71 replies to this topic

[PaulOBrien]

Hurrah, the day is finally here... I have in my hands a Celio Redfly!

The Celio REDFLY Mobile Companion (detailed here) is 'a sleek clamshell design that includes an 8" display, a full function keyboard, and a touchpad mouse. Measuring just 1x6x9 inches and only 2 pounds, the REDFLY Mobile Companion offers over 8 hours of battery life and boots instantly! It also adds three new features - instant VGA output, access to USB flash drives, and the ability to charge your smartphone via USB.'

I'll be using it primarily with my HTC Kaiser, but it's pictured here connected to the latest hotness, the HTC Diamond!

The REDFLY is priced at $500, which some have said is a too high pricepoint. As prices of Eee type devices continue to rise and bearing in mind that as you upgrade your mobile devices in the future the REDFLY continues to work (therefore becoming a longer term investment)... does this seem more reasonable? That's my current thinking, but i'm interested to hear your thoughts!

Stay tuned for a full review coming soon, but hit me with any questions you have in the interim!

P

PS Don't forget to check out the Celio Interview if you haven't already!

[encece]

Didnt understand Palm's version of this (forget the name but I'm sure it died faster than the time it took them to develop it)...and dont get this one either!

[bennish]

encece, on May 16 2008, 11:23, said:

Didnt understand Palm's version of this (forget the name but I'm sure it died faster than the time it took them to develop it)...and dont get this one either!

Palm Foleo... man that thing sank fast didn't it?

Basically I'd go for the EeePC any day. You can't install Firefox on the Redfly.

If it was like 1lb instead of 2, i'd understand

Edited by bennish, 16 May 2008 - 03:04 AM.

[PaulOBrien]

encece, on May 16 2008, 02:23, said:

Didnt understand Palm's version of this (forget the name but I'm sure it died faster than the time it took them to develop it)...and dont get this one either!

Palm's was the Foleo, and was slightly different as it had it's own OS (Linux).

P

[PaulOBrien]

bennish, on May 16 2008, 04:02, said:

Palm Foleo... man that thing sank fast didn't it?

Basically I'd go for the EeePC any day. You can't install Firefox on the Redfly.

If it was like 1lb instead of 2, i'd understand

No, as it doesn't have it's own OS, but you can install Opera on your device

P

[idavid]

i know it's off topic but i'd rather get your low down on the phone sitting on top of the redfly!

[ZSX]

Paul (MVP), on May 15 2008, 23:12, said:

The REDFLY is priced at $500, which some have said is a too high pricepoint. As prices of Eee type devices continue to rise and bearing in mind that as you upgrade your mobile devices in the future the REDFLY continues to work (therefore becoming a longer term investment)... does this seem more reasonable? That's my current thinking, but i'm interested to hear your thoughts!

That's what I thought of the significantly cheaper ThinkOutside Bluetooth keyboard. In the end though, I only ever used it with my iPAQ 2210 as ThinkOutside never released Windows Mobile 5 drivers, let alone 6 or 6.1. Hopefully there will be some longevity in the Redfly, especially with Windows Mobile 7 purportedly coming out at the end of this year.

Or does it use generic bluetooth HID drivers? I suspect not.

[chucky.egg]

I might be the only one, but I like these things.
There have been LOADS of times when I've wanted to send a long email, for example, and (even when my PDA had a keyboard) I decided to wait until I had my laptop to hand.

My one concern (apart from price) is battery life and whether it's tough enough.  To be useful it has to be the sort of thing I can fling in a rucksack and forget about until I need it.

[unicron]

so if I wanted one, where would I get one and pay 500 dollars for one?

also apart from opera what other third party aps are upscaled?

em....does TCMP/Core media player upscale or does it depend on the original resolution of the video?

does WM 6.1 work ok or is it only WM 6.0?

i'm probably the only person interested in this as the eee pc has no bluetooth for me to use my phone to get online when i'm out plus I would need to upgrade my web&walk package but with a celio redfly I won't plus I can do my other stuff as well.

[Monolithix]

chucky: All the stuff i've read from people who got pre-production units seem to imply its pretty robust.  The battery is tipped to last up to 8 hours!

[nuttyphilt]

I'm thinking it might make a nice tool to watch videos on the way to work, then use in meetings with customers.  Not at $500 though, maybe closer to £100 :-)

Therefore, does it play video well?  And where does the sound come out??

[micaels]

Paul,
Is it just enterprise thast can purchase them or can anyone purchase them right now?

[PaulOBrien]

chucky.egg, on May 16 2008, 11:12, said:

I might be the only one, but I like these things.
There have been LOADS of times when I've wanted to send a long email, for example, and (even when my PDA had a keyboard) I decided to wait until I had my laptop to hand.

My one concern (apart from price) is battery life and whether it's tough enough.  To be useful it has to be the sort of thing I can fling in a rucksack and forget about until I need it.

Battery life is DEFINITELY not an issue, 8 hours at least while charging your phone. It also seems VERY durable, and has as lovely soft touch coating.

P

[PaulOBrien]

unicron, on May 16 2008, 11:24, said:

so if I wanted one, where would I get one and pay 500 dollars for one?

also apart from opera what other third party aps are upscaled?

em....does TCMP/Core media player upscale or does it depend on the original resolution of the video?

does WM 6.1 work ok or is it only WM 6.0?

i'm probably the only person interested in this as the eee pc has no bluetooth for me to use my phone to get online when i'm out plus I would need to upgrade my web&walk package but with a celio redfly I won't plus I can do my other stuff as well.

You can order them on the site - http://www.celiocorp.com - and I believe everyone can order one. All apps are upscaled! Note that TCPMP et al don't perform acceptably at this time, although Celio expect multimedia optimisations to come in a future build.

P

[PaulOBrien]

Monolithix, on May 16 2008, 11:58, said:

chucky: All the stuff i've read from people who got pre-production units seem to imply its pretty robust.  The battery is tipped to last up to 8 hours!

What he said ... except it can last OVER 8 hours!

P

[PaulOBrien]

nuttyphilt, on May 16 2008, 12:30, said:

I'm thinking it might make a nice tool to watch videos on the way to work, then use in meetings with customers.  Not at $500 though, maybe closer to £100 :-)

Therefore, does it play video well?  And where does the sound come out??

No, video isn't a valid usage scenario at this time.

P

[micaels]

Paul:
Could you try the IPAQ 614 and see how it works wiht your redfly?

[PaulOBrien]

micaels, on May 16 2008, 14:02, said:

Paul,
Is it just enterprise thast can purchase them or can anyone purchase them right now?

Everyone I think, altho I will clarify that.

P

[xorangefirex]

It looks like a mid 90s attempt at a laptop. It really doesn't strike me as a high-tech piece of "must-have" technology. I think that is what companies should striving to create.

[mwright]

encece, on May 16 2008, 01:23, said:

Didnt understand Palm's version of this (forget the name but I'm sure it died faster than the time it took them to develop it)...and dont get this one either!

Fraid I am with you!

Don't get it at all