Celio Redfly Windows smartphone terminal
An expensive horse for a specific course
Review A more focused variation on the pointless ill-fated Palm Foleo, the Redfly attempts to bring laptop/netbook usability to the humble Windows smartphone.
The first thing that strikes you about the Redfly is the quality, it is a very well constructed and a nice looking bit of kit. Measuring 2.5 x 15.2 x 23cm and weighing 0.9kg, it resembles a fashion-conscious netbook, the outer casing being covered in a rather unusual, almost soft touch, satin finish and coming in a sedate, but attractive maroon and grey colour scheme.
About 75% of the size of a regular laptop, it's a treat to type on
Though only about 75 per cent of the size of a regular laptop keyboard, the Redfly's is a treat to type on. The 25 x 75mm touch pad is also well above par responding smoothly and reliably to the touch, ditto the two touch bars beneath it.
The Redfly has an 8in screen with a resolution of 800 x 400 and while it won't win any awards for video playback, it is bright, clear and sharp and just the job for a hefty spot of word processing.
When it has snapped firmly shut the Redfly is a perfect oblong, the two halves of the unit being the same thickness. Round the back external connections are limited to two USB ports, the power jack and a VGA output. Beyond letting you connect a mouse or such the USB ports also allow you to add a USB memory stick to your phone's system as remote storage, which could come in handy.
COMMENTS
Missing the point
Now, I'm no fan of this piece of crap (see above comments) but it does seem the "you should buy an Eee PC" brigade are missing the point some what.
The reason (Redfly thinks) companies are going to by fleets of these is because of the lack of risk. By keeping all the data and processing on the mobile phone, tucked safely away in Mr Big's very expensive suite pocket, it doesn't matter if they leave the laptop on the train, drop it on the airport concourse or have it stolen from their car whislst on holiday in Edinburgh They have lost nothing* because all the valuable stuff is still in their pocket and the Windows Mobile device offers remote wipe!
Yes, it would be cheaper to buy an Eee PC but it also increases the risk that the morons who use these things will go and give away all the company secrets.
Now, you (and I) may think that's an utterly moronic point and why not just implement over-the-air backup and decent security etc but, moronic or not, that is how they are trying to market these things so the Eee PC argument doesn't fly.
* where nothing = £330
This looks like bombing (in more ways than one)
Not only does it seem useless but US customs is likely to give you a "through" examination when you tell them that you laptop which "suspiciously looks like a laptop" contains no data and isn't a laptop.
Utterly pointless
Not only are you going to get laughed at for buying a crock of a WM phone to start with, but doubly so when someone discovers its not actually a net-book you are using, but its just something which blows up all the inadequacies of Windows Mobile on to an 8" screen. When they find out you've paid almost twice as much as what an EEE PC 701 now goes for, they'll probably give themselves a hernia from laughing so hard.
As Cobblers says, get an EEE or any one of the hoard of similar net-books, and use any phone you like as a modem. You'll have a fast, reliable system (if you go with the Linux versions), running Firefox and all the plug-ins which is a universe away from the hopeless WM browsing experience. Open Office is also vastly more compatible than using the crippled little WM Office apps.
