Growing up in church, one of the things I was always accustomed to was the small "Our Daily Bread" devotionals that would come out quarterly. Today, I discovered two things. First, its also available online and updated daily. Simply browse over to their page and you can view an online version of the printed version. Second, I noticed a "Download to PDA" link on the left hand side of the page which takes you here and offers instructions for having Our Daily Bread sent to you automatically via AvantGo. So now, whether I have access to a computer or simply have my Treo with me, I can always the daily version of the Our Daily Bread devotional available to me.
Why Not Do It In Software?
As I waited for the announcement of what turned out to be the Foleo I chose to stay silent. Then I started reading all the thoughts, responses, replies, etc... most of them being somewhat negative. But again I decided to stay quiet and just absorb. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed. I think I, like others, were expecting something more than a watered-down notebook. I think there was a lot of anticipation for a truly new device or device category... something that would straddle the line between Treo and UMPC, or at least something along those lines. But disappointment aside, I stayed quiet and just waited... knowing the editorials would come in, the thoughts would grow, and the new websites and blogs would appear. And today I read what I think is a fairly thought provoking opinion on the reason for the Foleo. Ed Hardy over at Brighthand has an editorial up quoting Hawkins as pretty much saying that we may soon see Treo's without integrated keyboards. I guess that's when the light sort of went on for me. Perhaps now we're seeing the future of Palm's roadmap. We're already seeing Linux in the equation, but we're also hearing a lot of "outdated" and "too big" and "bulky". Personally, when I first saw the leaked press release on the Foleo, I thought "that ain't for me". But now, as I think of a smaller, thinner, lighter Treo that may in fact lack an integrated keyboard, I start to see the reason for a device like the Foleo. I definitely don't see a need for one in conjunction with my current 680. But can I see using one with a Treo the size of a Motorola SLVR? You bet.
But here's where I'm still hung up... why release a new hardware device? Why not do it in software? Think about it... the Foleo is a stripped down, lightweight laptop that lacks full laptop capability and connects to your Treo via Bluetooth. When new email arrives, it doesn't go to the Foleo, it goes to and is stored on the Treo, but it can be seen, replied to, etc from the Foleo. My understanding is that there's no syncing, at least not in the sense that we thinking of "syncing". Perhaps I'm wrong, but when I read the device specs, it seems to me that the Foleo is sort of a bluetooth port replicator for a Treo, only while most port replicators provide many features, the Foleo provides a screen and keyboard. Yes, there are other features... some expansion, WiFi, etc, but in a simplistic sense, its uses bluetooth to provide a larger screen and fullsize keyboard, making it a wireless port replicator. But why force you to carry a Foleo? What about the road warriors that already have a Treo and a laptop or UMPC? What about those that don't want to carry yet another device? Why not release this solution via software that could be installed on any laptop/notebook/UMPC/Apple with integrated Bluetooth? Perhaps as an addon to the existing Palm Desktop software? You simply fire up the application, it connects to your Treo, and your existing notebook (or even bluetooth enabled desktop, for that matter) becomes your Foleo.
Of course, in fairness I can already do this via PDAReach, though it wouldn't have the WiFi or widescreen capabilities of the Foleo and it only works via USB, not Bluetooth.
Personally, I love my Treo. I've had a 600, a 650, and now a 680. I live and die by it, daily and wouldn't give up its integrated keyboard for anything. There's no way I'd use a Foleo with it... mainly cause I already carry enough devices around. But if they released the same idea as an application for my XP powered Sony UX or perhaps for an iBook, I could see myself using it.
