Listen, we feel your pain, we know you've been dying to find another use for your REDFLY Mobile Companion, and while we're not sure this is it, at least you've got another thing you can tell your friends when justifying the purchase. Celio Corp's announced it'll be bringing BlackBerry support to the Companion C8N and C7 as a free update in mid-Q4 of this year. It works via either physical cable or Bluetooth, and at this point supports Bold 9000, Curve 8900, and Tour 9630, with more phones promised as they're released. Crackberry's managed to obtain a video demonstration, which is after the break if you're interested. It's okay if you're not, we understand.
Yeah I was thinking the same thing Loonie.....Palm got Shat by engadget for attempting the same thing...I calling foul if they let this ride...might as well get a netbook and find an app that does the same thing.
If you have an iPhone, it can do everything that the BlackBerry & REDFLY can do anyway. Also, it can make phone calls, play games, download apps, hold ALL you music movies TV out, GPS, Autofocus Camera, iTunes........
Yeah, that's the "point" of it -- it doesn't do anything itself, just gives you a netbookesque screen and keyboard to run your Windows Mobile or (now) Blackberry smartphone. It combines all the bulk of a netbook with all the power of the smartphone (which is still actually doing the work), and IIRC costs $200 or so.
It's the Foleo all over again, and I just don't see the point; those times I'm willing to sacrifice portability for a big screen and keyboard, I'll go whole hog with a low-end netbook. Otherwise, I'll be content with my pocket device. (I'm a Maemo guy, so "pocket device" means N810 internet tablet now, N900 when I can get one, but the same principle applies for any mobile OS.)
The narrator said that the unit has no CPU. Am I the only one who thinks that's complete bull? I mean, really, he was going into a configure menu of some sort, you can't just magically run that without any sort of CPU. It's probably just armed with a SoC of some sort.
'i' personally think its better to just use a phone say blackberry, htc, iphone etc with a netbook say eeepc, acer, dell etc. then you get 2 fully working devices, plus dont forget there software out there that can make a netbook do everything the red fly dose, plus u get the benifits of a real netbook with the OS of your choice...
Instead of carrying 1 phone and 1 dummy (useless) laptop around...
Redfly has been around for a while (hint, perhaps some people want this product irrespective of the narrow minded people at Engadget) . I have one and it works for me on long business trips where I prefer not to hunt for a power source for my laptop. Redfly s/w also available for running on Windows netbook.
The Redfly has little use for consumers but for certain business uses with large deployments of smart phones it makes a lot of sense. For example lots of police forces are going over to Blackberrys and other smart phones for mobile data as opposed to desktop OS based solutions. They provide pretty much all the functionality needed but data input speed is limited somewhat by the small screen and keyboard so a larger vehicle mounted device is preferable. Now you can either purchase a laptop or netbook solution for between £200 and a couple of thousand AND all the software licenses e.g. Windows, Office, specific apps AND the support infrastructure AND deal with all the problems associated with local storage of sensitive data AND purchase a 3G network card with a monthly data charge OR ALTERNATIVELY for £170 you can buy a REDFLY which provides a suitable solution to the screen/keyboard size issue and use it to enhance the infrastructure you already have in place whilse retaining familiarity with the true mobile solution. All you pay is the cost of the hardware/accessories and any (minimal) training required, there are no ongoing additional costs. This is an example of what I think the REDFLY'S niche is and I think it fills it very well.
“Microsoft's not promising the world with Windows Mobile 6.5, nor are they delivering it -- it's very much a stopgap, complete with duct tape, bubble gum, and Bondo.”
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Um... yay?
Didn't Palm basically try this?
Yeah I was thinking the same thing Loonie.....Palm got Shat by engadget for attempting the same thing...I calling foul if they let this ride...might as well get a netbook and find an app that does the same thing.
".I calling foul if they let this ride"
They have rubbished the redfly at every turn so no worries there...
This video is good,
BUT BEYONCE HAD THE BEST VIDEO OF ALL TIME!!!
ALL TIME!!!
I think I owned a Powerbook that looked like that in the early 1990's.
But bigger.
And less crappy.
Oh, Heil.
If you have a BlackBerry, it can do everything that the REDFLY can do anyway. Also, it can make phone calls.
COOL.
If you have an iPhone, it can do everything that the BlackBerry & REDFLY can do anyway. Also, it can make phone calls, play games, download apps, hold ALL you music movies TV out, GPS, Autofocus Camera, iTunes........
Just get an iPhone people.
COOL
What did you learn today GP?
Yeah, that's the "point" of it -- it doesn't do anything itself, just gives you a netbookesque screen and keyboard to run your Windows Mobile or (now) Blackberry smartphone. It combines all the bulk of a netbook with all the power of the smartphone (which is still actually doing the work), and IIRC costs $200 or so.
It's the Foleo all over again, and I just don't see the point; those times I'm willing to sacrifice portability for a big screen and keyboard, I'll go whole hog with a low-end netbook. Otherwise, I'll be content with my pocket device. (I'm a Maemo guy, so "pocket device" means N810 internet tablet now, N900 when I can get one, but the same principle applies for any mobile OS.)
@iClap
1x1 is still 1
Wow, did you see how laggy the Redfly was at 45 seconds? That's unacceptable.
The narrator said that the unit has no CPU. Am I the only one who thinks that's complete bull? I mean, really, he was going into a configure menu of some sort, you can't just magically run that without any sort of CPU. It's probably just armed with a SoC of some sort.
Thats more a bios type OS for selecting devices to connect with, so very basic specs, but not good enough to run a full OS from..
'i' personally think its better to just use a phone say blackberry, htc, iphone etc with a netbook say eeepc, acer, dell etc. then you get 2 fully working devices, plus dont forget there software out there that can make a netbook do everything the red fly dose, plus u get the benifits of a real netbook with the OS of your choice...
Instead of carrying 1 phone and 1 dummy (useless) laptop around...
Troll
Can we ban this Troll above ^^^^
You know you've really gone too far when ocean-clak calls you a troll!
Could we not?
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCP?
Atari Portfolio, is that you?
sangat bagus dan menarik.
Subliminal advertising for mac os in the background.
Redfly has been around for a while (hint, perhaps some people want this product irrespective of the narrow minded people at Engadget) . I have one and it works for me on long business trips where I prefer not to hunt for a power source for my laptop. Redfly s/w also available for running on Windows netbook.
The Redfly has little use for consumers but for certain business uses with large deployments of smart phones it makes a lot of sense. For example lots of police forces are going over to Blackberrys and other smart phones for mobile data as opposed to desktop OS based solutions. They provide pretty much all the functionality needed but data input speed is limited somewhat by the small screen and keyboard so a larger vehicle mounted device is preferable.
Now you can either purchase a laptop or netbook solution for between £200 and a couple of thousand AND all the software licenses e.g. Windows, Office, specific apps AND the support infrastructure AND deal with all the problems associated with local storage of sensitive data AND purchase a 3G network card with a monthly data charge OR ALTERNATIVELY for £170 you can buy a REDFLY which provides a suitable solution to the screen/keyboard size issue and use it to enhance the infrastructure you already have in place whilse retaining familiarity with the true mobile solution. All you pay is the cost of the hardware/accessories and any (minimal) training required, there are no ongoing additional costs. This is an example of what I think the REDFLY'S niche is and I think it fills it very well.