Give this to the folks running Palm: At least management had enough insight to realize the company was about to commit one of the biggest blunders in recent tech history.
(Credit:
Palm)
Palm late Tuesday announced its decision to cancel its Foleo mobile companion only four months after its co-founder, superstar developer Jeff Hawkins, gave the product's first public demonstration at the D5 conference. A $500 mobile companion for e-mail was going to be an impossible sell, so maybe this is a good contrarian sign to Palm investors that the company isn't as brain-dead as some of its harsher critics suggest.
Of course, you would never guess this was anything less than a bold and brave strategy move after reading the talkback postings on the Palm blog announcing the Foleo cancellation. The gist of the comments: Gee you're brilliant. What insight. And you smell like fresh lavender.
When you consider the flame wars that regularly attend even minor technology events, what's to explain this singular lack of passion? Maybe someone was sharing a big post-Labor Day mix of acid-spiked Kool-Aid. For the record, a PR spokeswoman told me Palm doesn't edit out negative comments.
So it goes. But why mince words? The Foleo very well may go down in history as this generation's equivalent of Microsoft Bob, another ill-considered flop that so traumatized its chief product manager that she decided to quit the business and marry Bill Gates.
Of course, the chief distinction here is that Microsoft's reputation wasn't riding on Bob.
As for Hawkins, who signed up for the thankless task of convincing the digerati that the Foleo would usher in a new product category, what does he think about all this? (Jeff, you've got my e-mail if you want to dish.) Considering all that's happened, it's safe to assume he wishes he could retract his quote that the Foleo was the best idea he ever had.
Click on the image to start the Palm Foleo slide show
(Credit: Rafe Needleman/CNET Networks)So after all the months of teasing, Palm cofounder Jeff Hawkins finally unveiled the company's new mobile device at the D5 conference today: the Palm Foleo. A companion product for smart phones, the Linux-based Foleo looks like an ultraportable laptop and is designed to let you more easily view and edit e-mail and office documents, among other things. It synchronizes to your device via Bluetooth and features a 10-inch screen, full-size keyboard, and integrated Wi-Fi for those times when you need to see everything in full glory.
Hey, I can certainly understand the concept and thought behind the whole project (what smart phone owner hasn't wanted a bigger screen or keyboard), but do I think it will fly? Not so much. My smart phone and laptop pretty much have me covered at all times. There's not enough there to compel me to carry another gadget just to get a little more screen real estate and room to stretch my fingers. But that's just me. What do you guys think? You can take a photo tour of the device by clicking on the image above, then I'd love to hear your thoughts below.
Palm sent out a teaser to the media Tuesday, dropping word that company founder Jeff Hawkins will introduce "a new category of mobile device" at the D: All Things Digital conference on Wednesday.
Jeff Hawkins has a new mobile gadget to show.
(Credit: Numenta)No further details were provided. Hawkins invented the Palm Pilot, the ubiquitous personal digital assistant of the 1990s, and left Palm to found Handspring's development of the Treo. Hawkins is currently working at a start-up called Numenta with former colleague and Palm co-founder Donna Dubinsky.
Perhaps Hawkins has Palm's answer to Apple's iPhone, or some new product that will heighten the speculation that Palm is a takeover candidate. He'll have to have come up with something huge to steal the conference spotlight from the Steve Jobs-Bill Gates joint appearance scheduled for later on Wednesday.
What's going on at Palm?
(Credit: Palm )Now, we're not ones to gossip (OK, yes we are) but there are a ton of rumors floating around the Internet about the future of Palm. Frankly, the stories have been so fast and furious over the past several days, it's all a bit dizzying. Kind of like whether Britney is in or out of rehab, but I digress. Getting back to the topic at hand, here's what we've heard so far, and remember these are just rumors at this point.
Is Palm for sale?: Speculation has started to grow that Palm is looking for potential buyers as there are reports that the company has enlisted the help of Morgan Stanley to advise the company on its options. Furthermore, Unstrung says Nokia is a front-runner for acquiring the company, while Motorola's name has also come up. I've got to admit, I feel kind of bad for Palm. I mean, just a couple of years ago, it was sitting on top of the smart phone world with its Treo devices and now, it's looking like an aged, also-ran among the sleek smart phones coming out of HTC, Samsung, Motorola, and Nokia. Of course, Palm has to own up to its faults. The company hasn't produced any cutting-edge products to compete with the likes of a Samsung BlackJack or a Cingular 8525--and no, integrating the antenna into the Treo doesn't count. How many times have we asked for integrated Wi-Fi in a Treo and never got it? Yes, the Treo was innovative at the time and sure, the Palm operating system continues to offer ease of use, but that's just not enough anymore. If Palm's going to make it, they're going to have to step up to the plate with something new and exciting. Speaking of which...
Palm's mystery product to debut in May?: The fact that Palm is working on a third product category is no secret, but everything else is pretty much a mystery. Perhaps we'll find out in May, though. In an interview with Palm Addicts, Palm co-founder Jeff Hawkins said, "We're going to be announcing something...but I won't tell you what it is...we will be launching this year, not in the distant future. I'll give you a much bigger hint: I'm going to be speaking at Walt Mossberg's D Conference in May. It's a high-end industry conference. Anyway, I'm going to be giving a talk there, and that would be something for the Palm fans to keep a close watch on." Ohhh rrrreeallly? Could it be the next item on the list?
Palm prepping an ultrathin WiMAX smart phone?: So as Engadget Mobile states from the get-go, this is a purely unsubstantiated story, but heck, it's a fun one. According to an anonymous tipster, Palm is working on an ultrathin smart phone that will work on Sprint's WiMax network when it's rolled out later this year. October-ish? Not much else is known with regard to specs, and again this could all be fluff but if you want something a little more concrete...
Sprint to get Treo 755p: There are several leaks--from Sprint, Good Technology, and otherwise--that suggest Sprint will get a device called the Treo 755p in mid-May. It's supposed to be the upgrade to the Treo 700p and will feature the Garnet operating system, EV-DO support, a slimmer form, and an integrated antenna like the Treo 680 has. Yawn.
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