Palm Foleo hands-on
By Ryan Block 
posted May 30th 2007 3:07PM
posted May 30th 2007 3:07PM
posted May 30th 2007 3:07PM
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Many people complained about the Wii when it was first announced. I could tell it was going to be a hit. This looks like another hit, though it will really take off with the second fine-tuned version.
Why?
When Windows CE first came out lots of companies built little PCs just like this and they were selling like hotcakes until Microsoft realized they were eating like crazy into Windows sales. They forbid Windows CE to be used for any PC like device. These devices were off the market within a month.
With Linux being more robust and easy to use nowdays, this category of device is now viable again.
Most PC activity is on the network nowdays. With Google, you can even run worksheets, graphics programs, documents, e-mail, calendar through the net. We have finally entered the era of only needing a net connection to get work done.
This device is like carrying a pad of paper. You don't have to think about taking it with you. You could open it up in a coffee shop or restaurant and do some work. With a laptop, you have to 'lug' it to the coffee shop--it requires pre-planning and lots of inconvenience.
If you are already lugging a laptop around (heavy emphasis on the word 'lug'), and you are happy doing so, then you most certainly don't need one of these.
This is very different than the Jornada. It has a standard operating system, keyboard, and screen. That the Jordana did as well as it did tells you something (at least it tells me something).
> Wrong. The Foleo does Flash very well as they visited a
> Flash-based website during the demonstration. Video,
> a la YouTube, is what he said didn't work well.
And since you obviously don't know what you are talking about it falls upon me to educate you that YouTube video *is* Flash based - therefore, it follows that if the Foleo doesn't play YouTube videos very well it doesn't support Flash very well.
It's all well and good being able to show a few Flash based adverts and web sites, but if the device is unable to play Flash videos it's going to disappoint a lot of potential users.
When telling someone they don't know what they're talking about, it is vital that you do. You don't.
Go here -
- http://www.homestarrunner.com
This is the Flash animation web site Jeff Hawkins used as a challenge for the team that designed the Foleo. As this is the website they mentioned during the device's intro, I'd say they were successful.
You also should also know that YouTube, the website, itself, is not Flash-based. YouTube only uses Flash as a container for their videos. The videos are MOV, AVI and other file types that are found all over the web.
To quote from Adobe's help page, "Flash MX 2004 accepts any video file format supported by Apple QuickTime or Microsoft Direct Show."
- http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/articles/video_02.html
For me, I will not even consider buying a Foleo until it does fully support video.
Lastly, regardless of what you thought of my comments, the attitude was unneeded, not to mention unwarranted.
I'm with the positives - and I totally agree that this product is being marketed all wrong. I'm a writer and web programmer, so a lightweight mobile device with a full-sized keyboard is a must for me. If I didn't already own an Alphasmart Dana, I'd being queueing up for a Foleo, because it's either that or wait for a commercial version of the OLPC. As it is, come launch day I'll find it difficult to resist indulging my gadget-lust :)
I don't want a Windoze machine full of bloatware, just a portable word-processor that can also access my email and connect to my blog. The Foleo looks like it will do that, no problem. Plus if it's Linux-based, there'll be plenty of folks looking to hack it or port those must-have utilities like vi ;)
Palm, if you're reading this, for heaven's sake rethink (or extend) the positioning of this item. Stop pitching it as just a smartphone add-on, and admit that it is also a great laptop-alternative for students, writers and the like. I'm not going to buy a Treo now or in the forseeable future (I have a perfectly good Sony-Ericsson with Bluetooth that fits in a standard phone pocket), but I can see myself using the Foleo without phone connectivity.
In reading comments, I can tell there are many online here who are experts in the field.
Perhaps I can help you understand the profile of a potential customer, me.
Most of the devices referenced in this blog, I have never heard of. I work in corporate america and am provided a Dell laptop and Treo. I work mostly outside of the office and keep my laptop at home. My work is 70% email, 20% word/excel, and 10%web. 30% of the emails necessitate long responses (so I wait until I'm home) but having the TREO to read and reply quickly to the other 70%is indispensable. The web work I do is difficult on a TREO but a still can be done in a bind which is important.
I have a list of co-workers who are all eager to pay $500 for the Foleo because our laptops are heavy and take too long to boot up, plus we have them plugged into our printers and outlets at home.
We have Secure I.D. cards, which require carrying a security device, to access our network which adds to the hassle.
The Treo reduced the average 1 hour of work at night to 30 min's. The Foleo may reduce the last half hour.
I have kids, a wife and sports center begging for my time. $500~ bargin. Do I know anything about the power and inner workings of this thing, nope. All I know is taking my laptop usually doesn't work. My Treo is invaluable but it's lack of screen-size and keyboard create a need. The Foleo looks like it may satisfy that need.
My guess is that Palm did some Market Research and found an number of people like me who don't own an Ipod or have a desire to own an Iphone.
All I want is to be done with work BEFORE I walk in the house at night.
I'm with Dave. There's one thing I want from the Foleo that I can't get and that is a bluetooth disk brick, but as far as I know, nobody makes that. So I'm either going to have to depend on Google to up the storage at Google Docs, or sweat it out until MiniSD gets up to 10GB. With that done I can actually leave my laptop which is really too big for just webwork, and webwork is what's happening for execs and pros on the go.
I might have a couple dozen PDFs, spreadsheets and powerpoints that I need to work on. To drop the weight of a laptop, transformer et al is really worth it. But I still need that laptop in order to run big apps (and Gotomypc).
Hear, hear. This is a case of a mob mentality. Feeding Frenzy. It feels good to join a mob and tear something to bits. Think highschool. Think Lord of the Flies.
Since so much can be done through the web browser these days, this thing is perfect for travel and coffee houses, as a second or third home pc, something you can carry around the house, rest in your lap while in front of the tv. Forget the connection to the Palm handheld. Email, Myspace, Ebay, reading news and blogs, what more do the masses need? Outlook has a web client, as well. Knock yourself out.
Most of you seem to be missing the point. At 2.5 lbs, instant on, instant off and instant sync, people like myself who travel all of the time and want a device to type emails and documents on the go without the boot up time of computers and the small screen size of phones, this is ideal. An all in one? Can you put your laptop up to your ear? Think outside of the box for a change.
An earlier poster was right. This is like an upgraded netbook by psion (not the bug prone windows .net pro).
If it wasn't reliant on your phone (besides wifi) it would have to have its own device to connect to the web. As much as we'd like to live in the future, no smart phone can deliver the features of a larger device and stay powered on (and off instantly) like this new machine.
I've used a netbook for the past six years and it still works. I have the netbook pro and it sits in a drawer. It's all about the software as far as I'm concerned. Not to bash MS but they make a pretty flaky OS for my money. Besides my netbook pro, I've spent some time with a Jordana and recently went on an extended trip with an associate who carried a HP smart phone. That GPS was great, voice recogition/commands worked well but it crashed way too often. The netbook never crashes (yes, I mean never). But I digress . . .
Most everyone commented on the failure of this device. I agree. As the netbook has shown, for some reason this form factor doesn't work. While I maintain everyone should have one of these, the market has spoken otherwise.
Yet imagine if your phone stays in your pocket (or your briefcase). It's simply the link. All you trekky look-alikes with your bluetooth ear pods don't really need it if your at a linked screen anyhow. Sitting at your local coffee shop with a screen and no cords, you could work for hours with a full keyboard. Netbased apps like googles make it even better. Then all you woulld need is connectivity.
Paul
Foleo is five year old idea, not a project which is developed for five years, so don't post inaccurate comments! It's a "side" project and not a flagship product for Palm, so potential fiasco with Foleo would not affect Palm and successful Treo line of smartphones. Foleo itself is a concept which have it's potentials, and in future there will be more Foleo-like products. Asus EEE Pc and HTC Shift are following similar idea as Foleo.