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[msmobiles.com_robot]

Editorial by John Andrews.

My first impression of the new Palm Foleo Mobile Companion wasn't positive because the “big new product announcement” wasn’t what I had expected. I was thinking we might receive a new...

Read more at http://www.msmobiles.com/news.php/6410.html

[NiTeSHiFT]

Hi,

first of all, nice thoughts. I use a Palm Treo 750 on o2 Germany Network with some sort of "surf-flatrate". I also use the MultiCard option and another device, namely the HTC Universal (MDA Pro called at T-Mobile Germany).

I use the Treo for phoning, quick answering of emails, calendaring and looking up what I have to do. The only reason I still have my Universal is because it has a 640x480 screen and I can surf with it and type larger emails and everything I did when I have been to my customers (I'm self-employed in the IT-sector).

So the Companion would actually replace my Universal with a device with larger screen and larger keyboard. And for surfing the Web at home or answering emails, or perhaps even a little chatting in ICQ (if a program will come out for the platform, but I'm sure it will), it would be great.

Oh and another thing I could think about is eBook-Reading I have my eBooks on my server and can access them over WLAN. That would be GREAT

Great device I think

[JonesJ]

Foleop.

For less money you can get far more functional and flexible devices with better software support.

eg. http://www.htc.com/product/03-product_x7500.htm

I would love to be proved wrong here, but this is clearly a dud before it even gets on the shelves, shame on you Palm.
_________________
Jonesy

[NiTeSHiFT]

[EJR]

[JAndrews]

If you listen to the webcasts by Jeff Hawkins and the other Palm executives, it's clear that they see this as a extension to your smartphone, not a replacement for your laptop.

Repeate 3 times: This is not a laptop. It is a larger keyboard and display for your smartphone, primarily focused on email, document viewing and editing, web browsing and PowerPoint presentations.

Anyting it does beyond that is a bonus.

Is it worth $500? For some mobile executives, I'm sure the answer is yes. But for people that want the full power and flexibility of a laptop, the answer is no and they should get a laptop.

UMPC devices like those mentioned from HTC are very cool, but they are really intended to REPLACE your laptop and/or smartphone rather than complement them. And as a result, they suffer from the same issues and compromises as smartphones...keyboards and displays that are too small or a device that is too large to fit in your pocket.

[eufreka]

$500 will buy you an ACTUAL windows laptop...so I cannot for the life of me figure out the pricing calculation!?!?!!?

Heck a OLPC laptop is only what $150 or so...

Compare the specs between that and a foleo...

After all, a UMPC costs $1000, but the money is going for windows full client licensing, touchscreen versus display (same size), 512 or more RAM, 40/60/80 gig Harddrive, etc., etc., etc....

A reasonable price for this device is $100-$150...then it would ROCK the market...you "invest" your own additional internal/external memory, third-party apps, etc.

We are deeply involved in testing SSL-VPN based network access (internal AND external) connecting to assigned virtual PCs for "heavy client" work...thus all we use on the desktop...or the coffee shop...are "browser" devices...but then we started out with $500 beige box CPUs, and moved to $600 laptops, which are now just browsers in most cases...

If Palm knew what they were doing, they would promote the foleo as the ultimate EXECUTIVE network device for use at home, at work, on the plane, etc. with FULL connectivity to a corporate virtual "heavy" client running 24 hours a day in the corp data center.

But again, there is a pricing problem...

(In reality, if Microsoft needs to reverse it's thinking: it should give away a license for such a device with every virtual PC license purchased...then mass produce the hardware themselves...)

[eufreka]

[JAndrews]

[kupe]