Palm Foleo Revealed

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

I was told this was a “Smartphone Companion.” “What the heck is that?” I thought. Then I heard it described as a “Laptop for your Smartphone.” Now that kinda clicked with me, especially after I got a look at it. It has a 10-inch screen, a full-size keyboard, runs Linux, even has Opera as a browser.

With its 10-inch screen and full-size keyboard, the Palm Foleo mobile companion connects wirelessly with your smartphone to help you do more on the go. Unfold it, press a button, and it’s on instantly—while just one touch brings your email to the big screen. Use your Foleo to view attachments, type longer emails, or to get a bigger look at web pages and photos you’d normally view on your smartphone. And with up to five hours of battery life packed into such a compact design, you’ll do big things wherever you go. Source: Palm, Inc.

We Say: It’s only 2 pounds, but it’ll be $499 with an introductory offer when it ships (scheduled for the summer). I like the battery life and the weight, but why do I need a relatively expensive add-on to a Treo when free wi-fi is becoming more and more prevalent. It’s got 256MB of RAM, but I found a laptop with 512MB of RAM, Vista (though just Basic) and wi-fi for $599, only $100 more … and that was without really trying (ask my friends; they know I can find the best deals if I try).

Finally, I understand that part of the rationale behind this is “making the mobile device in my pocket my primary PC” (from the video on Palm’s site), but I’m really not convinced. As I said, with wi-fi so rampant … and Vista laptops so cheap … and listen … if I can’t play Guild Wars on it, it can’t be my primary PC.