Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

"The REDFLY Mobile Companion (now marketed as the REDFLY Smartphone Terminal) has served me well for a few months as I have stated in my first and second impressions. In October the price on the original C8 model was dropped to US$199 and then extended until mid-November. With today's announcement we now know that this model will be replaced by the C8N with the new C7 also available for those looking for a lower cost and smaller device. I've been using a beta version of the C8N for several days now and am posting my review below along with an image gallery and video of it in action."

In September, the Celio REDFLY dropped in price by 50% to $199. Though described as temporary, it made this smartphone terminal more accessible to those outside the enterprise market. Now, Celio is offering 2 new products. The original C8 is being replaced by the C8N and will be available December 1st. While sharing the same screen and unit size, it does offer a media port and a lower initial starting price of $299. The media option will require an extra $19.95 cable to connect to your device. Check out Matthew Miller's review of a beta version here, which includes an in-depth explaination of the differences between the C8 and the new C8N. The C7 will offer a smaller screen size, shorter battery capacity and no media port but for a lower price at $229 and will be available this coming Monday, November 24th. Before you take the plunge, it might be a good idea to see if your device is currently supported.

You can pre-order these through our Expansys affiliate store: the REDFLY C7 is $229 USD, and the REDFLY C8N is $299 USD.

"Celio, a provider of mobile solutions for the smartphone market, announced it is planning support for Windows Mobile 6.1 and 12 additional smartphone models during Q2 2008.The company said the new smartphones include Windows Mobile standard models, including the Motorola Q and Samsung Blackjack II. The Redfly makes maximum use of the smartphone without requiring the setup and configuration or the backup and management of an ultralight mobile PC, said Kirt Bailey, Celio president and CEO. Its influence on TCO and Data Loss Prevention in the enterprise is profound, and for corporate customers these are typically some the largest factors that are driving their purchase decisions for Redfly."

Remember the Redfly? It's the device I reported on months ago. It's basically a machine that is dependent on your smartphone to make it work. For $500 you can turn your smartphone into a laptop - sort of. Your smartphone is your OS and the Redfly gives you a nice screen and keyboard - again for $500. Well now Celio is stating that they will produce some 6.1 Windows Mobile devices that will gel nicely with the Redfly. To be honest, I think I'd rather keep my Dash and buy an Eee. What do you think? Is this going to pay off for Celio? Do you plan on buying a Redfly to compliment your smartphone?

"The applications appeared much better on the REDFLY than I thought they would before I had a chance to try the device and there were only a couple that had issues. This is an early beta model and the software is still being worked on and optimized. Web browsing was actually enjoyable on this display and text entry is going to ROCK! Using applications like the SoftMaker Office suite with this large display and keyboard could be killer for the business user."



A couple of videos on the Celio Redfly for you today - Matthew Miller over at ZDNet has got his hands on a pre-production model, and he likes it quite a bit. Next, James Kendrick from JKOnTheRun has a somewhat more extensive run through of the Redfly (check out the bluetooth connectivity test - fast!), and he really likes it too - there's obviously a great deal that can be said for the concept. The key question, as just about anyone who's followed Palm's Foleo saga can attest, is...what price? There's no news yet on how much this will go for at retail, though the consensus is that the $500 price tag quoted at CES is going to be too much, as against the alternatives. Thoughts?