September 07, 2010, 8:07 PM — Toshiba announced plans to release a new Google android-based tablet. That makes sense. What doesn't make sense is that they've decided to name the tablet the Folio 100. Isn't that pretty much the name of the ill-fated Palm netbook from three years ago?
On September 4, 2007, Palm CEO Ed Colligan posted a famous blog entry in which he declared the Palm Foleo mini laptop dead, at least temporarily. In the post, Colligan said his company "decided to cancel the Foleo mobile companion product in its current configuration and focus all our energies on delivering our next generation platform in the first smart phones will bring this platform to market."
Although Colligan promised to resurrect the Foleo, most observers assumed that the Foleo was dead for good.
The Foleo still dead, but the Folio is coming soon. Why would Toshiba name their tablet more or less after such a high visibility failure?
The Folio 100 has a 10.1 inch screen and, unlike the iPad, has a built in webcam and supports Adobe Flash. The first version of the Folio 100 will support Wi-Fi but not 3G.
