• brighthand

    Palm and Handhelds: The Writing Is on the Wall

    November 15, 2007 /

    Brighthand Editor-in-Chief, Ed Hardy, has posted an very interesting article called “Palm and Handhelds: The Writing Is on the Wall.” Mr. Hardy writes:

    “A few months ago, I wrote an editorial asking for peoples’ thoughts on what the next traditional handheld from Palm, Inc. ought to look like.

    At that time, I promised to write a followup editorial compiling everyone’s suggestions. I never did this, and I want to explain why: I am now convinced that Palm will never release another traditional handheld. Ever.”

    Keep reading…

    While I have been a user and supporter of Palm’s handhelds for many years, I do agree with Mr. Hardy’s assessment. Palm has been very careful to communicate to their customer base that handhelds were becoming less and less of their business based on sales figures.

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  • brighthand

    Was Palm Right After All?

    October 30, 2007 /

    Was Palm Right After All is a new editorial posted over on Brighthand. In the editorial, Mr. Wright, compares i-Mates new Ultimate smartphone companion to the now canceled Palm Foleo. The new products are similar in capabilities in that both would use the smartphone as the “computer” and extended that hardware platform by adding a larger keyboard and monitor.

    “I just heard about a product that will connect to a smartphone and allow it to be used with a larger keyboard and screen. No, I am not speaking of the Palm Foleo, but of something a good bit more recent that is being developed by i-mate as a companion to its Ultimate series of devices.

    Unlike the Foleo, the “shell” that i-mate is developing only contains a screen (1024 by 768 pixels), a long-life battery (80 hrs.) and a QWERTY keyboard. Everything else would be driven by the Ultimate series device that would be docked into it.

    Like the Foleo, this i-mate shell is making the case that smartphones are all but ready to take over as full computing devices for some users. And it’s in this methodology that I have to wonder if in all the blasting that Palm took for announcing (and later unannouncing) the Foleo, if they were actually right about not just smartphones, but the eventual direction of mobile computing.”

    I have to admit this does sound a lot like the Foleo. Despite all the bad press Palm received over Foleo, I still believe that it is the right thing to do as smartphones advance in capabilities and more cell phone users become smartphone users.

    Read Was Palm Right After All…

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  • brighthand,  foleo

    Brighthand – Foleo First Thoughts

    July 3, 2007 /

    Brighthand’s Editor-in-Chief, Ed Hardy, has posted this first impressions of the upcoming Palm Foleo Mobile Companion on Brighthand.com. Ed writes:

    “Late this spring, Palm, Inc. took the wraps off the Foleo, the first device in its new third product category. When it debuts in the next few months, this won’t be a handheld or smartphone, instead it will something Palm is calling a mobile companion.
    Palm Foleo

    I recently spent some time with a prototype unit, and I’d like to share my first impressions.

    Hardware

    One of the most important features of the Foleo is obvious at first glance: it’s really quite small. For something shaped like a laptop, I mean. Naturally I didn’t get a chance to carry one around for a few days to get a real idea of how convenient it’s going to be, but it’s certainly going to be easier than lugging around my full-size laptop.”

    Keep reading…

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  • brighthand,  foleo

    Brighthand: Why I Like the Mobile Companion Concept

    June 17, 2007 /


    Ed Hardy has a new editorial over on Brighthand. In it he writes:

    “A few weeks ago, Palm, Inc. unveiled the Foleo, the first product in its new “Mobile Companion” category.

    This won’t be a handheld, smartphone, or laptop. As its name suggests, it will be a special-purpose device intended to act in conjunction with a smartphone and not replacing it, letting people view the Web and their email on a larger screen and enter text with a full-size keyboard

    Even though Palm doesn’t want to admit it, it’s not the first company to develop something like this. The first one I can think of that that attracted worldwide attention was the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet, which was recently followed up by the N800.

    Whether you call the device a Mobile Companion or an Internet Tablet, this is a class of devices that I believe has a great deal of potential.”

    Keep reading…

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  • brighthand,  foleo

    Answers to Common Questions on the Palm Foleo

    June 6, 2007 /

    Brighthand’s Ed Hardy tries to tackle some of the unanswered questions in the wake of last week’s Palm Foleo product announcement.

    Palm, Inc. took the wraps off the Foleo Mobile Companion a few days ago, but many people still have questions about this upcoming device.

    Much of this is a result of the fact that Palm is keeping mum on many of the details on the Foleo. The timing of Wednesday’s announcement seems to have been more about taking advantage of all the publicity around the All Things Digital conference, rather than because Palm is close to releasing this new product.

    Still, some additional information on the Foleo has emerged since the announcement.

    Keep reading…

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