Palm’s Jeff Hawkins shares thoughts on netbooks and the Foleo
IDG had a recent opportunity to chat with Palm founder Jeff Hawkins, and the interview focuses squarely on the netbook market. While I’m of the opinion that the small notebook market is pretty well defined, it looks like Hawkins still feels there’s a market for a Foleo-like device. At least that’s how I’m reading it based on these excerpts:
"IBD: When Foleo was announced critics questioned this category. What’s your thinking about it now?
Hawkins: As far as I know the category hasn’t taken off yet, but there’s interest in it. Myopinion has been pretty consistent… I’m a frustrated computer user — Idon’t particularly like using computers. I was very excited about Foleoand I’m still excited about the category. And I never lost any of myexcitement for it, even though Palm decided not to launch the Foleo…. If anything, my career has shown me that there’s a demand for simplicity and size reduction. I’m still convinced it’s a great category ready to really take off."
At first I thought Hawkins was talking about the netbook category, but upon a second review, I’m not so sure. What’s interesting to me is the timing of this interview since we recently shared news that Celio’s REDFLY was now available for consumer purchase. Many commenters indicated that it was too late for such a device to be successful and that the price was too high when compared to netbooks. Remember, the REDFLY is very similar to the Foleo concept with two major differences: it uses the Windows Mobile, rather than Palm platform, and it can’t be used without a phone while the Foleo can.
I recommend reading the whole article, because it’s entirely possible I’ve misunderstood the message that Hawkins was trying to convey. It seems like he sees a small window of opportunity for second generation Foleo, but I’m not convinced there is due to the netbook market that continues to expand at a rapid pace.
I do think Hawkins is closer to the target with his commentary on the various netbook models out there. He believes that there’s still room between the "too small" devices and the "too big" devices in this category. Perhaps we’ll see a Foleo 2 in that gap: a standalone device with a lightweight mobile OS sized somewhere in between?
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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There are two benefits of ARM devices like the Foleo that current netbooks cannot match:
1. Instant, seamless wakeup, because ARM devices have the potential not to be fully suspended. Too often, I read of multi-second wakeup times, or the display or WiFi or touchpad not waking up with the rest of the computer. Solution: Don’t go to sleep.
2. Real battery life, without using bulges. This is what allows the device to be never truly suspended. I think Intel will get there, eventually. Windows may be a different story. Companies like Nokia and Red Hat (for the OLPC) have invested into making Linux take very little power when idle.
I saw the Foleo at LinuxWorld and really liked it, but Palm wasn’t ready. My Nokia Internet Tablet is the second-best I’m settling for.
I think he’s dead on here and was dead on with the Foleo.
Most people who purchase netbooks use them simply to type a few paragraphs on the run and surf the Internet in the few available minutes here an there.
The key reason I think Hawkins gets it and most of us geeks don’t is the “instant on” aspect.
Can you imagine how much less useful you phone would be if it wasn’t instant on? The only reason computers have gotten away with long boot up times is because they were never based on a device; the telephone; that was instantly usable.
I would love for James and Kevin to start thinking about how much “instant on” in a netbook sized device would impact their daily system usage.
Think about this for a few seconds. “How many times in the last few days have you thought about looking something up, typing up your thoughts, or replying to an email, but decided not too because you didn’t feel like booting up your device?”
As stated here the real benefit is ALL DAY BATTERY LIFE. This cannot be stated strongly enough and the biggest advantage I got out of using the Redfly for a while.
Yeah, Hawkins doesn’t see netbooks as the same category as the Foleo…just as a laptop isn’t the same category as a smartphone, even though they can do many of the same things. Hawkins basically just wants a really good I/O experience for stuff that is on (or comes in via) his smartphone, and that means a bigger screen and full keyboard. I think the closest thing, besides the Redfly, that would appeal to him would be the HTC Advantage, but as it’s saddled with Windows Mobile, it probably wouldn’t satisfy him very much (he still believes in the the Zen of Palm, i.e., simplicity, being at the core of a great user experience).
Foleo and Redfly are both would be great devices… when the next generation ARM or VIA or Intel chips will make it into the phones and this would be the reason to have a very strong CPU for a phone.
Instant on connected to your always on phone!
Netbooks are nice but they are not going to replace my tablet/notebook. I still need to get a connection for the netbook (wifi or gsm whatever).
1.Foleo/Redfly network connection would be seamless.
2. No data to store on it.
3. Nothing to install on it and nothing to maintain.
4. Instant on, or always on?
5. Battery backup for your phone.
If this thing can be bought for under a $100 it would certanly find a market.
The irony is that if you read the history of Palm, the Pilot was a fluke.
Palm was actually trying to create the Foleo years ago.
You see statements just like the one above from Hawkins way back in the 90s about an instant on and simple computer.
They ran out of money and needed a product so created the Palm Pilot.
I think Hawkins saw the “Smartphone Companion” as a way in the door for a new computing platform as he originally envisioned it.
Am I missing something? Doesn’t the answer to the holy grail of instant on exist but just hasn’t been put together:
This would be an instant on netbook with arm processor $300-$400 (Foleo too expensive – I’ll take Asus or MSI thanks) running Windows Mobile or if it has to a Linux os with a great browser (Opera?). Using the existing WIndows Mobile platform while not perfect would allow familar apps like Handbase, E-wallet, Phatnotes, Evernote, Pocket Informant, ebook readers etc etc to be readily utilised.
Maybe I am the odd one out but I’ve been waiting for this device since the HP Jornada 820 in 1998!