Palm demonstrated their new product called the Foleo to the press today. It is designed to be a companion to your Windows Mobile or Palm OS cell phone. It's usage is focused around on-the-run instant-on applications. Some scenarios for using it included the corridor warrior moving from meeting to meeting taking notes where instant on makes them more efficient.
Applications
The Foleo allows you to sync your e-mail, view attachments (Word, Excel and PowerPoint via DataViz) PDF Viewer (open source) and browse the web (Opera). Also, it has a note taking application. The Opera web browser supports flash and can play video (however it drops frames due to the slow cpu speed), and access secure websites. You can secure it with a power on password or allow it to unlock automatically if your cell phone is connected via Bluetooth. Also, there is no task bar and each app runs full screen.
Operating System
Foleo uses the Linux operating system and it allows users to get to the command prompt as well as develop applications for it. The Foleo can be expanded by developers using the SDK which is expected the same time it ships.
Synchronization
The concept is that you synchronize your Inbox and Contacts from your Windows Mobile or Palm OS smartphone to your Foleo. Attachments in e-mail are supported however the Foleo does not work alone for e-mail. Also, you can use your cell phone's internet access with the Foleo to access the internet and surf the web. The connection between the Foleo and the smartphone uses Bluetooth so the internet is limited to 768k.
Specifications
It runs on flash storage and includes a SD slot and an internal CompactFlash slot. Also, you can use it to view PowerPoint presentations via VGA (1024 x 768). The unit also includes a display is 1024 x 600 (wide screen), a 18 mm pitch full size keyboard. It includes built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. The Foleo weighs 2.5 pounds and it's approximately 10.55 x 6.67 x .94 inches. It's designed to run for about 5 hours with the Wi-Fi enabled. Please note that there is no touch screen however it does have a mouse wheel between the mouse buttons for navigation.
Commentary
The usage scenario for the Foleo is almost identical to the Handheld PC that Microsoft introduced in 1996 and refined until 2000 when it was discontinued. They both allow users to surf the web and access their e-mail and use a cell phone as modem to connect to the internet. Also it too had a CompactFlash and a PC Card slot for expansion. Hmm, maybe this proves that Microsoft's original idea for the Handheld PCs is still valid today. (Source: Chris De Herrera, Pocket PC Talk)
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