TechFold - Bold tech & web commentary

Bold tech & web commentary

TechFold is technology discussion, commentary, reviews, and opinions from well outside the valley. There's no koolaid to drink here, and TechFold is not in SL, or on Twitter.

I’m aghast at Palm

Foleo arrghhhhhhhh. I can’t help but be curmudgeonly when this sort of craziness is what’s making the news.

Looks too big to be pocketable.
Overlaps with laptop usage scenarios.
~~NO CONNECTIVITY - what are they thinking? Requires a phone = mostly expensive, slow connections.~~WiFi/Bluetooth/Cellpairing - that’s better.
Another layer of synchronization: Desktop syncs to smartphone. Smartphone syncs to Foleo. Does Foleo also sync to desktop? This cannot play out nicely.
Overlaps with UMPC but with 1/100th the functionality.
EXPENSIVE: $500 for an adjunct screen and keyboard for your smartphone.
Overlap with web email and document editing tools.
A nice big screen that can’t play movies. AWESOME.

BOTTOM LINE: There’s a vanishingly small niche of people that would find this compelling and affordable. Lame, lame, lame.

PROGNOSTICATION: Palm to struggle, cheap acquisition bait for also-lame Motorola.

BLOGOSPHERE GESTALT: Gizmodo, Business2, Webware, and others agree: this is disappointing and ill-conceived.

foleo, folio, motorola, palm, treo treocentral

Motorola Take Note: Apple shows how to do a brand launch

Rumours are swirling about iPhone 2.0 already.

Note to Motorola: When you launch what will be a high profile product, have your follow-up in the wings and ready to go for 6 months after the initial launch to keep brand momentum on your side. Don’t launch something and then leave it to die in the marketplace for 2 years like you did with the RAZR.

apple, engadget, gizmodo, motorola, quanta razr

Moto RAZR2: Should have been a year ago

Just a quick comment on Motorola’s launch (engadget) of the RAZR2. Looks pretty sweet - its a great design increment on all fronts. Would have looked really incredible if it had come out 6 months after the RAZR 1. As it is, it looks like a long overdue refresh that won’t be able to re-ignite a brand that was left to wither and die. The Z8 movie-watching media super-phone sounds a bit better.

motorola razr