Palm, Inc. has announced the Palm Foleo, 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. Foleo and its paired smartphone stay synchronized throughout the day or at the touch of a button. The device which is quite like a laptop should have no problem running with Palm or Windows OS.

The Foleo mobile companion turns on and off instantly and features fast navigation, a compact design, and a battery that apparently lasts up to 5 hours of use. Its applications include email, full-screen web browser, and editors or viewers for common business documents such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. The Foleo stays synchronized via Bluetooth 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, 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."

The Foleo's synchronization architecture is open, and Palm expects to work with third-party developers to support as many smartphones as possible. Its Linux-based operating system and built-in Wi-Fi radio helps ease in creation of new applications that can be installed. The Foleo has a USB port, video-out port, headphone jack, and slots for SD and compact flash cards for memory expansion.

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.

U.S. availability for the Palm Foleo mobile companion will begin this summer. The price of the Foleo mobile companion is expected to be approximately Rs. 20,172 ($499).

Nokia today announced two new handsets, the Nokia 6500 classic and Nokia 6500 slide. Along with third generation WCDMA technology and contemporary designs, these new devices are aimed at driving the benefits of third generation technology to the mid-range market.

"With the Nokia 6500 classic and Nokia 6500 slide, Nokia is combining these areas of expertise to deliver a compelling blend of design and technology at a mid-range price point," said Peter Ropke, Senior Vice President, Broad Appeal Business Unit, Nokia.

"While features like the aluminum "loop" structure of the Nokia 6500 classic or the Carl Zeiss optics found in the Nokia 6500 slide separate these devices from the pack, it is the balance of features and style that will make them irresistible to customers", said Ropke.

Nokia 6500 classic

Crafted from 360 degrees of anodized aluminum, the Nokia 6500 classic is 9.5mm thin. According to Nokia, each Nokia 6500 classic is individually polished, ensuring that no two phones are exactly alike, while diamond polishing used on the beveled display aperture and cold stamped logo demonstrate the highest levels of craftsmanship.

Featuring dual band 3G technology and quad-band GSM for worldwide roaming, the Nokia 6500 classic also features a full 1 GB of internal memory. It is equipped with the Series 40 interface, includes a 2 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and an integrated music player. Furthermore, a unified micro-USB connector simplifies charging, audio and data connectivity by consolidating them into a single compact port. This allows for the Nokia 6500 classic to be easily used as a high-capacity flash drive or to be charged directly from a laptop computer - all with one cable.

The Nokia 6500 classic is expected to be available during the 3rd quarter of 2007.

Nokia 6500 slide

The Nokia 6500 features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and the addition of autofocus, a dual LED flash and 8x digital zoom. It also uses 3G technology. The TV-out jack will allow users to be instantly viewed on any television with standard RCA inputs. The TV-out feature can also be used for video calling.

It's equipped with a hard coating that helps to prevent scuffs, scratches, and even fingerprints.

The Nokia 6500 slide is expected to be available during the 3rd quarter of 2007.