007-05-31T12:13:57","date_gmt":"2007-05-31T11:13:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/palm-releases-foleo-mixed-emotions-ensue\/"},"modified":"2025-07-02T02:54:35","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T09:54:35","slug":"palm-releases-foleo-mixed-emotions-ensue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/palm-releases-foleo-mixed-emotions-ensue\/","title":{"rendered":"Palm releases Foleo: mixed emotions ensue"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"PalmPalm announced its latest device yesterday, aimed at filling a gap in the market that many of us didn’t know even existed. The Foleo<\/a> is a ‘smartphone companion’, designed to connect wirelessly with your smartphone. It features a 10-inch screen, full size keyboard and an ‘open’ linux platform that promises future compatibility with devices other than the Treo range.Opinion on the announcement varies. Carlo Longino at Techdirt<\/a> finds the Foleo to be ‘not exactly overwhelming’:<\/p>\n

It’s hard to understand the point of the Foleo, or why [Palm founder] Hawkins and Palm think it’s so wonderful. There are two ways to see it: first, as an admission that Palm won’t ever be able to create a Treo that will satisfy users’ needs, or an admission that they think their Treos are perfect and this is the only way they can figure out to improve on it. Neither is particularly good for the company.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The argument that for $500, business users can have a laptop with more functions and connectivity than the Foleo is compelling. But at the same time, doesn’t this new device offer just what business users need, without the extraneous functionality (and extra bulk and weight) of a complete computer system? If a business user needs web, email and document access – and not much more – then perhaps the Foleo really is a viable product. The Guardian’s tech blog points out<\/a>, however, that other products have flopped while trying to provide just this stripped-down capability.<\/p>\n

The buzz on Palm user forums<\/a> also seems to be split, with some users emphasising the fact that the Foleo could be used with other smartphones (by, say, Nokia or Sony Ericsson)… assuming their manufacturers can be bothered to develop APIs for it. But while opinion on the Foleo is split, it’s not split equally. Most coverage and commentary are pretty negative – but offer a sliver of hope based on certain provisos, particularly the openness of its ‘open’ system. If Palm ensures that outside developers and handset manufacturers start working with Foleo, it could succeed.<\/p>\n

In other words, the future of Palm’s latest product depends not on its own potential user-base but on a series of other firms, some of which are direct competitors. That’s a risky strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Palm announced its latest device yesterday, aimed at filling a gap in the market that many of us didn’t know even existed. The Foleo is a ‘smartphone companion’, designed to connect wirelessly with your smartphone. It features a 10-inch screen, full size keyboard and an ‘open’ linux platform that promises future compatibility with devices other … Continue reading “Palm releases Foleo: mixed emotions ensue”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2002,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":0},"categories":[1015],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-1366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t