Palm Advances Mobile Computing with Its First Mobile Companion Product.Foleo Mobile Companion Brings Large Screen and Full-size Keyboard to Smartphones CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Building on its vision that the future of personal computing Refers to users working on their own computers rather than a terminal to a mainframe. Sometimes, the term refers to using computers at home for work and/or entertainment in contrast to business use only. See personal computer. is mobile computing Using a computing device while in transit. Mobile computing implies wireless transmission, but wireless transmission does not necessarily imply mobile computing. Fixed wireless applications use satellites, radio systems and lasers to transmit between permanent objects such as buildings , Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq:PALM) today announced the Palm[R] Foleo[TM], its first smartphone companion product. The Foleo mobile companion has a large screen and full-size keyboard with which to view and edit email and office documents residing on a smartphone. Edits made on Foleo automatically are reflected on its paired smartphone and vice versa VICE VERSA. On the contrary; on opposite sides. . Foleo and its paired smartphone stay synchronized throughout the day or at the touch of a button. This powerful combination is for productivity-minded business people who want a more complete mobile solution for email, attachments and access to the web.(1) The Foleo mobile companion turns on and off instantly and features fast navigation, a compact and elegant design, and a battery that lasts up to 5 hours of use. Its applications include email, full-screen web browser The program that serves as your front end to the Web on the Internet. In order to view a site, you type its address (URL) into the browser's Location field; for example, www.computerlanguage.com, and the home page of that site is downloaded to you. , and editors or viewers for common business documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. The Foleo stays synchronized via Bluetooth[R] wireless technology and uses the smartphone's radio or the Foleo's built-in Wi-Fi radio for general Internet connectivity. "Foleo is the most exciting product I have ever worked on," said Jeff Hawkins Jeff Hawkins (born June 1, 1957 in Huntington, New York) is the founder of Palm Computing (where he invented the Palm Pilot)[1] and Handspring (where he invented the Treo). , founder of Palm, Inc. and the visionary behind the Foleo's concept and definition. "Smartphones will be the most prevalent personal computers on the planet, ultimately able to do everything that desktop computers can do. However, there are times when people need a large screen and full-size keyboard. As smartphones get smaller, this need increases. The Foleo completes the picture, creating a mobile-computing system that sets a new standard in simplicity." [NOTE TO EDITORS: Credentialed media plus industry and financial analysts are invited to join a streamed webcast today at 11:30 a.m. Pacific. Hawkins will discuss Palm's vision for this new category and demonstrate the new product's capabilities, followed by a Q&A session. The live webcast can be accessed using the following link: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=39613] Foleo mobile companions work with Palm's Treo[TM] smartphones (Palm OS[R] and Windows Mobile The Windows platform from Microsoft for handheld devices, including PDAs, cellphones and Portable Media Centers. See Pocket PC, Pocket PC Phone Edition, Smartphone and Portable Media Center. [R] versions). However, Palm believes that most smartphones based on Windows Mobile should work with little or no modification. Smartphones based on operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. from Research in Motion, Apple, and Symbian likely can be supported with a modest software effort. The Foleo's synchronization architecture is open, and Palm expects to work with third-party developers to support as many smartphones as possible. "As we did with the PalmPilot more than a decade ago, and more recently with the Treo smartphone, Palm is driving innovation and capitalizing on emerging opportunities in mobile computing, a market full of potential," said Ed Colligan Ed Colligan (born March 4, 1961) is president and CEO of Palm, Inc. Colligan was president and CEO of Handspring prior to the Palm/Handspring merger in 2003. Before Handspring, he led the marketing campaign at Palm, Inc. that launched the Palm family of PDAs and smartphones. , president and chief executive officer of Palm, Inc. "The Palm Foleo The Palm Foleo mobile companion was a Linux-based subnotebook announced by Palm Inc. on May 30, 2007 [2], and cancelled on September 4, 2007, that was intended as a companion device for all brands of smartphones, though it only supported Windows Mobile or Palm OS based represents our first product in a new line of solutions that will redefine how people work while away from their desks. It starts today with a focus on wireless email Wireless Email or Push E-mail for enterprises is an email solution for small handheld platforms that is secure and managed centrally by enterprise server. Wireless technology adoption has seen a dramatic increase over the past few years. , and we expect the Foleo to grow in features and expand its capabilities as the platform grows." Skyrocketing use of mobile email creates demand for a new way of mobile computing. By the end of 2007, an estimated 24.2 million wireless email accounts will be in use worldwide, and by 2010 wireless email accounts will soar to 199 million.(2) The rapid growth of smartphone sales, the faster speeds of wireless networks, and the increasing digitization of content make this the right time for the introduction of Palm's first mobile companion product. Although designed primarily as a companion to a mobile phone, Foleo is a powerful computer on its own. Its Linux-based operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. and built-in Wi-Fi radio make it easy for developers to create new applications that can be installed with a single click in the browser. The Foleo has a USB port A USB socket on a computer or peripheral device into which a USB cable is plugged. See USB. , video-out port A connection to a TV set. Video-out ports are often found on laptop computers so that the screen content can also be displayed on a standard TV or data projector with a video-in jack. The video-out socket is a phono connector which uses a standard RCA phono cable. , headphone See headphones. jack, and slots for SD and compact flash cards for memory expansion. This combination of capabilities in a low-cost design is new in the industry. Palm has opened its design and is actively supporting third-party software developers. [NOTE: Video and images of the new mobile companion are available from Business Wire (http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=5410999) and from Palm's Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary).] Primary Capabilities and Attributes of the Foleo Mobile Companion * One-button access to full-screen email * Instant on, instant off * Rapid access to various applications * 10-inch screen and full-size keyboard * Web search and browsing via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi * Editors for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, plus a PDF (Portable Document Format) The de facto standard for document publishing from Adobe. On the Web, there are countless brochures, data sheets, white papers and technical manuals in the PDF format. viewer * Compact, stylish design that fits on an airline tray table tray table n. 1. A portable table consisting of a tray mounted on folding legs. 2. A tray mounted on or in a piece of furniture, such as an airplane seatback, designed to fold or swing out of the way for storage. * Lightweight at 2.5 pounds * Fast, simple and intuitive navigation * 5-hour battery life * Linux OS for easy application development Wireless Email on the Big Screen Email users have become increasingly dependent on smartphones to remain connected and productive. Drawing on Palm's world-class usability and responsiveness, the Foleo mobile companion gives Palm OS and Windows Mobile based smartphone customers more power and flexibility while retaining the most-loved features of the Treo smartphone. For example, customers open the Foleo, press a button, and it turns on instantly. There is never a delay or boot-up time. A dedicated button provides access to email. All work is saved, so there is no need to close applications or take actions in order to save files. When the Foleo is turned on again, it resumes where the user left off. New users follow a simple process to pair a Foleo with their smartphone. From then on, email stays synchronized on both devices. Web Browsing It is easy to view the web through built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, using the Opera browser. Using Bluetooth, a Treo smartphone acts as a wireless modem A modem and antenna that transmits and receives over the air. Wireless modems support several technologies, including 802.11, Bluetooth, CDPD, DataTAC, Mobitex and Ricochet. There are wireless modems for laptops, handhelds and cellphones. for the Foleo. Alternatively, customers can use the Foleo mobile companion's built-in Wi-Fi for fast web browsing anywhere Wi-Fi is available, including more than 50,000 hot spots hot spots acute moist dermatitis. open to the public in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. .(3) Attachments To Go The Foleo mobile companion also supports the most popular types of attachments. As on the Treo smartphone, the mobile companion uses a version of Documents To Go[R] customized by DataViz[R]. People can create and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint compatible documents. The Foleo also includes a Palm-developed PDF reader. Mobile professionals will find that just as their smartphones are ideal for use while on the move, the Foleo mobile companion is a perfect fit for use while commuting by mass transit, in meetings or on business trips. The mobile companion's size is ideal for working from an airplane seat, and its instant on/off capability makes it easy to comply with flight restrictions on electronics. Elegant and Thoughtful Design The Foleo mobile companion's hardware design features elegantly clean lines and forgoes excessive latches and connectors. An innovative scroll wheel, clever forward and back buttons, and a convenient track point enable easy navigation without requiring the user's hands leave the full-size keyboard. By building the Foleo on an open Linux-based software platform, Palm hopes to replicate earlier success with developers by drawing a large community to create new applications that will extend the mobile companion's capabilities. Palm already has partnered with DataViz and Opera Software, demonstrating the ease with which exciting technology and applications can be ported to the Foleo mobile companion. Palm also will produce tools to allow smartphone manufacturers to make devices compatible with the Foleo mobile companion. Foleo Pricing and Availability U.S. availability for the Palm Foleo mobile companion will begin this summer. The price of the Foleo mobile companion is expected to be $499 after an introductory $100 rebate. For more information on the Foleo mobile companion, please visit www.palm.com/seefoleo. To sign up for notification about Foleo availability, please visit www.palm.com/foleonotify. About Palm, Inc. Palm, Inc., a leader in mobile computing, strives to put the power of computing in people's hands so they can access and share their most important information from anywhere. The company's products for consumers, mobile professionals and businesses include Palm[R] Treo[TM] smartphones, Palm Foleo[TM] mobile companions and Palm handheld computers, as well as software, services and accessories. Palm products are sold through select Internet, retail, reseller and wireless operator channels throughout the world, and at Palm Retail Stores and Palm online stores (http://www.palm.com/store). More information about Palm, Inc. is available at http://www.palm.com. (1) Requires compatible phone with Bluetooth wireless technology. Email requires data services from a mobile service provider at an additional cost. ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. and/or VPN (Virtual Private Network) A private network that is configured within a public network (a carrier's network or the Internet) in order to take advantage of the economies of scale and management facilities of large networks. may also be required. Within wireless service coverage area only. A dial-up networking plan from a service provider may be required at an incremental cost Incremental Cost The encompassing change that a company experiences within its balance sheet due to one additional unit of production. Notes: Incremental cost is the overall change that a company experiences by producing one additional unit of good. above and beyond the service provider's regular smartphone data plans. (2) Source: The Radicati Group, Inc., Wireless E-mail Market 2006-2010, November 2006 (3) Source: JiWire: http://www.jiwire.com/hot-spot-directory-browse-by-state.htm?country_ id=1&provider_id=0 (Due to its length, this URL URL in full Uniform Resource Locator Address of a resource on the Internet. The resource can be any type of file stored on a server, such as a Web page, a text file, a graphics file, or an application program. may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.) Broadcast Video and Other Palm Materials Broadcast video and other materials are available online from Palm's Multimedia Library (www.palm.com/MultimediaLibrary). Press can register at the site, which is hosted by The NewsMarket (www.TheNewsMarket.com), a web-based news and video archive, to browse and preview an extensive content library and order footage directly from their desktops. Registration and ordering on the site is free. Also, a social media news release version of today's announcement is available at http://socialnews.palm.com/. The social media news release contains "Web 2.0" features, including subscription via RSS (Really Simple Syndication) A syndication format that was developed by Netscape in 1999 and became very popular for aggregating updates to blogs and the news sites. RSS has also stood for "Rich Site Summary" and "RDF Site Summary. , multimedia downloads, commenting, track-backing, links to social bookmark A stored location for quick retrieval at a later date. Web browsers provide bookmarks that contain the addresses (URLs) of favorite sites. Most electronic references, large text databases and help systems provide bookmarks that mark a location users want to revisit in the future. sites and other resources. Palm, Palm OS, Foleo and Treo are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to Palm, Inc. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners. |
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