This Gear Diary diary on the Keyport brought back feelings of anger and frustration. If you don't remember, the Keyport was a device that took in six of your keys—custom made—and allowed you to individually *snickt* them out like a switchblade or Swiss Army Knife. Fantastic idea; shit execution.

The company's been showing off their "product" since 2007, and even showed pictures and video of the manufacturing process—a process that's so sophisticated they're able to charge $300 for a set. What did they do with all those $300 pre-orders? Not delivering a product, that's what. In fact, they refunded people's money in 2008, but then didn't get around to returning their keys. Why? We have no idea. After Gear Diary's post went up, a Keyport rep got ahold of him and promised that his keys would be returned and that actual products would be shipping some time between now and the heat death of the universe. Sounds doubtful.

But that's not the only disappointment we've had in the last few years. There was the Palm Foleo, which was actually an interesting idea (an Netbook-like device that connected to your Palm) that may have been slightly too early for its time. It came before the Netbook craze, and died an unseemly death from people who wanted no part of it and shamed Palm into ditching its development. But what of the people who did? The Pre doesn't have enough drying power to soak up those tears, but might be a better choice, market-wise, in the end.

Then there are the things that have been vaporware so much that people stopped caring. Was anybody actually surprised that Duke Nukem Forever was canned because the company ran out of money before their employees were able to switch rendering engines yet another time? Saddened, yes, but surprised? And how about the Phantom game console? They finally managed to deliver the keyboard + mouse part of their product, and even that was like pushing a mattress through a moonroof.

Are we conditioned, as tech lovers, to be accustomed to being let down? Did we care that the $10 Indian laptop turned out to be just something stupid? Or that the $100 laptop idea brought up years ago still hasn't materialized? Or how about a decently-powered laptop that will let you get eight hours of work done? Where's that?

I think we're just so used to our gadgets disappointing us that we'll take what we can get. We don't really care that Microsoft hasn't gotten around to placing all those promised features of Longhorn—which was stripped down to become Vista—into Windows 7. We're just happy they're getting the OS delivered on time. On time! We're grading one of the world's largest software companies on a scale we use to grade Kindergarteners.

Machines Behaving Deadly: A week exploring the sometimes difficult relationship between man and technology.

I know, I know, you're terribly upset, all five of you who defended the offbeat mobile companion when it was introduced last May. In a message on the official Palm blog, Palm CEO Ed Colligan wrote:

In the course of the past several months, it has become clear that the right path for Palm is to offer a single, consistent user experience around this new platform design and a single focus for our platform development efforts. To that end, and after careful deliberation, I have decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration.

We will, of course, continue to develop products in partnership with Microsoft on the Windows Mobile platform, but from our internal platform development perspective, we will focus on only one.

As much as I personally looked forward to test-driving one, we applaud Palm's courage in making this tough decision. But no, you can't borrow 10 million dollars from us. [Official Palm Blog]

Power Up
Foleo: Instant On
Palm Notebook: Instant On

Screen Size
Foleo: 10-inch screen, 1024 x 600
Palm Notebook: 2-1/4" x 3"—Wong used a IIIe which is 160 x 160

Connectivity
Foleo: WiFi and Bluetooth
Palm Notebook: Wong used a serial cable. But a newer Palm, like the TX, would supply WiFi, Bluetooth and infrared

Battery Life
Foleo: 5 Hours
Palm Notebook: Days... if you're carrying big pack of AAAs

Memory
Foleo: About 118MB RAM expandable with SD card slot.
Palm Notebook: 2MB RAM (later Palm models have SD slots as well)

Weight
Foleo: 2.5 lbs
Palm Notebook: 1.1 lbs

Cost
Foleo: $500
Palm Notebook: 1 book, 1 old palmpilot ($25) and Landware GoYype ($40), hours of
time.

Bonus Round: Green-ness
Foleo: 100% not recycled
Palm Notebook: 90% recycled

From Allen Wong:

Future Plans:

After they saw the article in MAKE, the good folks at Palm sent me a TX.
When I get a wireless keyboard, the TX will be disassembled and converted
into another Palm Notebook, hopefully smaller and lighter than the first.

Upgrading to a brand new TX with WiFi and a 320 x 480 screen would bring the total to around $325. Which one would you buy? –Noah Robischon

Palm Pilot Notebook [Make Digital]
Palm Foleo Coverage [Gizmodo]

We handed you the press release and specs and even a gallery, we've given you the best seat in the house for the unveiling, but still something is nagging at you. What, exactly, is this baby meant to do? Is it really a supplement to your smartphone, or is Palm trying to go into the laptop business? And is $499 (after rebate) cheap as hell or way overpriced?

Let's go over the facts: It has a "real" keyboard, a rubber track-nipple, a scroll wheel, a 10-inch screen with a resolution of 1024x600 (but no touch sensitivity). It has 256MB of RAM but the only thing we know about the processor is that it handles some Flash but not the Flash video you find on YouTube. There's a video out, USB port and Bluetooth for a choice of "dial-up" networking, plus Wi-Fi in case you left your phone at home.

We know that its Linux OS runs off of solid-state memory, enabling the very sweet instant-on, instant-off function. However, we have no idea how much flash is packed in at the start. It may not be much: there's a CF slot tucked under the battery and when you plug in a card, that card becomes your "primary memory." There's also an SD slot for file transfers and auxiliary storage.

(And lest ye think we just don't have our reporting chops down, Palm specifically told us that they could not go into detail on the type and clockspeed of processor or the amount of internal flash memory at this time. Presumably because none of that is written in stone until the "summer" launch.)

On the software front, it handles photos and PDFs. You can create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files. Although there is a headphone jack, I don't believe anyone has mentioned anything about music or media players. There is, of course, a Web browser.

Sounds suspiciously like a laptop, yes, but according to its maker, it sure is not. Its raison d'etre is, quite specifically, mobile email.

It supports VersaMail right out of the box on Palm OS, including Pop and IMAP accounts, and it supports Pocket Outlook for Windows Mobile phones. Everything relating to your email (including attachments and changes made to those attachments) are synced between the smartphone and the Foleo. Palm is interested in welcoming others to the Foleo fold—the likes of RIM, Apple and Nokia—and says support for any of their platforms would be easy to implement.

To be sure, though it works as a standalone, it's this pairing process that makes the Foleo complete. Some benefits like high-speed Net access via an EVDO-capable Treo 755p are impressive, though I wouldn't want to be stuck using a GPRS Treo to power a Foleo. Other perks, like the ability to set a proximity lock on your Foleo so it only functions when in range of your Treo, are just kind of cute.

The press release says it's for "productivity-minded business people who want a more complete mobile solution for email, attachments and access to the Web." When Palm founder Jeff Hawkins presented it, however, he drove the point home: "If you're not a heavy email user who needs that mobility, I'd stay away."

Pretty clear message to me. So here's the real deal: If you love your Treo or Windows Mobile phone, but wish you could just rat-tat-tat out your damn emails on a keyboard more often than not, it's for you. If you don't carry a smartphone, this is a pass. But does that mean it sucks? (Seriously, I'm really asking.) – Wilson Rothman

Our coverage:
Liveblog: Palm Foleo Unveil Now!
First Palm Foleo Hands On and Impressions
Palm Foleo: A Laptop For Your Smartphone
Palm Foleo In Motion (video)

Product Page [Palm]

Would I buy one? No, I'm not a smart phone junkie.
– Brian Lam

Foleo Mobile Companion Brings Large Screen and Full-size Keyboard to Smartphones

CARLSBAD, Calif., May 30, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Building on its vision that the future of personal computing is mobile computing, Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced the Palm(R) Foleo(TM), its first smartphone companion product. The Foleo mobile companion has a large screen and full-size keyboard with which to view and edit email and office documents residing on a smartphone. Edits made on Foleo automatically are reflected on its paired smartphone and vice versa. Foleo and its paired smartphone stay synchronized throughout the day or at the touch of a button. This powerful combination is for productivity-minded business people who want a more complete mobile solution for email, attachments and access to the web.(1)

The Foleo mobile companion turns on and off instantly and features fast navigation, a compact and elegant design, and a battery that lasts up to 5 hours of use. Its applications include email, full-screen web browser, and editors or viewers for common business documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. The Foleo stays synchronized via Bluetooth(R) wireless technology and uses the smartphone's radio or the Foleo's built-in Wi-Fi radio for general Internet connectivity.

"Foleo is the most exciting product I have ever worked on," said Jeff Hawkins, founder of Palm, Inc. and the visionary behind the Foleo's concept and definition. "Smartphones will be the most prevalent personal computers on the planet, ultimately able to do everything that desktop computers can do. However, there are times when people need a large screen and full-size keyboard. As smartphones get smaller, this need increases. The Foleo completes the picture, creating a mobile-computing system that sets a new standard in simplicity."

(NOTE TO EDITORS: Credentialed media plus industry and financial analysts are invited to join a streamed webcast today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific. Hawkins will discuss Palm's vision for this new category and demonstrate the new product's capabilities, followed by a Q&A session. The live webcast can be accessed using the following link: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=39613)

Foleo mobile companions work with Palm's Treo(TM) smartphones (Palm OS(R) and Windows Mobile(R) versions). However, Palm believes that most smartphones based on Windows Mobile should work with little or no modification. Smartphones based on operating systems from Research in Motion, Apple, and Symbian likely can be supported with a modest software effort. The Foleo's synchronization architecture is open, and Palm expects to work with third-party developers to support as many smartphones as possible.

"As we did with the PalmPilot more than a decade ago, and more recently with the Treo smartphone, Palm is driving innovation and capitalizing on emerging opportunities in mobile computing, a market full of potential," said Ed Colligan, president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc. "The Palm Foleo represents our first product in a new line of solutions that will redefine how people work while away from their desks. It starts today with a focus on wireless email, and we expect the Foleo to grow in features and expand its capabilities as the platform grows."

Skyrocketing use of mobile email creates demand for a new way of mobile computing. By the end of 2007, an estimated 24.2 million wireless email accounts will be in use worldwide, and by 2010 wireless email accounts will soar to 199 million.(2) The rapid growth of smartphone sales, the faster speeds of wireless networks, and the increasing digitization of content make this the right time for the introduction of Palm's first mobile companion product.

Although designed primarily as a companion to a mobile phone, Foleo is a powerful computer on its own. Its Linux-based operating system and built-in Wi-Fi radio make it easy for developers to create new applications that can be installed with a single click in the browser. The Foleo has a USB port, video-out port, headphone jack, and slots for SD and compact flash cards for memory expansion. This combination of capabilities in a low-cost design is new in the industry. Palm has opened its design and is actively supporting third-party software developers.

(NOTE: Video and images of the new mobile companion are available from Business Wire (http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5410999) and from Palm's Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary).)

Primary Capabilities and Attributes of the Foleo Mobile Companion

— One-button access to full-screen email

— Instant on, instant off

— Rapid access to various applications

— 10-inch screen and full-size keyboard

— Web search and browsing via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi

— Editors for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, plus a PDF viewer

— Compact, stylish design that fits on an airline tray table

— Lightweight at 2.5 pounds

— Fast, simple and intuitive navigation

— 5-hour battery life

— Linux OS for easy application development

Wireless Email on the Big Screen

Email users have become increasingly dependent on smartphones to remain connected and productive.

Drawing on Palm's world-class usability and responsiveness, the Foleo mobile companion gives Palm OS and Windows Mobile based smartphone customers more power and flexibility while retaining the most-loved features of the Treo smartphone. For example, customers open the Foleo, press a button, and it turns on instantly. There is never a delay or boot-up time. A dedicated button provides access to email. All work is saved, so there is no need to close applications or take actions in order to save files. When the Foleo is turned on again, it resumes where the user left off.

New users follow a simple process to pair a Foleo with their smartphone. From then on, email stays synchronized on both devices.

Web Browsing

It is easy to view the web through built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, using the Opera browser. Using Bluetooth, a Treo smartphone acts as a wireless modem for the Foleo. Alternatively, customers can use the Foleo mobile companion's built-in Wi-Fi for fast web browsing anywhere Wi-Fi is available, including more than 50,000 hot spots open to the public in the United States.(3)

Attachments To Go

The Foleo mobile companion also supports the most popular types of attachments. As on the Treo smartphone, the mobile companion uses a version of Documents To Go(R) customized by DataViz(R). People can create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint compatible documents. The Foleo also includes a Palm-developed PDF reader.

Mobile professionals will find that just as their smartphones are ideal for use while on the move, the Foleo mobile companion is a perfect fit for use while commuting by mass transit, in meetings or on business trips. The mobile companion's size is ideal for working from an airplane seat, and its instant on/off capability makes it easy to comply with flight restrictions on electronics.

Elegant and Thoughtful Design

The Foleo mobile companion's hardware design features elegantly clean lines and forgoes excessive latches and connectors. An innovative scroll wheel, clever forward and back buttons, and a convenient track point enable easy navigation without requiring the user's hands leave the full-size keyboard.

By building the Foleo on an open Linux-based software platform, Palm hopes to replicate earlier success with developers by drawing a large community to create new applications that will extend the mobile companion's capabilities. Palm already has partnered with DataViz and Opera Software, demonstrating the ease with which exciting technology and applications can be ported to the Foleo mobile companion. Palm also will produce tools to allow smartphone manufacturers to make devices compatible with the Foleo mobile companion.

Foleo Pricing and Availability

U.S. availability for the Palm Foleo mobile companion will begin this summer. The price of the Foleo mobile companion is expected to be $499 after an introductory $100 rebate. For more information on the Foleo mobile companion, please visit www.palm.com/seefoleo. To sign up for notification about Foleo availability, please visit www.palm.com/foleonotify.

About Palm, Inc.

Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information from anywhere. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm(R) Treo(TM) smartphones, Palm Foleo(TM) mobile companions and Palm handheld computers, as well as software, services and accessories.

Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm Retail Stores and Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store).

More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com.

(1) Requires compatible phone with Bluetooth wireless technology. Email requires data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost. ISP and/or VPN may also be required. Within wireless service coverage area only. A dial-up networking plan from a service provider may be required at an incremental cost above and beyond the service provider's regular smartphone data plans.

(2) Source: The Radicati Group, Inc., Wireless E-mail Market 2006-2010, November 2006

(3) Source: JiWire: http://www.jiwire.com/hot-spot-directory-browse-by-state.htm?country_ id=1&provider_id=0 (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.)

Broadcast Video and Other Palm Materials

Broadcast video and other materials are available online from Palm's Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary). Press can register at the site, which is hosted by The NewsMarket (www.TheNewsMarket.com), a web-based news and video archive, to browse and preview an extensive content library and order footage directly from their desktops. Registration and ordering on the site is free.

Also, a social media news release version of today's announcement is available at http://socialnews.palm.com/. The social media news release contains "Web 2.0" features, including subscription via RSS, multimedia downloads, commenting, track-backing, links to social bookmark sites and other resources.

Palm, Palm OS, Foleo and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.

What the hell does that mean? Well, based on the leak its neither a new Treo nor is it a UMPC. Instead it's a device with a large screen and full-size keyboard designed to let you read and edit Office documents.

Once you're done tapping away on the Foleo, you can sync your files from the Foleo to your smartphone. Not what I'd call revolutionary. Battery-wise, you can expect up to 5 hours and the device will debut this summer for around $499. Essentially, it's an extra gadget Palm wants us to lug around. If that's the case (and we're hoping this rumor is false), we'll have to pass. – Louis Ramirez

Palm RSS Feed Reveals Foleo Press Release [TreoCentral via Slashphone]