Palm's Jeff Hawkins live from D 2007

There are a lot fewer Palm fanboys than there used to be, but they're all hoping that Palm founder Jeff Hawkins brings the love during his convo with Walt at the D Conference today as he introduces the Foleo. All of Walt's questions are in bold.

10:31am - Last time you were here talking about the brain... you basically created the first handheld computer. You've been working on something else for a couple years.

The concept of this product is five years old, devleopment is a couple hours. A little history behind all this... we started palm 15 years ago on a palm and an opportunity. Desktops and laptops were too large, expensive, complex. You're not going to build billions of these complex machines, you build mobile computers. But the technology didn't exist, but that was the goal behind Palm. We are a future-of-personal-computing.

But it became clear the smartphone wasn't going to fill that role. It has a keyboard, nice display, except there's a problem. You need a full size screen and keyboard. The smartphone is a truly capable computer, billions of comptuer have one, but sometimes you need to be able to look at that big spreadsheet.

10:32am - Walt asks about folding displays...

Hawkins isn't convinced. You need a big display, there's no technical solution for that. I thought about it, came in Monday morning, I have this great idea! Here's the solution... no, come back later. But I also knew this concept, the mobile companion, is taking that mobile phone and extending it with a large screen and full size keyboard.

10:34am - Although we conceived of it five years ago it only made sense once smartphones started to take off. We only got started on it a couple years ago... soon 200m will get email on their phone, and this is going to be their primary computer. How do you extend that experience? That was the genesis of the Foleo.

10:35am - So I have my Treo, a lot of people say I can go for two days, I don't need a computer... but this extends that experience.

10:37am When you want to introduce a new platform, a new product category, you have to find someone who really wants it, and it grows beyond that. The thing we focused initially on is that email experience. Talking about battery life... it's similar to a cellphone usage model.

10:38am - I want to use it more and more, it's got a nice browser (Opera), you can use it with your phone. You can use it as a little laptop...We're careful not to position it as a laptop... it doesn't have a DVD drive, but it does have a lot of functionality built around the phone, but you're right, this is the smallest... crowd shouting to take it out and show it off!

10:40am - Standing up and discussing the industrial design... ridge on the outside, looks like an ultraportable. It's a laptop form factor, like a pretty thin Japanese machine.

10:41am - Almost no ports on the unit, very clean lines. You open it like a hard-cover book.

10:42am - Less than an inch, weighs about two pounds. Full size keyboard

10:43am - I believe this is the smallest keyboard with a full size keyboard. There are no modes, no sleep, no suspend.

10:45am - Showing the email client. This is what's on your phone, not what's going on at the server, its synced only to your phone. You don't have to set anything up, just use it with your phone -- "you don't even have to tell them you bought one!" You're looking at the email on the phone...

10:48am - On-screen demo time.. starting off pairing a Foleo to a Treo. 755p with two accounts, one with POP3... it has video output, that's nice. So they're going through the initial guided setup routine. Four steps, Bluetooth pairing.

10:53am - At the end press the email button, it grabs all your email, email settings, everything is pulled over. Doesn't worry about the computer, just syncs to your phone and your phone alone. Three pane email interface... showing a new keyboard scroller tool, which your thumbs resting on the space key can use to scroll through messages.

10:55am - Demoing PDF and Office documents -- you can't create a PDF, can't create a regular PPT, but can do simple editing. Word / Excel you can create and edit. "We're running Linux with a graphical front-end; makes it very easy to write apps on it. We have a bunch of developers working in this right now." Boots to Linux kernel. CLI rulez d00d.

10:58am - There's no taskbar, totally instantaneous app switching, no side-by-side windows. No cell radio (duh), the browser doesn't do video ("We think it's too slow... we'll do it in the future.")... but it does do Flash. Demo is over... "As you start using it the browser becomes a reall important part of the product. If I could do it again I'd put a faster processor in it. The video is jerky." What's the price?

11:01am - Can I talk about other things? No... it's available this summer, it's selling for $499 with $100 mail-in rebate. It'll be sold direct and through our stores and rolled out... it gives us the ability to do whatever we want, we can position it any way we want, distribute it any way we want, it gives us an opportunity to do more innovation. There are laptops that are small, 10.4 inch screens, laptops that are $499...

11:03am - Those aren't the same laptop though, who wants to buy the cheap ones? They're not this size... mostly they're just not the same product. We're trying to do this mobile companion thing, that experience you can't get on any laptop. One button instant access to full-screen email. INSTANT. This guy's got a lot of legs to it. This is a Linux appliance with good keyboard, good display, long battery life... it's always a focus on simplicity. People always focus on the fastest processor... like a game machine. But its simpler, it's more fun to use. This is a fun product to use, you just like using it. We support Palm OS Treos, Windows Mobile phones, we want to support BlackBerries, it's all open and easy to do, very little software required to get that to work.

11:04am - We're going to start doing that, we're going to support the iPhone. They're gonna need it. We'd love to do that. Great, thank you.

[Dster @ May 30th 2007 1:55PM]

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

[nate @ May 30th 2007 1:57PM]

I don't like the idea of carrying around yet another device, and all it really adds is ease of input/reading.

[akijikan @ May 30th 2007 1:58PM]

they came up with an under-powered laptop....awesome!

[nate @ May 30th 2007 2:04PM]

Yeah, its the same weight and battery life of the Intel Metro concept, except the Metro is thinner and runs Vista, has a Sideshow device, etc. The Syncing of the Foleo is neat, but any laptop or programmable device could do the same thing (it just uses Bluetooth). Of course, it is a lot cheaper than what the Metro would cost... but also a lot less useful.

[xcplay02 @ May 30th 2007 3:14PM]

thats the same thing i was thinking.....now you can get the same size high powered labtop

[Rev. Otto @ May 30th 2007 2:02PM]

Lovely; a subcompact notebook with a proprietary linux variant. No matter how many times I hear him say "it's not just an accessory, it's a whole new category", I keep thinking "it's not bankruptcy, it's financial restructuring". Good luck, Jeff. I can't see buying a subcompact from a company that never opened up the Palm OS or did very many update/firmware revisions, doesn't have upgradability other than an sd card slot and is only two hundred dollars away from a fully functioning pc.

[vta @ May 30th 2007 2:04PM]

Love it

BUT

Do I have to pay Sprint for DUN if I surf web on it?

[derek @ May 30th 2007 4:16PM]

no, you can hack your phone to do it for free. search google on how to do it

[vta @ May 30th 2007 5:54PM]

Yeah, I know of two ways to do this on a PC (PDANet and the other one) but not sure if this is going to work, at least not initialy for a Palm/Palm set up.

Here is hopeing PDANet gets a program working for this ASAP.

a

[Bart Lee @ May 30th 2007 2:04PM]

Really, Palm?......Really?

[snoopy @ May 30th 2007 2:04PM]

@Dster - thanks for the link.

I actually think this could be useful. I would use it in my car for directions. Its a MID except the internet part is provided through ur phone. Its not the greatest invention ever, but priced nicely, i am in. Beats $1,500+ for a UMPC

[TimD @ May 30th 2007 2:04PM]

Wow, they've made a Psion Series 7. Palm really has it's finger on the pulse..

[JS @ May 30th 2007 2:04PM]

So why can't this be implemented as a software program for any notebook computer with Bluetooth?

[Eugene @ May 30th 2007 2:04PM]

Dumb Terminal + Smart Phone = ???

Does Palm really expect to sell a crippled laptop for $500? Seriously, just liquidate your assets to the highest bidder already.

[Mark @ May 30th 2007 2:05PM]

The hell... good job palm, you invented the laptop computer... just a little too late.

[redelephantlabel @ May 30th 2007 2:05PM]

this is ballocks.

[derF @ May 30th 2007 2:06PM]

I'm missing something ...**WHY** in the hell would I just not use my laptop instead of the Folly-O?

[patsy @ May 30th 2007 2:30PM]

The Samsung Q1 Ultra is just $300 more (whenever it becomes available, that is) but offers a heck of a lot more than this thing, in a slightly smaller format. I might snag one of these though when they're on Woot for $150 next summer.

[Brian @ May 30th 2007 2:06PM]

- I'm going to need a lot of convincing before I begin to "get" this. Looks like a keyboard/screen accessory for a Treo to me.
- Jobs competitive juices may be motivated by Microsoft Surface Multitouch - but not by this. Jobs has head start with iPhone, M$ coming at it from other end with $10k servers for hotels/casinos. Question is who can get to the the center fastest/most efficiently.
- Palm seems done to me. Stick a fork in them. Their innovation since the Treo 650 has been non-existent.

[Lundh @ May 30th 2007 2:07PM]

Today is the day Palm killed it self. That product won't turn the company around.

[vta @ May 30th 2007 2:08PM]

Think they missed an opportunity to make it also open as a tablet, makes sence for this device and Palms user group. Maybe second generation if they are still in business.

[Jon @ May 30th 2007 2:08PM]

A few years ago this would excite me, but now it is nothing. I can already sync my smartphone to my ultra-portable notebook anyway.

[jeff @ May 30th 2007 2:09PM]

what is the big deal about this? It is a proprietary UMPC?

[paloooz @ May 30th 2007 2:17PM]

Are you saying that all of these other UMPCs that run Windows aren't proprietary?

[harpreet @ May 30th 2007 2:53PM]

hey don't tell me your jeff hawkins, cause that would be embarrassing

just kidding

[Palm_is_dying @ May 30th 2007 2:10PM]

How can Hawkins stand up with a straight face and display an anemic laptop as the next greatest thing? How embarrasing for him and Palm!!

[Mark @ May 30th 2007 2:11PM]

This has my vote for worst gadget of 2007

[Bob @ May 30th 2007 2:12PM]

everyone here is right. this thing will be on bargain tables at Staples in September for $99. because what i really need is a device so big i have to lug it around. i can just imagine the initial meetings:

it shouldn't be pocket size, it should be laptop bag size! we all carry those! oh, wait! i know, let's make it just a giant $500 screen for a phone! and it should have 'instant' applications! because we all know that eight seconds to open an email app is WAY too long...

[John @ May 30th 2007 2:12PM]

Is this device a joke??

I am not impressed at all. I really though Palm would create something innovative considering the hype surrounding Hawkins.

This device is crap. My 14" notebook can do a everything and doesn't weigh me down.

There isin't a need for this new category of a dummied down device at all.

I guess I should look at the new Windows Mobile 6 powered smartphones that have the works.

What is the problem with Palm? All they had to do is create a linux based OS for the Treo based on the Palm architecture, fix bugs and they would have a winner.

Palm should learn from Motorola. The new Linux based interface on the Razr2 is great.

[redelephantlabel @ May 30th 2007 2:12PM]

That is truly incredible. I mean, anyone in their right mind can see that's a bad idea. I really think Hawkins is just throwing in the towel, but why humiliate yourself to do it? Why back up a product that looks like a throwback to 1995 with a nicer screen and WiFi?

[qwert @ May 30th 2007 2:13PM]

This thing looks nice, and the form factor is great, but what is it supposed to do?
shure, it "extends" my smartphone, but what else?

it runs linux, so can i use it like a normal linux, on a most likely weak cpu?

can i install programms on it?

when i first read about it, i sounded like it could be great, but the more im reading ...

but maybe it is a great cheap hackable subnotebook?
the appletv of notebooks?

one can always dream ...

vert

[drew Eastman @ May 30th 2007 2:15PM]

They "want" to support blackberry's ? how about wanting to support symbian and such ?
yeah am not blown away ... and for e-mail and web what ya gonna use ? my data package from my mobile ? or is there wifi ? cos that at least would make it worth something .. ie .. bring it into the same category as that wifi internet tablet from nokia ..

sorry PALM .. i really was expecting more ..
but i do like that new softer more 2007 interface on screen .. cos it blows away the lamo interface of ya smartphone..

love ..

[mas90guru @ May 30th 2007 2:15PM]

Tada- it's a subnotebook.

The non-technical will be scared off trying to pair it (no matter how easy they say it is).

The technical already MUST use a laptop for various other things like citrix, etc -- so they're not buying this in droves.

And not for nothing but developers already seem to be abandoning the Palm ship. So I'm left with a fast booting $ 499 paperweight.

[tatsumaki @ May 30th 2007 2:15PM]

WTF?!? Unless this abomination is under $100, it's ridiculous. Even then...

Palm's history. They had a good idea for a minute, now they couldn't create something inovative to save their lives. How's about making a Treo that isn't the size of three Blackjacks/Qs stacked on top of each other? No, they've decided we don't have enough crap to carry around with us.

FYI Palm, the whole concept of a smartphone is to leave the laptop at home! Morons...

[Kevin @ May 30th 2007 2:16PM]

So, I just shorted PALM stock. Maybe that was dumb, maybe not.

But I really don't get it. Right now I tether my macbook to my phone no problem - and I use it to check my email, web browse, etc. People do these with other PC / mac / linux laptops as well. Why don't I just use my laptop instead of a foleo??

Like, I really think i'm missing something... Am I??

-Kevin

[Erwos @ May 30th 2007 2:16PM]

Well, if it's hackable, that might give it some life. But I gotta admit, it's going to be a tough sell, especially as UMPCs get faster and cheaper. If they had introduced this before the UMPC, they might have had something. But as it is, they're a day late and a dollar short.

[CharlieX @ May 30th 2007 2:16PM]

...and it's UGLY to boot

[Bart Lee @ May 30th 2007 2:17PM]

So, to recap:

Microsoft has released a device that we can't get.
Palm has released a device that we won't get.
C'mon Steve, don't let us down. Please tell me you have something besides a rehash of DRM-free songs.

[Mike @ May 30th 2007 2:18PM]

So although at first glance this doesn't look life-altering, it could be a way for many people who don't need a full laptop to have the portability of a laptop. It may also remove some of the complexity of a laptop for those who just want to surf on the couch.

Questions:
1. Does it become a brick if you don't have a Treo? I.e. can you surf over WiFi with it, where are the files stored? etc. If I show up at Starbucks without my phone can I hope on their WiFi?

2. How many people can share it? Is it locked to one Treo? Can my wife an I both use it?

3. Is it only for the Treo? I used VersaMail on my LifeDrive and it was great for reading mail but not anything with input, can I use this with other Palms? The video mentions support for other phones, but I'm guessing that it's a way off.

4. If this is pretty much a dumb terminal, will someone write a utility to allow me to connect to my PC upstairs via my home network? Can I access other resources then my Treo? If it can do some of those things, then $500 for a stripped down, ultra portable laptop doesn't seem so bad.

[zorg @ May 30th 2007 2:19PM]

I'm fine with a Psion Series 7 that actually works in 2007!

If this thing actually works, that is. The first Palm amazed me in that they made something that worked without thinking about it. There's no way you can tell from this sketchy product intro whether it does that. Just as many people couldn't tell about the iPod from its intro.

I carry a Treo around and I have Opera on it, but I will not pick it up if there's a laptop available. Why? Because of the laptop's larger screen and better keyboard, that's why.

I'm not saying that this will succeed, but I think I need to try it with my Treo to find out, not look at swiveling pictures of it. Many old products like the Psion could work today if they had a certain amount of work done on them to make them usable in today's environment.

[Chicksta @ May 30th 2007 2:20PM]

I honestly thought it could have been kind of neat - a screen extender/keyboard for your phone, I could sort of see the utility in that - until he said the price. At that price, you could get a laptop pretty easily, new or used... which would have bluetooth support to enable the syncing, and would be able to access e-mail and Office applications... they just completely blew it. Maybe now someone will see the opportunity for a display/imput accessory that's under $200. Something folding would be nice.

[Tom Boucher @ May 30th 2007 2:20PM]

I don't get it, clearly I'm not in the target market. I don't want a somewhat bigger device to attach to my smaller device. I have a 12" laptop without a hard drive, with a cell radio model it could do everything but make phone calls (on a regular phone network, i know with wireless I could skype, etc)

Seems like an odd idea to me.

[Thataboy @ May 30th 2007 2:20PM]

What community college dropouts are RUNNING Palm?? This impotent laptop is going to sell less than the LifeDrive, and at least LifeDrive was a moderately acceptable idea.

Between Windows Mobile, the iPhone, and Palm's own chronic ineptitude, Palm Inc is so beyond dead, they need a new word for dead.

[Mark @ May 30th 2007 2:22PM]

It's a portable Audrey!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3Com_Audrey

[Chicksta @ May 30th 2007 2:25PM]

Actually, I'd say it was more like the rebirth of the eMate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emate

[Naveen John @ May 30th 2007 2:22PM]

The Palm Foleo: DOA

[Palm_is_dying @ May 30th 2007 2:24PM]

Hawkins says: "We're going to start doing that, we're going to support the iPhone. They're gonna need it."

Now, I'm ROTFL!!

I can't even get bluetooth headset to work reliably with my 700p! I have to stare at a blank screen for several seconds when switching apps; now he talks about INSTANT access to e-mail!!

Instead of spending five years to come up with an underpowered laptop, Palm could have at least spent a little time fix the numerous bugs on the Treo.

[chrisC @ May 30th 2007 2:25PM]

oh my goodness! Are we in 1984?

[Jean-Michel Decombe @ May 30th 2007 2:28PM]

I love that eFool concept, er Foleo, sorry. I really think it's gonna change the way people interact with email. WTG, Palm!

[andy @ May 30th 2007 2:29PM]

You guys are missing the idea and focusing on what it doesn't do. Sure, it's not fully a laptop, that's the point.

What it does do:
because it's not a 7ghz quad core with Nvidia 8800, the battery can last ALL DAY. Not 2hrs, but ALL DAY. Balance for mobile people.

it uses the same wireless data provider as your phone; you do NOT have to get a second SIM/account just for your laptop, like teathering via bluetooth.

There is no synching. It is real time b/c it displays what's on your phone.




No, this device is not the end all be all. However, it can probably be made without any fans, lighter, smaller, and cheaper than any notebook out there, and it'll outlast any notebook on the market. Additionally, he's talking about supporting ANY phone; PALM, WM6, Berry, so you can take it with you when you get a new phone, regardless of platform.

With a couple of apps like directions from current position (calc via connected cell tower so you don't enter starting addy), and local theatres/restaurants, this thing could be very useful for people who travel a great deal.