Palm's Foleo: Bad execution, not a bad idea

I'm probably alone in thinking this, but I'm rather disappointed to see Palm's Foleo kicked to the curb. The much-maligned “Treo companion” was supposed to take the workhorse burdens off of Palm's line of smartphones, using a Bluetooth connection to replicate the Palm's e-mail, document editing and Internet browsing functions on a 10-inch screen complete with a keyboard. Away from the Treo, it could function as an Internet tablet with its own Wi-Fi connection.

Palm, however, said last week it is retiring the Foleo right before its expected launch, focusing instead on its next generation Treo platform. Admittedly Palm's execution of the Foleo — basically a Linux-powered miniature laptop that carried the price tag of a PC but sorely lacked a PC's functionality — left a lot to be desired. But I think Palm had the right idea, if not the right product.

We're entering a critical point in the evolution of wireless devices and in our connectivity choices. Wireless broadband connections are much more readily available, and mobile data implies much more than push e-mail these days. The phone form factor, however, is poorly designed to handle these demands. We've done what we can: the qwerty keyboard, touch-screen and stylus interfaces, larger displays. They've all made checking e-mail, opening attachments and basic Web browsing much less arduous, but they fall well short of the full mobile computing experience. There's only so much you can do with a single-handed device, and our only fallback is the laptop.

I think Palm realized it couldn't make its Treos any clunkier, so it sought an alternative, albeit a lame one. Other companies are experimenting. Nokia and Samsung are both producing Internet tablets, and even Apple's iPhone is in part a response to the need for a new form factor. Despite its sleekness, the iPhone is still a big honking phone. Apple, however, just released the iPod Touch, which borrows the iPhone's interface and Wi-Fi capability but has no cellular or voice connectivity. I think Apple just acknowledged that the device we use to surf the Internet while out and about might not be the same one we use to make our phone calls.

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