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.