OESF Portables Forum

General Forums => New products and alternatives => Topic started by: gr8ful on May 25, 2007, 03:47:36 pm

Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: gr8ful on May 25, 2007, 03:47:36 pm
Link --> http://www.i4u.com/article9150.html (http://www.i4u.com/article9150.html)

It has been confirmed that Jeff Hawkins will reveal Palm's much speculated about 'third business' and a new mobile computing platform at Walt Mossberg's D: All Things Digital conference on May 30th.

Brighthand has an interesting thread discussing what they think it could be.
--> http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?p=1529546 (http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?p=1529546)

The thing I like best about Jeff Hawkins is that the most important thing to him is the user experience and making it as intuitive as possible for the user.  There are other smart phones on the market with better specs than the Treo, but I don't see any that beat it in ease of use and being intuitive.  So I fully expect the user experience to be better than anything that is currently on the market.  Whether it brings enough to the table to get me to go into my wallet remains to be seen.

What do you folks think?  If Palm's new device is pocketable, has all the wireless connectivity (802.11, BT, poss even phone), decent screen (4-6 inch VGA), built-in keyboard, and some derivative of Linux as the OS will you give it a serious look?
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: T3_slider on May 25, 2007, 11:22:37 pm
Quote
What do you folks think? If Palm's new device is pocketable, has all the wireless connectivity (802.11, BT, poss even phone), decent screen (4-6 inch VGA), built-in keyboard, and some derivative of Linux as the OS will you give it a serious look?
Yeah, I would, but that'll never happen.

At least, any form of Linux on a Palm product would be greatly watered down with restricted access to the internals. Plus a VGA screen is unlikely depending on what this business is (ie if it is truly pocketable, there will be no VGA -- us Zaurus users were just spoiled. If there is a VGA screen it'll be slightly too big).
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on May 26, 2007, 05:10:35 am
it's a shame that the alphasmart dana series never really developed

http://www.alphasmart.com/products/dana-w_In.html (http://www.alphasmart.com/products/dana-w_In.html)
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: Cresho on May 26, 2007, 10:51:26 am
Quote
it's a shame that the alphasmart dana series never really developed

http://www.alphasmart.com/products/dana-w_In.html (http://www.alphasmart.com/products/dana-w_In.html)
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=162072\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

something that big, might as well get a laptop.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: desertrat on May 26, 2007, 02:32:23 pm
Quote
something that big, might as well get a laptop.
That's what I thought too, however that thing does have one advantage - it's supposed to run for 25 hours on a single charge - so some people might find a use for it.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on May 26, 2007, 07:25:20 pm
when I said developed, I meant taking the idea of a palm and turning it into a mini laptop, much as the Psion NetBook did.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on May 30, 2007, 11:33:32 am
got my mojo working, and it tells me this...

http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/9433/#132422 (http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/9433/#132422)
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: gr8ful on May 30, 2007, 12:03:09 pm
Quote
got my mojo working, and it tells me this...

http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/9433/#132422 (http://www.palminfocenter.com/comments/9433/#132422)
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=162289\")


Speculatrix, your moho is indeed working.

It seems that Palm is moving toward turning the smart phone into a personal media server and using the Foleo device more as a type of network computing terminal.  Excerpt from an Intel site on [a href=\"http://www.intel.com/research/exploratory/personal_server.htm]personal media servers[/url], where Intel demoed this concept in 2005, “The demo showed how easy it can be for users to wirelessly upload and download documents, and to stream audio and video files stored on the cell phone to a nearby laptop computer, over a standard Bluetooth wireless technology connection (Fig. 3).”

I like the direction Palm is headed in, but I can’t say that it is all that revolutionary.  The hope is that they produce a polished solution that makes it easy for the user to sync and share info.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: gr8ful on May 30, 2007, 02:47:05 pm
Hawkins just demoed the Foleo and here's the link to the Palm site that gives all the info and video overview.

http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/ (http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/)

I can't say I'm impressed at all.  10 inch screen, wifi and BT and cellular connectivity through your phone.  Best thing I see is one-touch syncing of email with your mobile phone (Treo of course) and syncing with many other phones to come.

At $499 with $100 mail in rebate, I think it might be worth waiting on the Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) coupled with Red Flag's Midinux that are targeting the sub-$500 price range.  These devices will have better features and capabilities and with BT you will be able to sync with your phone, though not with one touch.

Demo on you tube of a device running Midinux:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IALqu7EKUTw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IALqu7EKUTw)
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on May 30, 2007, 04:17:42 pm
Quote
http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/ (http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/)
I can't say I'm impressed at all.  10 inch screen, wifi and BT and cellular connectivity through your phone.  Best thing I see is one-touch syncing of email [div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div] (http://index.php?act=findpost&pid=162299\")

details are very sketchy... screen resolution? does it include wifi - I presume it does but it doesn't explicitly say so.

is based on linux

battery life only 5 hours


--edit--
update, it's 1024x600
[a href=\"http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=638]http://www.umpcportal.com/modules/news/art...php?storyid=638[/url]
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on May 30, 2007, 05:52:58 pm
I think it's too big to be a zaurus killer - it should be the same size as that Fujitsu. The price is good. hmm. Palm talked as if this Foleo is one of a series, so maybe we'll get lucky.

the good news is that it's a mass market linux product. that means it's hackable, and maybe we'll get some cross-pollination with the Zaurus and Nokia tablet.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: jfv on May 30, 2007, 06:12:30 pm
It has wifi. If you follow the links giving more information and slog through three or four of those, eventually you get to a page touting the advantages of having wifi. I guess it's a linux UMPC, but I don't think it has touchscreen. They do talk about using it to give slideshow presentations so it might have VGA out or something similar. It is kind of big. Price is interesting though.

EDIT: Some pics at engadget. One of them shows a menu and one of the menu items is "terminal"!
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: tg on May 30, 2007, 09:03:19 pm
I think this is a great device - there is a lot to like in this first effort: linux, wifi, sd, cf, usb, bluetooth, vga, keyboard, lightweight, 5 hours with standard battery. I'm sure next generation can easily include built in phone and possibly tablet and slightly smaller and lighter size if there is demand. And the price is only $500 - I am definitely buying it.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: BarryW on May 31, 2007, 01:58:03 am
Quote
it's a shame that the alphasmart dana series never really developed

http://www.alphasmart.com/products/dana-w_In.html (http://www.alphasmart.com/products/dana-w_In.html)
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=162072\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]


We have a couple of these in our schools.  We have a crapload of the 3000's.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: B_Lizzard on May 31, 2007, 07:24:42 am
What about CPU and RAM? If it's equipped with a reasonable X86 CPU and 256+ RAM, I'm starting to consider it. Otherwise, there exists the Kohjinsha, which is similarly priced and has better specs anyways.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: Da_Blitz on May 31, 2007, 09:34:58 am
actually i find this very intresting for several reasons, cant wait to see what processor they chuck in it (its been rumered to be an iMX or xscale) but its been stated as an arm processor

from what i can gather it will have a small amout of flash for the OS and store user files un ram (hence the large amount of ram on the thing)

im thinking ta\hat it would be nice to run an X vnc server and have this thing thin terminal into it or somthing like ltsp but i am sure they have done somthing better suited for what they are selling

still im rivited, it looks like the device i wanted the kohjinsha to be
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on May 31, 2007, 10:34:54 am
Quote
still im rivited, it looks like the device i wanted the kohjinsha to be
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=162328\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

still too big to be the pocket penguin.. but it COULD be the docking station for the pocket penguin... so get back to work!!!
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: ZDevil on June 01, 2007, 05:55:44 am
Check this out:

[img]http://www.palminfocenter.com/images/foleo-live-13-S.jpg\" border=\"0\" class=\"linked-image\" /]

So the processor seems to be something comparable to what's in Z.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on June 01, 2007, 07:56:41 am
interesting they went for kernel 2.4.21, and it's probably a PXA270 or related.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: Da_Blitz on June 02, 2007, 08:45:39 am
oh why do they always go for a 2.4 kernel, why oh why

anyway im betting on a pxa 270, anything else would be suicide but perhaps they went for the pxa3x0 sereies (not sure about wind rivers support for it at the moment) jsut so they would have chips in the futre

i have plans for one of these and yes it wolud be the docking station (means i dont have to do the work and it has good avaliability)
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: freizugheit on July 25, 2007, 01:33:32 am
More details (http://www.brighthand.com/default.asp?newsID=13204) on Palm Foleo.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on July 25, 2007, 07:30:19 am
I still think it's not quite big enough to be a thin-client laptop replacement, or way too big to be a handheld.
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: Da_Blitz on July 28, 2007, 09:37:22 am
interesting specs there, just confirms what i thought they might chuck in there

i think it would do fine as a thin client terminal, providing it has a nice keyboard it would be good for a bit of programming and testing. i would say video is out of teh question but i dont normally watch video on my laptop. just Firefox and Thunderbird is all i need
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: speculatrix on August 04, 2007, 03:30:28 pm
I think the Asus EEE 701 will make life difficult for the Foleo - more power, cheaper:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3829 (http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3829)

US$250 for a mini laptop with 16GB flash mass storage!

--edit--oops, pasted in the same URL twice--

http://www.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=7317 (http://www.asus.com/news_show.aspx?id=7317)

If I can get one for GBP130 or less I'll be very pleased!
Title: Palm's Secret Third Business To Be Revealed!
Post by: odo on August 20, 2007, 11:51:34 am
If Palm start using a Linux based OS, that must mean possibly more software cracked to the Z. That sounds pretty cool to me :-) I always thought Zaurus could do with allot more software.