The Ideal Ultra-Portable?

Now that Palm has cancelled the mis-guided Foleo notebook computer, I was thinking more about what would be the ideal ultra-portable. To be fair, there are some things Palm got right with the Foleo, so if they ever create a revised device, perhaps they can take it all the way.

Here’s what I think they got right:

-Instant on

-Decent keyboard

-Good display

-Wi-Fi enabled

-Battery life of 5 hours

-Uses Microsoft Office Documents via DataViz

-Low price of $500

I think Palm was smart to run Linux instead of Windows on the device. That’s what enabled the instant on capabilities and the fact that it can run without a hard disk, keeping the cost down and battery life decent.

But here’s where they completely wiffed:

-Weighs 2.5 pounds

-Dimensions: 10.55 x 6.67 x .94 inches

-Battery life of 5 hours

-Crap multi-tasking (hello? It’s the 21st century!)

Note that I put the battery life both in both categories. I’m on the fence on that one. Five hours is the minimum you can provide to get a decent day’s work done at a conference or on a coast-to-coast flight. But it means you’ve got to carry around a power adapter or spare battery for anything longer.

I think the whole design center as a “Treo Companion” was off-the-mark and maybe that’s what caused them to go with such a bulky form factor. It was really more of notebook competitor than a new category. And I’ve already got a laptop in that size. In other words, something’s got to give.

My buddy Ben Riga over at Microsoft thinks they should have ditched the keyboard and made it into a tablet. While that would not work for me, I suspect many others would have been happy with such an offering. And at least it would have made it lighter than a notebook and somewhat unique. They could have been the lightest tablet instead of the clunkiest notebook.

For me, and likely for a large number of users, a keyboard is essential. Especially if you want to provide a decent email experience, which is where the Foleo was focused. But I think Palm could have shrunk the keyboard by about 10 percent and lost a few oversized keys and still had something that people could touch type on.

In fact, I think they should have aimed for a form factor much closer to the old Psion 5. They packed in a decent keyboard and touch screen in a clamshell design of 6.7 x 3.9 x .9 inches, weighing well under a pound. Small and light enough to fit into a jacket pocket.

What do others think? Is there a market for a Linux ultra-portable? What comes closest? How would you use it? Do you want or need a keyboard? Let me know your thoughts…