Redfly: No, It’s Still NOT V.D.!
It also seems much less exciting than V.D. too!
Can the REDFLY Windows Mobile Smartphone Companion succeed where the Foleo couldn’t?
He has a video there. I was unimpressed. Especially since there are obvious cuts in the video and I wonder what (probably highly uncomplimentary) bits have been excised. (See Comments for clarification.)
JK- First impressions of the Celio Redfly
I configured my Exchange Server and one POP email account on the Tilt and I’ve been using the Redfly for my main email machine since I’ve had it. I have to tell you it’s a joy to work with email using the screen and keyboard and it’s worked well for me. I have received via email several Word docs, a spreadsheet and several PDFs and they open and display well on the Redfly. This could easily be a good travel device for professionals who live in email. You can also send text messages, remember the phone is the core device here. The Redfly email experience really shines with the push email and the Exchange Server. Compare it to using a real PC in the field. I take out the PC, connect to 3G with my modem, tell Outlook to go get my email. I wait for it to download and then process my email. With the Redfly, since it’s using the WM phone, I turn on the Redfly and connect in a couple of seconds and already find my email waiting for me due to push email. I can start processing my email right away. It doesn’t sound like much but if you do that numerous times a day it can add up to a lot of saved time.
Jeff Hawkins weeps and gnashes his teeth!
It basically turns your smartphone into a real computer for $499. Some feel that is too expensive for a device like the Redfly that isn’t a real computer but I can see paying this for the functionality it brings if you already have a WM phone.
So far I am having a blast using the Redfly, I think Celio has produced a very airtight user experience. To me that is the advantage of the Redfly over what the Palm Foleo tried to be. There is a distinct advantage to not providing a processor and an OS on the Redfly, it keeps things drop dead simple and trouble-free.
It also makes it a useless paperweight if your Windows Mobile phone’s battery dies, or the phone gets broken or stolen or lost. Or even if, you know, you somehow forget to bring it with you? (Oh all of you go on and admit there are times you’ve somehow forgotten your phone. I admit I’ve forgotten my PDA sometimes!)
I still say: FAIL!
But when it’s on eBay for $99 as closeout stock, maybe…
Explore posts in the same categories: Tech - Microsoft, Tech - Other, Tech - Palm
Mike Cane 2008 
March 19, 2008 at 9:31 am
Mike, I had to cut the video to get under the 10 minutes YouTube limit. I cut out where I had my cable off when trying Slingbox (this had nothing to do with the Redfly) and another redundant section or 2 where I was switching devices. Nothing sinister :)
At $500, it is too pricy for even the enterprise and without dropping I don’t think it will succeed. It is nice, but not critical
March 19, 2008 at 10:03 am
I’m with you, Mike. This isn’t going to fly.
There are very few advantages, for a device like this, over a device like the Eee Pc. I can only think of one, the ability to tether without upping your plan.
There’s a reason Palm killed the Foleo. It was a bad idea.
March 19, 2008 at 10:30 am
Thanks for clarifying that, palmsolo. I really did wonder if a crash had been deleted somewhere in the vid. See, I’m used to Veoh, where videos can be as long as nearly a *half hour* to view online (longer ones are just five-minute previews but can be downloaded in full in their original video file upload format!). I keep forgetting about that YouTube ten-minute limit!
April 25, 2008 at 1:04 pm
The category that the Redfly is targeted at is booming, with the Asus Eee PC, the HP2133, and other devices.
Redfly and Foleo just missed the right price point and functionality.