| Palm’s Foleo folly folds – for now |
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| Written by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Thursday, 06 September 2007 | |
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The idea was to let smartphone owners use a laptop-like device to surf the web, read emails and work on attachments. Given that a laptop generally has a much larger display than any cellphone, smart or not, the idea had some merit, while also having some major flaws. One was that the device itself couldn’t really be used on its own – it needed to pair with your phone to give you access to the files and other data residing there. It was also seriously underpowered, unable even to play video, which in today’s YouTube lovin’ world was by itself a serious misstep. About the only good thing to come out of the announcement that the Foleo is being scrapped is news that Palm still believes in their idea and is working on a much improved Foleo II. Palm will take a US $10 million hit by stopping Foleo production, saying that supporting the Foleo on an ongoing basis had they decided to ship would have ended up costing a lot more than US $10m, and will now focus instead on their smartphone lineup, while working on the Foleo II in the background. In a sign that investors are pleased with Palm’s realization that the Foleo wouldn’t fly, the stock price has gone up, although given that today is the day Apple launches new iPods, no-one is quite sure where Palm’s share price will be by the end of the day. So, in a surprise move, Palm has avoided the Foleo folly after all. Let’s hope they get things right with the Foleo II, and can sell more than enough smartphones in the meantime to fund future Foleo development. After all, now that the newly cheaper iPhone and the new browser and Wi-Fi capable iPod touch are both here, the Palm Treo as it currently stands is in dire need of an update. What a shame that Palm has spent the last few years developing a device that was doomed. Palm – you practically invented the touch screen, and popularized it for more than a decade. If anyone can rise to Apple’s challenge, it’s the geniuses behind the original Palm Pilot. Well, Palm – your time starts now, and your success now rests on not only refreshing the Treo, but redesigning it for the 21st century. Even with the distractions of shiny new iPods and a much cheaper iPhone, the world is waiting and watching to see what Palm will do next. Don’t disappoint us!
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