While I wait for most of you to pick your jaws up off the floor, we’ll get into the Foleo from Palm. Does anyone remember it? A mobile companion that was set for great things, along the lines of the Celio Redfly, that never eventuated!

The original Foleo concept was meant to be a mobile companion that supported Windows Mobile and Palm devices. Announced on May 30, 2007, and renounced on September 4, 2007, the ill fated Foleo never eventuated. What did Palm have to say about it?

Foleo is based on second platform and a separate development environment, and we need to focus our efforts on one platform. Our own evaluation and early market feedback were telling us that we still have a number of improvements to make Foleo a world-class product, and we can not afford to make those improvements on a platform that is not central to our core focus. That would not be right for our customers or for our developer community.

Via Palms Blog

What was a bit screwy at the time, was the mention of a second platform, meaning the Foleo was based on a Linux derivative. As we have seen of late, WebOS is Palm’s major focus. It looks like the Palm Pre will be available in early release at Best Buy, on June 7, but stock and location are limited, and a NetBook built on the new WebOS could be the next Foleo!

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Mobile tech is really a cross cultural, cross ability unifier. We able bodied users don’t often become aware of the hurdles that significantly differently abled tech users have to face, to use the same technology that us so called normal people use. {Caveat: using the term “normal”, to describe any member of the JAMM team, could be misconstrued as misleading, and does not refer to any of the former or current team members}.

Question: What good is an eBook reader to a blind person?

Answer: Really good if it has text to speech function enabled!

The Kindle can read your eBooks to you if you want. but there is a function that can be built into the actual eBook software that can disable the text to voice function. Why though would you even think of that. Hmmm, seems money comes into the equation. Apparently the eBook, and specifically the Kindle 2’s ability to vocalise a book, is a threat to the National Authors Guild.

Oh, Amazon, you don’t want this kind of publicity. Today in New York the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and its partners in the Reading Rights Coalition will protest outside the offices of the Authors Guild. Their goal is to reverse the Guild’s threat to disable text-to-speech from e-books for the Kindle 2.
It seems that when Amazon introduced the Kindle 2, it announced that it would be able to read e-books aloud, a boon for the vision-impaired. But the Authors Guild had a problem with that, and so Amazon announced that it would give authors or publishers the ability to disable text-to-speech.

I really can’t make sense of the story and all of the background, or the politics involved. It is all revolving around a fear of losing profits I suppose.

What doesn’t make sense though, is that authors don’t want more exposure, in any media they can be conveyed in! This is probably an example of hierarchy gone wrong, but I do believe the blind should hear! Crack the link below for more info!

Amazon Kindle Has the Blind Seeing Red – Gearlog

Most of you would know, as would the world, just not tech aficionados that the new Kindle2 has just been released and is shipping as we speak. There’s been a lot of pacing and sitting by mail boxes as the tracking system seems to have not been able to cope with the mass distribution of this updated eReader from Amazon. Some are non plussed by the device

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=218392&title=jeff-bezos   Hit the link for a humorous look at the new device.

Some are well pleased to have it, Doug posted a childlike, joyous, Christmas morning with great presents sort of look at his new book, and today a somewhat frustrated at waiting, un-boxing over at Gear Diary from Judie, also gives us a quick look at the new Kindle.

Judie posts good impressions and a great gallery of images of the  new Kindle that you might want to take a look at.

Keep an eye out for a three pronged review of the new Kindle penned by Dan, Doug and Judie, as they share their thoughts with each other and you on this updated device!

UnBoxing the Kindle2 at GearDiary

I recently had a look at SPB Wallet 2.0, taking the point of view, what’s new/ and what makes me feel warm and fuzzy about the update, or what works well for me in the update. Now Clinton is using the same device as me to look at the program, and He’s treated it like a first time look, it’s a really great look at SPB Wallet 2.0.

If you really are having a hard time deciding on a wallet application for windows mobile, hit the link, Clinton’s put up a manual…

Review of Spb Wallet 2.0 on ClintonFitch.com

I wouldn’t exactly say that I’ve been a fan of browser widgets, on the PC or the mobile. Since I had a look at the NFB Widgets earlier.

I’m nothing though, if not consistent, so a better look at Opera’s new widgety offering is warranted. 

One thing that is really neat, is the ability to create your own widgets from the desktop in a simple three step wizard [Widgetize].

I am going to concentrate on the initial mobile offering here, and not expand on the desktop version too much.

It’s quite surprising, and due to the limitations of the test device I’m using, I’ll reserve judgement and just show you what I can see without the whining about memory limitations.

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