Obviously laptops, especially ones devoid of
3G connectivity, don't really belong on WirelessInfo, but this one makes a great case against a recent release from the kids at
Palm. VIA is showing off a reference design (pictured right) of an ultra-portable laptop that will retail for $600. If it shows up at that price point, that makes the
Foleo kinda pointless, right? Make no mistake, the device is a little under powered but still has all the essentials, including WiFi, Bluetooth, a 30GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM. Peter at
Engadget says we'll see the device in Europe later this year, and VIA tells Pete that one other OEM is also going to license the device, but VIA wouldn't say who.
If that second OEM is a US-based OEM, it essentially renders the Folio DOA. For $600, you could get this laptop, an eight gig
iPhone or buy the Foleo: a device thats less than a laptop, but doesn't include any sort of phone functionality. We don't know about all of you, but we're leaning toward choice one or two. Sorry Palm, back to the drawing board.
