Top market analyst slams Palm Foleo

The Foleo is deigned to work in tandem with Palm smartphones

Analyst Gartner has hit out at the new Palm Foleo , saying it's "too large for many smartphone users to consider carrying around".

The report into the new device says it is "a limited-function accessory that requires a separate carrying case". It continues to state: "Gartner believes that this unwieldiness will severely limit Foleo adoption by smartphone users, who place a premium on 'pocketability' and attractive design." Oh dear.

Palm has previously stated the Foleo is to be marketed as a "mobile companion" - albeit one that costs $499 (around £253). The company believes it is an adequate replacement for a more expensive full-blown notebook. The Linux-based Foleo is able to read and write to Microsoft Office documents and boasts a battery life of five hours.

Gartner says the device has "limited functionality". It gives Palm plenty of food for thought:

"We believe there is a small but growing segment of the market that would welcome a low-cost device with a full keyboard and good display that is capable of roughly 75 per cent of what most notebook computers are used for. But the Foleo's functionality falls short of this."

The analyst does say it foresees a market for the device though. "We believe the Foleo could be more successful if it were modified and re-positioned to serve as a low-end Linux notebook PC, able to replace Windows or Apple notebooks in some usage scenarios."

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Dan (Twitter, Google+) is TechRadar's Former Deputy Editor and is now in charge at our sister site T3.com. Covering all things computing, internet and mobile he's a seasoned regular at major tech shows such as CES, IFA and Mobile World Congress. Dan has also been a tech expert for many outlets including BBC Radio 4, 5Live and the World Service, The Sun and ITV News.