Needless to say, when (Palm CEO Ed) Colligan told me that the Treo Pro would retail in the US for $549, I gasped. What's the carrier subsidy, I asked? Who's the carrier? What's it really gonna cost? There isn't any. There isn't one. And yeah, it's really $549. We'll be selling the phone in the US unlocked, at least initially, he told me. The strategy: giving end users the "flexibility" to choose their own carrier without a new contract, and paying dearly for the privilege.

Whatever can be said for the company strategy, the stock has been on a tear, so something must be going right. The $99 Centro has been a smash hit with women and college students. PALM came up in one of my screens yesterday of undervalued stocks with strong relative strength. The stock has outperformed 87 percent of all U.S. stocks over the past six months.

The company has an illustrious past, practically inventing the whole handheld industry. I've been through three or four Palm Pilots since the mid-90s. I loved them. I even bought the Treo 700w through Verizon a few years ago for around $500. That was a mistake. While the Windows OS was easy-to-use, it was a memory hog, virtually impossible for me to upgrade, crashed frequently and wouldn't sync well with Outlook. In short, much like Vista is now. The Blackberry was better and cheaper but I had fond memories of Pilots past and was just plain stupid. Now with the iPhone at $199, some Blackberries for even less, and a Google phone in the offing, the reason to buy a Windows-based smartphone escapes me.

Less than a year ago, Palm's Colligan killed the Foleo project. That was going to be Palm's "mobile companion," not a handheld, not a laptop, but some sort of overpriced ($499) cross-between that ran under Linux. At the time he sent us all emails canceling it, he said, "I still believe that the market category defined by Foleo has enormous potential" and he promised Foleo II. Have you heard anything since about Foleo II?

The New York Times wrote this morning, "The real test of the new team’s leadership will come in the first half of next year. That is when Palm plans to announce a next generation of software..." So Windows is just a stop-gap to get this phone out the door and this phone makes no sense?

: : : : : : : : : : :

We got a nice helping of slides dropped on our virtual doorstep this evening, fleshing out Dell's upcoming netbook -- which they seem to be calling the "Dell E." Um, Eeenteresting name choice, but that doesn't seem set in stone, and there's plenty else going on here to ponder over. Dell's breaking the Dell E into two device types, a 8.9-inch model clearly meant to take on the Eee 900, and the 12.1-inch "E Slim" which actually looks positioned to take on the MacBook Air and X300, at a mere 0.8-inches thick, though perhaps in a lower-end capacity. Even the 8.9-inch model will have some distinctions, with E Classic model for super low-end use, and E Video and E Video+ for more RAM, larger flash storage, webcams and Bluetooth in the + model. Rollout looks to be slated for August for the E, August / September-ish for the E Slim, and a followup for both of those in October of WWAN, with WiMAX after that. Dell even has a second version of both devices slated for Q2 2009, but that's all we know about those so far. Perhaps most interesting is that all of these run Linux and Windows XP, and while it's not clear if there's a full-featured Linux OS onboard, there does seem to be an instant-on, Foleo-esque Linux included on all of them called BlackTop. We're not sure if there's any relation to Splashtop, but the janky-ass interface and email / calendar / contacts apps seem to be telling us no. BlackTop will support WWAN and WiFi, and Dell plans to move the 2.0 version to the Latitude and Vostro lines in a year or two. Peep the slides below for all the gory details. Oh, and the price? Dell E starts at $299.

1) I realize the OS on handheld devices will soon match the power of 2007's laptops,
2) didn't want to spend the $2000 it would cost to get a similarly sized laptop, and
3) like the idea of a bigger screen and keyboard when needed.

So down went the Foleo, seeming almost like cement-shoes to Palm. Now Redfly (Windows version of Foleo) seems all the rage!?!?!?!?! I don't get it. Isn't it so similar that it should likewise be chastised and laughed into the same category as Coke II and the Foleo? Maybe Palm WAS ahead of their time, and not so crazy after all. Maybe we should have a little more faith in Palm that they aren't that far off-base. Just maybe, Nova will be cool, and maybe, just maybe, opening a whole new market of smartphone users with the Centro (which is better than the Treo for less money) is not so financially irresponsible after all. So was the world flat when Foleo came out last year, or has it been round this whole time?

E um pouco desapontado!

Sem dúvida que o Air é um excelente exemplo de bom design e engenharia, mas vejam o que o designer Willy Yonkers desenhou, misturando o conceito do extinto Foleo da Palm, com o seu tão amado iPhone...

O conceito é simples, o touchpad do "iFoleo" serve como uma docking port para o iPhone, que então se torna um gigante multi-touch trackpad... Brilhante!

O Sr. Yonkers também certificou-se que o design reflecte o estilo do iPhone.

Tem um ecrã de 12", portas USB, standard audio jack, e claro, um eject button para libertar o iPhone.

Apple, deixem-se de "ar" e criem isto para quando o iPhone sair por terras lusas!

Ainda a falar do design da Apple, 2008 marca o 10º aniversário do iMac, o computador que mudou tudo na Apple, começando uma nova era de design.

O designer responsável por isso é Jonathan Ive, que muitos acreditam, será o próximo CEO da Apple quando Jobs se reformar...

Porém, o que muitos não sabem é que este jovem se inspira no trabalho de um designer "old-school".

Esse homem é Dieter Rams, e os seus "antigos" designs para a Braun durante os anos 50 e 60 tem muitas pistas sobre os antigos designes da Apple, presentes e talvez futuros...

Vejam alguns exemplos:

Braun Atelier TV & o último iMac de 24"

Braun T1000 radio & PowerMac G5/Mac Pro

Detalhe da superfície de alumínio perfurada

Braun T3 pocket radio & Apple iPod

Braun L60 sound system & Apple iPod Hi-Fi

Colunas Braun LE1 & Apple iMac

Calculador do iPhone & Braun ET66

Com tanta inspiração no trabalho de Rams, há quem diga que a calculadora do iPhone tenha sido uma homenagem (uma palavra bonita para plágio), ao seu trabalho.

Mas o que acha o próprio Rams disto?

Em Janeiro de 2004, após o lançamento do PowerMac G5, Rams deu uma entrevista à revista Icon.

Seguem alguns trechos onde ele fala sobre a Apple:

Ao chão está o seu rádio T1000 de 1963, criado após um diretor da Braun dizer que queria algo que pudesse levar em seu iate. "Ele tem um visual muito contemporâneo. Claro que hoje é possível fazê-lo muito menor", diz ele. Com a sua caixa de alúmínio, superfície perfurada e cantos arredondados faz lembrar o novo G5 da Apple. "É, é... Sem dúvida!", diz Rams quando eu toco no assunto. "Uma revista alemã disse, olha, Rams fez isso anos atrás, mas isto é normal".
....
"Na Braun, eles estavam sempre dispostos a correr riscos - ninguém sabia dizer se um produto iria ter sucesso. Nós como designers não podíamos criar do nada. As pessoas que comandavam a empresa teriam que querer o produto. O que falta hoje é que já não há esse tipo de empreendedor. Hoje só existe a Apple e um pouco atrás dela vem a Sony, mas não no mesmo grau que havia na Olivetti e na Braun, ou com Peter Behrens na AEG, ou Herman Miller e Charles Eames, Florence Knoll com Eero Saarinen e por aí em diante. Estes tipos de conexões estão em falta hoje em dia."

No final de contas parece que Rans fica contente por ver seus conceitos aplicados até hoje.

E é bom se inspirar em bons designers...

Não dá para reinventar a roda, mas pode-se criar a clickwheel!

O pessoal do Engadget lembrou do Palm Foleo com esta galeria de fotos do que seria o produto. Só para recordar: esta mistura de laptop com PDA seria lançada pela Palm no meio de 2007, mas pela quantidade de críticas o projeto afundou. Eles juram que ainda vão lançar o aparelho, mas depois das duras críticas ele terá que ser bem diferente. Hoje, ele seria esmagado pelo Eee PC ou N810 que também rodam Linux e custam menos.  A idéia me parece boa, mas a execução não foi das mais felizes.

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Back in May when Palm announced that it was releasing the Foleo, the technology world took notice. For one, Palm had been taking a pretty predictable and uninspired course over the past few years -- considerably different from it's inspired beginnings, bringing us the Palm Pilot and creating what is probably regarded the first widely accepted PDA platform. The company appeared to be content with simply pushing out new Treos -- and even those were starting to see only incremental, uninspired updates. The Foleo was initially attacked a bit by the mainstream press (including by the Engadget editors) as a device that didn't quite make sense. But to me it made perfect sense.

Laptops have really gotten away from their original intent -- (or at least I believe so). Laptops were meant to be portable representations of desktop based PCs. While they've been successful in porting the same power as their desktop counterparts, often this comes at a cost. Only the most expensive laptops are small enough and can be considered truly portable to the point where their presence in your office briefcase is unnoticeable. You would think that over time, laptops would have decreased in size dramatically -- and they have. But perhaps not at the rate that I believe they should have. Laptops at this point should be no heavier than 3 pounds -- 5 pounds max.

It's easy to blame almost anything that's wrong with tech on Microsoft, but in this case, I think it's rather appropriate. Hardware manufacturers are trying to build notebook/laptop computers to keep pace with the growing demand for high visual requirements. We've seen with Vista that the visual enhancements brought forth by "a desktop background that has a moving image" and features like "Flip 3D" and Aero Glass come with moderate visual impact and very little gain in functionality to the user.

I think Microsoft could have impacted this course that laptops have taken by implementing a more streamlined version of Windows under the "Vista Business Edition" moniker. There's no reason why a business version of Vista should run slower than Windows XP. I think they should have created a separate development team, focused on minimizing the OS to a "business basic" form factor with only the most relevant features. (Sure, I know that's easier said than done. But if this had been the focus of the dev team -- an OS that requires minimal RAM, runs efficiently, and is more stable because it's designed to prioritize stability over features -- we might not be talking about Vista as such a failure right now in the court of public opinion.)

I think that laptops should be broken out into two totally different categories -- each with a distinct core purpose.

The first type of laptop is represented largely by what we see when we walk in any Best Buy today: a desktop alternative. This is effectively a machine that is nearly as powerful as almost any full-size desktop. When I am consulting customers regarding the purchase of new PCs, increasingly people are demanding the need for a laptop over a desktop. Often when I inquire further about why aren't considering a cheaper, more upgradable desktop that would be significantly easier to fix (when they will eventually approach me about a repair), their response is often the same: "Hey, I don't really want to talk about it. I just know that I want a laptop." The mainstream market doesn't really know why they want a laptop other than the fact that for most, it's sexy to be able to move around with what is effectively a shrinked-down tower-PC. The sad truth is that most people don't even make use of the computing power -- much less the portability. (I know a few people who have laptops that only see the light of day less than 10 times a year. When I go to move the laptop, I see the dust spot formed around the area where the laptop always sits..... or the "snap" as I detach the laptop from the footprint where it's probably been sitting for the past few months.) I'm sure there are a majority of users who do take their laptops everywhere they go. (I see them on the NYC transit system every day.) When I think if this, I am reminded of the flashy HP commercials that show Venus Williams, Pharrell Williams and others swishing their hands about and talking about their digital life.

On the other end of the equation lies what I think Palm was trying to emulate with the Foleo: a minimal, low power consuming, long battery-life having, 2-to-3 pound desktop counterpart. During these same consulting visits of mine, when I further inquire about the way that the customer intends to use the PC, the answers are almost always the same. It usually breaks down into the same four areas:

1. Browsing the web
2. Media on the go (Movies/Music)
3. E-mail access
4. Document creation

With the exception of number two, these are all tasks that don't require the unbelievable amount of computer power that we're getting when we buy most portable PCs. As matter of fact, with the exception of number two, these can all be achieved on a old Intel 486 based processor created over fifteen years ago if the applications are developed efficiently.) I can browse the web with my iPhone, or using my Nokia 770 -- and these are devices with power that is dwarfed by that of a current generation dual core Intel processor. Mobile users could browse the web on a portable device and have a great experience as long as the device has support for Flash and other standards that allow accessibility to most sites.

Document editing and creation fall into almost the same category. Despite the fact that MS Office continues to grow to monstrous sizes to justify a cost upwards of $300, the needs are basic: document and spreadsheet creation/editing, a database program of some sort, e-mail and a presentation application. I think Office is moving completely in the wrong direction for business customers. Technology analysts often refer to the notion that with all of the advances and new features that MS Office and other ambitious applications bring about, most of us only make practical use of about 10% of the features. In a question inspired by my earlier challenge regarding Vista, why isn't Microsoft (and for that matter, Apple with OS X) releasing a faster and more efficient version of their productivity suite with a small footprint that enables business users to have access to only the core features that they'll need?

E-mail access is probably the least demanding of all. And considering the fact that most of my contact's e-mail domains these days usually end in "@gmail.com", "@yahoo.com", or "@hotmail.com", you probably can get away with using a web-based client and having a small, feature-deficient e-mail client similar to a "Eudora Lite" and still provide a compelling experience.

Of the four features mentioned, perhaps "media on the go" requires the most power. But I'd say that even that can be achieved with minimal resources. Many laptops have an OS-independent mode that allows the user to play DVDs without having to completely boot up Windows. (It's really quite impressive -- you can power on and be in this mode in about 10 seconds.) You'll find that many portable DVD players in Best Buy cost about $170 - $300 with screens that don't rival even the cheapest $299 laptop. And if your portable machine can play movies, music and pictures are an obvious subset.

My theory doesn't really take into account video games. Most gamers need every bit of the CPU, Ram and display resolution that a $3000 laptop can offer. However, I would argue that for most mainstream PC users, their gaming needs don't require nearly this amount of power. When I look at the games that most mobile phone and laptop users play (Zuma, Peggle, Tetris and other Pop-Cap games, Sudoku, word scramble games and, of course, Solitaire and Free Cell) there's no need for any high level video rendering, pixel shading, anti-aliasing, z-buffering, etc.

It baffles the mind that technology companies have not capitalized on this huge untapped market segment. This small form factor "desktop counterpart" that I'm talking about should be about $250 - $600 max. I envision this as the compliment to a larger desktop based PC, where the user would bring the small PC counterpart home, dock it and it would synch the documents folder with the big PC. And given my observation of most mainstream user's computing habits, they could probably get away with this counterpart being their sole PC.

When I take my weekly "pleasure stroll" through Best Buy, often the laptop department leaves me scratching my head. The large machines with 15.4 inch displays range in price from $399 - $1500. However, the smaller-form factor PCs -- the ones that weigh 2-to-4 pounds and have displays of either 12.1 or 14.1 inches are significantly more expensive -- ranging from around $1200 - $1900. Now, I completely understand why the pricing breaks down the way it does... Smaller components are harder to produce and require more engineering to squeeze the components into a smaller form factor. But it also speaks to the same problem I pointed to earlier. For laptop creators, there is a minimum level of requirements that the PC will require in order to run any version of Windows. And the release of Vista has only made these requirements more demanding.

What many people have done to fill this mobile need is to try and substitute laptops with handheld devices (like smart phones and PDAs) -- and with this choice comes an entirely different set of problems. As much as I adore my iPhone, it's not exactly the best device for entering data -- nor will it ever be. As long as we're a keyboard-driven society (and that's a totally different discussion) devices like the iPhone aren't going to solve the problem of needing to take notes at a meeting or the need to edit large amounts of e-mail. For that matter, nor will the Blackberry be this sole device. I would argue that the Blackberry's OS has improved, but is not at the level that is needed to be the sole device that we need on the go. For devices like these, the form factor is simply too small. They are meant to be quick views into our lives. I whip out my iPhone to check the weather, or the time, or to see my calendar, or to set a quick alarm before I take a nap, or to check the baseball scores. I can't expect this device to be able to provide a compelling movie watching experience or be able to take effective notes on it in a meeting. It simply isn't designed with these tasks in mind.

Sadly, I think the Foleo was on to something before they were scared away by the comments of influential folks like Peter Rojas and Ryan Block (both of who I really admire and credit for inspiring me to do what I do on this site.) While many focused on the shortcomings of the device (5-hour battery life, works in conjunction with a Palm, $500 cost -- which is more than a base-level Dell or HP laptop with infinitely more power), I saw the promise of what they were trying to do. See, the device was made for people like me. People who don't want to worry about accidentally dropping their bag and causing damage to their $1500 device. People who would like to be able to pull out a laptop on the train, document a few thoughts, respond to a few e-mails, perhaps watch a movie, listen to music, browse a set of cached web pages and maybe even read an eBook. We want to be able to take this all-in-one device into a board room, plug in a display projector via USB and navigate through the slideshow.

So, with Vista being the standard that is sold on most new PCs and Palm having announced the cancel/delay of it's Foleo, it appears that there is no hope in sight, right? I mean, what can we do given the fact that we know what it is we want?? I'm glad you asked. Check back in a few days when I post what I believe to be concept that could revolutionize the portable computing space for the next 3-to-5 years.

Prior to the introduction of the LifeDrive, Jeff Hawkins was alluding to a Third business unit within Palm. After the LifeDrive came out, we all assumed that the "Mobile Manager" line was the Third BU, but it wasn't; it was the Foleo. So, the Foleo has been about 3 years or more in the making, which is a long time in the Technology field. In that time we've had a lot of changes, both in the Palm ecosystem as well as the computing industry in general. Now's not the time to bring out the Foleo, and most certainly not THAT Foleo. I wrote a while back about what you (Palm) got right and did wrong on the Foleo, so take that and what other people have said about the Foleo, and do the Foleo II right, but only once you've got your business back in order and the customers flocking in.

Palm, thank you for listening, although it's a shame it had to come to a lot of bloggers ranting about your present course before you paid heed to what we've been saying for a while now. Palm users and enthusiasts have stuck with you over the years because the 'Zen of Palm' lets us get things done in our active lives. We don't want you to fail, but you've really been letting us down lately, and it's hurt your credibility and our loyalty. Yesterday's announcement goes towards building up our trust in you again, but you will need to go further. Here's what you need to do:

Real support: You've fallen into the same rut that most of the industry has with regard to support. You outsource it to the lowest bidder, measure "performance" based on time-on-calls and the too hasty "resolution" of support calls without regard for the most important metric: Is the problem resolved to the satisfaction of the end-user? Get real technical people on the Tech Support lines, and have an established path to escalate matters to 2nd and 3rd level support. Happy customers are repeat customers.

Stop blaming your software bugs on 3rd party developers; log them, and fix them. 3rd party developers help sell YOUR products; never forget that. Get issue tracking happening, and make it available to the developers network so they're not spinning their wheels over stuff you're working on.

Wi-Fi,and while you're at it, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR: Come on, Wi-Fi is essential these days; the iPhone has it, other Cell phones have it, many $200 media players have it, even the new iPod Touch has it. Just DO it! And build-in support for the Bluetooth profiles people want to use, like stereo audio, HID Keyboards, and DUN. And don't let carriers' short-sightedness convince you to cripple connectivity features in firmware; in the long run, it'll hurt you both.

Standardize the platform: There's new chipsets out there that do CDMA and GSM. The Blackberry Worldphone has it, and so do some consumer-type phones. It may cost more per-chip, but it will reduce the number of models and variants (especially radio boards) you have in your product line, and that will reduce your development time, time-to-market, regulatory approvals, and your support costs. At least do that with your flagship Treo line; use less expensive radios in the Centro line if you have to. Try and modularize your firmware builds, and reduce the number of software variants that are too "carrier specific"; those just add to your support costs, reduce your ability to test thoroughly, and increase the likelihood of problems. 700p MR come to mind right about now? How about the various 650 firmware upgrades? Do you really want a repeat of that? And stop changing API's between devices! You're really annoying your 3rd party developers (remember, 3rd party developers help sell YOUR devices; you need them, whereas they need somebody, but not necessarily YOU).

Do Linux already: It overcomes the limitations of the Garnet kernel, and adds many new features and device drivers. Not to mention a lot of available software and developers. If you go the WindRiver route, make sure you have a compatibility layer like PACE, and make sure it WORKS properly! (DataMangler, uh Data Manager patch). If the WindRiver product isn't going to beat ALP at the Palm OS game, then swallow your pride and license ALP. You didn't buy back PalmSource in time, so get over it. If Access releases to licensees a better Palm OS for Linux than you do on your own devices, the Palm brand will die. Fast. Just look at their partner page to see your competition, or your allies. Your call.

Enough with the "Evolutionary Upgrades" already! It's time to get back to revolutionary. The iPod Touch is the LifeDrive done right, sans the 3rd party software availability. The Treo 600 was the last "Revolutionary" device under the Palm brand, but that was Handspring's designers. The LifeDrive could've been one, but you didn't take it far enough. There was a reason why the Sony Clies were popular, and hardcore techies were salivating over Handera. They were pushing the envelope of handheld computing, while you've been playing it "safe". You're in a fight for your very survival now, if you haven't figured it out yet. Time to take some risks; no one has lost a customer by giving them what they ask for or what they want, and we've been wanting this stuff for a while now! Meanwhile, the competition's heating up...

Make the PIM software easily extensible. Allow for stuff like linking between tasks and appointments, contacts, and memos, and do it in the OS. Allow for additional contact fields to be added, or custom fields in the calendar database, and do it right! Don't cludge something together like undocumented BLobs and DataMangling patches. Think out the feature sets, then implement them properly! ALP seems to have...

So, Palm, Can you hear us now?

Mert mi is tulajdonképpen a Foleo? "Mobil társ" (mobil: itt: Treo) a hivatalos szlogen szerint. Lehet vele e-mail-t küldeni/fogadni, webezgetni kicsit és még talán egy-két más dologra is jó lett volna, de bármely értelmes emberben még ezek elolvasása közben felmerül a kérdés, hogy "mi a fenének?", hiszen ugyanezekre jó maga a PDA is, ha már mobil eszközzel akarunk ilyen feladatokat csinálni. Ha meg nem elég a PDA igényeinknek, akkor ott a laptop, erre találták ki: lehet hurcolászni és remekül futnak rajta "programok" is. Mint például az e-mail kliens és a web böngésző. Azt meg ugye mondanom sem kell, hogy egy deriváns linux mobil platformra írt szövegszerkesztő és mondjuk egy Microsoft Office Word 2007 közt mekkora minőségbeli különbség van, elég mondjuk azt nézni, hogy a Word 2007 kompatibilis saját magával (khm, többnyire), a linux ware meg nem annyira. :) Jó, mondhatnánk, a laptop nehéz és hamar lemerül, azon kívül lassan indul, meg minden. Igaz, viszont nemigen hiszem hogy a Foleo sokkal könnyebb lett volna (1 kiló körüli tömegre emlékszem), a méretei pedig egyértelműen nem a "zsebrevágható" kategóriába pozícionálták. GSM, 3G, stb kapcsolata ráadásul nem is lett volna, mivel úgy gondolták, hogy vegyek százezerért egy Treo-t, aztán hozzá egy ilyen értelmetlen valamit még kétszer annyiért, és a Treo-n kereszül netezzek a "valamivel". Egyszerűen akárhonnan nézem, nem látom értelmét. Nem jó semmire, de legfőképpen nincs szükség rá.

Azt hiszem, erre jöttek rá Ed Colligan-ék is a Palm Inc-nél, bár fő okként azt említik, hogy nem tartják célszerűnek a PalmOS Garnet, Windows Mobile és a leendő linux alapú PalmOS-szerűségük mellett ezt a linux alapú értelmetlenséget is támogaztni, inkább egy platformra (azaz vindózzal kettőre) koncentrálnak. Ez logikus, és végre értelmes lépés (de miért kellett akkor ezt az egészet kitalálni??).

Ennyit a Foleo-ról, ami sokkal inkább foglalkoztat a Palm-al kapcsolatban, az az, hogy miért nem képesek úgy csinálni a dolgokat, mint régen, még a Tungsten T3 idejében? Akkoriban még nyálcsorgatva várták az emberek, hogy megjelenjen egy új Palm modell, és kategóriájában biztos, hogy nyerő gépet hozott ki a cég. Én továbbra is úgy tartom, hogy a Tungsten T3 a Palm csúcsmodellje, se előtte, se utána nem csináltak ilyen jó gépet. A T3 után kezdődött a hanyatlás.

Akkoriban tisztán látszott a termékskálájukon az átgondoltság: Volt egy üzleti csúcsmodell kategória, a Tungsten sorozat, volt egy otthoni kategória a Zire nagyobb sorszámú modelleiből, voltak az olcsó, szinte már "eldobható" Zire/Tungsten E modellek, és akkoriban vásárolták vissza a Treo-kat, úgyhogy volt egy félig-meddig saját, de közös ősöktől származó Treo családjuk. Mindenki megtalálhatta a neki tetsző modelleket. A Palm up-to-date volt, amint kijött egy új technológia, ők elkezdték támogatni (IrDA, BlueTooth).

Most mi a helyzet? Van a Treo, és ennyi. Egyfajta Treo van, leszámítva az említésre sem méltó vindózos (khm, hadd ne illessem jelzővel) "okos" telefonokat. A Tungsten család a TX óta nem volt frissítve, ami pedig idestova 2 éves lesz hamarosan. Zire, E modell sehol. Ez még nem is lenne gond, mert én is úgy látom, hogy az okostelefonokban, ill. pontosabban a telefonmodullal rendelkező PDA-kban van a jövő, de az Isten szerelmére, miért butább egy Treo, mint a T3-mam? Elég csak ránézni: 320x320 pixeles kijelzője van, pedig egy remek, szétcsúsztatható megoldással a T3-mamba 320x480-as display is belefért. (A vindózos Treo-k 240x240-jét meg inkább hagyjuk.) Ez manapság semmire sem elég! A Sony-Ericsson K800i-m negyedakkora kijelzője is 240x320 pixeles már! A legidegesítőbb azonban az a dologban, amit csak a hozzám hasonló, manapság már "oldschool"-nak nevezhető Tungsten T3/T5/TX felhasználók érezhetnek: manapság már nincs program ezekre a fejlettebb gépekre, a kijövő új cuccok csak a Treo-k gagyi képernyőit támogatják! Ezen nagyon fel tudom húzni az agyamat... Vagy vegyük a már említett Tungsten X-et: elvileg a T3 második utódja lenne (a T5 után, T4 meg nem volt, a pletyka szerint jogi okokból), de hiányzik belőle a mikrofon, sokkal szarabb a hangja (súg a hangkimenet!), nem összecsúsztatható és lespórolták belőle a státuszjelző LED-et és a vibramotort is. Ja, és kisebb a dinamikus memóriája, ami azt eredményezi, hogy elég körülményes a RAM-igényesebb stuffok futtatása rajta. Két pozitívumként a jobb akksit és a WiFi-t tudnám csak említeni (nem, nem kiemelni, említeni).

És akkor eddig még csak arról beszéltünk, hogy a Palm saját magához képest kezd lemaradni. Sajnos a nagyobb gond inkább az, hogy a piachoz képest évekkel el van maradva. A teljes portfóliójukról két modellben van WiFi, a PalmOS Garnet pedig megrekedt a kétezres évek elejének szintjén. 3G? Sehol. Megapixeles kamerák? Minek? Ez még nem is lenne gond, de elveszett az, ami a Palmot anno naggyá tette: az ötletek. Az, hogy újraértelmezték a számítástechnikát, és kitalálták, hogy hogy kell kinéznie egy PDA-nak. Ők jöttek rá, hogy más szemléletmód kell hozzá, mint egy asztali rendszerhez, és ez az, amiért a Windows Mobile a mai napig is egy nagy szar. Az ő művük volt az első használható PIM csomag (naptár, címtár, jegyzettömb, teendőlista), a képernyő forgatás, a kézírás-felismerés (jó, volt előtte Newton is, de az sosem volt sikeres), a státuszsor, az eltüntethető író-mező, meg még egy csomó dolog. Semmi komoly fejlesztés nem történt a PalmOS-en a T3 óta. Gyakorlatilag annyi a Hires+-nak (320x480), a Graffitinek, a státusz-sornak meg még pár ötletnek, a Treo megölte őket.

Elég csak megnézni a konkurenciát: szemet gyönyörködtető, agyonanimált, végletekig egyszerűsített interfésze van az iPhone-nak, szintén agyonanimált, skinnelhető menükkel rendelkeznek a Sony-Ericsson Mobile Platform-os és UIQ3-mas telefonok is. Még a Windows Mobile is kezd úgy kinézni, hogy az ember nem akarja rögtön elhányni magát tőle, mégha azt a legjobb indulattal sem lehetne rámondani, hogy "egyszerű". (Jól van, feel free to hate me, de én utálom a WM-t. Majd egyszer bővebben is kifejtem, hogy miért.) A Palm meg még mindig ott tart, hogy fehér háttérre nem-antialiasolt, fekete keretes gombokat rajzolgat bitképes fontokkal. Brrr. (Oké szeretem, de ez már csak megszokás, ha ma látnám először, akkor röhögnék rajta.) A Palm-nak komoly fejlesztéseket kell eszközölnie ezen a téren.

És akkor rá is térhetünk arra, hogy miért nem fogták meg az Isten lábát, amikor lehetőségük adódott rá: A PalmOS 6 ugyanis már 2004-2005 tájékán elkészült, a hírek szerint akár egyből használhatták volna kész termékekben is, tudott mindent, amit a PalmOS 5, kompatiblilis volt vele, viszont messzemenőkig kiterjesztette annak lehetőségeit. A kor színvonalát meghaladta, és AZ volt a helyes út, amit meg kellett volna lépniük. De neeem, a Palm Inc. (vagy akkor épp PalmOne, mert nevet is változtattak ám, amit később meggondoltak, és visszaváltoztattak) maradt a PalmOS 5-nél, a 6-ot meg hagyták elrohadni. Nem jött ki egy készülék sem PalmOS Cobalt-tal. Az ACCESS azóta is fejlesztgeti a linux alapú "következő generációs PalmOS"-t Access Linux Platform néven, de vajon mi a fenének, ha egyszer ott volt a Cobalt is? Azon kívül a napvilágot látott screenshotokról nekem az jön le, hogy a PalmOS egyik vívmányát sem kívánják megtartani, és egy olyan valamit fognak létrehozni, ami max. beállhat a sorba a Sony-Ericsson, a Nokia, a Siemens és a többi gyártó saját mobil OS-ei mögé. Céltalan és felejthető.

Összegezve: a Palmnak alaposan el kéne gondolkodnia, ha még nem jöttek rá, hogy a Treo eladások nem fogják örökké ellátni őket pénzzel. Ki kéne rukkolniuk egy olyan készülékkel, ami leveri az iPhone-t, viszont megtartja a korábbi PalmOS-ek előnyeit. Amúgy komoly esélyekkel pályázhatnának, ha lenne valami kis eszük, mert megvan az az előnyük, hogy egyrészt ismert és elismert márkával rendelkeznek, másrészt az iPhone nem képes programok futtatására (neee, kérem ne nevezzük programnak az ajaxos weboldalakat!). Én megvenném.

The Official Palm Blog: A Message to Palm Customers, Partners and Developers: " I have decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration and focus all of our energies on delivering out next generation platform and the first smartphones that will bring this platform to market."

Não escondo que tenho um fraquinho pelo que a Palm faz, nomeadamente pelos produtos não Windows Mobile. Mas a verdade é que para além de toda a simpatia que tenho para com a Palm, ultimamente esta companhia se tem transformado num conjunto de decisões falhadas, de mudanças de rumo e de saltos em frente.

A razão principal para o cancelamento do Foleo foi o de efectivamente não ser um produto que tenha cativado o mercado porque não era nem um telemóvel nem um computador portátil. Era algo no meio que nunca funcionaria bem sozinho. Percebeu-se isso desde o início, e seria preciso fazer alguma coisa no futuro para o melhorar. Claro que isto criou problemas à Palm, porque estava a desenvolver o Foleo numa plataforma diferente da do seu negócio de smartphones.

Ora a decisão de acabar com o Foleo por causa da plataforma numa companhia bem gerida nem se devia pôr. Se não tinham capacidade para desenvolver uma plataforma nova para um produto novo, não deviam ter metido nela logo no princípio. Isto é má gestão e por alguma razão se tem visto a Palm a perder utilizadores, respeito e credibilidade e dá razão a algumas das críticas e suspeitas que vinham sendo colocadas na internet sobre o futuro do Foleo e já agora da Palm...

Com muita pena minha... mas a pena não cria bons gadgets...

Recently, Palm announced the Foleo, a "Treo Companion" which works in conjunction with your Treo Smartphone (and in the future, other brands). Jeff Hawkins feels this will revolutionize the way we will use and interact with smartphones. That might have been the case a year ago, but most people who have seen the announcement have been underwhelmed with the product announcement. Some think it's a great idea, but most see it as a still-born product that will only sell a few thousand units, nothing near the amount needed to make it a viable product.

What they got right...

Instant on - people need mobile devices to be available quickly. PDA and Smartphone users are accustomed to "instant on" and being able to use the device right away, so this was a definite "must-have" in a mobile companion.

Flash storage - mobile devices need to have a reliable and low power method for storage, and flash storage is the most reliable means to do it. No mention has been made as to what is the size of the flash device, nor about how much is user accessible for mail and document storage. Update: There's a Compact Flash card slot installed internally behind the battery, so it's possible the device could have the storage upgraded in the future. It will ship with 128MB of non-volitile memory, shared between the OS and user data.

Clean and simple user interface - this has been Palm's claim to fame since the original "Palm Pilot". Simple, fast, and easy to use. The Zen of Palm.

Linux OS - this is what Palm OS6 (aka Cobalt) should have been. Hardware guys don't like writing a multitude of device drivers for a multitude of platforms. If OS 6 had been based on Linux instead of being home-grown, it would be a very different mobile landscape right now. Enough said.

SD Card slot - Instant compatibility with all their handhelds and smartphones. Use the Foleo to download content from the Inter or Intranets via Wi-Fi to the card, and plunk it back into your Treo. They should ship the Foleo with a mini-SD card adapter, for all those Treo 755p users.

USB port - hopefully this lets you access thumb drives AND peripherals. Not much has been said as to whether this is a device port (sync to PC or use as card reader) or host (peripheral) port, or what speed it runs at (USB 1.1 or 2.0). That will have to be seen at the product launch. Update: It is a USB host port, with host drivers that should let you use an external keyboard, mouse or USB flash drives. No mention of other peripherals at this point.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi - The lack of Wi-Fi has long been a thorn in the side of Treo users. It's basically a Palm OS kernel issue, one that could have been avoided by using Linux. Both wireless technologies are essential these days in a mobile device. Update: Wi-Fi is 802.11b

Where they went wrong...

No touch screen/tablet option - here's where Palm really blew it! They've basically had over a decade's worth of experience building "mini-tablets", and they build.... a light-duty laptop. Web browsing can really lend itself towards a tablet design. Imagine a portrait device with a touch screen and forward, back and scroll controls. Just tap to click links. Can't you imagine yourself sitting at a coffee shop, sipping a java and reading the news that way? They could've implemented a detachable keyboard, or a "twist and swivel" one that folds back onto itself, in order to make their "Treo Companion" product complete.

No web cam, built-in mic or speakers for Video Conferencing - video phones are the future. If Palm isn't going to put a person facing camera into it's phones, then it SHOULD'VE gone into a companion product. Most new laptops have built-in webcams, and it's not like Palm doesn't buy the exact same chip cam by the thousands for the Treos. If they had the camera, they should've also had a VOIP softphone, and Bluetooth support for Headsets for private calls. Look at the Nokia N800 as an example of portable platform done right.

No developers tools announced - Linux has an amazing developer community, and so does Palm OS. Palm should have built hype about the Foleo platform by releasing developers kits and related materials, like Apple or Microsoft does with their product announcements. Nokia has built up a open-source project (http://maemo.org/) around it's Internet Tablets, which are doing quite well in their niche market. Instead, Palm's leaving everything to the official product launch... Ho hummmmm, snore.... Wake me when (if?) it hits the shelves... Update: Developer tools are supposed to be released at product launch, according to an e-mail from the Palm Developer's Network.

Price & Lots of Competition...
Now, here's where Palm got trumped, big time! They announce the Foleo for $499 after a $100 introductory rebate. The same week, Asus and VIA announce their mini-laptop platforms. The Via Nanobook will go for $600 USD, and the Asus Eee PC for $199-299 USD (depending on storage and screen size). The Asus announcement really trumps them. Linux powered, similar specs WITH a webcam mic & speakers, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and a standard 56K modem (apparently no Bluetooth).

That doesn't include all the UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) and MIMD (Mobile Internet Multimedia Device) product announcements this week, of which there were quite a few. So, Palm's going to have an uphill battle on what they thought was a "revolutionary" product. They could turn it around, if they change the price point (which is the biggest acceptance factor), get good developers tools in place, and allow for third-party applications. So, in a few months we'll see whether the Foleo makes the news, or the obituaries.

The Updates...
Since the initial announcement, the Palm Developers network recieved an e-mail indicating that a Software Development Kit (SDK) will be available about the time of the product launch. Rumors are circulating that the Foleo will launch on August 22, which should beat the Asus eeePC to market (it's expected in the September timeframe).

Things haven't been quiet on the third-party side of things either; there have been several announcements of products supporting the Foleo platform. Avvenu Access 'n Share, Bluefire Mobile Security VPN, MotionApps mDayscape, and Astraware's Sudoku and Solitaire have been announced as being available for purchase as of the Foleo's release date. This bodes well for the Foleo being an extensible platform, which is one of the major successes of the Palm platform.

If Palm can continue to gather 3rd party support, and if they market the product to the appropriate vertical markets, the Foleo may succeed in the business field as a mobility enhancing add-on to Palm Powered smartphones.

Updates:
2007--7-23: Foleo Fanatics has a blog entry describing some of it's features.

I finally decided to give up on the Foleo. In many ways it seems to me very much like the iPhone - a really nifty, fun gadget that simply fails in a whole bunch of ways to meet my actual requirements for that class of device.

Instead, right now I'm planning on buying a Raon Everun-66SH UMPC (http://www.raondigital.com/fnt_english/ev01.asp). I've been reading a couple of very interesting early reviews of this unit from Europe and Australia and it seems to me that here is a device that really meets my needs. It's small, light, speedy, has amazing battery life life and has the potential to replace both my Nokia N800 and my Electrovaya Tablet PC as my sole computer for usage during my travels as an enterprise computer consultant.

I've been really noticing the foibles of my Electroya Scribbler Tablet PC in the past few months. In fact it's become a desktop machine at my client site with monitor, keyboard, and mouse hooked up to it. My Nokia N800 is coming to meetings with me, instead of the Tablet. The Scribbler is relatively large, it runs pretty warm (especially when sitting in my lap during a meeting), and frankly I'm finding the whole inking experience to be slower and less reliable than I'd like. I've been missing the very compact Sony U-750P that was my primary traveling computer before the Electrovaya. The primary reason I replaced the little Sony was that its screen was really too small for inking and that it was SLOOOOOW!

The Everun looks like it might be the ideal unit for me. It's small (about the same size as the U750P) and it's got a keyboard so inking isn't required for using it. Early reviews comment on how speedy it is and I'm planning on bumping it's memory up to 1GB, which should further improve its performance (See comment below). Its battery life is reportedly even better than my U750's (which has an extended battery) and the Scribbler's.

I've spoken on the phone with Dynanism, the US importer of the Everun, and they say that they'll have these units ready for sale next week. Unless something untoward happens regarding the final specifications or the price of the unit between now and then, I'll be ordering one as soon as they are available.

You should all know by now what a huge fan on the N800 I am. I use it to replace many of the functions of a laptop or Tablet PC, and as a personal entertainment system. Nevertheless, the N800 does have a couple of deficiencies that bother me. First and foremost, it lacks the ability to easily handle Microsoft Office documents (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint). Next, even if it could handle Powerpoint it doesn't have a VGA output port on it that would allow me to give presentations from the device. As a traveling consultant these would be huge advantages to have in a mobile computer.

That's why I'm thinking Palm's new Foleo isn't as bad as people are making it out to be. It does exactly the things I miss in my N800. In addition, the bigger screen and built-in keyboard would be very nice to have, too. It's runs Linux like the N800 as has the same kind of "instant on" I've come to love with the Nokia device. Of course the bigger size means I can't put it in my pants pocket like I can do with my N800.

What really burns me about the Foleo, though, is the fact that it has no multimedia capabilities. In fact Palm specifically says that the Foleo does not have sufficient CPU power to handle any mulitmedia functions. I make extensive use of my N800 to watch videos of movies and recorded TV shows, and listen to music on it - which I couldn't do with the Foleo.

So here I am, a traveling business professional that fits right into Palm's stated market segment for the Foleo, and I find myself lusting after, and hating the Foleo, at the same time. Should I get one and go back to using my iPod for multimedia? Oh, but the screen is soooo tiny compared to the wonderful screen on the N800. Should I carry an N800, Foleo, and Tablet PC? Gad, this means MORE stuff to carry when traveling, and not less. What's a fellow to do?

Fonte: jkkmobile

"Foleo is the most exciting product I have ever worked on," said Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm, Inc. and the visionary behind the Foleo's concept and definition. "Smartphones will be the most prevalent personal computers on the planet, ultimately able to do everything that desktop computers can do. However, there are times when people need a large screen and full-size keyboard. As smartphones get smaller, this need increases. The Foleo completes the picture, creating a mobile-computing system that sets a new standard in simplicity."

clicca qui per galleria immagini

Fonte: Gizmodo

A Palm virou-se para o linux para tentar salvar a empresa. Já disse aqui o que achava destas mudanças, mas em todo o caso o novo Foleo parece um conceito deveras interessante. Vendo os vídeos de demonstração no site da Palm o que me chamou mais a atenção foi que no menu de selecção dos programas a utilizar aparece um muito importante, o Terminal. O que se poderá fazer com esta aplicação?

Ora este companheiro para os smartphones terá sucesso? Ou poderá ser efectivamente um computador leve capaz de convencer quem não quer andar com um computador completo? E se bem que existam algumas aplicações pré-instaladas, vai ser possível adaptar facilmente aplicações existentes para correr no Foleo? Se o Foleo corre sobre linux não deverá ser muito difícil fazer o port para ele dos nossos programas favoritos. A menos que a Palm venha a limitar a forma como se desenvolve para o Foleo e decida que só o que se faz "in house" será suportado como no caso do iPhone.

Por outro lado este aparelho aparece definido como companheiro de um smartphone. Interessa-me saber é o que é que ele vale sozinho, sem smartphone. É utilizável? Os próximos dias devem esclarecer isto e a sua aceitação e o "buzz" que gerar pode abrir caminhos para por exemplo o "sub-notebook" que tantos rumores falam da apple? Será por isso que a Palm ainda não conseguiu um acordo comercial com a apple para a compatibilidade entre o Foleo e o iPhone?

Para já ficamos pela possibilidade de experimentar virtualmente o Foleo.

Der neue Palm heißt Palm Foleo Mobile Companion.

Der Foleo ist kein neues ultakompaktes Notebook. Er wurde für genau eine Anwendung designed. Als Mobile Companion für Smartphones um komfortabel eMails bearbeiten zu können. Die eMail-Anwendung einschließlich Adressbuch des Foleo synchronisiert sich automatisch mit Versamail auf Palm OS-Treos bzw. Pocket Outlook auf Windows Mobile-Treos. Auf dem Foleo ist, außer dem Pairing mit dem Treo, keine Konfiguration für die Nutzung von eMail notwendig. eMails können dann sowohl auf dem Foleo wie auch dem Treo bearbeitet werden.

Natürlich kann der Foleo auch Word und Excel-Dokumente anzeigen und bearbeiten. PowerPoint-Präsentationen können via VGA-Anschluß über einen Beamer vorgeführt werden. Selbstverständlich können auch pdf-Dokumente dargestellt werden.

Zum Surfen gibt es einen Opera Browser. Dabei verbindet sich der Foleo entweder via Bluetooth mit einem Treo oder per WiFi mit einem Hotspot.

Der Foleo läuft unter Linux und nutzt Flash Speicher. Dies ermöglicht Instant On/Off. Es gibt kein Booten, kein Suspend, Sleep oder Shutdown. Einfach einschalten, losarbeiten und wieder ausschalten und keine Zeit verschwenden mehr wie bei üblichen Windows-Notebooks. Ganz so, wie wir das von Palm OS-Palms gewöhnt sind.

Die Laufzeit mit einer Batterieladung wird mit 5 Stunden angegeben. Hawkins empfiehlt den Foleo wie ein Handy zu betrachten. Nachts aufladen, tagsüber ohne Ladegerät nutzen.An Schnittstellen hat der Foleo USB, SD-Card, Kopfhörer und VGA. Über eine interne Compact Flash-Karte sind Erweiterungen möglich. Seine Größe beträgt 29,4 * 16,9 * 2,4 cm. Das Gewicht weniger als 1,1 kg.
Zur schnellen Bedienung hat der Foleo neben der Ein/Aus-Taste eine eMail-Taste sowie zwischen den beide Maustasten ein Scrollrad. Alle Anwendungen sind so designed, dass sich sehr schnell per Scrollrad navigieren lässt. Natürlich hat er auch den üblichen Mini-Joystick als Mausersatz, aber keinen Touchscreen. Alle Anwendungen laufen im Fullscreen-Modus. Für den ultra-schnellen Anwendungswechsel gibt es eine extra Taste.

Zur Sicherheit lässt sich ein Treo als Schlüssel für den Foleo nutzen. Nur wenn der Foleo per Bluetooth Kontakt mit dem Treo aufnehmen kann, wird der Foleo entsperrt.

Neben den oben aufgeführten Anwendungen wird ein Photo Viewer mitgeliefert. Palm erwartet, dass bald eine große Anzahl von Anwendungen verfügbar sein werden. Dank Linux sollte dies kein Problem sein. Ein SDK wird mit Auslieferung der Geräte angeboten werden. Auch der Abgleich mit anderen Smartphones von RIM, Symbian oder Apple wird sicher kommen.

Der Foleo ist für die Zielgruppe der mobilen eMail-Nutzer entwickelt worden. Und davon gibt es schon heute 24 Millionen und in naher Zukunft sollen es 200 Millionen sein. Er ist das kleinste Gerät mit einem Full Size-Keyboard und großem Display. Er wird ab Sommer zu einem Preis von 499 US-Dollar (ohne MwSt.) verfügbar sein. Ein in der Größe vergleichbares Subnotebook kostet mindestens das vierfache. Und seien wir doch mal ehrlich, für unterwegs reicht doch meistens eMail, Word, Excel und PowerPoint aus. Somit könnte der Foleo das ideale Gerät für Aussendienstmitarbeiter werden.

Und noch wichtig für die Linux-Freunde unter uns. Wer will kann natürlich auch in den Kommandozeilenmodus wechseln.

Mehr Bilder bei flickr

Foleo bei Palm USA