HP has announced a spiffing new portable called the Folio 13, which joins the ranks of the ultrabooks hoping to attract customers away from the magnetic pull of the iPad and other tablets.

But hang on, haven't we heard that name before?

Those with long memories (like Sneak) will recall that Palm (now an HP subsidiary) announced a product called the Foleo way back in 2007.

OK, the spelling might be different, but the Foleo was also an ultra-portable clam-shell computer, though Palm at the time envisioned it more as a companion device to one of its Treo smartphones than a system in its own right.

At the time, Palm came under much derision for the notion, and the Foleo was canned a few months later without ever coming to market.

Looking at today's netbooks and tablets, however, Sneak can't help but feel that it was maybe just ahead of its time.

Let's hope that HP's latest Folio doesn't suffer the same fate as its namesake.

16 Nov 2011