Palm Announces New Foleo PIM Software and Games

Posted By: Ryan Kairer Monday, June 18, 2007 3:29:27 PM

Palm Foleo SolitiarePalm today announced three new third party applications for the Palm Foleo when it ships later this summer. MotionApps has announced its mDayscape Personal Information Manager, which will provide a sync-able calendar, tasks and contacts application.

Astraware has also announced the first two games for Palm's new Foleo mobile companion -- Astraware Sudoku and Solitaire and promised that additional titles will follow.

mDayscape
MotionApps' mDayscape is a Personal Information Manager developed natively and exclusively for the Foleo mobile companion. The application is simple and easy to use with Foleo's rich user interface. mDayscape includes contacts, calendar and tasks, three powerful applications tightly integrated with each other, the Palm Foleo and the Treo smartphone.

"Bringing a contacts, calendar and tasks application to the Foleo further increases usability of the Treo and enhances the user experience in a continued shift away from the desktop and toward a smartphone as a center of computing," said Voja Lalich, chief executive officer of MotionApps. "All of us at MotionApps are very excited to announce the launch of mDayscape on Palm's first mobile companion product."

"Using MotionApps' Quick Add feature, a user can add a new calendar event in seconds, and the event will be mirrored automatically on the user's smartphone. All this is done with the comfort, efficiency and convenience of the full-size keyboard and wide screen on Foleo," said Mark Bercow, senior vice president of business development for Palm, Inc.

Palm Foleo mDayscape PIM software

Astraware Sudoku and Solitaire
Astraware's Sudoku and Solitaire receive the honor of being the first games announced for the Foleo platform. Both titles are currently available for Palm OS and Windows Mobile as well.

Astraware Sudoku is a logical puzzle game suitable for players of all abilities. Features include six levels of difficulty, pencilmarks in a choice of styles, optional completion and tracking of pencilmarks plus an advanced hint system. In addition, it comes with a selection of built-in puzzles and, after registration, allows the addition of pre-built puzzle packs.

Astraware Solitaire features 12 of the most well-known and best-loved single-player card games including Klondike, Spider, Freecell and Pyramid. Each game has a wide range of custom gameplay options so users can enjoy the games with their favorite variations on the standard rules. The game's style and interface has been designed to mirror the feeling of playing with real cards and offers a range of display options as well as detailed statistics to track progress. Astraware Solitaire has been optimized for the high-resolution display on the Foleo mobile companion and for use with the trackpoint controller.

"The Palm Foleo is a unique and exciting new type of device, and we're thrilled to make two great popular games available for its users," said David Oakley, chief technology officer for Astraware. "The Foleo is an ideal companion for high-powered, time-starved executives, and Solitaire and Sudoku are ideal games to let them relax once their work is done."

Palm Foleo Solitiare game

By building the Foleo on an open Linux-based platform and publishing the tools developers might need, Palm hopes to establish a vibrant developer community to create new applications that extend the mobile companion's built-in capabilities. Astraware demonstrates the ease with which exciting technology and applications can be ported to the Foleo mobile companion.

"Business productivity is a major driving force for mobile computing; however we also believe in the importance of balancing work and personal time," said Mark Bercow, senior vice president of business development for Palm, Inc. "This is why we give mobile professionals the option to relax with a game of solitaire or a stimulating puzzle during downtime."

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Very nice, but....

Gazpacho @ 6/18/2007 6:36:09 PM # Q
... shouldn't some PIM-apps have been included with the Foleo in the first place?

I mean, it's nice to see 3rd party apps trickling in, but can you imagine having to purchase the standard PIM-apps on your Treo? Not even Datebk or Agendus, but just the standard apps!

The Foleo doesn't include PIM-apps at all, so consumers are forced to buy software like this mDayscape.

I don't think Palm will create a lot of goodwill with this.

http://foleocentral.blogspot.com

FoleoCentral: the complete source for every news article ever written about the Palm Foleo

RE: Very nice, but....
cervezas @ 6/18/2007 7:19:58 PM # Q
We don't really know what software the Foleo will include because the product is still in development. Could very well be that Palm will license mDayscape or some other PIM applications.

Either way, if you want to focus attention on the lead solution (email), keep things simple, reduce cost, and attract developers to a new platform (all of which are critical for Foleo's success) it's actually a good thing to leave it to 3rd parties to create most of the applications. I've been thinking that Palm really needed to ship the Foleo with PIM apps included, but I'm starting to question that a little bit. The fact that there are so many different PIM apps and suites for Palm OS is a clue that it might not be enough of a "one-size-fits-all" application that it should be baked into ROM. I know the basic PIM apps don't quite meet my personal needs, so I'm a bit ambivalent as to whether they should be foisted on everyone else who buys a Foleo. But maybe that's a power-user viewpoint.

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog

RE: Very nice, but....
neuron @ 6/18/2007 7:26:46 PM # Q
That's not true. Did you see the poll that how many people are using the builtin PIM and how many are using third parties? 84% votes for the builtin PIM.

RE: Very nice, but....
British Guy @ 6/18/2007 7:29:20 PM # Q
Very Nice? This is excellent news. Although I was surprised Palm Desktop does not ship with Foleo.

Once SplashData get a few apps on Foleo then I will buy one.

Since Foleo announcement I have looked at what I really use my laptop for and have decide it spends alot of time starting/closing, warming my knees, being charged up, the valuable time is: using Palm PIM, Splash Money, SplashID, WeaterMAnager, Email, Internet and minor Office docs work. Foleo will meet all my needs if a few more 3rd parties make the leap. If it will back-up my Palm too then I will start taking offers on one used Panasonic Toughbook :)

Time will tell....

BG
_______________________________
From the other side of the water

RE: Very nice, but....
Gekko @ 6/18/2007 7:32:55 PM # Q

have fun with Docs To Go screwing up your Word and Excel files.

I'm No Fooleo.



RE: Very nice, but....
palmato @ 6/18/2007 7:36:11 PM # Q
No memos. Enough said.

Moreover at 600$ (because that's the real price) the cost cutting point somehow escapes me.

--------------------------
Hey Admin: Why do we have to keep two profiles?

RE: Very nice, but....
cervezas @ 6/18/2007 7:43:05 PM # Q
Did you see the poll that how many people are using the builtin PIM and how many are using third parties? 84% votes for the built-in PIM.

Cool info. So that probably was the power-user in me talking (a very bad guide for product development!). Where was that poll done, BTW?


David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog

RE: Very nice, but....
Gekko @ 6/18/2007 8:09:06 PM # Q

i use/prefer the built-in PIM but then again i'm a minimalist. it's simple, clean, and effective. however, i do like outlook on the desktop but not necessarily because of its power or complexity but because of its tight integration with PIM and email and unified solution. i prefer to KISS whenever i can and i don't want to manage multiple devices and PIM apps. most businesspeople do not want to manage/charge/sync/fight/fumble with multiple devices.


RE: Very nice, but....
TreoAnon @ 6/19/2007 2:58:10 AM # Q
Will this will shut down some of the Foleo-whiners who complained about its lack of PIM applications, or will they now just switch to whining about having to pay $25?

RE: Very nice, but....
dukat @ 6/19/2007 7:10:17 AM # Q
Cervezas,

you may argue that it gives more choices to users if PIM is provided by a 3rd party (and I don't agree with you ...) but the key question is not the application but the data format!

You can use Palm PIM, Agendus, Datebk or something else, they are basically all compatible because they use the same data format (with some tweaks). So, if you don't define the standard format, every 3rd party app will have a different format, leaving them all incompatible to each other. I wouldn't call that freedom of choice (well, maybe, but not freedom of switch ...).



IIIe -> m505 -> T3 -> Treo650 -> Treo680

RE: Very nice, but....
cervezas @ 6/19/2007 8:36:59 AM # Q
I agree completely. If you're going to write PIM apps that run on Foleo that sync with the Treo, you will, of course, need to use a compatible data format. Doesn't mean it has to be identical (the Foleo could extend it with additional fields that don't necessarily get synched to the Treo). But you would at least want to include all the basic fields on the Treo otherwise users would be disappointed. In other words, the "standard data format" is already defined by the Treo itself.

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog
RE: Very nice, but....
Puppy @ 6/19/2007 9:54:37 AM # Q
I completely agree too. While it's nice there's some third party development, it's absolutely nuts that the PIM stuff isn't built-in to the Folio. You should be able to use it as a PDA out of the box if you want to. I actually considered that until I found out it didn't actually ship with useful software.

A $500 Dell laptop would be the same price...and could use Palm Desktop (in addition to a full OS)!

Adevice from PALM with no built-Surely you jest.
The_Voice_of_Reason @ 6/19/2007 11:03:40 AM # Q
... shouldn't some PIM-apps have been included with the Foleo in the first place?

I mean, it's nice to see 3rd party apps trickling in, but can you imagine having to purchase the standard PIM-apps on your Treo? Not even Datebk or Agendus, but just the standard apps!

The Foleo doesn't include PIM-apps at all, so consumers are forced to buy software like this mDayscape.

I don't think Palm will create a lot of goodwill with this.

Unbelievable. If Palm ran out of time/decided to not code PIM apps for the FOOLeo, they might as well throw in the towel now. So this device is supposed to cost $600 + price of all the missing apps? Wow.

Is the battery included? How about a latch for the cover? (Wait a minute, Hawkins said there is NO latch!) How about a software clock?

RE: Very nice, but....
theseus @ 6/19/2007 2:36:05 PM # Q
All this talk about data format... For me personally, I see the LACK of a data format as an advantage. Why? Because it's the CONDUIT that makes the difference, anyway...

I've been "stuck" in a corporate environment that uses GroupWise -- which I'm not against, but it has proven more than difficult to provide a good, reliable sync of information between the Palm OS PDA's/devices and GroupWise. Yes, there's a few conduits that claim to sync to GroupWise, but each has its own foibles. The vast majority do NOT sync to GroupWise with any kind of reliability. Or you can get full GroupWise syncing by using 3rd-party apps -- but then you give up the ability to sync to the built-in PIM apps. SO: use the built-ins and get questionable reliability or use a 3rd-party app and lose the ability to sync with the built-in (and/or use a more powerful PIM app like DateBk).

DateBk is a highly used app on my device, but it uses the built-in database. What I want is a CONDUIT that is reliable to sync between the two (the built-in database and GroupWise). I don't particularly care if there's a true "DateBk-desktop" or not; I just want to be able to sync the basic information from one to the other. I use my handheld more than GroupWise, anyway -- but that only works for me; others need to see when I have appointments that I've added directly on the PDA. And I need to know if someone's tried to schedule an appointment with me in GroupWise.

The built-in Palm OS database already has a data format -- that most everyone is using. Why do we need YET ANOTHER data format for the Folio? Why can't we INSTEAD focus on getting a good conduit between the built-in database and whatever other PIM you want to use? Let the Folio be the go-between for the data if some kind of conversion needs to take place... Just give me a good conduit.

-e

RE: Very nice, but....not free
SeldomVisitor @ 6/19/2007 3:47:24 PM # Q
According to THIS:

-- http://discussion.treocentral.com/showpost.php?p=1289370&postcount=36

TreoCentral poster PALM Investor Relations said the applications mentioned here are extra-cost items.

RE: Very nice, but....
hkklife @ 6/19/2007 4:29:12 PM # Q
SO let's see....I can buy a nice $500 Dell dual-core laptop w/ DVD drive & Vista plus an $80 Z22 with PIM functions built-in. Or I can buy a neutered Foleo for approximately the same amount. Hmmmmm......decisions, decisions.



Pilot 1000-->Pilot 5000-->PalmPilot Pro-->IIIe-->Vx-->m505-->T|T-->T|T2-->T|C-->T|T3-->T|T5-->TX-->Treo 700P

RE: Very nice, but....
Gekko @ 6/19/2007 8:56:40 PM # Q
>SO let's see....I can buy a nice $500 Dell dual-core laptop w/ DVD drive & Vista plus an $80 Z22 with PIM functions built-in. Or I can buy a neutered Foleo for approximately the same amount. Hmmmmm......decisions, decisions.

Mrs. Beersie wants the Fooleo.

Reply to this comment

What is the real price?

feranick @ 6/18/2007 8:22:03 PM # Q
What is the real price going to be? You either will buy the Foleo with no apps and ending buying third party products for basic application, or Palm will license all these apps, as they are basically doing now with the PDA/Treos.

This will mean that updates and upgrades of those apps are most likely not to come from Palm. So the Foleo will get old pretty quickly, as it happened with some PDAs, which applications became old and unsupported after some time.

I hope this won't happen. I actually hope that lots of the developers Palm is targeting, will be FOSS (free open source software) developers. I am not really a fan of the bundling of third party apps that Palm is currently using. At least with FOSS apps, you can hope you will get quality software with the garantee of getting updates too.

Reply to this comment

You Go Palm!

PacManFoo @ 6/18/2007 8:29:33 PM # Q
Don't forget that on/off button, it's revolutionary, it's going to change the way computing is done for the next century. Hopefully Palm can utilize this miraculous technology to the fullest before everyone else comes out with devices so complex. Who needs third party software. As long as you can view email, this little puppy will sell billions of units. I just hope Palm is ready for the on slot of orders this will produce the day it goes for sale. I think however that Palm needs to market this more as the Pooper. It's the perfect bathroom companion.

PDA's Past and Present:
Palm - IIIxe, Vx, M500, M505, Tungsten T, TX
Handspring - Edge, Platinum, Deluxe
Sony - SJ22
Apple - MP110, MP2000, MP2100
RE: You Go Palm!
Gekko @ 6/18/2007 8:32:32 PM # Q
>Don't forget that on/off button, it's revolutionary, it's going to change the way computing is done for the next century.


good stuff. if i hear about that damn on/off button one more time i'm going to puke.



RE: You Go Palm!
VampireLestat @ 6/18/2007 8:48:26 PM # Q
hahahahaha I love your posts.

RE: You Go Palm!
joad @ 6/18/2007 8:51:41 PM # Q
but........it.......... has........... *EMAIL*!!!!

Killer app!!!!! Bet the farm on it, Palm. And don't worry about fixing the 700p firmware or any minor petty stuff like that (just make them buy the 755 if they want Bluetooth to work) - the Fooleo will revolutionize the earth.

RE: You Go Palm!
VampireLestat @ 6/18/2007 8:54:56 PM # Q
The email thing is not going to be the killer app for me. It will be one of many things.

Speaking of email...

I use my Hotmail account and they have ads and stuff they force on us. So Hotmail Foleo-Treo sync is not possible huh? How about gmail? Does the Foleo require POP/IMAP/HTTP?

I suppose I could always upgrade my Hotmail account and start paying for it, I think they allow pop or something like that if you pay Microsoft.

Any ideas?

RE: You Go Palm!
LiveFaith @ 6/19/2007 12:41:10 AM # Q
** if i hear about that d*** on/off button one more time i'm going to puke. **

Hey Lizard Boy. Cheers ...

http://tinyurl.com/yuofqa

Pat Horne

RE: You Go Palm!
awawa212 @ 6/19/2007 4:30:19 AM # Q
Hotmail POP access? Go with FreePOPs: http://www.freepops.org/en/

It lets you access a wide variety of free email services through your desktop email client. But it's not for Palm OS; however, it might (be made to) work with the Foleo OS.

Speaking of which, the new Linux OS needs to appear in proper PDAs, today, so those who need/want Unicode can partake of its wonders.

RE: You Go Palm!
dukat @ 6/19/2007 7:16:47 AM # Q
Hey Vampire,

As much as I loathe the Fooleo, don't come with that Hotmail stuff. You can't combine two misconcepted ideas and complain that they don't work together.

IIIe -> m505 -> T3 -> Treo650 -> Treo680

RE: You Go Palm!
PacManFoo @ 6/19/2007 8:41:15 AM # Q
Palm are the masters at having things work seamlessly just see exhibit a: http://bdball.googlepages.com/pscreen.bmp

PDA's Past and Present:
Palm - IIIxe, Vx, M500, M505, Tungsten T, TX
Handspring - Edge, Platinum, Deluxe
Sony - SJ22
Apple - MP110, MP2000, MP2100
RE: You Go Palm!
LiveFaith @ 6/20/2007 12:45:09 AM # Q
My lawd, somebody convert that bitmap!

Pat Horne
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don't worry about the apps!

zuhmir @ 6/18/2007 8:30:27 PM # Q
it's linux based! this means that there will be endless amount of open-source programs easily compiled to work on foleo! you will get every third party program you need for free.

RE: don't worry about the apps!
feranick @ 6/18/2007 9:02:21 PM # Q
Does it support GTK, QT or any other? If not, there is no way you can import FOSS programs in the Foleo, even if it runs the Linux kernel.

RE: don't worry about the apps!
cervezas @ 6/18/2007 9:59:02 PM # Q
My bet: Palm has focused on getting the snappiest performance rather than compatibility with X Windows-based Linux toolkits. That would mean porting Linux apps won't be trivial. Frankly, the commercial developers who really put the time into making and supporting great applications aren't necessarily thrilled about platforms like Maemo that have lots of free apps that don't work very well or offer good customer support. Not to diss the Linux community, but I haven't been all that impressed with the quality or quantity of free software available for the Nokia Internet Tablets. I think and SDK that is easier for Palm developers to sink their teeth into might be the best option for Palm.

Ben Combee has said they're interested in having good Java support, which is very good news for getting a broader developer community.

David Beers
Pikesoft Mobile Computing
www.pikesoft.com/blog

RE: don't worry about the apps!
mikecane @ 6/19/2007 9:33:51 AM # Q
>>>it's linux based! this means that there will be endless amount of open-source programs easily compiled to work on foleo! you will get every third party program you need for free.

ROTFLMAO.

HAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!

The same bloody thing was said for the Nokia Anti-Net Tabs. Have you looked to see how much REAL WORKING stuff has been ported to THOSE?

Anyway, at least THIS thing will have a REAL PIM app. I just hope it damn well WORKS.

Not that I'm buying one. Forget that!

RE: don't worry about the apps!
zuhmir @ 6/19/2007 9:56:02 AM # Q
who cares about what happened to nokia... this is palm we are talking about! just look at what we have so far:

* VNC for palm let's you work on your home computer from anywhere in the world - using the palm as terminal

* palmmame and little john lets you play all snes, sega... games ever created on the palm

* ScummVM lets you play DOS games (all the best quests ever wrriten for DOS)

all that was programed for palm os which was far more complicated to program for simply because it was brand new operating system which required brand new programing skills! unlike the new OS which is intended to be as easy and as familiar as possible to existing developers.

All you really need is a good solid Terminal for your home computer! this is the perfect device for the job! let the massive CPU at home do the hard work for you and use the Foleo as a portable terminal.



RE: don't worry about the apps!
mikecane @ 6/19/2007 11:26:08 AM # Q
Oh wow. Just what I wanted -- games, games, and remotely wanking my home PC?

Do you people do any effing WORK?!

RE: don't worry about the apps!
zuhmir @ 6/19/2007 1:55:54 PM # Q
giving that you simply can't take the full power of a home computer on the road,
it is most wise to take the cheapest, lightest, fastest device you can buy that allows you to remotely work on a real computer!
otherwise you make compromises! there's all the trade-offs:

weight-price
performance-price
weight-performance

with a remote terminal you actually get it all! a light, cheep device with the abilities of a home dual or quad core computer!

Reply to this comment

Software annoucements already?

VampireLestat @ 6/18/2007 8:46:57 PM # Q
Woohoo!

- mDayscape looks useful.
- Glad to see Palm juggernaut Astraware is getting in on the game early.


To British Guy,
Palm Desktop ships with the Treo.
The Treo and the Foleo auto-sync.

I think your concern is that you can't buy a Foleo and use it without a Treo. The Foleo is designed to be a complement to a Treo.

hmm...
Guys, if someone doesnt have a Treo, can they use a Foleo? Im a bit confused here. Couldnt they save things to the CF card or send data back over wifi back onto a home PC via RemoteDesktop?
I just ordered a TReo 680 so I personally won't have that concern, but not everyone may want to buy a new cell phone or can afford both a Foleo and a phone just yet. Can they get started with only a Foleo?


RE: Software annoucements already?
VampireLestat @ 6/18/2007 8:52:29 PM # Q
Does anyone know if you are playing a game on the Foleo and you put it on hold because you have to leave your home, will you be able to resume playback on the Treo? Is that possible if the programs are made right? Will it clone not only data but also software and playback?

RE: Software annoucements already?
Infernogoddess @ 6/18/2007 9:37:56 PM # Q
It will be usable without the Treo. The only big issue if you follow the webcast is that there is no true hard drive so it relies on the phone for certain settings that can not be saved in a flash memory, that is easily fixed by the dedicated CF slot.

RE: Software annoucements already?
VampireLestat @ 6/19/2007 12:09:15 AM # Q
OK that is interesting. Thanks for the info.

Personally, I most definitely plan on adding a CF card even though I will be using a Treo 680.



RE: Software annoucements already?
SeldomVisitor @ 6/19/2007 6:15:32 AM # Q
> ...The Treo and the Foleo auto-sync....

Wow!

That sounds SO COOL!

But...ya wanna know sumthin'?

It's SO WRONG, too!

Only that data which has been programmed around correctly will auto-sync.

From all appearances, there is an email program that has been implemented to do this, correctly or not, with special software running on both the Treo and Fooleo. There has been one further recent PR-fluff saying m-something software will be coming Real Soon Now that also has specially been programmed - one assumes something on the TREO also has been specially programmed - the PR-fluff, BTW, does NOT mention bidirectional data syncing so it's not clear up-front whether or not that is doable even with the special software implementation.

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