Post questions for Palm (Interview up, but keep posting)

[mogulman]

Can I watch DVDs on it? When I travel on a plane a lot, I watch DVDs. If it can't play DVDs, why wouldn't I want a Laptop instead?

OH.. and... Any real new products coming out soon? This looks like my old Sharp Zaurus

[Overthrow]

i've got some questions. don't know if they're good ones just yet.

ed colligan's quote haunts me now: "pc guys are not going to just figure this out". are mobile guys going to just figure this out?

how is this a better companion than a computer?

palm sells a bluetooth keyboard already. why not a bluetooth display?

instead of making it a companion, why not make it a dock instead?

[CountBuggula]

Is the processor ARM based or x86 based?

[Dim-Ize]

It seems that most companies (large and small) issue laptops through an official procurement / deployment process. IT and purchasing are both involved in these decisions. This allows standards for software, custom apps. and IT support costs to be contained.

Yet, mobile phones are often left to the individuals to purchase - with reimbursement options for monthly usage. Sometimes companies offer a few "approved" phones if integrating into corporate mail systems.

I don't understand where this product fits. I work for a fortune 50 company and this product wouldn't be supported as is. I cannot choose my laptop. It is given to me and remains company property.

Yet my phone - is up to me to purchase and the monthly usage fee is reimbursed.

The current Treo community was largely hoping for a next generation handheld which incorporates smaller form factor, 3G+ data, and a concurrent voice / Data option. Other features reqeusted included BT, GPS, etc.

Who is your target audience? I honestly cannot picture the market acceptance of this device.

[Overthrow]

are the additions to linux on the Foleo GPL or Proprietary? What's the plan for contributing code back to the community if GPL?

Why is it so much more expensive than the OLPC's XO or the Intel Classmate?

[Dieter Bohn]

this will obvious change and I obviously won't be getting to all of htese

QUESTIONS


MARKET
- Clarify - why is this a better companion than a small laptop?
- Describe the average user for this product? Who's your target?
- Reaction thus far has been pretty poor - a lot of folks are not seeing why this product is necessary. You've already explained how you position this, but how do you get that message across? Isn't it troubling that people don't instantly "get it" like they do with the PDA and the Treo?
- Cost. It's a lot. What's driving up the cost so much, esp. compared to subnotebooks out there like the OLPC?

HARDWARE
- Can we pin down the exact specs? Processor / RAM / ROM / Display Rez / Removable battery / how big battery / ports / etc.
- Talk a little about the decisions to leave things *out* - Hard Drive, Cellular Radio, Touchscreen, GPS
- Why not create a device with a foldable keyboard (similar to ones already available) with a flexible LCD screen to have a truly portable keyboard/big screen companion? Or a dock - or some other form factor that doesn't scream "laptop"?
- Memory Schizophrenia. CF, SD, and miniSD in your lineup
- Since the foleo is bluetooth, how does it deal with smartphones that have sub par bluetooth implementations (Treo 700p, etc.)?
- Have the specs for the Foleo been finalized?


SOFTWARE
- Where's the Calendar / Tasks / skype / IM / Music / video
- Why announce now, if this stuff isn't ready, much less the device available?
- Does it have the same Linux that will eventually be in future Treos?
- Let's talk about the OS. are the additions to linux on the Foleo GPL or Proprietary? What's the plan for contributing code back to the community if GPL?
- I'd like to ask what kind of a development platform (SDK and such) be available for the Foleo? When will it be available?
- What sort of software is required on the smartphone side for this syncing?
- Can it run off-the-shelf Linux apps? Can it run PalmOS apps?
- Chatter email



VARIOUS
- Will users need a PAM plan?
- What happened to the critical importance of pocketability and one-handed operation?
- Why Docs-to-Go instead of OpenOffice?
- Why Opera instead of Firefox?
- Why Linux instead of Windows?
- Is there a possibility for a Windows version?


...gotta leave in a half hour or so. Keep 'em coming!

[imnevercomingback]

Did management anticipate the negative response?

Is this device really ready for primetime?

Did Jeff really mean to say he wished he'd put a faster processor in it?

If the Foleo will help push Palm to innovate then when can we expect to see some of this innovation?

Does management really think the Treo 600 platform is enough to prevent Palm from dying a slow death?

Does management care that Palm has lost its edge?

Should we care or just capitulate and buy an iphone?

[tirk]

What VPN clients does it support? If it had (say) a decent Citrix implementation I could just about see a niche market for it.

[samkim]

1. We know that it can't handle YouTube video smoothly. But can it handle playing a movie from local storage?
2. What's the maximum CF card it can handle?
3. Can it run TomTom6 while connected to a bluetooth GPS receiver?
4. Is it capable of displaying multiple windows at once?
5. Is Paul Mercer responsible for the industrial design?
6. What channels will you sell this through?

[sideman7]

So how much of your resources did you burn up (take this however you want) to come up with this P.O.S.? I guess I just don't get what purpose this is supposed to serve other than to waste money... Especially given that it relies on the one technology that is the achilles heel of pretty much every Treo ever made (bluetooth)...

Oh yeah, where is the 700p MR...

[miradu]

questions about folio:

Confirm: The device stays fully synced without needing to press a button? (IE, it's all automatic?)

Where does the linux stop and the palm begin? (IE can I run apps made for KDE/Gnome? X11?)

What's the processor in this product?

It's a modern day slim client no?

industrial design is pretty boring, stale, bland... was that purposeful? What users/motives/factors led to this design? What else did you try out?

How was Docs To Go an easier/better choice then Open Office? Is it that easy for a palm app to be ported to this platform? Explain what porting entails?

It feels to me you missed the larger market for this device -> slim, affordable, home laptop for web browseing and the web.. respond?

Have the Treo engineering efforts been hampered by palm working on this project? What percentage of the engineering team has been behind it? Does this share anything with the treo?

????? ??????

it's so out there.. I'm having trouble thinking of good questions that get to the strategy and aren't just why not this why this...

What is the palm special sauce in this product? What is unique about this product that HTC can't just do with a full copy of windows for half of the price?

good luck dieter.

[Dieter Bohn]

Ok guys, I seriously need to get running. Keep posting qs though and if i get a chance I'll add them to the list. otherwise I'll try to answer them myself based on my hands-on.

Thanks all, they're really good questions!!

[treobk214]

When will the next REAL treo upgrade be released? By "REAL" upgrade, I mean the following features onboard the phone:

1) New or significantly upgraded operating system. stable, free of crashes.
2) A2DP bluetooth
3) 400 mhz processor or higher
4) wimax
5) 128 mb ram
6) 320x320 hires screen
7) gps
8) wifi

[Brandorr]

1) Are there any plans to make a three way sync between my Treo, a Foleo, and a suite of web applications that allow me to interact with the same set of data?

2) Does the foleo actually require the same amount of storage as on the Treo? That is to say, does it cache documents, or does it need to keep a full mirrored sync?

3) Do you have any other devices planned in the PAN (personal area networking) space?

4) Do you have any plans for Foleos with much longer battery lifetimes? (A full working day is 8 hours.)

5) Did you consider a tablet style device? (w/ foldable keyboard) Are there any plans for a tablet style Foleo?

6) Do you plan to provide integration with feature phones? (vs. smartphones).

7) Do you see a significant market for Foleos that are uncouple from a Treo. (IE: strict laptop replacement) Do you see a future market for Foleo only applications.

8) Why only three launch applications? (Office, email, web)

9) Why not include the rest of the outlook equivalents? (Calendar, tasks, contacts, journal, notes)

10) One thing is unclear. Does the Foleo allow me to open office documents that are stored on my Treo's SD card? (That aren't email attachments, and without moving the card from my Treo to the Foleo)

11) Can you clarify whether or not there are plans to include DiVX, XVid, AVI and other video codecs? (This is one area where laptops excel.)

12) Are you familiar with the concepts related to HSM (Hierarchial Storage System). If so can you comment on how these concepts may relate to the Palm's future integration plans?

13) Your CEO has indicated that there will be a Linux phone released by the end of the year. Is it known at this time if there is a plan to include application level compatibility between both Linux product families? (Treo, and Foleo)

14) Any chance for some serious gaming on the Foleo? (IE: Is there any video acceleration)

15) Have you considered bundling in an RDP client? (There is also a Mac equivelant, same question applys).

16) It seems with this device there is a welcome shift away from "Hotsync". Am I reading to much into this?

17) Do you plan to release an SDK prior to release of the device?

brandorr

[mw22]

Will it have cell fone connectivity proper (ie with a sim card plug in tray ) in version 2
Skype ???
Will it be able to run palm os garnet apps ??
Will it be able to run other linux apps such as accounting software and pims ???

[cglaguna]

Why not make the top rotate 180 so it could be used as a tablet, this would be the perfect tablet form factor? (with touchscreen of course)

[taylorh]

Since it can not be turned off, what happens when the battery dies? (in standby, in storage, in luggage, etc.)

[Tastypeppers]

'Why?'

Keep asking that until they run out of marketing fluff and tell the truth.

[moderateinny]

Why haven't you picked out your place on the site www.jumptheshark.com yet?

You can start an entire new category: Hopelessly Arrogant Former Silicon Valley Heavy Weights.

Seriously Palm....what a waste of time. Foleo is at least 10 years past it's prime and just like the "thin clients" that were to rule the world back in the internet hay day, so to will Foleo die a short, yet painful death.

Dumb dumb dumb...someone needs to be fired over this one.

[treobk214]

Who`s on first? I dont see anybody on second, third, home, in the clubhouse or even in the damn nosebleed section! Is this game over?