On May 30, in the year of Our Lord 2007, Palm Inc introduced the Palm Foleo.
What was the Palm Foleo, you may ask?
Well, to nutshell it, the Palm Foleo was a subnotebook* form factor device that was, grok this: intended to be a “companion” to your laptop!
I jest not.
Palm, which basically gave humanity handheld devices, wanted those same humans to now go around with a clamshell device to go as a companion to any other clamshell devices those humans carry.
Or basically, carry two laptops!
The device’s Wikipedia page is here.
Strangely -haha, the device failed.
On Sept 6, 2007, I called last rites on that abomination is a blog post on NetworkWorld called Hawkins' Folly.
And a folly, it was.
As I explained there, it was as if Jeff Hawkins – the founder of Palm and Handspring, the forebears of modern mobile smartcomputing, were repudiating his prior innovations, and trying to say “Eff U” to the world for giving him any mind.
Palm was subsequently purchased by 3Com, which itself created the brain fart known as the Aubrey.
3Com itself meandered along until the networking parts were bought by HP, which proceeded to cast off the 3Com name, and those mobile assets, foisting them upon some yobs who decided to revive the Palm brand.
Evidently these new suckers guys, who have now changed their company name to Palm, want to resurrect that ‘brand’ because it was so great.
(One of these days, someone will resurrect the Gavilan!”
Additionally, this new Palm was going to crowdsource** product development. Running WebOS.
You with me so far?
Thanks.
To recap: Jeff Hawkins created Palm, the first smart mobile device, Handspring, then the Foleo, yada, yada, yada….crickets.
Until today.
Upon hearing me scream, “OMG!!! IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN!!!”, BOTH Wifey and #1 Son run into my office.
“Are you OK”, they ask in unison.
I hastened to assure them I was alright and tried to explain the reason for my outburst.
After about 9 minutes, my #1 Son – God Bless teenagers! – asked the best question: “Did a grownup come up with this product for other grownups?”
People of Terra: the new Palm product, get this: is a companion device for your smartphone!
Are you effin’ kiddin’ me?
Wha….wha….what year is this?
Haven’t we been here BEFORE? ELEVEN YEARS AGO?
The heck?
This, is it?
Okay, Palm cannot blame this on Hawkins, for I don’t see his name anywhere on their digital masthead.
This is all on them.
Ladies and gentlemen, this, is Palm Foleo II.
Not (no longer?) based on WebOS, and now running Android, this product defies describing. So, I shall not try.
It is, however, total merde!
I can’t remember the last time a company totally crapped the bed, and then decided to do a reboot of that crapover a decade or so later!
For those who need it, the device is exclusive to Verizon Wireless.
For the sake of my sanity, I will not post links to it!
*In those days, a basic notebook weighed more than a fully-loaded 17” laptop weighs today.
**That’s another buzzword checkbox unlocked.
© 2002 – 2018, John Obeto for Blackground Media Unlimited
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