A post yesterday on LinuxDevices.com includes photos and specs that make the device sound downright interesting:
- Full-size keyboard
- TrackPoint pointing device
- 10.2-inch 1024×600 screen
- Video out port that runs at 1024×768 to match standard SXGA projectors
- USB
- Bluetooth
- Wi-Fi
- Weight 2.4 pounds
- Battery life 5 hours
It’s diskless (is that a word?) and RAM and flash storage haven’t been specified but there’s a hidden Compact Flash bay and an accessible SD slot.
It runs a Linux distro from Wind River on an embedded low-power architecture (processor not specified), which means instant on/off and a set of built-in applications that run in full-screen mode.
Basically that means it’s more like a Palm PDA or a Pocket PC than a full-blown laptop but it’s open enough that Palm is encouraging third-party developers to build applications for it.
At LinuxWorld yesterday Palm announced that one of those apps will be a version of LogMeIn’s remote-access software.
Palm has worked hard to make the Foleo sound like an accessory for its Treo smartphones, which is one reason for the ridicule it got – who needs an accessory that’s several times bigger than the device it supports.
But I think that’s just marketing spin. Maybe Palm actually believes it, maybe the company itself doesn’t understand the product.
For me, it’s the Wi-Fi and the video out port that makes this device something to take seriously.
It will function as a stand-alone ultra-mobile PC-like device and at a $500 USD price point it’s half the price of anything similar out there.
