Set up is extremely simple. Load the Redfly drivers onto your phone them simply switch the Redfly on and connect with a USB cable or via Bluetooth. We suspect most users will use the cable, one of the main points on the Redfly is surely that while you are using it your phone is being charged. Once hooked up the phone screen goes dark and Windows Mobile opens up on the Redfly's screen.
We have noticed a fair amount of loose talk about the Redfly working with pretty much any Windows smartphone. Well, not to put too fine a point on it, no it doesn't. Redfly's site contains a list of seven handsets currently supported and six under beta development, but things are a little more complex than just picking the correct version of Windows Mobile.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't work with every Windows smartphone
We got the drivers to work on a HTC Touch Dual (Windows Mobile 6 Pro) and an HTC TyTn I (Windows Mobile 5 Standard), but they flat refused to load onto an Asus M930 running Windows Mobile 6 Standard. As there only seemed to be two types on .CAB file available from Redfly we would take a wild stab in the dark and say the drivers work with 6 and, presumably, 6.1 Pro and 5 Standard.
Beyond that we wouldn't like to go so our suggestion would be to download the drivers and make sure they install on your phone before you fork out for a Redfly rather than after. We would also advise users to be wary of phones with third party GUI software. The Redfly just about tolerated the HTC Dual's bespoke home screen, managing to conjure up a slightly ham fisted, but still usable rendering of the screen layout though for some reason the Programmes and Settings tabs vanished from the bottom of the Start menu, which was something of a pain in the backside.
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.
