| "Mobile companion" adds large screen, keyboard to smartphones |
May 30, 2007
 Palm has announced what it's calling a "new class" of mobile device. The Foleo "mobile companion" aims to expand the email, Internet, and productivity capabilities of smartphones such as the Windows Mobile Palm Treo, by adding a full-size keyboard and a larger screen.
(Click for larger view of the Foleo)
Jeff Hawkins and the Foleo
(Click to enlarge) |
Few details of the Foleo have been disclosed at this point. It's known to include Opera's Opera 9 embedded browser.
In one video released by Palm, company founder Jeff Hawkins said that Palm plans to ship a complete line Foleo devices supporting a wide variety of mobile phones. He predicts that the Foleo will be more successful than Palm's original Palm Pilot, which he designed, and more successful than its current Treo smartphones, which he helped design.
Palm's Foleo mobile companion in action
(Click to enlarge)
Hawkins emphasized that initial Foleo models will be focused on expanding the email capabilities of Palm's Windows Mobile-based Treo smartphones. A physical button on the device opens an email client that keeps itself synchronized with the email client on the user's smartphone. Similar capabilities for office documents are also planned.
Hawkins also proudly touted the Foleo's instant on and off capabilities, saying, "Press a button, it's on. Press it again, it's off. There are no other modes."
Given its advanced power management, and use of Opera's Opera 9 for Devices browser, the Foleo is likely based on a low-powered embedded processor, rather than by anything in the x86 family. One possibility is Intel's ARM-based Xscale processors, which Palm uses in its Treo smartphones. Another possibility is Freescale's ARM11-based i.MX31, which recently gained an Opera 9 port.
The Foleo weighs 2.4 pounds, according to reports, and sports a "full-size" keyboard. Navigation is done via a TrackPoint nub in the keyboard, while a roller wheel below the keyboard offers fast scrolling.
The Folio's bright color screen measures 10.2-inches, and runs in 1024x600 or 1024x768 (SXGA) resolutions. The device has 256MB of RAM, and expandable storage via SD and CompactFlash slots. I/O includes VGA out, USB, Bluetooth, and Wifi.
Claimed battery life is five hours, "even while using WiFi the entire time," according to PCMagazine coverage available here.
Ironically, given Palm's move to Windows Mobile for the Treo, the Foleo is based on Linux.
Palm has apparently been working on the Foleo since 2005. It has been awarded several patents that may relate to the device, including "Accessory module for handheld devices".
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