Yes, you read it right. Palm CEO Ed Colligan today announced plans to cancel the Foleo saying, “I have decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration and focus all our energies on delivering our next generation platform and the first smartphones that will bring this platform to market.”
In a word, this move is surprising, but a move that should be applauded by the Palm faithful. Whether it was Engadget’s open letter that sent shock waves through the blogosphere or simply the lukewarm reception in the Palm community, the deed has been done. There really is no good time to cancel a product that you’ve spent months hyping, but this marks a turning point of sorts for Palm. The “new” Palm will focus its efforts on their core product lines. “I hope this renewed focus at Palm will allow us to deliver more compelling solutions to our core smartphone market“, said Colligan.
Some will write this off just another misstep of many for Palm this year. The way I see it, Palm needed to take a step backward in order to move forward. The Foleo was a niche product and many struggled to identify that niche. Today’s announcement signals their renewed focus on their core smartphone products and more importantly their core audience. Palm fans have long been waiting for the next generation Treo and today Palm took a step forward in that direction.
You can read Ed Colligan’s full post at Palm’s blog.
Reports last week that Foleo, Palm’s new smartphone companion product, was delayed until the fall. Even worse, the reports claimed the delay was due to an inability to sync properly with the Palm Treo 680. Palm responded to these reports and proclaimed the Foleo is still indeed on track for a “late summer” release. “As stated on May 30, U.S. availability for the Palm Foleo mobile companion will begin this summer. We will let you know if this changes,” said Jim Christensen, Palm’s director of communications. Panned by the media, most are wondering if there is a market for a “smartphone companion”. With the summer rapidly dwindling down, that answer should come sooner than later.
Palm has been very secretive about their upcoming 3rd mobile category product that will be unveiled today by Jeff Hawkins. Last night, an apparent leak provided detailed information on the Palm Foleo, a smartphone companion product. That’s right, Foleo is a companion product that works with the existing Treo smartphone line. Over the past year, Palm has released 7 new smartphones on various providers, each with varied features. They all share the similar form factor, one that appears dated when viewed next to the sleek Moto Q or dash. Palm’s latest entry, the Treo 755 is a great smartphone, but again there is nothing exciting about the technology found in that smartphone. This is probably the reason it was panned by some reviewers. The Washington Post called it, “Palm’s Dumber Smartphone“. Personally, I think the Treo 755p is one of the best smartphone products available today, but consumers want new and exciting technology. Hawkins believes the Foleo is that technology saying, “Foleo is the most exciting product I have ever worked on.” That might be true, but is it enough to get Palm enthusiasts excited. It’s too early to tell, but this will essentially be a $500 accessory or “companion” that works with your existing smartphone. So much for convergence. In a few hours, Hawkins will take the stage at D: All Things Digital conference and demonstrate the Palm Foleo. Also in attendance will be Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. If Hawkins really wanted to excite Palm fans, he take a cue from Jobs and pull a “one more thing“. Seeing a thin Palm Treo running Linux would certainly be a product that generate excitement in the Treo community. Full coverage of the event will take place on Everything Treo.
