Remember the Palm Foleo? The little netbook that could(n’t)? Apparently Palm’s resurrecting it as a webOS device with a Gobi 3G chipset, ARM CPU, and 8-10 hours of battery life, according to an analyst with Global Equities Research.
Trip Chowdhry, an analyst with Global Equities Research, asserts in a note to clients today that Palm is doing exactly that: he says they intend to produce a $399 netbook that will run the Palm Web OS that debuts soon on the eagerly awaitingPre smartphone. Chowdhry says the device will use Qualcomm’s Gobi 3G wireless chip, ARM chipsets and have 8-10 hours of battery life. He says the device is being designed by three ex-Apple iPod guys. He also says the netbook will only support browser-based applications, and not “native applications.”
So it won’t be your typical netbook, although it’ll cost about the same and it’ll apparently share some Apple-esque design asthetics. You won’t be able to install anything on it but it ought to be pretty thin and light and the day-long battery is a plus. Perhaps that $399 price tag will be for a full-fledged purchase while various carriers may sell subsidized versions.
Whatever the case, Palm’s going to have to really follow through with this one. The first Foleo left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths (myself included) and, unlike back in 2007 when the original device was supposed to ship, netbooks are everywhere now. And if it’s truly priced at $399, Palm’s going to have to prepare itself for an onslaught of “Why would I buy this instead of a netbook with a standard operating system?” questions.
[via Electronista]