Palm's mobile companion certainly looks like a laptop

If it looks like a laptop, acts like a laptop, maybe even smells like a laptop, is it a laptop? Nope -- if you're Palm, it's not a laptop, it's a "mobile companion."

Palm Wednesday launched Foleo, a 2.5-pound device that connects via Bluetooth to a Treo smartphone (the company says it can also connect to any other Palm operating system or Windows Mobile smartphone) to provide a larger screen (10 inches) and full-size keyboard. Aimed at the power wireless e-mail user, the $500 Foleo (after $100 rebate) is expected to come out "sometime this summer," Palm says.

But the Foleo is more than just an extension of the Treo's display and keyboard input, which brings it closer into ultramobile laptop territory. For example, the Foleo runs a Linux operating system and has memory capabilities, through a Secure Digital card slot as well as a Compact Flash slot (stored behind the Foleo's battery). Data, therefore, can be stored on a Foleo, although a lot of it is synchronized wirelessly between the Foleo and a Treo (e-mail, attachments, folders and contacts are synched). The Foleo includes the Opera Web browser, and built-in Wi-Fi means users can surf the Internet without needing a Treo connection (they could also surf via a Treo's WAN connection if no Wi-Fi signal exists). The Linux operating system allows third-party developers to get on board with additional applications for the device.

To continue reading, register here and become an Insider. You'll get free access to premium content from CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World. See more Insider content or sign in.

If it looks like a laptop, acts like a laptop, maybe even smells like a laptop, is it a laptop? Nope -- if you're Palm, it's not a laptop, it's a "mobile companion."

Palm Wednesday launched Foleo, a 2.5-pound device that connects via Bluetooth to a Treo smartphone (the company says it can also connect to any other Palm operating system or Windows Mobile smartphone) to provide a larger screen (10 inches) and full-size keyboard. Aimed at the power wireless e-mail user, the $500 Foleo (after $100 rebate) is expected to come out "sometime this summer," Palm says.

But the Foleo is more than just an extension of the Treo's display and keyboard input, which brings it closer into ultramobile laptop territory. For example, the Foleo runs a Linux operating system and has memory capabilities, through a Secure Digital card slot as well as a Compact Flash slot (stored behind the Foleo's battery). Data, therefore, can be stored on a Foleo, although a lot of it is synchronized wirelessly between the Foleo and a Treo (e-mail, attachments, folders and contacts are synched). The Foleo includes the Opera Web browser, and built-in Wi-Fi means users can surf the Internet without needing a Treo connection (they could also surf via a Treo's WAN connection if no Wi-Fi signal exists). The Linux operating system allows third-party developers to get on board with additional applications for the device.

Other features include an "instant on" button that powers up the unit, and a one-touch e-mail button that instantly connects users to their Treo e-mail; a battery with five hours of life; and editors that let users view Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. Ports on the Foleo include VGA out, USB, power outlet, SD card slot and headphone jack.

It's these additional features that move Palm into muddier waters. If the device were just a way for heavy-use Treo owners to see their e-mail on a larger display and to have full-size keyboards for longer messages, that would be great (and it would cost a lot less than $500). But with the additional features that move it into laptop territory mean you've got a device that's not really a laptop but will be compared to full-featured notebooks. Even Jeff Hawkins, a founder of Palm who spoke about the Foleo in a Palm Webcast Wednesday, admitted that "over time, this may become a laptop," but for now it's aimed at Treo owners who use wireless e-mail a lot.

Another cloudy area — the Foleo adds another device to the arsenal of the mobile worker. The Treo and other smartphones were supposed to help eliminate the "multiple device scenarios" that a lot of workers have. The original converged devices were aimed at taking the PDA and merging it with a cell phone, helping to eliminate the need for a notebook altogether. Now that the Foleo is out, I wonder why Palm just didn't create an ultramobile notebook from the start.

Read more about wireless & mobile in Network World's Wireless & Mobile section.