Re: [NTLK] [OT] New Palm Device (flop?)

On Jun 1, 2007, at 3:20 AM, John Chu wrote:

>>>
>>> On May 31, 2007, at 4:41 AM, John Chu wrote:
>>>
>>> I can buy a refurbished Macbook for $899 these days which has about
>>> 3.5 hours of battery life, and can run Windows, Linux and OSX.
>>>
>>> Why would anyone want to pay $500 for a mini laptop that is too
>>> underpowered to play media, and has Linux of some kind only and an
>>> unknown processor type/speed?
>
>
> I'd just like to point out that somewhere along the way, my name got
> attributed to this text. I didn't write this.
Yes, those are my words.
> I actually think the
> Foleo can find a market if Palm gets enough people to buy into their
> paradigm change. However, since I don't really do the smartphone
> thing at all, I doubt I'll be one of them.
Actually as a recent "smart" phone believer, I must reiterate I
think this product is stupid. Are se supposed to believe that on the
road we will carry our smart phones and our palm folio, but that
when we get home we will have to sync with our desktops? This makes
little sense to me. I think that for frequent travelers the laptop
replacing the desktop seems like a better paradigm. At least this
way we are not introducing a whole new platform that actually is a
compromise on all fronts (ie power,screen,OS, battery life).

The smart phones are already very capable computing platforms in
there own right (and getting better). The screen is small, but
already very hi-res in many cases (my Nokia is a tiny 352x416).
Adding a bluetooth keyboard (which might stay at the hotel), makes
this quite workable for email, etc., has better battery life and is
less to carry.

>
> (I will also be extremely surprised if the Foleo can't handle audio
> or video. The ability to do mobile video is really important to
> people if the web reaction is any indication.)
Yeah, I agree, although I didn't make that bit up, I read it being
said by a Palm spokesperson. They didn't say categorically that it
could handle media, but they said it wasn't intended for that.
Sounded kind of like a blatant warning.

I have nothing against a little Linux laptop, but don't see this as
anything but a loser for Palm as a product. In fact I think it's
stunningly ill conceived. It seems to me that technologies like
bigger better screens/projectors built into the phones and wireless
keyboards (along with speech and touch technologies) are going to
make the phone the mobile general computing platform in and of itself.

Time will tell.
marty

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