Palm unveils Linux-based “mobile companion”
Unless you’re supremely interested in high-tech gadgetry, you probably haven’t heard of the Palm Foleo. I knew Palm was going to introduce something yesterday, but wasn’t sure what that would be. After reading the release, I have to say I’m disappointed it wasn’t a bump in their Palm handheld line. I’m not sure how well the Foleo works by itself, but it appears to be a docking station for your Palm Treo. I guess that’s a good thing, but I’m not sure how many people out there that spent the $399 for the Treo are going to be leaping for their wallets to spend an additional $600 (with $100 rebate during the introduction) just to have a laptop front-end for their Treo. They definitely have some proving to do before I’d even consider this a serious device.
OK. Approx 6″x10″, 2.4 lbs, ARM CPU, 256 MB RAM (?) and flash, removable SD flash, 5 hr battery, 1024×600 color (nearly a 16×9 ratio – but no mention of video), USB, bluetooth, WiFi. $500 or $600. Sound.
Linux. But the Linux UI will be Palm-ized, and there’ll be an SDK.
What i’d really like is normal Linux, and just use gcc for the ARM. I really don’t want yet another Human Interface Guidelines to follow. I just want a kstars port, installable via apt-get.
Now, in the old days, I had a Compaq Aero – subnotebook. I liked the small size, and 3.5 lbs is much easier to cope with than most laptops. Mine had a 486sx/25, with 16 MB RAM, 170 MB disk, 640×480 grey screen. I had two batteries: 3 hr and 5 hr. I got Linux on it. I used the parallel port and PLIP for networking, and really for full docking with my 386 desktop at home – mounting hard disks and floppies via NFS. I paid about $600 for it. I ran X-Windows, and had 70 MB of free disk after the OS, utilities and swap. I developed web based apps in C, with apache, postgres and emacs up at any given time. I also read a few books and lots of documentation while commuting to work via subway. Very cool. Eventually, the hard disk died. But the screen was nearly dead too.
Looks like there’s potential here. While you COULD use removable SD flash for backup, you’d probably still want a real desktop somewhere so you can play UT, and maybe watch DVDs. Most other stuff could be done directly on this device. For example, I could see using kstars on it, and downloading astrophotos to it directly from the telescope over USB.
There’s also Intel’s Classmate. 900 Mhz x86, 256 MB RAM, 1 GB flash, 2.5 lbs, 800×480, Linux, rugged, 2 hr battery life, wireless eithernet, sound, but probably not video, out in June.
http://www.linux.com/article.pl?sid=07/05/23/1827201
No word on price.
This is a great take on the target market for the Palm Foleo.
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2007/06/explaining_palms_foleo.html
It’s an interesting gamble if it’s true, but I sincerely doubt it. I don’t think Palm is quite as clever as the author makes them out to be. Honestly I think they’re still thinking they don’t want to cannibalize their handheld sales.